1. Current Leaves | Olospo | Grits n Gravy DJs (Club Dada) The second to last night of Current Leaves' residency at Club Dada. The band recommends that you show up around 845, because they have been playing early at Dada on Wednesdays, usually around nine o'clock. EDIT: Current Leaves is playing BEFORE Olospo, not after. But we still got the time right.
2. Notes from Underground/ Bitchin' Kitchen (J&Js Denton) This FREE show at JJs is really your last chance to catch the amazing live spectacle that is Notes from Underground for at least several months, and possibly forever. They'll be playing as a six piece tonight (two guitars, bass, drums, sax and trumpet), reunited with an old member that moved to Portland some time ago. We hear rumors that the future of the band is up in the air right now, and I would suggest that anyone who is interested in free form/improv music go see these guys tonight while you still can. They are one of the most unique live experiences in the area, and I am willing to bet that a few of you who can't stand "noise" would still be moved by their performance if you allowed yourself to be. And its free, so whats the big deal? Bitchin Kitchen might also provide some ear destroying sound explosions for you as well.
3. Pelican | Daughters | Russian Circles | The Roller ( Hailey's- Denton) This is sure to be one of the loudest rock shows you'll catch in the area any time soon. Pelican play instrumental, shoegaze influenced atmospheric metal/post rock, and are one of the best at doing what they do: establishing textures, setting moods, and breaking it all back down again. Its the sound of controlled chaos, and I think it will come through very well on stage. Daughters play the kind of Blood Brothersesque scream metal that you'll either love or hate, and Austin's The Roller are a sludgefest death metal outfit that will probably be equally polarizing. Should be an interesting night.
4. The Metro@ The Cavern: Dj Laureen of Mile End fame is back with a new night of britpop, indie and electro at the Cavern along with DJ Nicole (don't really know much about her.) We always thought Laureen played great stuff at the Fallout, although her nights were usually not well attended. Maybe things will start picking up at the Cavern, but the music will be good for sure.
5. French Kicks | Little Ones (Gypsy Tea Room) The French Kicks don't seem to be respected by very many people, but I really enjoyed their early stuff, and I don't think the new stuff is that bad either. In fact, I really like some of it. I know I know, soooo 2001 or whatever. But Pitchfork reviews aside, you might want to give them a shot. Listen to "England Just will..." on their Myspace page. WE SUCK: An anon pointed this out to us. We sure blew it. We had the wrong Little Ones, thank god. The link above now goes to the right band, which is MUCH MUCH better than the other Little Ones. Sorry for the mess up.
Well, we finally actually made this thing. After a couple of months of procrastination and just like, talking about it and stuff, we actually put together a list of songs and magically uploaded them to the world wide web for your consumption.
This is simply a collection of 19 songs from local artists that have impressed us over the past nine and a half months. Some of the songs are relatively new, some are relatively old, but they're all very solid.
There is a bit for everyone on here. Psychedelic rock, free jazz, folk, punk, synth pop, country, and a lot of other stuff in between and all over the place. What surprised us the most when we first listened to it was how enjoyable it was all the way through. I wondered aloud on several occasions how an all local collection of music could sound this strong and diverse. But it does. Listening to it straight through provides pretty decent evidence that there are some good bands around here, and we hope that everyone who downloads it will spend just an hour listening to all the songs in order, because that is really part of what is so much fun about it. People that are new to some of these bands will be pleasantly surprised with what they find here, and I think a lot of you out there who have heard most of these songs before will at least enjoy listening to all of these very diverse artists in one little package. Its just over an hour long and there is no talking or bullshit, only music.
Of course, the 74 minute length means that it will all fit on one CD for your burning pleasure, but we'll also be distributing CD versions of Projection for free at Good Records in the coming weeks. We're not sure where they'll be or exactly when they'll be there, but we'll let you know when we figure it out. I would expect to see them within a week or two.
We'd also like to thank Lindsay Graham for assisting us with all the technical stuff and helping us make Projection sound as good as it does. Some of the recordings are better than others, but Lindsay did a great job with what he had. The mix will also be available for download over at Lindsay's DConstruction, so you can stop by over there and say hello. Maybe they'll actually update the site some time soon. Here is the downloadable link for Projection:
And here is the tracklist (thanks to the anon who figured out all the times for each track)
White Drugs- RU 365 Tree Wave- Sleep (02:48) Current Leaves- Easy to Leave (05:43) Washing Machine- Heart Like a Megaphone (09:38) Eat Avery's Bones- Sweater Petter (12:50) Prayer For Animals- Love in the Third Degree (14:15) Theater Fire- These Tears Could Rust a Train (19:45) Shiny Around the Edges- Waiting for the Night (23:35) Chris Garver- Wasp in the house (26:26) Undoing of David Wright- We Dig With Fingers Crossed (29:25) The Angelus- Crimson Shadow (32:06) Violent Squid- Nawlans Brown (35:53) The Night Game Cult- The Sparking Sea (41:25) Mom- We Know (46:50) Krispee Ones (Prince William)- Erotic Citay (53:52) Dj nature remix of Turbulence- Notorious (57:14) Red Monroe- Finger Tips (1:02:04) Teenage Symphony- A Promise (1:05:57) iDi* Amin- Ziggurat (1:07:55)
Give it a listen. We think you'll like what you hear.
1. Lost Generation w/ Wanz (Cavern upstairs) Here is what Wanz has going for tonight. Sounds like some good stuff:
"No guest DJ tonight. There may not be too many more of these. I will know for sure next week. In the meantime new trax from Charlotte Gainsbourg, Arthur Russell vs DFA, Brazillian Girls vs MSTRKRFT, Bondo do Role, TV on The Radio vs El-P, ooIoo, Mew vs Sasha, The Knife vs Ratatat, Undoing of David Wright, Test Icicles vs Spank Rock and more. As far as old stuff goes I figure I should play some poppa gainsbourg as well, Some massive Attack since they gave me the best show I have seen in a few years, More Polvo since I forgot how I love them, Scratch Acid for obvious reasons, This Heat, Faust, and some trax from The Laptop Deathmatch crew. Come out have a drink, check out some tunes and say hi." 2. For those who didn't get to check them out last night in Denton, you can catch Paper Airplanes at Club Dada with Bob White and the F Electrics, Man Factory and Tha Bracelets. Man Factory aren't my favorite local band by any means, and I really have to be in the mood for the super sweet twee of Bracelets (and sometimes I am), but Paper Airplanes sound good enough to check out on their own. Listen to some of their myspace stuff if you haven't already. And by the way, the picture above is meant to provide proof that Bob White is the grossest band in DFW.
ADD:New Science Projectswill be headlining a show at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton with Tex Winters, Miss Celia and Peter Hofstad. Sorry, I can't seem to find links for the other two performers, but I do know that the show is free.
Just to let you know, Sarah Reddington had to cancel their show at Rubber Gloves tonight due to some health issues with one of the band members. However, if you're into SR, you might still want to head up to Denton (or stay in Denton, depending on where you live) to check out Wichita's Paper Airplanes, who will be playing at Rubber Gloves with Tex Wintersand Judah Johnson. If sounding like Band of Horses, the Shins, and Arcade Fire is a crime, Paper Airplanes are probably guilty as charged, although we can let them off on probation due to the fact that their songs are a bit more interesting than the rest of that lot. Ethereal, dreamy and lush, their music mixes bits of americana with bold neopsyche orchestration, synth textures and a slight prog rock influence that provides a good helping of nervous build ups and a hint that the band might be able to take their well traveled formula farther than most of the other flavors of the month. They are like a more friendly Akron/Family, and I'm actually surpised that they haven't received more attention than they have. Listen to "Belovedaire Rough Mix" to see what I mean. If these guys can pull this stuff off live, we could be in for a real treat tonight.
I thought it might be interesting to compare last week's Good Records sales chart to Other Music's top 30 sales chart from the same week. I was surprised at the number of artists who appear on both: Ratatat, Black Keys, Mountain Goats, Yo La Tengo, OOIOO, Grizzly Bear, Junior Boys and Bonnie Prince Billy. In other words, 40% of Good Records' chart is the same as Other Music's, which many consider to be one of the better record stores in the country. Here they are:
GOOD RECORDS
1. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait 2. Yo La Tengo - I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass 3. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther 4. Mars Volta - Amputechture 5. OOIOO - Taiga 6. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House 7. The Album Leaf - Into the Blue Again 8. The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine 9. Bob Dylan - Modern Times 10. Red Monroe - Red Monroe 11. Mountain Goats - Get Lonely 12. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go 13. The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed 14. Ratatat - Classics 15. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar 16. Black Keys - Magic Potion 17. Midlake - Bamnan & Slivercork 18. Cursive - Happy Hollow 19. French Kicks - Two Thousand 20. Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye
OTHER MUSIC
1. Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You... Matador
2.TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain Interscope
3.The Rapture Pieces of the People We Love Universal
4. Junior Boys So This Is Goodbye Domino
5. Grizzly Bear Yellow House Warp
6. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy The Letting Go Drag City
7. Xiu Xiu The Air Force 5RC
8. OOIOO Taiga Thrill Jockey
9. Cat Power The Greatest Matador
10. Tortoise A Lazarus Taxon Thrill Jockey
11. Magnolia Electric Co. Fading Trails Secretly Canadian
12. Dead Moon Echoes of the Past Sub Pop
13. M. Ward Post War Merge
14. Arthur Russell Springfield Audika
15. Beirut Gulag Orkestar Ba Da Bing!
16. John Phillips John, the Wolf King of L.A. Varese
17. The Gentle Rain Moody Sunbeam
18. Ratatat Classics XL
19. Mountain Goats Get Lonely 4AD
20. Various Artists Good God! Numero
21. Richard Buckner Meadow Merge
22. Basement Jaxx Crazy Itch Radio XL
23. Susanna & the Magical Orchestra Melody Mountain Rune Grammofon
24. Dani Siciliano Slappers !K7
25. Arthur Russell Another Thought Orange Mountain
26. Black Keys Magic Potion Nonesuch
27. I'm From Barcelona Let Me Introduce My Friends EMI Sweden
28. Au Revoir Simone Verses of Comfort... Self-Released
1. Tv on the Radio | White Bitch (Gypsy Tea Room Ball Room) Tv on the Radio's new record is good. Very good. Don't listen to what other people tell you. Don't act like you think it sucks just because you want to be the anti Pitchfork guy. I have yet to see them live, but judging by the fact that they killed on Letterman this week, I'm guessing that they have the potential to be very good live. I might just go find out. Along with the Liars record, Tv on the Radio's new one is probably the strangest album to get significant mainstream attention in quite a while, and theres a reason: its experimental, accessible, and generally amazing throughout.
2. The Party with Dj Nature and Select (Zubar- FREE) Dude bro, why do you always talk about Nature? Well bro, the reason I do is that we've been getting a lot of new readers lately (august was our biggest month of the year) and I want all the new people to see what the underground buzz is about, because it is surely warranted. I want them to see why you can go to a Central Booking event and not be able to tell if you are in Dallas, New York, LA, Miami or anywhere else in the world because the crowd is so random and the party is so big and the music is so solid that you couldn't possibly be on Greenville, could you? These guys are ahead of the curve not only in Dallas but pretty much everywhere else. What does that mean? Go find out. I've already had people send me thank you emails for telling them about Nature, and I'm expecting more of them.
3. Enon | Octopus Project | Single Frame (Hailey's Denton) This is really going to be a great fucking show. All three bands kill it live (seriously), and Enon is a band that I can't seem to get enough of. They've been getting regular play in my car and at my house for years, and they just seem to get better with time.
4. Phoenix | La Rocca (Gypsy Tea Room Tea Room) Another great party could very well get going at Gypsy tonight. Phoenix might at times sound like the French Backstreet Boys, but somehow that ends up being a good thing once you've listened to one of their records a couple of times. I can't explain it other than to say that they must just be great songwriters, and sometimes that fact alone simply cuts through the bullshit and forces you to enjoy yourself. Phoenix does that to me all the time.
SATURDAY 1. iDi* Amin | You Are the Universe (Secret Headquarters Denton) This is going to be three bucks, and will start at 7 or 8pm, I'm not sure which. But you can go to the myspace page to check for sure, or you can just show up early and drink their beer. If you're not sure about the "noise" bands, go see this. Its cheap, its early enough to see another show after, and I think you will enjoy it as long as you go in with an open mind. These bands are both a real pleasure to see live.
3. Cat Power(Gypsy Tea Room Ballroom) Not the biggest fan in the world, but I respect what Chan Marshall does, and she ain't bad to look at either... heyyo! But seriously folks, ha ha, Cat Power isn't something I listen to often, but on those rare occasions when I'm in the mood for her music, I always really enjoy it. Take that how you will.
4. Flaming Lips | Matisyahu | Street Drum Corps (Nokia Theater $42) 42 bucks to see the Flaming Lips in a place that reminds me of a model home in Plano? Um, I like Flaming Lips and everything, and Soft Bulletin is one of the ten best records of the past ten years and stuff, but no thanks. I'll watch the video. I've seen them live twice and thats enough. And come on, their new album is complete shit. And as much as I want to hate Matisyahu and dismiss the whole thing as annoying gimmick, I just can't do it. I actually like some of the stuff I've heard from him. Shhh... don't tell anyone.
