CANADA: On And At CMJ

Canada, the sprawling, well, not quite sprawling, seven piece outfit from Michigan, have landed a spot at this years CMJ and a spot smack dab on the cover of CMJ NEW MUSIC REPORT (these are the mag's capitals, not mine, although there's nothing wrong with capitals. And as you can plainly see the band on the cover and the capitals, why am I indulging in this quasi interior dialogue with you, the reader, you may ask? Because I can.)

Some mp3s, info, links, and whatnot, can be found here in the June post *Sixeyes did on the band.

Here are some upcoming tourdates:
09/22 Champaign-Urbana, IL The Canopy Club (w/ Man Man)
10/7 Kalamazoo, MI The State Theater (w/ RJD2 and Spank Rock)
10/26 Rochester, NY The Bugjar*
10/27 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place *
10/28 Waltham, MA Brandeis University*
10/29 Providence, RI AS220*
10/30 Boston, MA Middle East*
10/31 Poughkeepsie, NY House Party*
11/01 New York, NY Mercury Lounge - CMJ Festival (w/ Girl Talk, Figurines, Mobius Band)
11/04 Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox *
11/17 Lake Forest, IL The Chapel (w/ Hanalei)
11/19 Champaign, IL Cowboy Monkey*
11/20 Chicago, IL The Empty Bottle *

* = w/ Headlights

Tech Tags: music news indie

REEBOSOUND is Sven Missullis

REEBOSOUND is Sven Missullis, and Sven, or Missu, likes to thrash at his guitar, but that isn't enough to disguise the traces of power pop showing through. The catchy melodies and more-pop-than-rock vocals stand out amongst the fuzzy guitar and at times, overdriven beat. Missu wrote all songs and plays all instruments and this adds up to some sweet songs from Germany.

The album can be downloaded as a zip file at Missu's website.

+ deleted scenes
+ that gun
+ down
[these are myspace mp3 links and can only be streamed on the myspace page]

The Reebosound myspace page, where you can download another song... but try the zip file, it includes the artwork.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music indie

Jeremy Enigk: World Waits : Review

Jeremy Enigk
World Waits
[Lewis Hollow Recordings - October 17, 2006]
*Sixeyes Score: 7.5 out of 10

Review by JP Swenson

Let me start off by saying that in the mid 90’s, I LOVED Sunny Day Real Estate’s first 2 albums (Diary & the self-titled/Pink albums). In 1995, in the Pacific Northwest, Sunny Day Real Estate were enigmatic legends: they didn’t do interviews, they wouldn’t play shows in California, they were featured on a movie soundtrack that also had U2 (even if it was for one of those awful Batman movies), they appeared in a Nordstrom ad, and had a video on MTV. I was blown away by Jeremy Enigk’s first solo album, 1996’s Return of the Frog Queen, the chamber pop left-turn he made during SDRE’s first break-up. When Sunny Day reformed, I was a bit underwhelmed by 1998’s How it Feels to Be Something On, but embraced it like the prodigal son who returned home, and I learned to love it. The Rising Tide was a giant leap toward mediocrity. When The Fire Theft came out, I immediately wanted my money back.

Thankfully, World Waits is no Fire Theft, but it’s not a Return of the Frog Queen either. This one lands somewhere in the middle, and that’s about as much as I had hoped for. The songs on here were written over the past 10 years, some shortly after Frog Queen, some intended for The Fire Theft, and some just for this album. Jeremy’s voice is still that elfin/Jon Anderson (of Yes)-meets-John Vanderslice type of yowl. The album opens with the too-literally titled instrumental “A New Beginning”. With it’s mid-tempo 6/8 lilt & lack of histrionics, “Return to Sea” is one of the better tracks on the album. On the other end of the spectrum is “City Tonight” which sounds like a contender for The Fire Theft, but it (thankfully) lacks William Goldsmith’s over the top, overplayed drumming, and is therefore more credible as a solo Enigk effort, rather than a band showing off their chops. The star of this album is the layered vocals & melodies, backed by delicate guitars & strings, not fancy drum or guitar work, and that’s a good thing. “Damien Dreams”, an old live favorite from the Frog Queen days, finally shows up here and is almost unscathed by the past 10 years. It’s slightly reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s “Dream Brother”; it’s deceptively uncomplicated, and it highlights Enigk’s ability to form an engaging, melodic song around a simple chord pattern. “Wayward Love” and “Dare a Smile” are acoustic based songs that wouldn’t be out of place on Return of the Frog Queen; “Dare a Smile” is another contender for “best song on the album”, with its hints of John Lennon and arcing string line that gently propels the song along. The title track is a somber ballad that once again avoids the overblown operatic route and instead focuses on lyrics and a beautiful string section in the background.

The problem I have with this album is Enigk’s continued tendency (during the rocking songs) to rely on soothing keyboard patches, overly harmonized vocals and the fact that when he screams, it only highlights his worn vocal cords. Mercifully, there are only a few moments on the album that display these negative traits, and overall this is a welcome (music critic cliché alert!) return to form.

MP3s:
+ been here before
+ river to sea

>>GO to the HYPE MACHINE for more of Jeremy Enigk.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads CD+Review music Jeremy+Enigk

---

JP Swenson is a musician and English major who loves to misspell and misuse words. He is fascinated by regional accents and is somewhat ashamed that as a native Pacific Northwesterner, he has no accent.

Matt Friedberger: The Younger

Fiery Furnace and newbie solo artist, Matt Friedberger, played in a few bands before teaming with his sister, Eleanor, to form the Fiery Furnaces. The bands Corndolly, Mezzanines, and Liquorette all boasted Friedberger's obvious talents, but, as far as I know, Liquorette was truly Friedberger's baby. He was the lead singer and main songwriter and the fact that he was lead singer surprises me, as I once had the feeling he was hiding behind his sister's distinctive voice in the Fiery Furnaces... that illusion now laying shattered at the feet of his double disc solo album, Holy Ghost Language and Winter Women and these two Liquorette songs from Matt Friedberger, the younger.

liquorette - from the album When You Work I Sleep
Learn more about the record through the buy link below.
+ don't quit your job, joan
+ santa claus
Buy from Parasol.

Matt Friedberger
+ do you like blondes
+ under the hood at the paradise garage




the fiery furnaces
+ benton harbor blues
+ quay cur
You'll find more Fiery Furnaces here, mostly live and/or radio sessions.



>>GO to the HYPE MACHINE for more Matt and more Fiery Furnaces.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music matt+friedberger fiery+furnaces

Listen to *Sixeyes MP3 Blog

I have no idea how many people used the M3U and Flashplayer links I used to have in the sidebar, but I've removed them and am now going with a link to the Hype Machine. At the HM each blog has it's own page (here's *Sixeyes page) showing all their posts and on these individual pages are streaming options displayed by graphics at the top of the page. It's easy to listen via your preferred method.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SUBCRIBERS, THANKS YOU!

I'd like to thank those who have recently subscribed to *Sixeyes through the newly offered email subscription method. You'll find it in the sidebar. And please subscribe through your preferred RSS reader, I've made it easy to find the RSS Feed and to save to del.icio.us as well.

I'm trying to make this page better, so, if you have any suggestions... please feel free to holler.

Beach House

"...dreamy, languid, back-to-the-womb slow pop."
*Sixeyes



I haven't stumbled upon a band more aptly named than Beach House in quite some time. But this isn't your average beach house, this one is filled with warm, thick saltwater which lifts and soothes you. And in this audio aquarium you are now the fish, a sleek golden fish, a goldfish, swimming in the cupped hands of your mother. Or maybe, this music simply makes you feel good... it's one or the other and sometimes both. The Baltimore based duo are Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, and they, as Beach House, make dreamy, languid, back-to-the-womb slow pop.

From their self-titled album on Carpark Records...
+ saltwater [mp3] - release date October 3/06

>>GO to the HYPE MACHINE for more Beach House.

Tech Tags: music mp3 downloads beach+house

Of Montreal: Satanic Twins and More MP3s

Of Montreal, with Polyvinyl Records since January of 2004, have just released a double album called Satanic Twins on that label, and here's what Polyvinyl says about it.

"Satanic Twins is a limited edition, exquisitely packaged vinyl-only double album that features remixes from of Montreal's two most popular albums, Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins. A project nearly two years in the making, Satanic Twins features remixes from the likes of Broken Spindles, Grizzly Bear, I Am The World Trade Center, Restiform Bodies, and more. Due to the album's rarity and of Montreal's popularity, these should sell out fast! Limited to 2,000 copies. Limit 2 per customer." BUY.

Get your Satanic Twins here through eMusic's FREE trial offer.

From Satanic Twins...
+ disconnect the dots mixel pixel remix
+ forecast fascist future iqu remix

A mix of OF Montreal MP3s...
+ requiem for o.m.m.2
+ disconnect the dots
+ so begins our alabee
+ lysergic bliss
+ wraith pinned to the mist and other games
+ psychotic feeling
+ more noir blues and tinnitus
+ good morning mr edminton
+ a question for emily foreman
+ hello from inside a shell
+ dustin hoffman thinks about eating the soap
+ just recently lost someting of importance
+ if i faltered slightly twice
+ doing nothing
+ jacques lamure
+ nickee coco and the invisible tree
+ don't ask me to explain
+ spoonful of sugar

And the free bonus covers EP that came with Satanic Panic In The Attic
[these are all covers done by Of Montreal]
The Shins' + Know Your Onion
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci's + Spanish Dance Troupe
V Twin's + Delinquency
Broadcast's +Color Me In

>>GO to the HYPE MACHINE for more Of Montreal.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music of+montreal

Get Lonely and Post-War at eMusic

Oh, there's some good stuff showing up at eMusic lately. If you're already a subscriber, go crazy. If you haven't had the pleasure yet, you can do a trial run (no strings) by going here for 25 FREE mp3 downloads.

Here's some of the albums that caught my eye.

M Ward Post-War
The Mountain Goats Get Lonely
Sufjan Stevens Seven Swans
pipettes we are the pipettes
final fantasy he poos clouds
The Decemberists Picaresqueties
Magnolia Electric Co Fading Trails
Kaki King ...Until We Felt Red
silver jews
silver jews starlite walker
silver jews tanglewood numbers
silver jews american water
lisa germano
US Maple Acre Thrills
nouvelle vague

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music emusic

Sixeyes is an MP3 Blog :: Mountain Goats Exclusive MP3

Yeah, but you know that, don't you (it's an mp3 blog, I mean)? It's been two years and... uhm... nearly three months, so I kind of know what I'm doing. But not really. I love finding new music that excites me and giving everyone that comes here a chance to get excited along with me. Recently I heard that using tags (technorati and del.icio.us) can bring an increase in traffic, of people looking for what you're offering on your webpage. So, you can see the del.icio.us icons and the new RSS icons--please subscribe or save to del.icio.us, you can save the blog itself, or the post. I think I'm saying this right, I'm not up to snuff on this new fangled stuff.

Okay, back to the music. The Mountain Goats released their latest effort, Get Lonely, this past Tuesday (BUY IT where good records are sold), and one of the standout tracks is the opener, "Wild Sage". And this song was included in an in-store performance given by The Mountain Goats at San Francisco's Amoeba store this past Tuesday. This song is also to be featured in the exciting collaboration between YouTube and Amoeba entitled "YouTube Presents: Sessions at Amoeba featuring the Mountain Goats". This very special program will be presented in 3 parts beginning Monday August 28th, and get this... each segment will offer a song and a portion of an interview conducted by The New Pornographers, Carl Newman, with John Darnielle.

Here's the song courtesy of Beggars...
+ wild sage [live in-store, Tuesday August 22]

* * * * * *
Also, I'm hoping to have a brief interview with Mr Darnielle up on this page very shortly. Stay tuned, or online, or something like that.

>>GO to the HYPE MACHINE for more Mountain Goats.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music mountain+goats

The Veils: Nux Vomica: Review

The Veils
Nux Vomica
[Rough Trade - Sept 11 2006]
*Sixeyes Score: 9 out of 10



Review by Jenn Rogers

I don't ever start writing reviews during the first listen to an album, particularly not when the first listening of an album is on a public bus with less than fantastic headphones. The fact I feel compelled to do this says a lot about exactly how good the album is.

Okay, so I didn't actually get that far when it came to starting the review and the rest of the words are the result of near compulsive listening over the space of a week. The Veils are a New Zealand started, UK based band, but instead of going into those sort of tangible details, check out Alan's post, listing the details of the new album and accept his praising before I go onto my own.

The music is raw, I'd even go to the instinct of heartfelt, but that would negate the darker underside that lingers beneath many of the songs. Everything presented by songwriter/lead singer Finn Andrews is intriguing, the world suddenly seems the place of a million myths and stories to be drawn on for lyrical inspiration. In some ways, the CD appears set in a world we can all relate to, there is something epic in the repetition and almost traditional images that add together to create haunting music. In other ways, the album acts to create its own world, where the beauty of what could almost be a rough unattractive voice creates differences and unity between the ache of the blues-based songs and the softer, sweeter songs.

One of my major criticisms of a lot of the new bands I find myself listening to is the movement away from the album. When people download a few songs or listen to playlists made on iPods, it seems more and more bands are creating singles and individual songs, killing a sense of cohesion. In comparison, The Veils second album holds together, even through the style changes, and it's this simple fact that gives the songs an almost internal structure that is inherently listenable.

+ advice for young mothers to be
+ under the folding branches

>>GO to the HYPE MACHINE for more Veils.

JUST ADDED! An interview with Finn Andrews can be read here at sixeyes.

---

According to googlism.com 'Jenn is awesome dot com',' a very cool kid' and also 'the #1 nyc antifolk musician 2002'. Apparently, Jenn Rogers has been making a lot of international flights from her home town of Sydney, Australia and has been far busier than she ever realised.

Julia Haltigan & The Hallelujah Peddlers

Julia Haltigan stands out from the crowd. She just needs a chance to be heard.... before people notice the peculiar gift she has. Imagine if Jack White produced Jolie Holland and Holland could wail... you know Haltigan can wail once you give her a listen. She reins her bluesly purr in admirably in "All I Can Think Of Is You", but lets it teasingly slip in my favourite of these two songs, "Green Shirt". Once she gets a full length under her belt I'm hoping to hear some more wailin' blues from Julia Haltigan & The Hallelujah Peddlers.

If you like it when the blues purrs and teases you with it's claws, you'll love this.

+ green shirt
+ all i can think of is you [courtesy of kings of a&r]

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music julia+haltigan

Mountain Goats: "Woke Up New": Hi-Res Video

Go here to download a hi-res version of The Mountain Goats video for "Woke Up New". This 30 meg Quicktime video has been made available by the director, Rian Johnson (Brick).

It's a great video.

Protokoll

Protokoll are poised to make all the right noises according to some big boys like NME and the BBC's Steve Lamacq. But, as usual, all the right noises have to hit all the ears the right way, and they aren't doing it for me. There isn't much new here, they have all the right influences (Bauhaus, Sonic Youth, T. Rex, The Chameleons UK, The Cure, New Order, The Misfits, My Bloody Valentine) and a distinctive name (frankly, I am rarely bothered by a band's name, but this one irks me no end), and they sound like, well, the music sounds like it had a couple of pots of strong black coffee and the singer sounds like he wishes it was 1979 and he was in Manchester. Mind you, it's damn good coffee and Manchester was the place to be.

The Boston band will unveil their s/t debut on the indie imprint, IHEARTCOMIX, on October 10th.

Remember what happened to Interpol? Meet Protokoll... Hey, those names seem vaguely similar and so will be the fame.

from their self-titled EP...
+ sunken

From their BBC radio session...
+ moving forward
+ holy devine

Listen to more on their myspace.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music protokoll

Sebadoh III: Free MP3s

Domino Records has reissued Sebadoh's 1991 album, III, and it features new liner notes, remastered recording, a second disc that includes the Gimme Indie Rock EP, plus the obligatory collection of outtakes. It also includes this song, "Kath". A lovely, tiny melody within a short song. A song which sounds like an acoustic demo of a song intended to be electrified. A supposed fact that does not mean this song is lacking... it means that Sebadoh knows what's best for Sebadoh... and the music... I suppose.

+ kath [mp3]
mp3 courtesy of salon.com's audiofile

You can download two more tracks from this remastered album through the Sebadoh advertisement in the sidebar... while the ad lasts that is (the ad will end it's run on August 28th).

Live MP3s: Recorded at the Aktionshalle Rote Fabrik, Zurich, Switzerland May 16, 1999
+ tree
+ the bird is in the hand

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads indie+rock sebadoh

The Mountain Goats: Get Lonely: Review

The Mountain Goats
Get Lonely
[4AD - August 22, 2006]
*Sixeyes Score: 8.3 out of 10

Review by Alan Williamson

I get the inkling that The Mountain Goats John Darnielle has many, many rich hidden places. He's a writer who believes and trusts in mystery. If he was a filmmaker he wouldn't show you the blood, the murders, and nary a glimpse of the aftermath, his camera and script would hone in on the psychological aftermath, the devastation to those left behind.

Get Lonely, the latest work from The Mountain Goats, John Darnielle, grabbed me on second listen when the song, "In The Hidden Places", opened with the couplet "Autumn came around/Like a drifter to an on ramp." An image that hasn't yet come clear in my mind, but one, which continues to be, swept up, like dry brown leaves, in my imagination. The instant standout on the record, "Woke Up New", is one of his most touching and endearing songs. That song alone will garner Darnielle newly adoring fans, fans that have much to discover among an eclectic back catalogue. But, lest we forget, there are other quiet treasures to be hoisted from the cold earth of this new Mountain Goats record. "Wild Sage" opens the proceedings by bringing us out of the house with him and taking us into an unsavoury part of Anytown, USA. Title track, "Get Lonely", continues the sparse, pared to the bone, effect, in fact it achieves the pinnacle of this feeling here. But the aura of quiet desperation rises, in the uplifting melody and arrangement of the aforementioned, "Woke Up New". This song and the entire album benefiting wonderfully from the talents of cellist, Erik Friedlander, and the production and instrumental flourishes of Scott Solter.

Where 2005's The Sunset Tree was a smack up against the head, Get Lonely is a thin, deep scar in smooth, soft flesh… ruminated, examined, and brought out like a box of old photographs.
Get Lonely will slowly creep into manyMountain Goats fan's favourite albums. Slowly, because it doesn't hit as hard, sonically, or viscerally, and it will have to grow in the listener as quietly as a bruise fades away.

+ get lonely [mp3]

Buy Get Lonely
*Download 'Get Lonely' through eMusic's trial offer.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads CD+review music the+mountain+goats

---

Alan Williamson does not have six eyes, no matter what you've heard.

Released: August 22

This weeks new releases at insound.com...

08/22/06 Amy Millan Honey From The Tombs Arts & Crafts

08/22/06 Broadcast Future Crayon (B-Sides/Rarities) Warp

08/22/06 Chad VanGaalen Skelliconnection Sub Pop

08/22/06 Crooked Still Shaken By A Low Signature Sounds

08/22/06 Cursive Happy Hollow Saddle Creek

08/22/06 Early Day Miners Offshore Secretly Canadian

08/22/06 Eric Bachman To The Races Saddle Creek

08/22/06 Fucked Up Triumph of Life 7" Jade Tree

08/22/06 Headlights Kill Them With Kindness Polyvinyl

08/22/06 Jason Molina Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go Secretly Canadian

08/22/06 Jennifer O'Connor Over the Mountain, Across the Valley, and Back to the Stars Matador

08/22/06 Judah Johnson Be Where I Be Flameshovel

08/22/06 Lambchop Damaged Merge

08/22/06 Miss Derringer Lullabies Sympathy For The Record Industry

08/22/06 Mountain Goats Get Lonely 4AD

08/22/06 My Brightest Diamond Bring Me The Workhorse Asthmatic Kitty

08/22/06 Nouvelle Vague Brande A Part Luaka Bop

08/22/06 Ratatat Classics XL

08/22/06 Razorlight S/T Universal Motown

08/22/06 Snowden Anti-Anti Jade Tree

08/22/06 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Broom Polyvinyl

08/22/06 Thermals The Body, The Blood, The Machine Sub Pop

08/22/06 Uzeda Stella Touch and Go

08/22/06 Windsor For The Derby Minnie Greunzfeldt Secretly Canadian

08/22/06 Zutons Tired Of Hanging Around

Tech Tags: music new+releases indie+rock

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: Live Mix + Album MP3s

This is a nearly complete mix of Death Cab For Cutie's 2003 album, Transatlanticism, (it was in fact two years old yesterday, Oct 7th - this is a re-post) made up of several live performances done by DCFC last year. All these mp3s are found on the live music archive, Archive.org. Of course DCFC aren't the only band or artist found there... there's lots of stuff to download.

These DCFC song titles are mp3 links and I've included links back to the archive where the entire live set can be downloaded at either high or low res. Also the performances can be streamed from each page as well.

Track 9 off of Transatlanticism, "Death of an Interior Decorator", isn't found in any of the live sets uploaded to the archive... and so that lone song isn't here. Also I've put up a few album tracks at the end of the live mp3s.

1. The New Year
March 31st, 2004
Odeon
Cleveland, OH
*The full set is available here
2. Lightness
November 9th, 2004
Paramount Theatre
Seattle, WA
*the full set
3. Title And Registration
April 1st, 2004
Club Laga
Pittsburgh, PA
*the full set
4. Expo '86
October 17th, 2004
Clutch Cargo's
Pontiac, MI
*the full set
5. The Sound Of Settling and
6. Tiny Vessels
March 31st, 2004
Odeon
Cleveland, OH
*the full set
7. Transatlanticism
October 2nd, 2004
Toledo Sports Arena
Toledo, OH
*the full set
8. Passenger Seat
June 16, 2006
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Manchester, TN
*the full set
10. We Looked Like Giants and
11. A Lack Of Color
November 9th, 2004
Paramount Theatre
Seattle, WA
*the full set

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Studio Album MP3s
+ soul meets body [radio edit]
+ a movie script ending
+ for what reason
+ title and registration
+ brothers on a hotel bed
+ different names for the same thing

*You can find more Death Cab at the Hype Machine.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music death+cab+for+cutie

Dancing About Architecture

Seattle's The Stranger talks to The Mountain Goats, John Darnielle.

* * * * * * * * *

CMJ interviews Sonic Youth.
Not everyone in the Moore household is sold on the genre, however. "Our 12-year-old daughter has been jamming in the basement with her friends, and they have this ad-hoc trio called the Light Bulbs," he says of Coco Gordon Moore, his daughter with Kim Gordon.

* * * * * * * *

The Guardian reviews Lambchop's latest, Damaged.

* * * * * * * * *

The Guardian reviews Peter, Bjorn, and John: Writer's Block.

Art Brut - We Are Scientists - Spinto Band: TOUR DATES + MP3s

* Art Brut * We Are Scientists * The Spinto Band * Tour Dates:

Sep 18 2006 Cat's Cradle (All Ages) Carborro NC
Sep 19 2006 The Roxy (All Ages) Atlanta GA
Sep 20 2006 The Social (All Ages) Orlando FL
Sep 21 2006 Studio A (18+) Miami FL
Sep 22 2006 Club Downunder (18+) Tallahassee FL
Sep 23 2006 One Eyed Jack's (All Ages) New Orleans LA
Sep 24 2006 Warehouse Live (All Ages) Houston TX
Sep 25 2006 Emo's (Outdoors) (All Ages) Austin TX
Sep 26 2006 Gypsy Tea Room (17+) Deep Ellum TX
Sep 28 2006 Brickhouse Theatre (All Ages) - Phoenix AZ
Sep 29 2006 House of Blues (All Ages) San Diego CA
Sep 30 2006 Henry Fonda Theatre (All Ages) Los Angeles CA
Oct 2 2006 The Fillmore (All Ages) San Francisco CA
Oct 5 2006 Hawthorne Theatre (All Ages) Portland OR
Oct 6 2006 Commodore Ballroom (18+) Vancouver BC
Oct 7 2006 Neumo's Crystal Ball Reading (All Ages) Seattle WA
Oct 9 2006 In The Venue (All Ages) Salt Lake City UT
Oct 10 2006 Bluebird Theatre (16+) Denver CO
Oct 11 2006 The Granada (All Ages) Lawrence KS
Oct 12 2006 Metro (18+) - Chicago IL
Oct 13 2006 Majestic Theatre Center, Inc (All Ages) Detroit MI
Oct 14 2006 Opera House (All Ages) Toronto ON
Oct 15 2006 La Tulipe Montreal PQ

* Art Brut * We Are Scientists * The Spinto Band * MP3s:
Art Brut MP3s
+ formed a band
+ top of the pops
We Are Scientists MP3s
+ inaction
+ nobody move, nobody get hurt
Spinto Band MP3s...
go here.

Technorati Tags: mp3 downloads music tour+dates art+brut

The Little Ones: Sing Song: Review

The Little Ones
Sing Song EP
[Branches Recording Collective - March 2006]
*Sixeyes Score: 7.5 out of 10

Review by JP Swenson

The Little Ones’ debut EP, Sing Song, features six sunshine pop songs mixed by the talented Tony Lash. It would be fair to compare their sound to The Shins, Neutral Milk Hotel, or Beulah. And if you liked the album art of The Shins’ “Chutes Too Narrow”, you’ll like the cover art of “Sing Song”, as it was done by the same artist, Jesse LeDoux, which would be a clue as to any possible comparisons. It’s sunshine pop using keyboards, electric guitar, bass and drums, so you probably know what sounds to expect: happy sounding songs filled with bright, clean guitar lines and filled with double-tracked vocals and smooth harmonies that frequently sing wordless melodies of just “la la la” or “ooh ooh ooh”s. Be ye warned, however: it’s sunshine pop, and if you have a low tolerance of sugary perkiness, stick to one or two songs per listening. It’s good summertime music and any of these tracks would be apt on a summer mix cd. They’re touring this fall with The French Kicks; check ‘em out.

+ high on a hill
+ cha cha cha

---

JP Swenson is a musician and English major who loves to misspell and misuse words. He is fascinated by regional accents and is somewhat ashamed that as a native Pacific Northwesterner, he has no accent.

Technorati Tags: mp3 downloads music CD+review the+little+ones

New Love: The Shins "Kissing The Lipless"

I'm not a Shins fan. I'm not sure if this is a product of my age, or not. I like some of what The Shins do, but I'm not even mildly obsessed about this band. I don't feel that allegiance with the music and artists I once held to my chest, stoked in my overheated brain, and trawled for on late night radio. But then I don't feel that way about any musicians any longer. What I do love is the discovery of new favourites. So, still not sure if this is a product of greying and missing hair follicles, but I'm beginning to get an inkling that it just may be. I guess why I don't love The Shins is because they remind me of older music (namely The Beach Boys, whom I can't stand) and, as I mentioned, I love discovering new songs and bands. Or rediscovering familiar songs, such as this Shins track from 2003's Chutes Too Narrow. Music is, was, and always will be, a huge part of my life and falling in love with new bands and new songs (and even old songs) is the sweet junk I'd mug a granny for. And just the other day the junk that stole the tremor from my hands and the appetite from my belly was The Shins "Kissing The Lipless". I think it's likely their best song, although that may just be my dislike for everything Beach Boys talkin' here. Beach Boys influences are a hefty portion of The Shins sound, and for me, a much too obvious part. BUT "Kissing The Lipless" shakes enough sand from the band's Northwestern boots to grab me by the ears, like a sixteen-year-old girl with an ear-piercing needle. Gratefully, that sharp image shatters as the voice of Shins' vocalist Mercer, rises into the ether and pierces the pleasure centre of this music junkie's brain… "You told us of your new life there…". And I'm telling you of my new love here.

+ kissing the lipless [mp3]
[find more shins songs here]

"Kissing The Lipless"
Called to see
If your back
was still aligned
And your sheets
Were growing grass
All on the corners of your bed

But you've got too much to wear
On your sleeves
That has too much to do with me
And secretly
I want to bury in the yard
The grey remains of a friendship scarred

You told us of your new life there
you got someone coming 'round
Gluing tinsel to your crown
He's got you talkin' pretty loud

you berate remember
Your ailing heart and your criminal eyes
You say you're still in love
If it's true, what can be done?
It's hard to leave all these moments behind

Called to see
If your back
Was still aligned
And your sheets
Were growing grass
All on the corners of your bed

But you've got too much to wear
On your sleeves
That has too much to do with me
And secretly
I want to bury in the yard
The grey remains of a friendship scarred

You tested your mettle
On doe skin and petals
While kissing the lipless
Who bleed all the sweetness away

Technorati Tags: mp3 downloads music

Elbows Music Blogger Community

I wonder just how many people (bloggers, bands, record labels, and PR people) know about the Elbo.ws Music Blogger Community. I don't think too many industry people are taking advantage of this rich opportunity to get in touch with music bloggers who aren't on their mailing lists. I look through the Band Promotion page every once in a while and am surprised that there isn't more in the way of mp3s and links from bands looking to be the next Beirut, or Arcade Fire.

So, check it out people, you just might make someone's day.

http://elbo.ws/vanilla/

**OH, and don't forget the other aggregator on the block, THE HYPE MACHINE. You can stream all the songs at *Sixeyes there, or here (click on the player graphics at page top).

Tech Tags: mp3 music music+blogs forum community

The Telephone in Your Cat

Grand Forks, North Dakota is home base for The Telephone In Your Cat, who I think might be a one man band, although their myspace page lists it's band members like this:

Cargoplane: vox, guitar, piano, bass.
El Camino Brouhaha: vox, guitar.
Dan Electric: guitar vox.
Jimmy Scotch: keys,trumpet,guitar,vox.
Spaghetti: bass,vox.

But I think it's one man basically and he's Jarman?, it does say on myspace: "write tunes, play keys for June Panic" (June Panic is an artist on Secretly Canadian).

Who am I kidding? I know next to nothing about the make up of this band. I do know that the music is very appealing... endearing indie pop with edges frayed and skills well-honed.

"Housecoat" recalls Jens Lekman's Magnetic Fields influence via Bright Eyes... if Oberst's music knew how to smile.

There are two more songs, both downloadable, on the myspace page. One song, "Broken Robot Gadget", gives a strong indication of how experimental this band's music can be.

MP3s
+ housecoat
+ emily d

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music indie+rock

"Jaan Pehechaan Ho" - MOHAMMED RAFI

If you've seen Ghost World you'll remember this song, it opens the film. An old film clip of Mohammed Rafi singing the song is shown while the star of the film dances like Annette Funicello at a beach party.

The song is amazing (to me at least, at first it made me laugh, but then it grew on me), sixties American beach pop as interpreted by East Indian musicians - from it's jungle drums to the twangy Eddie Cochran guitar to the punchy brass section, and Rafi's voice, I still don't understand why I like it. I still don't understand what he's saying either, but nevertheless I sing along... annoyingly.

jaan pehechaan ho [mp3]
(sorry this link has exired, but you can find it again in this post along with a clip from the film)


*The Ghostworld soundtrack is available for download at eMusic, through their 25 FREE mp3s offer.

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads video music

Released: August 8th

This week's new releases via insound.com:

08/08/06 Ani Difranco Reprieve Righteous Babe
08/08/06 Arthur Russel Another Thought Philips
08/08/06 Barry Adamson Stanger on the Sofa Central Control
08/08/06 Bernard Fanning Tea and Sympathy Lost Highway
08/08/06 Comets On Fire Avatar Sub Pop
08/08/06 Daughters Hell Songs Hydra Head
08/08/06 Junior Boys In The Morning Domino
08/08/06 Kaki King Until We Felt Red Velour
08/08/06 La RoccaThe Truth Dangerbird
08/08/06 Matt Friedberger Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School 859 Recordings
08/08/06 Sadies In Concert: Vol 1 Yep Roc

Tech Tags: music new+releases

The Wrens: Documentary and MP3s

Nearly a year ago, I was fortunate enough to interview Charles Bissell of (one of my favourite bands) The Wrens. Included in that Q&A was Kathryn Yu, the very determined woman who was, and is, making a documentary on the New Jersey band. Well, I was just visiting that film's production blog and was amazed to see that the 'Wrens Documentary Fund' was sitting at $83.... of a targeted $500.00! Now I KNOW you can help change that, so visit through the link above and see what's up with the production, or go here, and make your contribution to this labor of love.

MP3s
+ shot rock-splitter to God
+ built in girls
+ surprise, honeycomb
+ i guess we're done
+ everyone choose sides

You'll find more mp3s here. Buy Wrens merch here.

Tech Tags: music the+wrens documentary mp3 downloads interview

Tapes 'n Tapes: Summer/Fall Tour and Radio MP3s

Tapes 'n Tapes performed a short set, including an interview, for Seattle's KEXP radio while in Austin TX for the 2006 SXSW, and that performance is available here as mp3s. Now the Minneapolis band will head to Europe later this month, and then they'll come home for a stateside roadtrip. All this touring will take them from late summer right up to Halloween.

In this picture Josh is sporting the soon to be ultra hip Edward Scissorhands tree afro... I'm not making this up, you can't make this shit up.

Here are those mp3s and the tour dates.

1. Intro
2. Just Drums
3. Manitoba
4. Interview
5. Insistor
6. Cowbell
7. Outro

TOUR DATES
Aug 22 2006 8:00
Madam JoJo's White Heat london
Aug 23 2006 8:00
London Forum with FRANZ FERDINAND London
Aug 24 2006 8:00
The Plug - Sheffield Sheffield
Aug 25 2006 8:00
LEEDS FESTIVAL READING/LEEDS
Aug 27 2006 8:00
READING FESTIVAL READING/LEEDS
Aug 30 2006 8:00
Dingwalls - London London
Aug 31 2006 8:00
Evol Club - Liverpool Liverpool
Sep 1 2006 8:00
Club Radar - Belfast Belfast
Sep 2 2006 8:00
ELECTRIC PICNIC Dublin
Sep 3 2006 8:00P
INDIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL Glasgow
Oct 19 2006 8:00P
Mojo's Columbia, MO
Oct 21 2006 8:00P
Phoenix Hill Tavern Louisville, KY
Oct 22 2006 8:00
Bottletree Birmingham, AL
Oct 24 2006 8:00
Club Downunder Tallahassee, FL
Oct 25 2006 8:00
Common Grounds Gainesville, FL
Oct 26 2006 8:00
The Social Orlando, FL
Oct 27 2006 8:00
Cafe 11 St. Augustine, FL
Oct 28 2006 8:00
Tasty World Athens, GA
Oct 29 2006 8:00
The Loft Atlanta, GA
Oct 30 2006 8:00
Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
Oct 31 2006 8:00
Black Cat Washington, DC

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music tour+dates

Alias and Tarsier: Brookland/Oaklyn: Review

Alias & Tarsier
Brookland /Oaklyn
[Anticon – May 2006]
*Sixeyes Score: 8.8 out of 10



Review by Thomas David

Anticon is known for its esoteric look at hip hop. Alias & Tarsier make "trip hop" (a la Massive Attack/Portishead/Baxter). Thankfully Anticon's trip hop excursion (I always preferred the term Soul-Hop but that never stuck even though I think it's more fitting... anyways...) does not fall too left of center. Without reiterating their entire bio (which is readily available on their myspace page) the theme of Alias & Tarsier is a musical dichotomy. They are one male and one female from opposite ends of the country, with completely different upbringings and influences, uniting to form one sublimely kindred musical spirit. Alias' (birth name Brendon Whitney) beats are jittery white caps breaking over moody current-like basslines. Rona Rapadas', or Tarsier's, vocals fall closer to the girl from Baxter; ethereal and majestic like the winds stirring above this metaphoric lake. She never overwhelms, allowing only effect manipulations to take her voice to any extremes. Tarsier also plays some piano and bass organ throughout... further adding her smooth but melancholic stamp to Alias' tempestuous beats. The album opens with the "Cub". "I would sooner believe this star/not nearly three feet tall"; the song's light tone and simple piano line is fitting for this pensive tune pining over the "child's innocence" concept. Alias and fellow Anticonion, Doseone, add the only vocal change ups. The first of these tunes, "Last Nail", builds around a forlorn piano melody only to be upended surprisingly by Alias' rapid-fire rapping; then returning to its gloomy beginning but teasing with a fake end. I think the song is about that "last nail" that symbolizes the end of a relationship... but does it. The song feels all to close to the back and forth toss one's heart and mind go through at the end of a relationship. Near the end of the album we get "Luck And Fear". Doseone is an extremely odd but gifted mind. His nasally Twista-fast-challenging speedy raps are difficult for many to take in large doses (seriously, no pun intended), but on this, the most tumultuous song on the album, its chaotic abstract nature fits perfectly. The first "single" from the album was "Mr. C." The dreary-ness of the tune is not strong enough for an emotional impact, so it comes across ultimately as little more than a shoe-gazer hip hop song. It's one of the few low points of the record. Almost never overwrought, or forced, this moody album is a catharsis of manic-depressive tension. Forget Valium or what-have-you; pop this CD in and cry your problems out to its beautiful sadness. Brookland/Oaklyn is like attending a funeral and wedding... in the same church... at the same time.

+ last nail [mp3]

Tech Tags: mp3 downloads music CD+review

Ill Lit: Tom Cruise: Review

Ill Lit
Tom Cruise
[Riparian Records/IODA - July 6, 2006]
*Sixeyes Score: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Alan Williamson

On Ill Lit's third full length, Tom Cruise, Daniel Ahearne's soft vocals blur the sharp images of his lyrics just enough so they don't snap you from the lovely drowse of stately album opener, "Across Country". This is how the songs operate: soft voices, sharp words. Plus, of course, the subtle picking of strings, tinkling of keys, and tapping of metal and skin. This includes the glowing and understated electronic sounds, as well. Sounds as warm and smooth as black river stone. Standout tracks include the aforementioned opener ("Across Country"), "The Bridge in Tracy", with it's soaring melody and sharp lyrical hook ("The last thing I remember/was the first thing you said…"); the smartly observed "Los Angeles", and album closer, "You Left After Work", which again bears the seamless vocal harmonies and bittersweet tinge illuminating the best of Ill Lit's work.

On Tom Cruise, Ill Lit bring the cold frequencies of electronica back to their warm roots, kind of like Calexico meeting Iron and Wine meeting Wilco on the short-wave radio band. Rich and intelligent, Ill Lit's music will make you smarter… and richer, if you know what I mean.

+ you left after work [mp3]
+ the bridge in tracy [mp3]

BUY Tom Cruise

---

Alan Williamson does not have six eyes, no matter what you've heard.

Saturday FREE MP3 MIX

the dirty projectors
+ twenty-foot stalks (exit 14)
+ like once heated milk
bobtail yearlings
+ willy the cocoa
paper bird
+ out here the hills touch the sky
+ run, boy, run
the low frequency in stereo
+ city lights
lisa germano
+ too much space
say hi to your mom
+ blah blah blah
leels
+ tnt
+ watership down
kid casanova
+ (you don't believe in the) radio
golden bear
+ santa rosa

You can find more songs by these artists by searching here.

technorati tags: mp3 downloads music free

Wolf Parade/Frog Eyes: Tour Dates + MP3s

Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes are tour mates this month of August. Go see the shows, buy the CDs, and spread the word. Oh, yeah, if you haven't heard Frog Eyes Carey Mercer, he's one wild sounding guy... HE should be the Phantom of the Opera and no one else.

frog eyes + i hope my horse don't make no sound [mp3]
carey mercer (frog eyes lead singer solo) + fever of the patriots [mp3]
frog eyes + the ocillator's hum [mp3]
wolf parade + you are a runner [mp3]
wolf parade + shine a light [mp3]

TOUR DATES
2006-08-04 Barrymores Music Hall Ottawa ON *
2006-08-05 Phoenix Toronto ON, Canada *
2006-08-06 Magic Stick Detroit MI *
2006-08-07 Metro Chicago IL (All Ages) *
2006-08-08 Metro Chicago IL (18+ ) *
2006-08-09 First Avenue Minneapolis MN *
2006-08-20 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver BC *
2006-08-22 Crystal Ballroom Portland OR *
2006-08-24 Filmore, The San Francisco CA *
2006-08-25 Wiltern Theater Los Angeles CA *
2006-08-27 In The Venue Salt Lake City UT *
2006-09-03 Osheaga Festival Montreal PQ
2006-09-15 Austin City Limits Festival Austin TX

*w/Frog Eyes

THE CARS ARE THE STARS

The Cars Are The Stars are a seven member collective from France, six musicians and one video artist... I'm not sure what the video artist plays. They create what is being dubbed indie-tronica and seeing as I listen to almost exclusively indie music, but can't stomach most electronica, I thought I would give their song, "Helikopter", half-a-shot and a full listen.

Even though guitars are in the mix, the repeated female delivered vocal lines create a warmth that rises above the electronic elements and the guitar sounds. A very interesting song that prompts me to seek out more of The Cars are the Stars.

+ helikopter [mp3]

and heres some more:
+ i run i swim [mp3]
+ silent [mp3]

Label - chez moi records

SWAN LAKE: BEAST MOANS: "All Fires" MP3

Swan Lake is Dan Bejar (Destroyer), Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown), and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes)... Canadians all. This trio of indie artists now easily boasts one of the most compelling and individually distinctive line-ups recording today. There's no telling if this will be a one-off album, but this song, "All Fires", from the album, Beast Moans [Jagjaguwar], has a drowsy, fireside patina... likely a result of the laidback west coast and summer cottage town recording sites.

+ all fires [mp3]

This is direct from the press release:
"Mercer and Krug's connection goes back the furthest, as Krug has always been an on-again, off-again member of Mercer's Frog Eyes, appearing on record with him as far back as the band's 2002 debut, "The Bloody Hand". The two are also former roommates.

When Bejar was putting a band together to flesh out his midi-based Destroyer album "Your Blues", he picked Frog Eyes as his backing band, and he also took them on the road as his opening act. They also recorded an EP together -- "Notorious Lightning and Other Works" -- with new versions of songs from "Your Blues". For the European tour promoting "Your Blues", Mercer and Krug were his band, and thus the seed was planted for Swan Lake to form; i.e., why not make this a real band and collaborate not just in a live setting but also in the process of songwriting? Before they chose a band name, Mercer would often refer to the new project as "The Songwriters Project".

Their full-length record features, among other things, beast moans, starling voices, cobra hi hats and arpeggiating pianos. The songs are great weaves, showcasing the famous and very distinctive songwriting styles of Bejar, Krug and Mercer. The sum is definitely greater than the parts, and at distinct points on the record a new "combined" style emerges that throws whole heaps of magic into the air, sounding like nothing else.

"Beast Moans" was recorded in a summer cottage town in Canada, and in Victoria, in a house that Krug and Mercer are familiar with and Bejar feels comfortable enough with. It was "self-produced". "Beast Moans" is a testament to friendship, eternal and otherwise."


---


Track-listing for SWAN LAKE's Beast Moans CD/LP (Jagjaguwar, JAG098)

1. Widow's Walk
2. Nubile Days
3. City Calls
4. A Venue Called Rubella
5. All Fires
6. The Partisan But He's Got To Know
7. The Freedom
8. Petersburg, Liberty Theater, 1914
9. The Pollenated Girls
10. Bluebird
11. Pleasure Vessels
12. Are You Swimming In Her Pools?
13. Shooting Rockets

Riot Act Mixtape: Fall 2006

Riot Act Media is a promotions company that handles some very good to great indie acts. I just found this email in my inbox from Riot Act and it had this mixtape in it. So, what the hell, here it is... instant post. Enjoy the noise.

Owen + Bad News
These Arms Are Snakes + Horse Girl
Young Widows + The Charmers
The Dark Romantics + Another Song For Another Night
Snowden + Anti Anti
Page France + Junkyard
Titles + Pink Pair Of Shoes
Make Believe + Of Course
Chin Up Chin Up + This Harness Can't Ride Anything
The End Of The World + Last Cast
Your Black Star + Oh Jesus
Redbeard + Mason Dixon

Matthew Friedberger: Winter Women & Holy Ghost Language School: Stream + Free MP3s

The convoluted mind of Fiery Furnaces' main flame, Matthew Friedberger, will see his solo debut(s) hit the stores on August 8th. And as you've likely heard, Winter Women is the accessible 'pop' record, while Holy Ghost Language School is the troubled, difficult sibling. Maybe that was the idea behind the two records. One (Holy Ghost Language School) is dense and abrasive, while the other is friendlier and sticky as spilled 'pop'. The first (Holy Ghost...) being Matt, and the second being his sister and band mate in the Fiery Furnaces, Eleanor. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Now you can stream both records here, or download a couple of full length mp3s courtesy of label, 859 Recordings, right here.

+ The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter (MP3) from Winter Women
+ Do You Like Blondes? (MP3) from Holy Ghost Language School.