nervous cabaret = kick in the nuts

band:
nervous cabaret

how did i discover this band:
ssg says: "I haven't felt as strongly about a new find in years, make it your new find and brag to your friends- You Must Hear This Band!"

about the band:
six boys from new york. released two records (2003 and 2006).
website: nervouscabaret.com
live cabaret:
July 16th 2006 Dour Festival Belgium

i listened to these songs:
ratatat heart
mel gibson
instant lady
(mp3s on their website)

the review:
don't let this band fool you. the first time i listened to these songs i wanted to write a bad review. their name says exactly what they are: nervous and cabaret. sure they made me nervous, very nervous. the ecstatic singing just made me shiver (in a bad way). a day later i listened again, mainly because i was wondering why anyone would write such a raving review (and there are more of those). i ignored the singing and discovered nice songs underneath. it's swampy folkpostpunkrock with eastern european influences. a very unique sound. nervous cabaret just do want they want to do. if you don't like it, goodbye. but if you like a kick in the nuts once in a while, nervous cabaret is your band.
and i actually started to like the singing.

the points of the jury:
4/5.
you must hear this. listen twice!

mystery jets making triple loops

band:
mystery jets

how did i discover this band:
soundbites says: "The Mystery Jets are a nutty band. The music is just as schizo."

about the band:
five-piece from england: blaine harrison, henry harrison (who's blaine's father), william rees, kai fish, kapil trivedi. debut album making dens released in 2006.
live mystery:
Jun 23 2006 CERGY FURIA FESTIVAL FRANCE
Jun 24 2006 CERGY FURIA FESTIVAL FRANCE
Jun 25 2006 HYDE PARK LONDON
Jul 7 2006 AIX LES BAINES MUSICLAC FESTIVAL FRANCE
Jul 23 2006 TRUCK FESTIVAL OXFORDSHIRE
Aug 4 2006 HALDERN FESTIVAL GERMANY
Aug 5 2006 HALDERN FESTIVAL GERMANY
Aug 6 2006 HALDERN FESTIVAL GERMANY
Aug 10 2006 EMABOUD FESTIVAL SWEDEN
Aug 11 2006 BELLADRUM FESTIVAL SCOTLAND
Aug 12 2006 OYA FESTIVAL NORWAY
Aug 17 2006 ROCK OZ ARENES SWITZLAND
Aug 19 2006 PUKKLEPOP BELGIUM
Aug 20 2006 LOWLANDS HOLLAND
Aug 25 2006 CARLING FESTIVAL READING
Aug 26 2006 CARLING FESTIVAL LEEDS
Sep 8 2006 BESTIVAL ISLE OF WHITE
website: mysteryjets.com

i listened to these songs:
inside four walls
pioneers cover
hounds of love
(stream 'em on their myspace site)

the review:
mystery jets are a bit wacky. it's hard to describe their music. they sound poppy, art-farty and retro at the same time. close harmonies mixed up with ultra composed bloc party. or the coral gone folksy all the way. dedicated, doing their own thing. mystery jets are an idyllic adventure, and succesfully find a way to complete a puzzle with pieces that don't seem to fit together.

the points of the jury:
4/5.
beautiful.

mark gardener is greedy

band:
mark gardener

how did i discover this band:
prefixmag on his 2005 album these beautiful ghosts: "This record showcases Gardener's talent as a songwriter who can deftly draw from numerous permutations of the rock genre."

about the band:
mark gardener was the singer of the english 90's shoegazing band ride.
2005 solo debut: these beautiful ghosts.
mark live:
May 24 2006 Neuchatel (Swiss)
Jun 2 2006 La Corogne (Spain)
Jun 23 2006 Madrid (TBC) Spain
Jun 24 2006 Namur (Belgium)+Opera Garnier(Paris) (2 shows)
Jul 8 2006 Festival Majorca,Perpignan (France)
Jul 14 2006 Almeria (Spain)
Jul 15 2006 Bilbao(Spain)
Jul 20 2006 Slottsfjell Festival (Norway) Tonsberg
Jul 25 2006 Lisbon(TBC) Portugal
Jul 30 2006 Fuji Rock Festival (Japan)
Aug 2 2006 Galicia TBC Spain
Aug 12 2006 Ibiza(Spain)
Aug 13 2006 Han Sur Lesse(Belgium)
Sep 8 2006 Skopje (Macedonia) Skopje
website: markgardener.com

i listened to these songs:
gravity flow
to get me through
where are you now
water and wine
(on his myspace page)

the review:
i can't say it's bad, but i can't say it's good either. at its best moments this reminds me of flaming lips (to get me through) with a folksy/acoustic twist, but most of the time it just doesn't blow away. it's a boring neil young. mark gardener has been a bit to greedy on nice melodies and therefore the whole thing doesn't hit me.

the points of the jury:
2/5.
not bad, not good.

this cougar is too gentle

band:
cougar

how did i discover this band:
good review in rifraf.

about the band:
cougar consist of dan venne, trent johnson, dave henzie-skogen, aaron sleator and todd hill. drummer dave henzie-skogen is also the leader of youngblood brass band.
law is their debut album (2005), which is mixed by john mcentire (tortoise, stereolab, trans am and smog).
live date:
Jul 21 2006 Memorial Union Terrace Madison, WI
website: cougarsound.com

i listened to these songs:
pulse conditioner
atlatl
strict scrutiny
lifetime ranger
(mp3s on their myspace site)

the review:
cougar are a gentle postrock band. don't expect walls of guitars, loud climaxes or anything like that. cougar are sophisticated, balanced and try to avoid the postrock clichés. however, you can't call cougar original. you've heard this all before, but they do it well. pulse conditioner is really groovy while the other 3 songs i heard or just beautiful and varied enough to keep your attention. pay attention to the drums/percussion which add a big plus to cougar's sound.

the points of the jury:
3/5.
do you want a gentle cougar, or a cougar that might bite? i'd like to hear cougar sound a bit more dangerous.

ahleuchatistas

band:
ahleuchatistas

how did i discover this band:
mundane sounds says "I never thought I’d press “repeat” after listening to a record of theirs, but for once, I’m glad to be wrong."

about the band:
instrumental trio from asheville, nc. guitar, bass, drums. what you will (2006) is their third album.
live dates:
Wed Jul 12th Bo Bo Gallery in Asheville, NC
Mon Aug 14th @Empty Bottle in Chicago, IL
website: ahleuchatistas.com

i listened to these songs:
maybe orange
if, whenever
cracked teeth
rpg 3
(on their website)

the review:
four short songs, and what a relief. this is incredibly. math rock gone metal. math-metal. technically it's amazing, but for me it's nothing more than showing off.

the points of the jury:
0/5.
it's driving me nuts! how about you?

archie bronson outfit

band:
archie bronson outfit

how did i discover this band:
yoorp says: "if you buy only one album this month, make it this one!"

about the band:
three english boys: sam windett (vocals, guitar), dorian hobday (bass), mark cleveland (drums). two records out: fur (2004) and derdang derdang (2006).
archie live:
May 22nd (Monday) - Derby, GB (Victoria Inn)
May 26th (Friday) - Bristol, GB (Louisiana)
website: archiebronsonoutfit.co.uk

i listened to these songs:
got to get
kangaroo heart
bloodheat
dart for my sweetheart
(stream 'em on their myspace page)

the review:
archie bronson outfit play loud garage/blues rock 'n roll. they sound dirty, raw and sexy. think paranoia, tension, high energy, explosions, straight-forward, not shaving your beard for a week or two, beer in dirty glasses.

the points of the jury:
4/5.
drrrrty. i'm gonna take a shower now.

field music

band:
field music

how did i discover this band:
up the tree says: "great".

about the band:
from their bio: "Field Music are the latest product of a long-running musical expedition, directed by Andrew Moore and brothers Peter and David Brewis. Their debut album, imaginatively titled Field Music, was released to surprising critical acclaim in August 2005, accompanied by the singles Shorter Shorter, You Can Decide and, most recently, If Only The Moon Were Up.
All three core members hail from Sunderland, England, where they can usually be found, hidden away in their studio, crafting bizarre experimental pop music or in nightclubs, insisiting that Fleetwood Mac be played at volumes which test the limits of human hearing endurance."
website: field-music.co.uk

i listened to these songs:
you're so pretty
shorter shorter
you can decide
i'm tired
(mp3s on their website)

the review:
field music bring light, safe, happy pop songs. problem is they all sound alike and float somewhere in the air, without actually reaching or touching you. if you try hard to focus on their songs, you'll discover fine falsetto harmonies and clean arrangments that are as good as perfect. however, every time i played these four songs, i couldn't remember what i'd been listening too. it just disappeared in the air.

the points of the jury:
2/5.
their songs have a bad influence on my attention span.

lansing-dreiden

band:
lansing-dreiden

how did i discover this band:
aquarius says: SO weird but SO COOL!

about the band:
from their website: "Lansing-Dreiden is a multi-media company founded in Miami, FL and is currently based in New York. Its output includes artwork in the form of drawings, collages, sculpture and video, as well as the production of music recordings and Death Notice, a free newspaper containing fictional stories and images. All Lansing-Dreiden projects are fragmentary, mere stones in a path whose end lies in a space where the very definition of "path" paths." the group released two albums: the incomplete triangle in 2004 and the dividing island in 2006.
website: lansing-dreiden.com

i listened to these songs:
metal on a gun
laid in stone
i.c.u.
(mp3s on epitonic)

the review:
this certainly is weird, not to say intriguing. lansing-dreiden are hard to describe. they are pretentious and ambitious, but in a good way. they mix up of pop (60's till 80's, if you ask me), dreamy rock and electronic dance. there's prince, depeche mode, beach boys, new order and so much more. don't expect to hear this in one song. each song pulls you back in a certain era, and lansing-dreiden does that well. good songs, fine melodies, everything you want but didn't expect to find. one comment: each song is so different you think it's from another band... but hey, it's art!

the points of the jury:
4/5.
weird but definitely worth checking out.

band of horses

band:
band of horses

how did i discover this band:
seen a lot of positive reviews lately. want a few? pitchfork, prefixmag, tinymixtapes.

about the band:
band of horses are five american boys: ben bridwell, mat brooke, chris early, tim mienig and joe narnone. released their first album everything all the time in 2006.
horses live:
Saturday May 27th The Gorge, George, WA
Wednesday May 31st Nuerolux, Boise, ID
Saturday June 3rd The Aquarium, Fargo ND
Sunday June 4th 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Tuesday June 6th Schuba's, Chicago, IL
Thursday June 8th Blue Bird's, Bloomington, IN
Friday June 9th Alchemize Bar, Cincinnati, OH
Saturday June 10th Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
Sunday June 11th Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH
Tuesday June 13th Lee's Palace, Toronto, ON
Thursday June 15th The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
Friday June 16th Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
Saturday June 17th Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ
Sunday June 18th Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
Tuesday June 20th The Grey Eagle Tav. & Music Hall Asheville, NC
Wednesday June 21st New Brookland Tavern, West Columbia, SC
Thursday June 22nd The Earl, Atlanta, GA
Friday June 23rd The Parish(House of Blues) New Orleans, LA
Saturday June 24th Walter's on Washington, Houston, TX
Sunday June 25th The Parish, Austin, TX
Monday June 26th Hailey's, Denton, TX
Wednesday June 28th Club Congess, Tucson, AZ
Thursday June 29th Rhythm Room, Phoenix AZ
Friday June 30th Echo Los Angeles, CA
Saturday July 1st The Independent, San Francisco, CA
Monday July 3rd The Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
Friday July 28th Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle, WA
Saturday July 29th Union/ Pitchfork Festival, Chicago, IL
website: bandofhorses.com
also check out the band of horses fan of the month blog.

i listened to these songs:
the funeral
the great salt lake
weed party
(check mp3s on their website and their myspace site)

the review:
if these vocals don't remind you of my morning jacket singer jim james... anyway, the funeral starts soft and beautiful, until it bursts open, rocking out loud. besides comparing band of horses to my morning jacket, there's neil young i guess. reverb vocals, heavy on the guitars. the great salt lake also has this familiar sound. band of horses nicely manage to find a good balance between loud and intimate. it's dreamy, and maybe that's not a good thing. weed party is the most uptempo song of the three. but once you're off dreaming, well, you're off.

the points of the jury:
3/5.
not bad, but a bit too middle-of-the-road for me.

i love you but i've chosen darkness

band:
i love you but i've chosen darkness

how did i discover this band:
simplesongs told me he heard their cd and it didn't blow him away. (you know a band i should hear? mail me.)

about the band:
i love you but i've chosen darkness are daniel del favero, christian goyer, edward robert and tim white. from austin, texas. fear is on our site is their debut album, released in 2006.
live darkness:
May 17 2006 Ray's Bar Marfa, TX
May 18 2006 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
May 19 2006 The Casbah San Diego, CA
May 20 2006 The Echo Los Angeles, CA
May 21 2006 Amoeba Music San Francisco, CA
May 22 2006 The Independent San Francisco, CA
May 24 2006 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
May 25 2006 University of Washington Seattle, WA
May 26 2006 Nightlight Lounge Bellingham, WA
May 27 2006 Media Club Vancouver
May 29 2006 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
May 30 2006 Hi Dive Denver, CO
May 31 2006 Sokol Underground Omaha, NE
Jun 1 2006 The Opolis Norman, OK
Jul 19 2006 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Jul 21 2006 Boomtown Festival Ghent
Jul 22 2006 Le Nouveau Casino Paris
Jul 23 2006 Festival De Sedieres Sedieres
website: chosendarkness.com

i listened to these songs:
lights
the owl
according to plan
thoughts on the floor
(mp3s on their myspace site)

the review:
lights reminds me of the appleseed cast. multi-layered, melodic, epic.
the owl is a slow instrumental with a gothic feel. a bit boring.
according to plan is mix of those two, with a beat. it kicks of with a new wave bass line, dry vocals come on top. the same bass pumping through the whole song. too long and quite boring.
thoughts on the floor again sounds like a slow appleseed cast with a gothic feel. it doesn't hold my attention.

the points of the jury:
1/5.
a mix that doesn't work? maybe they should choose a direction.

65 days of static

band:
65 days of static

how did i discover this band:
i hear people arguing. one says "this is the future of music", while the other claims "it's just another linkin park nu-metal band". let's find out who's right.

about the band:
four-piece from sheffield uk. released two albums: the fall of math (2004) and one time for all time (2005).
tour dates:
May 2006
17th: FRANCE. Dijon, La Vapeur
18th: ENGLAND. Brighton, Concorde 2
Kerrang! Tour with The Disco Ensemble & The Morning After Girls:
20th: ENGLAND. Birmingham, Barfly
21st: ENGLAND. Liverpool, Barfly
22nd: SCOTLAND. Glasgow, Barfly
23rd: ENGLAND. York, Fibbers
24th: WALES. Cardiff, Barfly
25th: ENGLAND. London, Barfly
June 2006
2nd: ENGLAND. Bristol, Venn Festival
July 2006
23rd: ENGLAND. Oxfordshire, Truck Festival
August 2006
12th: JAPAN. Summersonic Festival, Tokyo
13th: JAPAN. Summersonic Festival, Osaka
website: 65daysofstatic.com

i listened to these songs:
i am robot
everything we talked about yesterday
i swallowed hard, like i understood
(mp3s on their website)

the review:
i am robot just sounds as the title suggest: like a robot playing a math-rock/post-rock song. a rather strange effect with these cut up vocals and electronic, superthight drums. interesting, cold. i don't know what to think of it. i understand people compare this with some nu-metal bands, but 65 days of static is far less mainstream.
everything we talked about yesterday starts incredibly beautiful. this definitely sounds like post/math-rock. think mogwai with electronics, explosions in the sky mixed with aphex twin. this sounds very new. it's experimental and rock at the same time. it has the post-rock emotions and anger, but the electronics turn it away from all the post-rock clichés.
i swallowed hard, like i understood again shows the strength of 65 days of static. the power and beauty of post-rock mixed with (this time subtler) electronic gives this band a unique sound.

the points of the jury:
4/5.
surely not a new linkin park. the future of music? decide for yourself, but if you ask me: why not?

beirut

band:
beirut

how did i discover this band:
whiteboydancefloor says: "They took my breath away."
said the gramophone says: "The album is really, really great."
productshop nyc says: "We've been loving Beirut's Gulag Orkestar. It's such a beautiful blissed out record. So far, it's one of our favorite records of 2006."

about the band:
beirut mainly is the 19-year-old albuquerque native, zach condon, with the help of a very wide range of instruments. debut album gulag orkestar released in 2006.
beirut live:
Monday May 22 Mercury Lounge, NYC
Thursday June 8 Joe's pub, NYC
website: beirutband.com

i listened to these songs:
mount wroclai (idle days)
gulag orkestar
canals of our city
postcards from italy
(mp3s on said the gramophone, productshop nyc)

the review:
this is beautiful. think lo-fi folk with a east european feel. a gypsy orchestra mixed with neutral milk hotel. emir kusturica and bright eyes fallen in love. sweet songs, mournful ballads, upbeat marches. no guitars but violins, horns, ukeleles and accordions (surely the hippest instrument for the moment, even hipper than the chapman stick). beirut crawls under your skin.

the points of the jury:
5/5.
check this out! NOW!

man in gray

band:
man in gray

how did i discover this band:
seen on chromewaves.

about the band:
female-fronted five-piece from brooklyn ny, working on their first full-length cd.
from their bio:
"Man In Gray plays noisy, whip-smart indie rock with one pretty guitar, one ferocious guitar, one punk bass, and one jackhammer drummer. Screams and whispers from Tina rise above the mayhem like a lightning rod, drawing it all together."
live date: May 19 2006 Red Fusion Asbury Park, NJ
website: maningray.com

i listened to these songs:
commodity 1
incommunicado
brakelights
(mp3s on their website, on their myspace site)

the review:
i hear a band who wants to sound like coheed & cambria. hybrid. a mix of punk, rock, metal with a little experimental twist. aggresive, energetic and loud, but melodic and sweet too. where c&c wonderfully hit the right notes and build songs with a genius construction, man in gray doesn't. sure they try and some parts of their songs are definitely okay. but most of it is just plain boring, sometimes even annoying. man in gray wants to be melodic and fresh, and sometimes even succeeds, but they lack surprising twists and an original view.

the points of the jury:
1/5.
could become a good band, check back later.

bishop allen

band:
bishop allen

how did i discover this band:
you ain't no picasso's favourite indie band.

about the band:
bishop allen are a band from new york. members: jack delamitraux (drums, vocals), christian owens (bass, vocals), justin rice (guitar, vocals) and christian rudder (guitar, vocals). rudder and rice self-released their first album charm school in 2003. later delamitraux and owens joined the band. bishop allen launched their monthly ep project in 2006, releasing a new ep on the last day of every month. they didn't sign a record deal yet.
website: bishopallen.com
interview by the name game.

i listened to these songs:
the news from your bed
flight 180
things are what you make of them
the monitor
(mp3s on you ain't no picasso, the band's homepage and their myspace page)

the review:
popsongs. think belle & sebastian or even the beatles (some compare them with pixies or modest mouse, but i don't hear that). melodic, harmonic, easy, happy, catchy and just plain beautiful. okay, they're not as brilliant as b&s (yet), but bishop allen are just starting. wait and see. and for now: listen.

the points of the jury:
4/5.
pretty darn good.

someone still loves you, boris yeltsin

band:
someone still loves you, boris yeltsin

how did i discover this band:
via daytrotter.

about the band:
someone still loves you, boris yeltsin say they are the third best band on weller street in springfield, missouri, the queen city. four boys: john robert, jonathan, philip and will. self-released their first album broom in 2005.
boris live:
FRIDAY, MAY 12 The Outland Ballroom SPRINGFIELD, MO
SATURDAY, MAY 13 Eastside Tavern COLUMBIA, MO
website: sslyby.com

i listened to these songs:
i am warm and powerful
house fire
anne elephant
(stream 'em on their webspace page)

the review:
a friendly band. warm, melodic popsongs that want to crawl inside your head and never come out. dueling vocalists, acoustic guitars, some electric guitar bursts. lo-fi indie pop that reminds me of bright eyes, early weezer, maybe some elliot smith.

the points of the jury:
3/5.
maybe a bit too gentle and predictable.

grails

band:
grails

how did i discover this band:
i was visiting neurot recordings (home of the great neurosis) and found grails on their artist list. a name i've seen for a couple of times, but i never heard their music. so here we are.

about the band:
instrumental quintet from portland. began in the late 90s as a solo bedroom recording project of guitarist alex hall. by 2001 the solo project had become a group, called laurel canyon, with two ep's. than neurot recordings got interested and signed the band. they released their first full album the burden of hope under their new name grails in 2003. second album red light, out in 2004.
website: grailsongs.com

i listened to these songs:
burden of hope
in the beginning
dargai
word made flesh
(mp3s on their homepage, they also got some songs on their myspace site.)

the review:
it began very good. burden of hope is just a beautiful song. highly emotional, melancholy. then something goes wrong. i hear some godspeed you! black emperor, dirty three, rachel's, maybe some mogwai. but it feels like they are missing something, or trying to hard. they fall into postrock clichés, never become as overwhelming as gy!be can be, nor do they leave us stunned as mogwai did with their rock action. it's just too average.

the points of the jury:
2/5.
let's say this is a young band, working hard. they surely got potential, so maybe we'll hear something great grails music in the future.

kapotski

band:
kapotski

how did i discover this band:
jonaski sent me an e-mail, suggesting a couple of bands i should listen to. (if you also know a band i should hear, mail me.)

about the band:
it's kind of complicated. jonaski sent me four links. kapotski, kabeatski, emieltapes and loose feet.
kapotski seems to be the main project. from their bio: " The trio Jonas Nachtergaele, Ruben Nachtergaele, and Kurt Stockman, aka Kapotski have become quite infamous for (re)appropriating unexpected technologies and artefacts for the creation of music. Kapotski (derived from the Dutch word for broken ‘kapot') have elevated hacked toys, reverse engineered junk, and the peep and squeak of pre-historic kitchen and household appliances to an art form: weird, entertaining, resourceful, and at times even verging on the perverse."
then there's kabeatski, a live computer-setup with midi sequencers, effects, realltime sampling and three microphones, to make you dance like you dropski (sic).
emieltapes is kapotski's temporary improvised music recording project.
and loose feet is jonas nachtergaele's electro pop solo project.
i decided to focus on kapotski.
website: kapotski.be

i listened to these songs:
popa
kapstoki
zitstilski
golfruissong
(mp3s on kapotski's website)

the review:
first song is popa, which is sort of a nursery rhyme. just a cracky voice singing. fine intro. kapstoki reminds me of labradford. experimental ambient soundscapes. it's soundtracklike but there's enough tension to make it interesting. zitstilski starts as promising as kapstoki, but for some reason hasn't the same subtle strength. it just stays on the surface. golfruissong: same story. promising start but it gets a bit boring after a while.

the points of the jury:
2/5.
first two songs are fine, but the two others don't really please my ears. i don't exactly know what kapotski wants to achieve. they sure seem to have an interesting project with all this recycling stuff turned into musical instruments. but if they want to become more than almost a random abstract background noise act, there's work. the first two songs prove they know how to, and especially kapstoki reminds me of the hypnotic power of labradford.

hockey night

band:
hockey night

how did i discover this band:
via you ain't no picasso.

about the band:
four boys from minnesota, two guitarists and two drummers. (but who's the fifth guy on the picture?) released their first album keep guessin' in 2005.
live dates:
May 4 2006 Block Rock Columbia, MO
May 5 2006 Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center Urbana-Champaign, IL
May 6 2006 Howards Bowling Green, OH
May 7 2006 Mojo's Jamestown, NY
May 8 2006 Iota Club & Cafe Arlington, VA
May 9 2006 The Cake Shop New York, NY
May 10 2006 GoodVibes Art Space Kutztown, PA
May 11 2006 PA's Lounge Somerville, MA
May 12 2006 The Brass Rail New London, CT
May 13 2006 The Mercury Lounge New York, NY
interview on you ain't no picasso.
website: hockeynightmusic.com

i listened to these songs:
dark trance
who we are
save the clock tower
(mp3s on you ain't no picasso. and on the band's myspace page.)

the review:
this sounds like fun. think pavement, violent femmes, maybe a bit granfaloon bus. indie. it's poppy and experimental. it sometimes has a bluesy and folky influence. if you're a dancer, you might even want to shake your booty to this.

the points of the jury:
4/5.
check it out!

cold war kids

band:
cold war kids

how did i discover this band:
stereogum labelled them "band to watch".

about the band:
four boys from california. three eps released since 2005.
May 3 2006 Pianos nyc, NY
May 5 2006 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
May 20 2006 London Metro London
May 21 2006 London Luminaire London
May 23 2006 London Garage London
May 24 2006 London Madam JoJo's London
Jun 1 2006 The Journey Madison, WI
Jun 2 2006 The Abbey Pub Chicago, IL
Jun 3 2006 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
Jun 4 2006 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Jun 5 2006 The Middle East Boston, MA
Jun 6 2006 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Jun 7 2006 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
Jun 8 2006 Fletcher's Baltimore, MD
Jun 9 2006 The Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, GA
Jun 10 2006 The Basement Nashville, TN
Jun 12 2006 The Gypsy Tea Room Dallas, TX
Jun 13 2006 Stubb's Austin, TX
Jun 15 2006 Solar Culture Tucson, AZ
Jun 16 2006 The Echo Los Angeles, CA
Jun 17 2006 Cafe Du Nord San Francisco, CA
Jun 18 2006 Berbat's Pan Portland, OR
Jun 19 2006 Crocodile Cafe Seattle, WA
Jun 22 2006 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
Jun 23 2006 Sokol Underground Omaha, NE
website: coldwarkids.com

i listened to these songs:
hospital beds
tell me in the morning
the soloist in the living room
heavy boots
(mp3s on their website. i guess i'm floating has some more.)

the review:
first i thought i was hearing a piano band with jack white singing. or jeff buckley. well, it's neither of them. cold war kids sound like they know how to handle their instruments, all the ingredients are there, but they don't know how to mix it. it sounds promising for a while, but they don't finish it, give that final punch.

the points of the jury:
2/5.
cold war kids still have a lot of work to do. so don't believe the hype, for now.

the black lips

band:
the black lips

how did i discover this band:
namedropped on brooklynvegan.

about the band:
the black lips are an american outfit. released their first, self-titled album in 2003. third record let it bloom out in 2005. on stage they sometimes pee in their own mouths and then spit it on the crowd. you're warned, live dates:
May 2 2006 roseland ballroom new york, NY
May 3 2006 roseland ballroom new york, NY
May 5 2006 SW corner of norman and kingsland new york( greenpoint), NY

i listened to these songs:
boomerang
not a problem
hippie hippie hooray
sea of blasphemy
(on their myspace page)

the review:
my first thought was "another let's-play-some-old-rock-n-roll band". but not this one. the black lips indeed sound like some 60's rock 'n roll act (i hear the sonics, the doors, rolling stones, the cramps, the troggs, iggy pop). it's dirty, it's raw, it's unpredictable. and they just have good songs. but the black lips don't just pretend to be some garage punkers, they just are. the strokes, the vines and all these other rock 'n roll hipsters can learn something from these boys.

the points of the jury:
5/5.
it doesn't sound new, but it sounds great. check this out!

liars

band:
liars

how did i discover this band:
much hyped by some guys i know. let's see if it's worth their effort.

about the band:
liars are currently a three-piece outfit: angus andrew (vocals/guitar), aaron hemphill (percussion, guitar, synth), julian gross (drums). released their first album they threw us all in a trench and stuck a monument on top in 2001, and recorded their 3rd album drum's not dead (2006) in berlin (germany). shifting styles between albums, but always with a feel for rhythm and texture.
catch them live:
May 4 2006 CORNER Melbourne
May 5 2006 PRINCE OF WALES Melbourne
May 6 2006 HOME Sydney
May 13 2006 ATP FESTIVAL UK
May 17 2006 Philadelphia, PA
May 18 2006 Washington DC
Jun 16 2006 SONAR, Barcelona ES
Jun 17 2006 SONAR, Barcelona ES
website: liarsliarsliars.com

i listened to these songs:
be quiet mt. heart attack!
let's not wrestle mt. heart attack
a visit from drum
(on their myspace page)

the review:
drum surely isn't dead. these three tracks heavily rely on drums, percussion and rhytmic patterns. guitars, synths and high voices are used to create atmosphere. it's drone, it's hypnotic, it's tribal, it's trance. it's a bit neubauten too. you can't call these songs, however calling them soundscapes would be too much.
anyway, if you aren't afraid of a little experiment, check this out.

the points of the jury:
3/5.
to be honest, it's too early to give points. liars sound promising, so i really should listen to this some more, and then decide on the points. maybe then they would get a 4. but for now, i give liars a 3.