12/30/2011

Panic in Babylon - BJM


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12/29/2011

The Best of Angel Ceballos Photographer 2012



ZOLA JESUS



WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS



YUCK



WIRE



HUGH CORNWELL



THE BLACK ANGELS



SMITH WESTERNS



SPECTRUM



GREENHORNES



FOXYGEN
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12/26/2011

BEST of 2011



The Best Records of 2011 / The Portable Infinite
by Alexander Laurence

1. Tom Waits "Bad As Me"
2. M83 "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"
3. Washed Out "Within & Without"
4. Tune-Yards "Who Kill"
5. Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"
6. Wire "Red Barked Tree" > INTERVIEW
7. Laura Marling "A Creature I Don't Know"
8. Cut Copy "Zonoscope"
9. Zola Jesus "Conatus"
10. The Stepkids "The Stepkids"


WIRE


ZOLA JESUS

11. Summer Camp "Welcome to Condale"
12. Smith Westerns "Dye It Blonde"
13. Lykke Li "Wounded Rhymes"
14. Toro Y Moi "Underneath The Pine"
15. Austra "Feel It Break"
16. HTRK "Work"
17. Kate Bush "50 Words for Snow"
18. Tinariwen "Tassili"
19. Prefuse 73 "The Only She Chapters"
20. TV on the Radio "Nine Types of Light"


SMITH WESTERNS


PREFUSE 73

21. James Blake "James Blake"
22. Alessi's Ark "Time Travel" > INTERVIEW
23. Yuck "Yuck"
24. Girls "Father, Son, Holy Ghost"
25. Keren Ann "101" > INTERVIEW
26. Cold Cave "Cherish the Light Years"
27. Wu Lyf "Go Tell Fire To The Mountain"
28. The Kills "Blood Pressures" > INTERVIEW
29. SCUM "Again into Eyes"
30. Caveman "Coco Beware"


JAMES BLAKE


YUCK

31. Spectrals "Bad Penny"
32. Class Actress "Rapprocher"
33. The Vaccines "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
34. Prince Rama "Trust Now"
35. Unknown Mortal Orchestra "Unknown Mortal Orchestra"
36. Mastodon "The Hunter"
37. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart "Belong"
38. Jah Wobble & Julie Campbell "Psychic Life" > INTERVIEW
39. Still Corners "Creatures of an Hour"
40. Real Estate "Days"


PRINCE RAMA


UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA

41. The Black Keys "El Camino"
42. Booker T Jones "The Road From Memphis"
43. Dark Dark Dark "Wild Go"
44. Jessica Lea Mayfield "Tell Me"
45. The Horrors "Skying"
46. The Duke Spirit "Bruiser" > INTERVIEW
47. Noah and The Whale "Last Night on Earth"
48. EMA "Past Life Martyred Saints"
49. Josh T. Pearson "Last of the Country Gentlemen"
50. Ringo Deathstarr "Colour Trip" > INTERVIEW


JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD


THE HORRORS

ALL PHOTOS by Angel Ceballos

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12/21/2011

Bands at SXSW 2012


GLISS


CLOUD NOTHINGS


CAVEMAN


PRINCE RAMA


CRAFT SPELLS


FOXYGEN


RINGO DEATHSTARR


THE BLACK ANGELS


HUGH CORNWELL


THE BLACK RYDER


THE WEDDING PRESENT


MAGIC WANDS


PSYCHIC ILLS




All photos by Angel Ceballos
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12/20/2011

A holiday note from Alessi's Ark



A Holiday Note and Free Download from Alessi’s Ark

Haw River, NC (Dec. 20, 2011) – British songstress Alessi’s Ark has had a banner year. She gained attention after her appearances at South By Southwest and criss-crossed the country opening shows for Paul Weller, Laura Marling and First Aid Kit, as well as headlining on her own. This September also saw the release of her full length US debut, Time Travel, which received four stars from MOJO.

“The quick-hit nature and variety of styles suggest many pleasant paths for Alessi's Ark to travel in the future.” The Washington Post
“Alessi Laurent-Marke’s voice is deeply breathy and almost free of vibrato, rendering her notes fine and pure enough to be white sand from some undiscovered beach.” —Rawkblog

As a way of saying “thanks” Alessi sends these holiday greetings as well as a free download of her cover of The Smiths’ “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.”

Check out the Alessi’s Facebook page
where the download is also located.

Dear Ones Aboard,
I'm wishing you a very happy, cozy, peaceful Christmas and New Year. I hope 2012 beholds much goodness for you! Thank you very much for listening this year, for coming out to shows in your neck of the woods or for travelling further in rain, sun and snow to hear songs and say 'hello'. It has been lovely to meet you at shows and write to you through the window here and in letters.

A little while back, I rode the train up to Liverpool to stay with Jamie Backhouse, of the Ark, and his lovely fiancée Ruth for a few days. We decided to have a go at covering 'Please Let Me Get What I Want' and Jamie thought his friend Edgar would be the right fellow to ask for lending us a hand at recording . Edgar Jones is a very special one, who has made and continues to make all different kinds of music up in Liverpool. He and Jamie have done a fair bit of playing and travelling together over the years and it was very nice listening to them recall Japanese adventures while we recorded. Edgar's place was very cosy and comfortable to play in and I hope that feeling comes out through the recording for you. Hats off the fellows for their fine help and playing!

Above all and under, thank you for being aboard. I look forward to seeing you next year and to sharing more.

Keep well!
Warmly and red beans and ricely yours,
Alessi

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12/19/2011

Godard's "Weekend" @ Cinefamily


Godard's "WEEKEND"
(brand new 35mm print!)

Thursday, January 5th - Wednesday, January 11th!

SCREENING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, January 5th:
5:15pm, 7:45pm, 10:15pm
Friday, January 6th: 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:30pm
Saturday, January 7th: 7:45pm, 10:15pm
Sunday, January 8th: 2:45pm, 5:15pm, 7:45pm, 10:15pm
Monday, January 9th: 5:15pm, 7:45pm, 10:15pm
Tuesday, January 10th: 5:15pm, 7:45pm, 10:15pm
Wednesday, January 11th: 5:15pm, 7:45pm, 10:15pm

All Tickets - $10 / free for Cinefamily members



“A great, original work…Weekend is Godard’s vision of Hell, and it ranks with the greatest.”
—Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

Jean-Luc Godard’s scathing late-’60s satire is one of cinema’s great anarchic works, and is a flawless document capturing the revolutionary resolve of the era. Determined to collect an inheritance from a dying relative, a petit-bourgeois couple travel across the French countryside on “a weekend road trip that becomes a plunge into the last throes of consumerist society as it destroys itself in auto wrecks and disappears into the stewpots of cannibalistic revolutionaries.” (Gene Siskel Film Center) Featuring a justly famous centerpiece single-take sequence of an endless traffic jam, Weekend is a surreally funny, beautifully shot and deeply disturbing expression of social oblivion that ended the first phase of Godard’s long and storied career — and, according to the credits, cinema itself. Presented in a brand-new 35mm print!


Watch the trailer for "Weekend"!



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12/17/2011

Gavin Friday "Catholic"


GAVIN FRIDAY

“One of the most gorgeously dark song cycles in years.”
Oology

“Friday himself remains as fearless and engaging a performer as ever.”
The Irish Examiner


Gavin Friday Demonstrates Universal Appeal with the Release of catholic

Inspired Performances with Sinead O’Connor

U2 Cover Glory

“Lord I’m Coming” Featured on the Soundtrack for the New Sean Penn Flick


When whispers began to circulate that legendary Irish troubadour Gavin Friday would be releasing a new album entitled catholic during the summer of 2011, it came as no surprise that critics and loyal fans alike perked up their ears in anticipation of what was sure to be a momentous occasion. Not surprisingly, Friday’s first album in 16 years did not disappoint. Interestingly, rather than slowing down, catholic seems to be building up a brand new head of steam (and buzz) as Friday finds himself chugging into the cooler months of a winter tour in support of what Oology is calling “one of the most gorgeously dark song cycles…in years,” and ranking the album #12 on their Top Indie/Alternative Albums of 2011.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s recently contributed a glorious reimagining of “The Fly” to Q Magazine’s Ahk-toong-Bay-bi Covered, which features icons like Friday alongside Patti Smith, Jack White, and Depeche Mode—all celebrating Bono’s 20th anniversary re-release of the pivotal Achtung Baby. In addition, Friday’s recent jaw-dropping live performances with special guest Sinead O’Connor have prompted a bevy of high praise, inciting The Irish Examiner to say “[Friday and O’Connor are] two fierce spirits…their performance is mesmerizing…Friday himself remains as fearless and engaging a performer as ever.” Finally, given the ex-Virgin Prunes leader’s rich history composing for major motion pictures (previously scoring soundtracks for films like The Boxer and Get Rich or Die Tryin’) it seems apt that the hit single “Lord I’m Coming” is being featured in the opening and closing credits of a new Paulo Sorrentino film, This Must Be The Place, which stars Sean Penn and boasts a soundtrack including songs from Friday, the indisputable genius David Byrne, and punk’s own godfather Iggy Pop, among others.

GAVIN FRIDAY - catholic - on iTunes
GAVIN FRIDAY - catholic - on Amazon


VISIT GAVIN FRIDAY AT:OFFICIAL WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
YOU TUBE
VIMEO


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12/14/2011

Marissa Nadler "In Your Lair, Bear"

Marissa Nadler Premieres Self-Produced Video for
"In Your Lair, Bear" with SPIN


"dreamy, melancholy and utterly captivating" - NPR World Cafe


"[Marissa Nadler] isn't the work of an artist who discovered what she wants to sound like;
it's the work of an artist who's just discovering what she's capable of. "
- Pitchfork's Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention


Watch "In Your Lair, Bear" at the SPIN premiere or at YouTube

Download her covers of "Learning to Fly" & "Motel Blues" feat. Carter Tanton

Boston-based dream-folk artist Marissa Nadler has debuted a brand new video for "In Your Lair, Bear," the first track off her critically acclaimed self-titled full-length, that Pitchfork awarded with an "Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention" and was featured in American Songwriter, WXPN, and Drowned In Sound 's favorite albums of the year lists. Marissa produced the video alongside Alec K. Refearn, who also directed it. Shot in her Massachusetts home, Nadler said "This is a video to encapsulate the themes that are lyrically portrayed in the song." Nadler is now putting the finishing touches on a followup EP to her s/t release due out in 2012, and will perform a one-off show in San Francisco and a NYE show at the Boston Public Library with Cass McCombs, Ida and Drew O'Doherty. More details about the forthcoming release to follow.

Nadler recently gave away two covers of Loudon Wainwright III's "Motel Blues" and Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly" from her Covers Volume II album available now at her Etsy shop. Covers Volume II follows her s/t album released earlier this year with her own Box of Cedar Records. After releasing several albums with Kemado (and having one of her songs inspire the name for vinyl start-up Mexican Summer), Nadler ventured out independently for this s/t album, which has been featured on NPR "World Cafe: Next," NPR First Listen, Vogue, KEXP, Pitchfork 'Overlooked Records of 2011' with an 8.1 album review, one of SPIN's "5 Best New Artists for June."

Marissa Nadler Live
12/8 - San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord w/ Emily Jane White
12/31 - Boston, MA - Boston Public Library-Rabb Hall
w/ Cass McCombs, Ida and Drew O'Doherty

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12/13/2011

Cate Le Bon: US Tour

Cate Le Bon announces 2012 headlining tour, premieres new video - "Fold The Cloth" with Paste Magazine, to live stream Daytrotter session today

VIDEO: "Fold The Cloth" -

http://vimeo.com/31334188

DAYTROTTER:

http://www.daytrotter.com/#!/concert/cate-le-bon/20055214-37382618



Cate Le Bon photographed by Piper Ferguson

A new force in song craft, Cate Le Bon currently resides in Cardiff's infamous French quarter and befitting a songwriter who only writes in the dark, her music is a heady and highly personal Gallic stew of equal parts Nico, Malkmus and the chronicler's own emotional observations on the impossibility of existence.

Disheartened by the constant stream of dead animals she found herself burying in her parents farm in Penboyr, West Wales, and inspired by her fathers impeccable record collection (The Velvets, Neil Young, Pavement et. al) Cate packed her things and begrudgingly set sail for the neon lights and ample rehearsal space available in her country's capital.

Following a string of club night shows in the city, Cate caught the attention of Super Furry Animals front man Gruff Rhys who over a cigar and a glass of brandy offered her some support slots with his band. Cate continued to gig extensively in the UK releasing singles and a Welsh language EP (Edrych Yn Llygaid Ceffyl Benthyg) on the Indie Record label Peski.

Knowing that there's never too much of a good thing, Rhys roped Cate into his hip hop exchange program Neon Neon. What began as a guest vocal appearance on their debut single, "I Lust You," resulted in a year of touring the world as part of their band.

During a month's break from the road, with her confidence and enthusiasm doubled, Cate retired to Y Gerlan in the mountains of North Wales for a prophetic 10 day recording session which resulted in the release of her debut full length album Me Oh My to rapturous critical acclaim. On the back of the album's US release in April 2010, Cate completed a two month tour stretching from SXSW in Texas to Café Hotel in Los Angeles, sending postcards from Boston, Buffalo, San Francisco and New York along the way.

Like a dutiful daughter Cate returned for the British festival season, seeing out the summer at Glastonbury, The Great Escape and Field Day to name a few, and snatching free time between performances to write new material in her North Walian bolthole.

At the dawn of 2011, Cate re-entered the studio to start work on a new record of her own. Drawing on her experiences of the last year, Cate has created collection of pop nuggets that sound like they've fallen off the back of a broken carousel, imbued with the playfulness of Faust and Syd Barrett and the tropical melodies of Os Mutantes. Existential word play abounds and fuzz fused guitar lines tear through like an angry bee in a CAN on CYRK, which is due in the US via The Control Group label in early 2012. "Puts Me To Work" is the first single from that record.

CATE LE BON

02/08 - Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear's

02/09 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

02/10 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's

02/11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kungfu Necktie

02/12 - Washington, DC @ DC9

02/14 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas

02/16 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency

02/22 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile

02/23 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

02/26 - Santa Monica, CA @ McCabe's Guitar Shop

02/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bardot Hollywood (School Night)



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12/07/2011

Caveman: three LA shows this week



Caveman is playing three LA shows this week.




Caveman Tour Dates:


12/08/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (RSVP HERE and info HERE)
12/09/11: Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room (ticket HERE)
12/10/11: Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar (ticket HERE)
12/11/11: San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar (ticket HERE)
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School of Seven Bells "The Night"



School of Seven Bells
premiered their new song "The Night" on Pitchfork. The song is the first to be released, as well as the lead track, from the new album Ghostory due out February 28th next year.

Take a listen and let me know what you think! The song is now downloadlable from Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/vagrantrecords/sviib-thenight


SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS

"The Night" track download: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/1306529852/f2934544c923acccbac936938368c289

"The Night" on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/vagrantrecords/sviib-thenight
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12/06/2011

Neon Indian: US tour 2012


Neon Indian announces 2012 tour, pre-order tix now & get exclusive T-shirt
VIDEO: "Hex Girlfriend" (For No One TV) -
VIDEO: "Polish Girl" (Dir. by Tim Nackashi) -

Neon Indian will head back out on the road for a full North American tour this Spring, and is offering fans a way to save money when they buy advance tickets directly through the band's website, and has also created an exclusive T-shirt only available as a bundle with pre-sale tickets. Every ticket has lower service fees than you'll find anywhere else and comes with a tour laminate that will get you a 10% discount at the merch booth at any show on this tour.
Pre-sale info. is here: http://www.neonindian.com
Prior to the full tour, the band has a pair of shows on New Year's Eve (Lights All Night Fest in Dallas) and New Year's Day (A special event w/ The Flaming Lips and Yoko Ono in Oklahoma City). There are also dates in Japan and Australia in Feb. & March.
Bio:Neon Indian is the brainchild of Alan Palomo, who's 2009 debut record Psychic Chasms not only earned the 20 year-old a spot on numerous year-end lists, but assisted the forming of a genre that, though known by a few names now (hypnagogic pop, glo-fi, chillwave), summoned a very unique and specific electro-mangled sound. Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and SPIN all praised Palomo for his adventurous new sound, and he was tapped to perform at top festivals like South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, and Sasquatch and also scored opening slots for bands ranging from Massive Attack and The Flaming Lips to Phoenix and Chromeo. Written and recorded last winter in an efficiency apartment in Helsinki, Finland during its short solstice days, Era Extraña was ice sculpted from arpeggiated synth-scapes and scribbled journal entries made during his stint there alone in constant solitude. "It's the closest you can get to feeling like you're at the edge of the earth," he says. "And there were moments where I lost sight of what I was really there to do." Era Extraña was released on September 13th on Palomo's own Static Tongues imprint in conjunction with Mom + Pop Music in the United States, Transgressive Records in the United Kingdom and Europe, Dine Alone in Canada, Arts&Crafts in Mexico, Pop Frenzy/Inertia in Australia and Big Nothing Records in Japan.
"Rather than the deeply submerged sounds of its debut - which drew the attention of the Flaming Lips, who tapped the band for a collaborative EP - Mr. Palomo is taking the same milky synths and putting them to use in pop that's crisp and ecstatic." - The New York Times
NEON INDIAN


December 31, Dallas, TX Lights All Night

January 01, Oklahoma City, OK Coca Cola Bricktown Events Center #

February 21, UNIT TOKYO, Japan

Februrary 24, Prince Bandroom MELBOURNE, Australia
February 25, Rocket Bar ADELAIDE, Australia
February 26, Perth International Arts Festival PERTH, Australia
February 29, Neverland Bar GOLD COAST, Australia
March 1, Woodland BRISBANE, Australia
March 2, The Standard SYDNEY, Australia
March 3, Playground Weekender Festival Del Rio Riverside Resort, NSW Australia
March 7, New York, NY MOMA
March 8, Richmond, VA The National *
March 9, Knoxville, TN The Square Room *
March 10, Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge *
March 11, Little Rock, AR Revolution Music Room *
March 13, Dallas, TX Granada Theater *
March 17, Houston, TX House of Blues Houston *
March 19, Atlanta, GA Masquerade *
March 20, Athens, GA 40 Watt *
March 21, Carborro, NC Cat's Cradle *
March 22, Baltimore, MD Ottobar
April 3, Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
April 4, Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
April 5, Bloomington, IN The Bishop
April 6, Chicago, IL The Metro
April 7, Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club
April 9, Denver, CO Bluebird
April 10, Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
April 12, Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
April 24, San Francisco, CA Fillmore
April 26, Portland, OR Doug Fir
April 27, Seattle, WA Neumos
April 28, Vancouver, BC Venue
April 30, Edmonton, AB Starlite Room
May 1, Calgary, AB Republik
May 3, Winnipeg, MB Pyramid Cabaret
May 4, Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
May 5, Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
May 6, Detroit, MI Magic Stick
May 8, Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
May 10, Montreal, QC Cabaret Mile End
May 11, Boston, MA Paradise
May 12, New York, NY Terminal 5
# = w/ The Flaming Lips, Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
* = w/ Purity Ring

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12/04/2011

More best albums of 2011


Gruff Rhys "Hotel Shampoo"


The Black Lips "Arabia Mountain"


Crystal Stilts "In Love With Oblivian"


Seapony "Go With Me"


Corridor "Real Late"


Thomas Dybdahl "Songs"


Foxygen "Take The Kids Off Broadway" EP


Meat Puppets "Lollipop"


Thousands "Sound of Everything"


Braids "Native Speaker"


Black Box Revelation "My Perception"


Craft Spells "Idle Labor"


Mia Doi Todd "Cosmic Ocean Ship"


Foster The People "Torches"


Portishead "Chase The Tear" EP

All Photos by ANGEL CEBALLOS
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