popwreckoning

In response to the leak of Them Crooked Vultures‘ album, the band has made the unprecedented decision to stream the record in its entirety beginning with first track “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I.”

Them Crooked Vultures’ self-titled debut album is due out November 17 in the United States and Canada on DGC/Interscope Records. Its release has been preceded by first single “New Fang” currently streaming at http://www.myspace.com/crookedvultures and “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” now available as a free iTunes download.

Them Crooked Vultures recently announced its first ever shows in California and the Pacific Northwest: November 17 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, November 19 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, November 21 at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, and November 22 at the Roseland Theater in Portland.The dates expand an itinerary that already includes a December tour of the UK and Europe and January dates in Australia and New Zealand.

For further information, updates, dates, etc., check back at www.themcrookedvultures.com.

About two hours before doors at Station 4 in downtown St. Paul, a block-long line has formed of fans eager to hear a night of great live music. The bands are a pop-punker’s dream lineup: This Providence, The Summer Set, The Bigger Lights, and headliners Cartel. This is Cartel’s first tour with their new album Cycles and they are “just happy to be on the road again,” states bassist Jeff Lett. And apparently the mass amount of fans that keep arriving to the venue are happy about that too.

Originating as a high school/college collaboration among three different bands back in August of 2003, Cartel has gained popularity and a large fan base over the last six years. With the current onslaught of a large number of teenage angst-driven bands to emerge lately, it’s pretty phenomenal for a band to last six years in this music scene, let alone release three successful albums within that time. With fans at the show from early teens to late 50s, the band has proven to have a catchy, unique sound that appeals to fans of all ages.

However, as popular as they have become over the years, there is going to be some scrutiny. Referencing the MTV miniseries “Band in a Bubble” (when the band spent 23 days in a partially transparent bubble in New York City and emerged having fully completed their 2nd full length album, Cartel), guitarist Joe Pepper adds, “We got a lot of publicity from that and with any publicity there’s people judging all the time. People really liked [the album] and with any album there’s always some hate, but I don’t think any of it affected any of us too much.”

Apparently not, considering Station 4 appeared to fill up to near capacity before the guys even took the stage for their set. The fans were eager to hear old favorites as well as new songs from Cycles performed live for the first time.

With a set list spanning equally across the bands 3 albums (Chroma, Cartel, Cycles) and including fan-favorites like “Honestly,” “Say Anything (Else)” and my personal favorite “Matter of Time,” the guys are partial to playing songs that are “close to home”, says drummer Kevin Sanders. “We love playing ‘Deep South,’ because it’s just so heavy. It has kind of become what “Georgia” and “Burn This City” were to us in the past.”

A recent label change from Epic to Wind Up Records has allowed the band a chance to be extremely unique within their new label family and express this “heavier” side. With labelmates like Creed and Seether, the band is able to get the deserved, undivided publicity that is sometimes lost in a label that is chock full of bands from the same genre. Pepper comments, “[Wind Up] doesn’t have a lot of bands that are like us. We don’t have to compete. When we were on Epic, we were competing with bands like Good Charlotte and Quietdrive; it’s time to get radio play though. They can push Creed and us at the same time and not have to worry about stepping on anyone’s toes. It just works out better.”

After a two year process of writing and recording, Cartel finally released their much anticipated third full length album, entitled Cycles, with Wind Up. With an album full of catchy, upbeat Chroma-esque tracks like “Faster Ride” and first single “Let’s Go,” ballad staples like “Only You,” and even some edgier tunes like “27 Steps,” Cartel fans will not be disappointed with their newest debut. Still holding on to the old Cartel sound of pop-punk power songs full of open ended messages, the band has proven to continue to step away from the cookie-cutter songs about high school love and loss and choose to write songs that are open for fans to define their own individual interpretations on the meanings.

With songs like Chroma’s “Minstrel’s Prayer” and Cycle’s “Retrograde,” Cartel continues to make the kind of music that allows fans to give a song a personal meaning that can adapt with every situation and shift into something completely different each time the hear a song. The band’s hook-driven music is the type that has staying power because it is so easily identifiable with each new fan that turns on their music and hears a song like “Save Us” for the first time. Even the album title can hold many different connotations. When asked about the significance behind the term “Cycles,” guitarist Pepper simply stated, “It means whatever you think it means.” That fan-powered idea is what has kept Cartel around and relevant for so long.

The band continues to keep their sights high, saying that a dream tour with include Van Halen. Now, I don’t know how compatible those two bands would be together, considering the crowd would be hilariously random, but could we be on the lookout for a tour collaboration with Van Halen? If the boys keep churning out hit-making music, nothing is impossible for Cartel.

Cartel: website | myspace

Written by: Sarah Hassan

Some crazy tunes today. In this post I’ll be featuring Killer on the Dancefloor, a DJ/Production duo from the urban realms of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Killer on the Dancefloor is the combination of DJs Phillip A. Fatu & Ali Disco B. They’ve had some lengthy experience in the digital/electronic world, sharing the stage with the likes of Justice, Digitalism and So Me. They seek inspiration from the mash up scene and when not mixing/performing as Killer on the Dancefloor they manage Maximize, a sub label from Transit Music. And to be honest, I started to do this post because of the “MMMathias Remix.”

.Killer on the Dancefloor – “Gringo Oba Oba”
“Gringo Oba Oba” is a very creatively created song. It starts off old school with the scratching, ill adjusted sound of a record player, then coming in clean with hard, heavy, South American bongos, pounding deep and heavy. Very native sounds, until we start seeing signs of progressive electronic music, with deep sequencers, distorted bleeps, subtle breathing, and eventually light melodies to distract from the heavy sounds. This is also encompassed by pseudo robotic lyrics speaking “Rio De Janeiro, Killer on the Dancefloor.” Very weird indeed. But pretty fun. However, I don’t know when any normal person would listen to this.

.“MMMathias Remix”
Much more of a sane tune here. And by sane I mean normal. MMMathias transforms this a great deal, making it more of a continuous song than a jumble of different music like the original. He brings to it an electro house feel that is missing in the original. And from that he builds a great synth riff that underlines the track. He features the original sequencers, which he adjusts lightly in that they play softer and bounce across the song. The odd vocals are still available, but MMMathias cuts them in the right points. A great part of the mix is when everything goes silent and the song seems to fade out, but MMMathias brings it back up again with a plethora of electronica and then the vocals.

.“Tropikill Remix”
The Tropikill mix starts in much the same fashion as the original. It features hits on South American bongs, only that they are faster here. The vocals kick in here as well but are more nonsensical. This remix keeps a very similar aesthetic in the random music and cuts, but adds heavier and more trance/90s club vibes. I actually think this is a pretty poor mix. But alas, they only made two for this track thus far.

Killer on the Dancefloor: website | myspace

Animal Collective are set to release a new studio EP, Fall Be Kind on November 23rd 2009 (digitally) and 15th December (physically).

Fall Be Kind is recorded by Ben Allen. It includes five new songs, one of which, “Sky,” is the first ever licensed Grateful Dead sample.

In other Animal Collective news, artist JL Stiles recently did a cover of the group’s “No More Running” and we can’t stop spinning it. Check it out:

.JL Stiles – “No More Running”

Track Listing:
01. Graze
02. What Would I Want? Sky
03.  Bleed
04. On a Highway
05. I Think I Can

Animal Collective: website | myspace

From the get-go, I liked “Nothing to Worry About” by Peter Bjorn and John an awful lot the first time I ever heard it. Interestingly, this band from Sweden has stated that the song, with backing from a children’s choir, started out as a homage to Jay-Z‘s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem).” But I think you will agree with me that PB&J’s “Nothing to Worry About” sounds nothing like Jay-Z’s 1998 opus. A look back at the 10-year history of this Swedish trio and you will see their influences and approaches to making pop music are so varied among the three of them, and they are musical chameleons that keep changing their sound and never seem to stay in one place. Here’s an example: their fourth album, Seaside Rock (with an extremely limited release in America) was purely instrumental. But that’s what makes them so original and intriguing.

In May, I missed the chance to see PB&J at a sold-out show at the 9:30 just weeks after their fifth album containing “Nothing to Worry About,” Living Thing, had been released. (The night of the 9:30 show, I was a couple blocks away at the Black Cat covering Noah and the Whale, another favorite of mine). So was I thankful when I heard the band would be starting their celebratory “10 years in the music business” birthday tour in Washington and I’d be there to see them this time around.

El Perro del Mar, fellow Swede Sarah Assbring‘s solo project, was the opener for the night. I don’t know if it’s the 9:30 Club, but this was yet another show there that I felt the bass was too heavy in the mix. Upon further listening to the recorded version of El Perro del Mar’s “Change of Heart,” you will find some of her songs tend to be bass-heavy anyhow, so if you like sultry, bass-driven rock, definitely check out her Love is Not Pop, released in America on October 20. Assbring and her three-piece backing band started their set with “Let Me In,” Assbring contributing what felt like very shy vocals that were in sharp contrast to her shaking her body to every one of the backbeats. I don’t know if it was nerves and shyness or fear, but she sipped a glass of wine with her back to the stage and talked little between songs, not saying much at all except to thank PB&J for choosing her to tour with them, and then she and the band left the stage rather abruptly.

El Perro del Mar set list
Let Me In
Change of Heart
L is for Love
Party
Gotta Get Smart
A Better Love
I Can’t Talk About It

About 20 minutes passed and then the lights dimmed for Peter Bjorn and John. Their backdrop magically appeared – a black cloth with “PETER BJORN AND JOHN” at the top and “BACKDROP” repeated over and over again in white letters; if you’ve seen the cover for Living Thing, this will make more sense. The crowd chanted “PB&J! PB&J! PB&J!” Bearded and extremely tall Björn Yttling (bass and synths) strapped on his bass guitar and deadpanned, “I’m Björn.” The audience cheered. Then he turned to point at his bandmates, “That’s John. And that’s Peter.” As if the audience needed a roll call. More cheering. Then the trio got to work, launching into “Amsterdam,” from the 2006 album that broke them, Writer’s Block. Peter Morén, guitarist and usual lead vocalist, was footloose and fancy free all evening, his white sneakers pounding the stage in a somewhat dizzying spectacle, as sometimes he would be onstage and sometimes he’d be rocking out on one of the big speakers on either end of the stage that you knew were positioned just so he could show off. After the second song, Morén quipped, “This [Washington D.C.] is the best place in the world!“, which of course elicited wild cheers from the crowd. The club was abuzz in excitement all night long.

In “I Want You,” another track from the current album, drummer John Ericksson assumed lead vocal duties, with Morén’s guitar providing another “voice” if you will that complemented Ericksson’s perfectly. “Young Folks,” now a mainstay at indie dance nights, exceeded my expectations; the vocals done so well by Victoria Bergsman (formerly of the Concretes) on record were replaced live by Sarah Assbring, whose own dance moves matched Morén’s in energy. Kids on the floor were dancing and waving their arms without abandon for this and “Nothing to Worry About,” a soon-to-be club dance classic. In a word: brilliant.

“Lay It Down” became a club-wide singalong with its humorous chorus of “Hey shut the fuck up boy / you’re starting to piss me off / take your hands off that girl / you’ve already had enough“; during this, Morén danced about with his guitar in a Chuck Berry fashion. Before the encore, we got a special treat. Morén explained that they had never played any song from Seaside Rock in America, and they were going to play “Needles and Pins” from that album, complete with a guest band, Hat City Intuitive (four guys equipped with two saxophones, a clarinet, and kazoos). When they returned for the encore, they decided to play “Paris 2004,” Morén saying they didn’t play this too often live and that he wasn’t sure if he knew all the notes. But the trio played the song gorgeously, and like all the other songs of the night, it appeared effortless.

At the end of the show, Morén unexpectedly threw his guitar to the ground, jumped on one of the big speakers, and shouted, “Now I’m going to the merch table!” At that point, I was expecting a riot as patrons predictably flooded the merch table in the back, hoping to get a photo with Morén or an autograph. Turned out all three of them patiently took photos with fans and signed anything put in front of them. Truly a class act. Peter Bjorn and John, hope you come back to D.C. in the very near future, we would be happy to have you back.

Peter Bjorn and John set list
Amsterdam
Far Away, By My Side
Living Thing
I Want You
It Don’t Move Me
Lay It Down
Just the Past
Young Folks
Nothing to Worry About
Needles and Pins (instrumental)
–
Paris 2004
People They Know
Objects of My Affection

Tour dates
Nov 09 - Webster Hall / New York City#
Nov 11 – Phoenix Theatre / Toronto#
Nov 12 – Metro / Chicago#
Nov 13 – Gargoyle Club / St. Louis#
Nov 14 – House of Blues / Dallas#
Nov 15 – La Zona Rosa / Austin#
Nov 17 – Rialto Theater / Tucson#
Nov 18 – House of Blues / San Diego#
Nov 19-20 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco, CA#
Nov 21 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles#
# with El Perro del Mar

Peter Bjorn and John: website | myspace | @ 9:30 Club (May 2009) | Remix Monday: Peter Bjorn and John: It Don’t Move Me | @ Granada
El Perro del Mar: website | myspace

It seems Zee Avi has outgrown the First Unitarian Church’s Chapel. I can attest to the because, despite having the 9:30 show cancelled after the 7:30 show sold out (9:30 tickets were honored at 7:30), I arrived just ten minutes after doors and was forced to sit on the chapel’s stone floor as all the pews were packed. Sitting on the floor isn’t a complaint — I’d lay on a bed of nails if that’s what it took to have to see Zee perform — but, listen up R5 Productions, I’d like to recommend either keeping the second show or moving down the basement next time.

It was a nice surprise when Philadelphia locals The Mural and the Mint took stage to open for Zee; I’d been expecting Patrick Keeler (Zee’s drummer, whom you may remember from such bands as The Greenhornes and The Raconteurs) to open, which, sure, had confused me because he’s a drummer, but I’d merely misread an email. It was a delight to have the no-frills native indie pop quartet grace the pulpit providing catchy hooks with the occasional lapse into cacophony. If front man Michael Kiley‘s use of the ukulele isn’t enough to win you over (it should be), you can’t not love that The Mural and the Mint gives away all of their music for free. Head over to the band’s official page to score their debut record, Private Pockets, for nothing more than a suggested donation. Catch The Mural and the Mint on MySpace to sample some tunes and, if you like what you hear, please do donate even a small something so they can continue to make beautiful, sincere music.

A short standing intermission was rather welcomed during the set change as lower extremities took to falling asleep as my concert companions and I sat on the floor, but we were excited for Zee to take the stage. She was greeted with a burst of applause upon taking her seat on the pulpit. The set started off with some technical difficulties for her bassist which was more than worth the wait when the heavy, jazzy thumping finally resounded through the amp. With the voice of an angel, if you believe in such things, Zee kicked off the set with the jazzy “Poppy,” a eulogy about the deadly results of opium use; “My baby he don’t act like himself no more: / He lost that smile I use to adore. / He spend his nights slapping his veins / He lost that glow he used to have on his face.”

After a heartfelt cover of Interpol‘s “Slow Hands,” the set took on a joyful tone as Zee performed “The Traveler,” a hook-filled song which she’s only performed live. “I Am Me Once More” brought back that beautiful jazz sound Zee excels at before she teased the crowd about performing “Honey Bee,” her only love song and crowd favorite. There’s so much beauty in the seeming simplicity about a bee rescuing its love from the mindless drones of the beehive: “Oh my darling honey bee / I’ll come save you / Even if it means I’ll have to face the queen.”

The remainder of the set was largely a party with a musical triumvirate of single “Bitter Heart” preceding “Just You & Me” and the Manglish (= Malaysian + English) “Kantoi.” “Kantoi,” Malaysian for “busted,” is a fantastically poppy song despite its unsettling subject matter of a woman catching her boyfriend cheating on her, but it’s not so bad since she was cheating on him, too. Ah, love.

Discontent with a short eight song set, the crowd demanded another from the petite Malaysian songbird. Fortunately, she obliged and played a song that has been stuck in my head going on three days, Morrissey‘s “First of the Gang.” It needn’t be said that Moz is a legend and while he doesn’t have a reputation for being the sweetest fella, I can’t imagine he’d be at all mad at Zee’s sweet, delicate vocals doing eons of justice to this 2004 hit track. Taking another cue from Morrissey, Zee performed this as her solo encore song as Moz did at the end of many of his shows during his 2009 Tour of Refusal.

Last night, Zee Avi stole our hearts away.

Set List:
Poppy
Slow Hands (Interpol)
The Traveler
I Am Me Once More
Honey Bee
Bitter Heart
Just You & Me
Kantoi
//
First of the Gang (Morrissey)

Head over to Popwreckoning’s YouTube page to catch some footage of Zee during her previous stop through Philadelphia.

Zee Avi: website | myspace | @ webster hall
The Mural and the Mint: website | myspace

If you watched the MTV VMAs this year, you saw Devon, England trio Muse make their American television debut playing “Uprising” to the throngs at the packed Walter Kerr Theater in New York City. They just released their latest promo video for their forthcoming single, “Undisclosed Desires”, to be released in the UK on November 16. The r&b-esque groove on this song is killer, and the futuristic video features singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy on keytar. Check it out.

Muse: website | myspace | Muse Reveal Tracklisting for New Album | Muse to Play Several U.S. Dates with U2 and MTV VMAs | Various Artists: New Moon Soundtrack

What is there to say about this show? Having the pleasure of seeing three of the best singer/songwriters music today share the stage was a surreal experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Going into this show, I really didn’t know what to expect, not having seen any of the acts in any capacity, but the show atmosphere setup and atmosphere had the feel of seeing Dylan- you knew you were seeing/experiencing truly special.

Something really to admire is how the show is structured, shifting from tracks from their self-titled, Monsters of Folk, into songs from each other’s extensive back catalogue of indie-rock classics. Each of the three, Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James had mini sets of acoustic songs with a combination of another member (M. Ward and Jim James harmonies were full of such soul). Of the three M. Ward was the one I was the least familiar with, only knowing him from She & Him, but his solo set made me a believer and left the crowd in awe as his solo set, receiving a standing ovation and me making a personal note, “For the love of God, as soon as you get home, get some M. Ward albums.”

As the show hit the 2 hour mark, the M.O.F really hit their stride as Jim James steals the show (with his stellar white boy dance moves that would give Dave Matthews a run for his money), as he leads the band through My Morning Jacket‘s Smokin’ From Shootin’ and Monsters of Folk’s Losin’ Yo Head. Not to be outdone, Conor Oberst adds some punch to his verse of Smokin From Shootin’ as M. Ward holds down the keys and guitars rather masterfully.

This is a show that completely blew me away: plain and simple. After three hours, Jim James added, “Boy Chicago, you sure know how to treat a lady.” Chicago experienced something truly special that I will proudly recall for years to come.

Set List:
Say Please
The Right Place
Soul Singer in a Session Band (Bright Eyes)
Slow Down Jo
Ahead of the Curve
Lullaby + Exile (M. Ward)
We Are Nowhere and It’s Now (Bright Eyes)
The Big Picture (Bright Eyes)
Golden (My Morning Jacket)
Baby Boomer
Bermuda Highway (My Morning Jacket)
Look at You (My Morning Jacket)
Man Named Truth
Vincent O’Brien (M. Ward)
One life Away (M. Ward)
Wonder (The Way I Feel) (Jim James w/ M. Ward)
Lime Tree (Bright Eyes)
Dear God
Temazcal
To Save Me (M. Ward)
Goodway
Smoke Without Fire (Bright Eyes)
One Hundred Million Years (M. Ward)
Chinese Translation (M. Ward)
Bottom of Everything (Bright Eyes)
The Sandman, The Brakeman and Me
Map of The World
Smokin’ From Shootin’ (My Morning Jacket)
Hit The Switch (Bright Eyes)
Losin’ Yo Head
//
At Dawn (My Morning Jacket)
Whole Lotta Losin’
Another Travelin’ Song (Bright Eyes)
His Master’s Voice

Monsters of Folk: website

“Kings and Queens” is the first single off 30 Seconds to Mars‘ forthcoming This Is War out Dec. 8. The full short film will be released soon.

30 Seconds to Mars: website | myspace

Last night, mostly local The Walkmen performed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Irvine Auditorium in University City, Philadelphia. Despite some parking issues and then list frustrations (i.e.- not being on it, but thanks Matt Barrick, The Walkmen’s drummer, for taking care of business), I was impressed when I walked into the space. Built in 1926, it appears to have been a church at some point, mostly it was the high vaulted ceilings, but it’s a wonderful live performance space with a capacity of over 1,000 and great acoustics.

Openers The Pains of Being Pure at Heart put on an impressive performance that was equal parts sentimental, lively and poppy. Front man Kip Berman, whose soft vocals were complimented beautifully by those of keyboardist Peggy Wang-East, beseeched the audience to not heckle (which they did not), as his grandparents were in the crowd and he wanted them to “think we’re cool.” It was rather endearing, but unnecessary as the entire audience was either transfixed by the sweet indie pop songs or dancing along with the catchy beats emanating from the stage.

For all the energy that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart produced with their energetic sound, the atmosphere took on a much more relaxed feel once the Walkmen took to the stage. The band’s lack of energy throughout the beginning of the set brought down the entire room, save for the one really drunk [he had to be] guy jumping up and down the entire set. While aforementioned drummer Matt Barrick really amped up the energy behind his kit throughout the entire set, it wasn’t until about halfway through the set that the rest of the band began to visibly enjoy being on stage.

Front man Hamilton Leithauser announced that the fivesome had been in the studio all week writing a follow up to last year’s You and Me, which the crowd applauded with vigor. The only portion of the set which the crowd wasn’t thrilled about was Hamilton’s mention of the Yankees, who is seems he’s a fan of, but quickly won back the crowd with letting us know that most of the band are Phillies fan.

Baseball rivalries aside, the Walkmen put on a great show. If you’re the Chicago area this week, you can catch the guys playing Schubas 20th Anniversary Concert, which is already sold out, so I hope you’ve got your tickets. If not, we’ve all got a new album to look forward to in 2010.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | interview with: Hamilton Leithauser | @ the bowery ballroom | @ wonder ballroom | @ beachland ballroom | @ monolith | interview with | @ black cat | perform “Twins”
The Walkmen: website | myspace | | @ monolith 2009 | @ acl 2009