Hoboken legends Yo La Tengo are still well, around. Their releases have remained consistent, and anytime they come to Atlanta I try to catch the show. Recently I was most entertained when the DJ’s at my local college station had to repeat I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass uncomfortably over the air every time they played a track off the release.

The band is playing a set on WFMU radio, a freeform station that gives playlist control to their DJ’s (a la some college radio). If you donate to the radio station Yo La Tengo will play a song of your request. Find out more info on their myspace.

How early do you think they’ll play Sugarcube?

Great song by them:
Yo La Tengo - Julie Christie

Ok so what happens when you get the best elements of a couple bands together and try to combine it? Usually it’s really dissapointing (See Zwan, Oysterhead, Velvet Revolver ect.) however once in a blue moon something really works, like Holy Molar, Cream, Journey or for our purposes Magnetic Morning.

Magnetic Morning take all the Intelligent rhythmic percussion from Sam Forgarino’s group Interpol, and combine it with the vocal styling and guitar tone from Adam Franklin’s well known Shoegaze group Swervedriver.

There are some songs for listening on the band’s Myspace Site.

Oh Yeah and Swervedriver are doing a reunion tour too.

Swervedriver - Duel

Swervedriver - Rave Down

I’m pretty sure that’s a blue Fender Jag-Stang (drool)

Making the rounds after their newest release Made In the Dark, Hot Chip played a slower soul filled version of Ready for the Floor at Spinner’s The Interface. RftF was my favorite song off the album and one of my favorites in the past few months, and I really liked this ballad version.

I wish they had an mp3 of the performance. Just a hint: you can find software to record any audio that plays on your computer.

Thanks again to everyone for helping out with this. We couldn’t be prouder to present these semi acoustic songs recorded right here in our studio. FYI Life in stereo is previously unreleased…

Trances Arc - Piece Of Mind

Trances Arc - New Style

Trances Arc - Life In Stereo

Trances Arc - Look Up

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup

Trances Arc came over to talk with us and play some acoustic tracks for us. We also talk about Bon Iver, a release we’ve been waiting ages to review. Look for the four songs Trances Arc recorded at our studio on our website. They’ll be up within the day.

Songs played on the show:

1. Skinny Love - Bon Iver [buy album]
2. Piece of Mind - Trances Arc
3. Life in Stereo - Trances Arc
4. Cold as Ice - Atlas Sound

We’re really proud of this episode. If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen yet this is definitely a good place to start.

I became aware of 65daysofstatic after their 2007 release The Destruction of Small Ideas. Full of aching desire and g-g-g-glitches of the heart, 65daysofstatic make music that is at once innately complex and singularly emotive.

In May and June the band will be touring the US in support of The Cure. As a tour bonus the band will be releasing their debut album The Fall of Math which was one of the last records championed by legendary BBC 1 radio DJ John Peel before his death in Oct 2004.

The release includes tracks that were recorded after the band was signed and a few that were recorded in the groups house (one of the home growns is definitely the stand out track). I think this is some of their strongest material.

retreat! retreat! - 65daysofstatic

Notice the Barack Obama is my homeboy shirt.

Since super Tuesday the democratic race to the nomination has been dominated by Barack Obama with a ten race streak. You can attribute his success to statistical data that shows his rising popularity among working class and women voters, a demographic that pre-fatcat Tuesday could be counted to vote Hillary, but I like to think that the real factor to Barack’s steamroller success is the overwhelming support he’s received from indie rockers across the nation.

Some of the groups that have supported Barack include: Bright Eyes, M. Ward, OK Go, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, and Craig Wedren and Nathan Larson from Shudder to Think. There’s even an indie group called Extra Golden with two members from Kenya who Barack helped to obtain entrance visas into the US. They were so thankful they wrote the Senator a song.

Extra Golden - Obama

Adrew Bird who put out last year’s amazing release Armchair Apocrypha [CD] will be the latest indie dude to fund raise for the Presidential candidate. Bird will be holding the event at Chicago’s Hideout on Feb. 28.

With any more indie support in the primaries I’m predicting that hipsters will nationally snub the general elections as “completely dependent on mainstream tastes.”

Andrew Bird - The Trees Were Presidential
ABX - The Trees Were Presidential (Youngbloodz vs. Andrew Bird)

As a preview of the best bands at the Austin, TX festival South by Southwest, I’m starting with the Brit rockers Air Traffic. Originally from Bournemouth, this piano-led, indie-rock quartet got their name from the air traffic control signals that they would pick up while they were rehearsing in abandoned industrial units next to the airport where they first formed.

Sometimes maligned as derivative of that other piano heavy British superband, I think their sound has a lot higher stakes and isn’t scrubbed squeaky clean.

Charlotte is their first big UK single, but as SXSW is one of their first US appearances we’re bringing you what we think is the cream of their album Fractured Life.

Air Traffic - Come On
Air Traffic - Never Even Told Me Her Name

I don’t quite remember how it happened but I can remember someone telling me when I first got to town.  That the hippest place in town looked like you were walking into a Meat Locker.  Should I repeat that for you?  The most popular place to go downtown for “the cool kids” is a renovated parking garage, but the hippest, a renovated cooler underneath a Mexican restaurant.  I was apprehensive since I wasn’t being led by the hand to the exact guy that I had to give a secret handshake to, slip him five bucks then be greeted by the glowing stares of all the regulars who would inevitably think “who is this guy”

I had over thought things as usua.  El Bar was a really nice place to go.  Granted it was a little “in the know” but it was inviting and fun.  I hadn’t been there much lately because I really didn’t have anyone to go with, and I’m a social type at heart.  It really is a shame though.  It was a great alternative to the usual hot spots.

For whatever unknown reason I just can not shake these songs from my peripheral vision.  This can be a troubling thing from time to time since I review music all the time and need to be able to focus on other things.  Another great blog you may have heard of My Old Kentucky Blog (which of course is based out of Indianapolis) Has posted some new recordings of some dear songs by The Bowerbirds.  I’d like you to go and download them please.

Bowerbirds on My Old Kentucky Blog Radio