The Wheat Pool

The Wheat Pool's music sounds like a dark summer night, and although the night is warm and sultry (thanks to Throw Momma From The Train for that, or going way back, Charles Dickens), there's just too much going on in your fevered head for you to enjoy the wonderful sensations of the deep, dark center of a summer night. So you just keep on driving a road paralleling the train tracks and thinking of that girl you can't stop thinking of, or two, or three. And then there's your grandmother in the hospital (you've never lost anyone), a nail in your right rear tire (been there awhile, it takes four or five days before you've got to find a gas station pump), and there's a few burns on your arms (from a pizza oven, or whatever... work) that you you feel whenever you rest your arm out the car window. A jumble of good and bad blinding you to the beauty of the night... that's what The Wheat Pool can sound like, like that feeling of despair, desperation, and declarations of love. Luckily they also make a sound that can lift you up to the cold stars to await the rise of the sun.

This is from their 2007 release, Township:
geographic centre of canada

peniel, sk (if you want to show the band you're listening, you can get this mp3 on their website, the link wasn't working earlier, it is now)

If you're an eMusic subscriber you're in luck, as this album can be found on the site. Look into eMusic's FREE trial offer right here.

The Veils: New Album, Tour Dates, Videos, MP3s

The Veils' Finn Andrews has posted a rundown of the new album, and prefacing the rundown are these three words: "Done. Done. Done."

Now the band is heading to North America for some tour dates beginning early September, get your piggy back and crack it open. You can see the tour dates below.

But first, here's a treat for all Veils fans out there (well, the ones that don't have this as of yet), The Veils 2 Meter Sessies done in 2004:

the valleys of new orleans
lavinia
h.o.l.l.a.n.d.
the tide that left and never came back

* * * *

And finally, here's what Finn has to say about all the songs the band has recorded for their upcoming 3rd album:

THE LETTER
We've talked about this one before. It dances, it sings, it'll bring the house down I think.

THREE SISTERS
It's loud, it's scary, it's also covered in mandolins, mad baritone howls and a blistering B3.

SUN GANGS
Ghostly little number this - written as a kind of unwitting follow-up to "Under the Folding Branches".

KILLED BY THE BOOM
A narrative concerning the death of a nameless vagabond with "The Dull Eyes Of A Steer And A Lion's Mane" set beneath a wall of guitars that sound like broken lightbulbs and a hammond being smashed to bits.

SIT DOWN BY THE FIRE
When it all goes wrong sometimes you have no choice but to just watch it all burn to the ground. That's the general idea anyway. Big and quite, quite beautiful.

LITTLE ELEGY
Not sure if this will make it onto the album or not, it's only a minute long and kinda ties the room together nicely.

THE HOUSE SHE LIVED IN
Anyone that came to see us play last year may recognise this little number. The story of...well, you should decide that for yourselves. She ain't coming home though I don't think.

IT HITS DEEP
As mentioned before, the word 'Libidinous' immediately leaps to mind when attempting to describe this. Music to make love and possibly even build a small fort to.

DESTINED FOR GREAT THINGS
Quite a departure for us this one, it reminds me a little of My Bloody Valentine crossed with Noel Coward. Make of that what you will. SCARECROW Slow and very, very bare, probably the most naked my voice has ever sounded. It's sad, boy is it sad.

LARKSPUR
Those who came to our residency at The Enterprise earlier in the year will have had a sneak preview of this one. Originally an hour long we managed to whittle it down to just under 9 minutes. It's about writing, about giving yourself over to it completely and just going fucking barmy. Monolithic, a little scary and, we hope, very good fun indeed.

BEGIN AGAIN
What would a Veils record be without the obligatory reflective closer? Sounds like an anchorman realising he left the gas on. And there it is. We're off to America now, come say hi if you can.

Finn

* * * *
A couple of youtube vids of new songs from their live stand at the Enterprise Tavern in London this past June:

"The Letter"


"Three Sisters"


THE VEILS TOUR DATES
September 4th: Bowery Ballroom, New York, New York
September 5th: World Cafe, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 6th: Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC
September 7th: Local 506, Chapel HIll, North Carolina
September 9th: Mercy Lounge, Nashville, Tennesse
September 10th: Hi-Tone Cafe, Memphis, Tennessee
September 11th: Biliken Club, St Louis, Minnesota
September 13th: Monolith Festival, Denver, Colorado
September 16th: Santa Fe Brewing Co, Santa Fe, New Mexico
September 18th: Plush, Tucson, Arizona
September 19th: Casbah, San Diego, California
September 20th: Echoplex, Los Angeles, California
September 21st: Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada
September 23rd: Bottom Of The Hill, San Francisco, California
September 24th: Doug Fir, Postland, Oregon
September 26th: High Dive, Seattle, Washington
September 27th: Biltmoe Cabaret, Vancouver, British Columbia
October 1st: 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 2nd: Lakeshore Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
October 3rd: Grog Shop, Cleveland, Ohio
October 4th: El Mocambo,Toronto, Ontario
October 5th: La Sala Rossa, (w/Dr Dog), Montreal, Quebec
October 7th: Paradise, Boston, Massachusetts
October 8th: Space Gallery, Portland, Maine
October 9th: Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, Massachusetts
October 10th: Club Hell, Providence, Rhode Island

Feist MP3s: Saturday Night Live, NPR, and Remixes

Feist has got some tour dates lined up for the coming fall, you should check them out here, and she will also be, through the magic of videotape, making an appearance on Saturday Night Live tonight. Yes, it's a repeat broadcast with newscaster Brian Williams hosting and little Feist doing "1, 2, 3, 4" and "I Feel It All". Here are mp3s of those two SNL performances, but they're mono. Sorry about that, but I can't find stereo mp3s of those two songs anywhere. Although, to lessen that pain, I offer you the sets she did for NPR's World Cafe in 2005 and 2007, as an added bonus (and a couple of remixes).

BUY Feist's music here.
Visit her Canadian label here, her myspace, and eMusic (the indie iTunes) to download Feist's music (the availability of her music will depend on your country of origin). Check into eMusic's Free Trial offer right here.

These mp3s are no longer available.

Radiohead @ The BBC APRIL 2008:

Once more, I've received several requests from across the globe for this live Radiohead performance, so here they are again. These are 192 kbps stereo mp3s.

Radiohead - Evening Performance: Live at the BBC Radio Theatre, London, April 1, 2008.

THE ENTIRE SHOW HAS BEEN RE-UPPED HERE.

The Awkward Stage: "The Sun Goes Down On Girlsville" MP3

A fantastic song. Pure pop genius has leaked from the sad, blue pen of Shane Nelken. This song will win you over in little more than two and a half minutes. Vancouver's Nelken has spent much time in the company of The New Pornographers Carl Newman and perhaps he has learned a thing or two, but in this instance the music owes more to Richard Hawley, or even Roy Orbison, than Newman's Burt Bacharach and The Zombies.

from Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights 2008 (Mint Records)
the sun goes down on girlsville [mp3]

BUY The Awkward Stage's music.
Download The Awkward Stage at eMusic - Learn more about eMusic's Free Trial here.
Visit the band's website and myspace.

Franz Ferdinand: A.A. for F.F.?

After hearing that new Franz Ferdinand song, "Lucid Dreams", I've been on a Glaswegian bender of spiky pop, punky disco, and the kinetic energy that only the over caffeinated metabolism of skinny Brits can conjure. For days now I've been happily digging into the (only) two releases from this quartet, so far, and now I may need some help getting over this 'cause I'm sitting (ok, slumping) in a well worn office chair, the fingernails on my left hand are chewed down to the quick (my right hand rarely leaves the mouse or keyboard), my eyes have grown as dry as the static rippling across a computer screen, and I'm hearing correlations between FF and bands I don't normally allow my mind to entertain, namely ABBA... God, I need help... but not yet, no, no, not yet. Just... one... more.... or two, or three.


from Franz Ferdinand (2004)
cheating on you
this fire

from You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
do you want to

Yeah, those songs are pretty much one big hook after another which slashs at the guitars and pounds the drums, so even if it was the hyper guitar kick and melodies which hooked me, this ballad by FF is one of the best Beatlesque odes about longing for a far off love I've ever heard. I simply love the imagery which singer Alex Kapronos weaves from his aching heart, aching for his stateside girl, Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces. And I know I don't have to say a thing about the lovely piano and harmonica interludes which for me evoke so much of the sixties in a few brief seconds.

from You Could Have It So Much Better
eleanor put your boots on

Oh yeah, grab that new song, "Lucid Dreams", right here, if you dare.

And now to end this I've got a question: Is there an A.A. for F.F.? F.F.A., perhaps?

Antony and The Johnsons: New EP October 7th + MP3s

Just found the following news item on Antony's website:

Antony and the Johnsons will release a new 5 song EP, entitled "Another World," available in shops on October 7th. To celebrate, Antony and the Johnsons will present 2 special events accompanied by a 20 piece orchestra playing scores co-arranged with Nico Muhly. On October 14th the band will play at the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and on October 16th they will be resident at the Apollo theater in Harlem.

Please see the events page for details and tickets sales.

* * * * * * *

In anticipation of what Antony will release here's some live, in-studio, and covers mp3s to tide us all over until then.

candy says (velvet underground cover)
you are my sister (white session)
be my husband (Live - nina simone cover)
hope there's someone (w/ brendan butler @ XFM)
strange fruit (Live - billie holiday cover)
as tears go by (rolling stones cover)
all is loneliness (Live - moondog cover)

BUY Antony and The Johnsons here and here.

Tut Tut: 'The Heart Goes Nine'

Tut Tut are led by Alexander Abnos and a large cast of friends and some of those friends happen to be ukuleles. Nooo, don't stop reading. This isn't a gimmick, people who use gimmicks have a way of getting their name and face plastered in all the right places for all the wrong reasons. And have you ever heard of Tut Tut? No, right? Well, tsk tsk. And it's that very anonymity which is the first signal that this isn't a gimmick. Abnos handles the vocals and plucks and saws at the ukuleles, his voice conjuring Stephin Merritt's little brother on several songs. There's a strong rhythm on "Fargo's Theme" perhaps an Arcade Fire influence showing through, or a million other songs and artists who have employed aggressive rhythms. Opening track "Marquee (KC's Theme)" is a perfect opener, it displays the strong rhythmic aspect, Abnos's detached Merritt-like vocal, and how well he has orchestrated the myriad sounds into a short and sweet pop song. What is without a doubt the most popular song on the record is "Pins On Your Purse" with it's sing-a-long (or whistle-a-long if you're into that) ukulele riff, not to mention the actual chorus, and once more Abnos's extremely pleasing indie baritone. It's been awhile since I've come across music unknown to me that I think everyone should know about, so this is definitely recommended. Lighthearted music grounded by a heavy hearted voice.

pins on your purse
marquee (kc's theme)

BUY The Heart Goes Nine at Iron Paw Records.

Doveman: 2008 Tour Dates + MP3s

Thomas (Doveman) Bartlett's voice comes from a tired sounding place, a bedroom without a sandman, a bedroom as black as the widening black hole pupils of his eyes. This is the sound of a young man who knows what it means to be tired. Bartlett has insomnia, a fact I learned of quite a while ago, and this complaint seems to fit his music quite well. The only salvation, or liberation, from insomnia, is sleep itself and when you can't sleep I'd imagine you'd sit up and create music that seemingly trickles from that place between waking and sleeping, between light and dark, music of shadowed hallucinations.

TOUR DATES
08-14 Seattle, WA - Triple Door
08-15 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
08-16 Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club
08-18 San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
08-19 Los Angeles, CA - The Hotel Cafe
08-21 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
08-22 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
08-23 New York, NY - (Le) Poisson Rouge
08-24 Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts
08-26 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
08-27 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Music Hall
08-28 Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theater


Here's a sampling of his work as Doveman, who also include Sam Amidon, Dougie Bowne, Jacob Danziger, Peter Ecklund, and Shahzad Ismaily.

castles from With My Left Hand I Raise The Dead

honey (live - daytrotter session)

i don't

airbag (Radiohead cover)

From his infamous Footloose interpretations:
footloose
let's hear it for the boy
i'm free heaven helps the man


BUY Doveman's music here and here.

Kings Of Leon: 2008 Tour Dates and MP3s

King of Leon have September 22 [UK] and 23 [US] set as the release dates for Only by the Night their fourth album. The album's third track, "Sex on Fire", will be the lead off single and it easily outshines an earlier free MP3 offering found on the band's website of the new record's second track, "Crawl".

Today I bring you a couple of songs off of the band's Day Old Belgian Blues EP. Released in June of 2006 it gives the listener a stellar live recording from a 2004 show at Belgium's AB Box (Ancienne Belgique).

molly's chambers [mp3]
taper jean girl [mp3]

Only by the Night track list:
01 Closer
02 Crawl
03 Sex on Fire
04 Use Somebody
05 Manhattan
06 Revelry
07 17
08 Notion
09 I Want You
10 Be Somebody
11 Cold Desert

KOL TOUR DATES
08-14 London, England - Brixton Academy
08-16 Staffordshire, England - V Festival
08-17 Chelmsford, England - V Festival
09-23 New York, NY - Webster Hall *
10-11 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint #^
10-12 San Diego, CA - House of Blues #^
10-15 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre #^
10-17 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre #^
10-18 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre #^
10-20 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre #^
10-21 Portland, OR - Schnitzer Hall #^
10-23 Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium #^
10-25 Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall #^
10-26 Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown Events Center #^
10-28 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater #^
10-29 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom #^
10-31 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom #^
11-01 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre *^
11-03 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant *^
11-05 Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Ballroom *^
11-07 Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus *^
11-08 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore *^
11-10 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall *^
11-12 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre *^
11-15 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory Ballroom *^
11-18 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle *^
11-19 Nashville, TN - Municipal Auditorium *^
12-01 Brighton, England - Brighton Centre
12-02 Nottingham, England - Trent FM Arena
12-04 Newcastle, England - Metro Radio Arena
12-05 Sheffield, England - Sheffield Arena
12-07 Glasgow, Scotland - S.E.C.C.
12-08 Liverpool, England - Echo Arena
12-10 Birmingham, England - National Indoor Arena
12-11 London, England - O2 Arena
12-14 Bournemouth, England - International Centre
12-16 Manchester, England - Evening News Arena
12-17 Cardiff, Wales - International Arena
12-22 London, England - Wembley Arena

^ with We Are Scientists
* with the Whigs
# with the Stills

The Little Ones: "Morning Tide" Remixed MP3

This summer has been a bust, weather wise, where I live. There have been nice sunshine-y days, but then they've been broken up by clouds, wind, rain, and temperature drops... just plain unstable weather. But finally a way to recreate those few days of blue skies and warm sun no matter where you are, no matter the time of day, or what you're doing... just select this latest treat from The Little Ones and hit play.

morning tide (django django remix)

This remix is of a song found on their full length debut Morning Tide (July 28, 2008 UK - US October 7th 2008) and if you know the original, this remix really plays up the bright sunny aspect of a band skilled in that style of music. If you're a Shins fan you'd be making a mistake if you didn't seek out The Little Ones.

Pre-order the new album and buy the earlier EP by visiting insound.com. Come to think of it, just about any song by the band will bring back the sunshine, so get moving.

Read the Sixeyes review of The Little Ones EP Sing Song (2006).
From the EP:
high on a hill

Steve Forbert

I'm not sure exactly how I came to learn of musician Steve Forbert, he released his debut Alive On Arrival 30 years ago this year, I was in my late teens and likely read a review in Rolling Stone (which, unfortunately, is a pale sickly shadow of what it was back then). There are several memorable songs on the album, songs which I hadn't heard for at least a decade, but even with the strong songwriting from the perspective of a young man from Mississippi making his way in the lonely New York jungle, it's Forbert's voice which always wins me over. It's a soft rasp, one which immediately sounds friendly, or familiar, but, oddly enough, unique. That one of a kind quality is borne in the phrasing he employs, not in an in-your-face style, he's much more subtle than that... it's the little things here and there that quietly snag like burrs in your socks.


Here's a sample from the 30 year old Alive On Arrival:
goin' down to laurel
tonight i feel so far away from home

Tom Waits Live Part 2: Atlanta GA 2008 MP3s

Here, as I promised, is part two of Tom Waits performance at Atlanta's Fox Theater on July 5th. He sounds pretty damn good for an old man.... I guess he's finally caught up to his voice.

November 20th 2009: THESE SONGS HAVE BEEN RE-POSTED HERE.

Tom Waits: Fox Theater Atlanta, Georgia July 5, 2008

Lucky Day
On The Nickel
Lost In The Harbour
Innocent When You Dream
Hoist That Rag
Make It Rain
Dirt In The Ground
Get Behind The Mule
Hang Down Your Head
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Singapore
Encore:
Eyeball Kid
Anywhere I Lay My Head

Get part one of the show here.

The Walkmen KEXP Radio 2004 MP3s

The Walkmen will release their new album, You & Me, a definite improvement over previous record, A Hundred Miles Off, on August 19th. The mp3s offered here are the in studio performance the band did in 2004 at KEXP radio after the release of Bows and Arrows the band's strongest album to date.

The Walkmen at KEXP Radio Seattle 2004
bows and arrows
fly into the mystery
little house of savages
the rat

Visit the band's website for upcoming tour dates.

BONUS MP3s:
From Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone
everyone who pretended to like me is gone
wake up

From Bows + Arrows
what's in it for me

Tom Waits Live: Atlanta GA 2008 MP3s

This show was broadcast on NPR and it sounds great. Enjoy.

PART ONE:
Tom Waits: Fox Theater Atlanta, Georgia July 5, 2008
Intro
Lucinda / Ain’t Going Down To The Well
Down In The Hole
Falling Down
Chocolate Jesus
All The World Is Green
Cemetery Polka
Cause of it All / Til The Money Runs Out
Such A Scream
November
Hold On
Black Market Baby
9th And Hennepin
Lie To Me

PART TWO will be posted tomorrow night!

Sixeyes Test Drive

FULL ALBUM Streams available through Sunday August 10th.

Conor Oberst Conor Oberst

The Walkmen You & Me

Marching Band Spark Large

Elvis Presley The Complete '68 Comeback Special

Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstacy (Legacy Edition)

Telepathique Last Time On Earth

Amy Ray Didn't It Feel Kinder

Randy Newman Harps and Angels

Oxford Collapse Bits

Plastilina Mosh All U Need Is Mosh

Bumblebeez Prince Umberto & The Sister of Ill

Mike Gordon The Green Sparrow