popwreckoning

As anticipation builds for their Epitaph Records/Heart & Skull debut, seminal punk rockers Alkaline Trio have announced plans for a US headlining tour with indie rock band Cursive, in support of their forthcoming studio album, This Addiction, which is due out February 23.

Beginning December 22^nd at 10AM local venue time, fans will be given the chance to get a discounted pre-order of This Addiction with a presale through Ticketmaster.com OR Ducatking.com, depending on the market.  A list of dates are below with the corresponding presale option next them.

Since emerging in 1996, Alkaline Trio have become one of the punk rock’s most progressive and unique bands of the last decade, commanding an enormous cult following with six fan-adored albums and relentless world-wide touring.  This Addiction is the next chapter in the band’s celebrated career.

Alkaline Trio Tour Dates:
Feb 16 – Pomona, CA – Glass House (Ticketmaster.com)
Feb 17 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues (Sunset) (Ticketmaster.com)
Feb 18 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom (Ticketmaster.com)
Feb 19 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom (Ducatking.com)
Feb 20 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s (Ducatking.com)
Feb 23 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory (Ducatking.com)
Feb 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – In the Venue (Ducatking.com)
Feb 25 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre (Ducatking.com)
Feb 26 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater (Ducatking.com)
Feb 27 – Chicago, IL – Metro (Ducatking.com)
Feb 28 – Chicago, IL – Metro (Ducatking.com)
March 2 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak (Ducatking.com)
March 3 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall (Ticketmaster.com)
March 4 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues (Ticketmaster.com)
March 5 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Zoo (Ticketmaster.com)
March 6 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre (Ticketmaster.com)
March 8 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Light (Ducatking.com)
March 9 – Hartford, CT – Webster Theatre (Ducatking.com)
March 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Tracadero (Ticketmaster.com)
March 12 – New York, NY – Nokia Theatre (Ticketmaster.com)
March 13 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland (Ticketmaster.com)
March 14 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel (Ducatking.com)
March 16 – Towson, MD – Recher Theatre (Ticketmaster.com)
March 17 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend (Ducatking.com)
March 18 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm (Ducatking.com)
March 19 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade (Ticketmaster.com)
March 20 – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Freebird Live (Ducatking.com)
March 22 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues (Ducatking.com)
March 23 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution (Ticketmaster.com)
March 25 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues (Ducatking.com)
March 26 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live (Ducatking.com)
March 27 – Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom (Ticketmaster.com)
March 28 – Austin, TX – Emo’s (Ticketmaster.com)
March 30 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee (Ducatking.com)
April 1 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues (Ticketmaster.com)
April 2 – Los Angeles – House of Blues (Ticketmaster.com)

Alkaline Trio: website | myspace

Top 3 Albums of 2009:

• Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion // MPP gave me an orgasm in my brain. Does it need any more of an explanation, really?
• Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix // Why do I love Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix? Well, there are no bad songs on this album, not one. And I could listen to “Lisztomania” or “1901” all day. Seriously.
• The Decemberists – Hazards of Love // This album not only was awesome in a festival venue, but every time I listen to it, I want it to be made into a stage performance, carrying out the fun fairytale of evil queens, pregnant princesses and infanticide.

Best Show of 2009:

• The best show of 2009 wasn’t really just one show; it was an entire festival – the Sasquatch Music Festival to be exact. Sadly enough, I was only able to afford to go one out of the three days, but what happened that Saturday was totally worth the long drive down. My sister and I were going primarily to see The Decemberists, Kings of Leon and Bon Iver, as well as Maria Bamford and other hilarious comedians. That night, as the sun was setting, after we’d seen short bits of other bands and comedians, we trekked down to the main stage for the Decemberists. Now, if you’ve never been to the Gorge, it’s one of the most beautiful venues for a festival. No wonder Dave Matthews goes back over Labor Day weekend every year. But as we arrived to the main stage, Animal Collective was still in the middle of their set, and by this time, I hadn’t heard much Animal Collective at all. This festival fully enlightened me to how amazing they are. After Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist took their leave, the Decemberists started their set 20 minutes later. And let me tell you, this is where it got interesting. Their entire performance of Hazards of Love was amazing, sure, but what made this festival experience so different from any other festival I’d been to was what was happening on the hillside against the sunset. About halfway through the Decemberists’ set, people started staring and pointing over towards the hillside, and I was completely oblivious to what was going on. Eventually, my sister pointed me in the right direction, and there, in plain sight, in front of thousands of festival-goers, were a man and woman going at it in the dirt. All we could see were the silhouettes of two bodies thrusting against each other, but it was still quite fantastic how it all went down. At one point, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists acknowledged the coital couple’s actions by smiling and almost giggling at what was happening. Then when the security guard walked up to them at first, he threw up his fist in celebration, and the thousands of people in the crowd followed suit. As the guard made them close up shop, if you will, people started booing. Seriously. And none of this overshadowed the awesomeness of the Decemberists’ set, because it was truly awesome. As was Bon Iver shortly after the Decemberists’ set, and the Kings of Leon after that.

Most Anticipated in 2010:

• Well, to be honest, early 2010 is going to blow my mind. In January, both Vampire Weekend and Spoon are set to release their new albums: Contra and Transference. In February, my favorite band of all time, We Are Scientists, is also scheduled to release their new album, as yet untitled. In March, my third-favorite Scottish band Frightened Rabbit will be releasing their third album, A Winter of Mixed Drinks. And even though the release date is still very vague, Interpol will be releasing a new album, which is said to be a nice throwback to their amazing 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights. So yeah, 2010 is going to rock. Also, OK Go’s Of the Blue Colour of the Sky comes out in January.

Most Overrated in 2009:

• As much as Kings of Leon’s release Only by the Night was amazing in 2008 – it was equally as overrated and overplayed in 2009. Not only did KOL appear at every festival on the planet, but the second single off that record, “Use Somebody,” was more overplayed than its predecessor. And I thought it was impossible to overplay a song more than “Sex on Fire,” but apparently, it’s not. If MTV and radio stations hadn’t played Kings of Leon far too many times during the course of a day, I wouldn’t be wishing that Kings of Leon would just go away for awhile.

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

• For my favorite music memory of the entire decade, I’d have to spotlight a concert I saw in the summer of 2008. I’d just finished my first year of college, been taking night classes and working a part-time job at Petco, and I found out that my new favorite band – We Are Scientists (WAS) – was playing a show in Seattle on July 9th. I had class that night and my sister had an early volleyball practice in the morning, so she initially told us no. But after weeks of begging, she finally let us go. My sister and I drove to Seattle that night to get to the venue an hour early. There were a few people in line already, so we stood around anxiously for awhile before this girl with blue hair shouted over at us, “You’re not cutting in front us, are you? Cause I’ll cut you! I’ve been saving this spot in front of Keith for forever.” The openers The Morning Benders and Cut Off Your Hands ended up being more enjoyable than I’d expected and I promptly found their music online soon after that night. This was the first time I’d ventured to a small club gig in Seattle, and it was such an enlightening experience – not only about how much I loved small club gigs, but also about how much I loved this band. It was late, I was tired, I was hot and hungry, and yet I stood for hours to see this band, fronted by Keith Murray and Chris Cain bantering back and forth about Webster between songs. But the best part was during the song “Textbook” off of WAS’s major-label debut With Love and Squalor, where Keith decided to jump into the crowd and dance and sing around the room, letting fans sing into the mic along with him. I didn’t get to sing into the mic, but Keith did jump into the crowd right where I was standing and I danced with him momentarily. Being the teenager that I was, this not only made my night, but practically made my life. And I can still say today, a year and half later, I’m still a silly WAS fan girl. That’s why 2010 is going to rock so hard – a new WAS release in February is the best late Christmas gift/early birthday present I could get.

Never having been to Saxbys, I almost drove past is on Lansdale’s Broad Street, seeing first only the sign for the coffee house’s other half, Abington Bank (photo evidence). It was a little odd to be sipping a [delicious] chai latte and listening to Philly folk artist Kevin James Devine play his CD Release show while people were applying for loans about 15 feet away, but Saxbys was charming and provided the perfect backdrop for a guy with his acoustic to connect with his audience.

I arrived during sound check, along with a dozen or so others who sat gossiping and drinking hot beverages on the cold night. Following sound check, Devine’s shoeless friend Matt Leece, in whose basement Devine’s Through the Fields was recorded, opened with a short three song set on his acoustic. While Matt’s vocals seemed slightly flat, his guitar playing was outstanding, my favorite stretch coming at the end of his final song. The fast and catchy strumming was oddly out of place amongst the mellow backdrop of the song, but was nonetheless invigorating.

Devine took to the “stage” immediately following his opener, beginning with “Winter,” a mellow and melodic tune inspired by loneliness. The recorded version features Devine’s talent on the harmonica, while this night’s live version was enhanced by a twangy tinge from accompanist Leece on guitar. Devine’s soulful harmonica playing came out, much to my delight, on follow up “As Long As I Love You So,” a sweet love song; “Doesn’t matter where we go / As long as I love you so.”

“Carry Me” displayed Devine’s great potential for songwriting and his talents on the guitar and harmonica. Still green in the world of music, it seems as if Devine isn’t yet utilizing his full vocal range and would benefit from some vocal training to actualize his full talents. Yet, with such an eclectic sound, from the upbeat “Dancing in the Streets” to the tender and emotional “Wait For Me,” it’s no wonder that Devine is garnering attention through local radio including Drexel’s WKDU, Delaware’s WSTW, and Elizabethtown’s WWEC to name a few.

Many thanks to Kevin for the Popwreckoning shout out following a wonderful rendition of fellow Philadelphians’ Good Old War‘s “Coney Island” (watch below and the original here). The dark and lovely “Love You Well” followed, accompanied by a wonderfully complex rhythm guitar part by Leece.

Devine ended the set with the first single from Through The Field, “Long Way To Go” (watch below). Leece’s flourishes on the rhythm guitar seemed a bit odd, but the lively song was the perfect end to a great show.

Set List:
Winter
As Long As I Love You So
Carry Me
Dancing in the Streets
Wait For Me
Honey Island (Good Old War)
Love You Well
Dark is the Night
City of Steel
Long Way To Go

Kevin James Devine: myspace | interview with

Photo: my blackberry.

Everything Everything is a British rock band that’s started to get on the scene. I don’t know too much about them, but they’ve had some good tracks out. I don’t even know if they have an album. But the BBC says they are a band to watch out for in 2010.

.Everything Everything – “My Keys, Your Boyfriend”
Love the title of this track. The song is tough to describe. It definitely feels like a pop song, though has a little more edge than typical ones. It’s softer than rock but rockier than electronic music, certainly combing the styles of both. The vocals are somewhere between being sung and rapped. It’s enjoyable and unique.

.Delphic Remix
Delphic’s remix is the reason I found out about the song. Delphic is an electronic group from England, another one hailed by the BBC a band to watch for 2010. Their stuff has been very good so far, certainly evidenced by the remix they do here. They convert the song from the fast, jumpy number it is, into a dreamy, electronic tune. The vocals are bare, focusing on the intro whispers of the original. A haunting mysticism is delivered from Delphic.

.Portmanteau Remix
The Portmanteau remix combines elements of both the original and the Delphic mix in a sense. The rapping/sung style vocals are kepy, the rock aesthetic is gone and an electronic one takes it place. But this is slightly jarring and uncomfortable. The mix here seems confused with too much. It has moments but the main riff could drive someone insane.

Everything Everything: myspace

Cartel: website | myspace | interview

Philly folk hero Langhorne Slim has just announced an American tour for January and February 2010. He will be accompanied by April Smith and the Great Picture Show for the entirety of the tour. Catch both acts at these venues below.

Tour Dates:
Jan 21 – Maxwell’s / Hoboken, NJ
Jan 22 – Ottobar / Baltimore
Jan 23 – Club Cafe / Pittsburgh
Jan 25 – Otto’s / Dekalb, IL
Jan 26 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee
Jan 27 – Aquarium / Fargo
Jan 29 – TBA / Bozeman, MT
Jan 30 – Neurolux / Boise
Jan 31 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland
Feb 03 – Crepe Place / Santa Cruz
Feb 04 – Cellar Door / Visalia, CA
Feb 05 – Muddy Waters / Santa Barbara
Feb 06 – McCabe’s / Los Angeles
Feb 08 – Casbah / San Diego
Feb 10 – Hi Dive / Denver
Feb 11 – Record Bar / Kansas City, KS
Feb 12 – Off Broadway / St. Louis
Feb 13 – Summit / Columbus

Langhorne Slim: website | myspace | @ acl 2008 | interview with | @ johnny brenda’s
April Smith and the Great Picture Show: website | myspace

Photo: Jessica McGinley

Sometimes light comes from out of the darkness. As their band name suggests, Editors have changed things up, not content to stay in one place, reinventing themselves yet again. Their 3rd album length offering titled In This Light and On This Evening was released October 12 in the UK and shot straight to #1 in its debut week. One of my friends is a huge Editors fan. But I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Tom Smith‘s husky voice.

However, upon hearing the first single from the album, the wonderfully synthtastic “Papillon,” I decided their new sound warranted more of my attention. In This Light and On This Evening was produced by London-based Flood (aka Mark Ellis), who has also recently worked with 30 Seconds to Mars. The band also made a concerted attempt to go back to basics, to keep as raw of a sound as possible while recording this album, so if you’re a proponent of the “warts and all” style of music production, you’re going to like this. Similar to what fellow Englishmen Keane did in 2008 with Perfect Symmetry, Editors decided on their third outing to incorporate synthesizers heavily into their music and rely less on guitars. And just like there was for Perfect Symmetry , there are plenty of critics of this new “version” of Editors, the kind of people who think any band to use synths so prominently in rock music is committing heresy.

In my eyes, synths are a welcome addition to any song, provided the song written with their use in mind has a direction, with strong melody and lyrics. (Deep down, I’ll always be an ’80s new wave / electropop / dance fanatic at heart. This also probably explains why, unlike those who have reviewed the album before me, I’m not put off by Editors’ spin on retro electronica.) In the case of In This Light and On This Evening, the synth action is fab and adds rather than detracts from these songs. The album starts off with the part hymnal / part dirge title track, Smith’s vocals darkly avuncular and somewhat frightening. He could be your worst nightmare. Or your savior. When he sings, “I swear to God / in this light and on this evening / London’s become / the most beautiful thing I’ve seen” and mentions the Fleet Road (near Hampstead Heath, North London), this Anglophile knows everything’s going all right. For those of you like me who love (and miss) London Town a whole lot, the band “hacked” into Google Maps and you can take their virtual street view tour of London with the album as your soundtrack. “You’re a long way from home,” indeed. Sigh.

“You Don’t Know Love” is one hell of a sexy number, with lyrics of “You don’t know love like you used to / you don’t feel love like you did before” and wicked beats from drummer Ed Lay. Yowza. Who ever said synth rock had no emotion? (Just please don’t ask me to even try to explain the music video for the song that premiered December 16 on MySpace.) “The Big Exit,” with Smith’s semi-falsetto and the rest of the band repeating the phrase, “they took what once was ours,” is chilling. I also really like “The Boxer;” it’s a bit slower, but warm and cozy as if your mother was tucking you in at night. Not exactly what you’d expect from its title.

And for the biggest surprise: who would have guessed a tune named “Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool” would have such a crazily infectious, repetitive chorus (“I give a little to you / I give a little to him / I give a little to her / a little bit to myself/ I’m gonna pass on your health / I give a little to her“)? You have to hear it to believe it. I’m stoked Editors are headed this way in two months and I’ll get to see hear all of these up close and personal.

Track Listing:
01. In This Light and On This Evening
02. Bricks and Mortar
03. Papillon
04. You Don’t Know Love
05. The Big Exit
06. The Boxer
07. Like Treasure
08. Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
09. Walk the Fleet Road

In This Light and On This Evening drops in America on January 19, 2010. You can catch Editors on their North American headlining tour in February.

Tour Dates
Feb 05 – Showbox at the Market / Seattle
Feb 06 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver
Feb 08 – Warfield Theatre / San Francisco
Feb 09 – House of Blues / San Diego
Feb 11 – Wiltern / Los Angeles
Feb 13 – Ogden Theatre / Denver
Feb 15 – Vic Theatre / Chicago
Feb 16 – Phoenix Concert Theatre / Toronto
Feb 18 – House of Blues / Boston
Feb 19 – Terminal 5 / New York City
Feb 20 – Trocadero / Philadelphia
Feb 21 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC

Editors: website | myspace | Editors Announce February North American Tour Dates

The past 30 days have been a doozy in the greater Chicago area for fans of music as The Pixies had a three night Dolittle showcase at the Aragon Ballroom, Arctic Monkeys brought the haunting fuzz rock of Humbug to the Riviera Theatre and The Flaming Lips headlined one hell of  a Christmas show with the likes of Phoenix and Pete Yorn at the All State Arena. Photos below.

When 10pm rolled around on Friday night I found myself babysitting, and watching The Wedding Planner on the Oxygen network. Despite the insipidness of the moment, I just wasn’t sure how I was going to muster the gusto to bear the frigid KC air and make the trek downtown to review some bands. Despite myself, I cracked open a Coke Zero, tried to erase any annoying traces of JLo that were lingering in my mind and hit the road (that is of course, after the baby’s parents got home).

I arrived at The Czar Bar around 10:45 for The Record Machine’s Holiday Showcase, unfortunately just missing the opening act, Sam Billen (of whom two uh, endearingly sloppy, gentlemen at the end of the night claimed was their favorite). After grabbing a Boulevard Wheat (hey no PBR tonight, I scored some babysitting cash) I made my way up front to find a corkscrew haired, ripped jean-clad kid in the corner hovering over a Mac laptop. Meanwhile a curled up form sitting on the stage fiddled with some lights. Moments later, some dark house beats started thumping, lights were flashing and people were instantly dancing. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that I liked it. All I heard was electro madness that thudded in my head and a sound that was both bright and haunting. Somehow a piñata was offered to the crowd (this would be the first of many that night) and whacked open, while the beats droned on. There was cheering, dancing, sweating, and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” (which had indie kids singing along word for word) that was electronically mashed and backed with live vocals. After the set was over and candy littered the floor I gave the man behind this madness a high five. Later, I would look him up on the Internet and find next to nothing. I found out later that this entire progressive hubbub was issued from a laptop and the throat of an airy voiced, unassuming boy who calls himself, Motorboater. The night was off to a great start.

Next up was Kansas City four-piece, Capybara, who was fresh off of a three-month tour and grateful to be home. From the moment these boys stepped on the stage there seemed to be a warm glow about them. The crowd seemed eager for Caypbara’s set to commence as the area in front of the stage quickly filled up. There was a multifarious collection of instruments and props on stage, which speaks for the band’s unique, full-bodied, and jaunty sound. There was everything ranging from the standard keyboard and drum kit, etc. to a not so standard melodica, xylophone and a giant five foot cut out of Shaquille O Neal’s face. The energy of Capybara was contagious. One of the band members, Mark Harrison, even sported a holiday reindeer sweatshirt and as the show continued, he proceeded to shed layers, later revealing a button up shirt accented by a Christmas tree tie (belonging to his Dad), which he threw into the crowd. Soon after, he simply ended up in a maroon tee shirt. If Motorboater’s performance was a well-timed appetizer, then Capybara was the main course: rich, complex, and satisfying. At times, Capybara captured Grizzly Bear-esque harmonies. At other times I heard earnest yelps that echoed Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade. There were “world beats” and catchy rhythms that bordered on a Vampire Weekend Sound. Sometimes I heard the somberness of Casiotone For the Painfully Alone in the keyboards.

However, aside from any references or comparisons, Capybara truly has a quality that is uniquely their own. This quality produces a sound that is sincere, spirited and soulful. When they played “Magpies,” I envisioned stars winking at each other, tumbling around for a bit and then floating off into another galaxy. Next, was the gentle ditty, “Cutaway Kid,” which speaks of a “kid with hope and little despair” and “drinking whiskey and milk from a hand painted cereal bowl.” “Any Kind of Life” was a rousing, shouty, spirited song that elicited fist pumps from the crowd as well as the band. I believe the band closed the set with “The Wimp,” a popular song they claimed to hate playing, yet also love playing. I saw not one iota of hate from the band for the duration of the song, instead, only vigor and zeal. In the end, Capybara is a talented and bright band that is as quixotic, endearing, and intriguing as the giant rodent it is named after.

After Capybara’s sparkling set, Max Justus took the stage showcasing equal amounts of energy and craft as the bands before him, yet he seemed to present himself with a different angle and texture. Justus was heavy, dark, electronic, heavenly and macabre all at once. At one point my friend who was dancing alongside me yelled over the pulsating beats and melodies, that Justus sounded like Nine Inch Nails meets Moby…. an interesting and well-aimed observation, I thought. The sound of Max Justus is dark and bright; mechanical and rhythmic; strange and alluring.

Like Motorboater, Max Justus uses his own voice alongside his laptop. In addition, he was operating some high-tech looking type of light-board (or so it appeared to my eyes), but I have no understanding as to what it did. Hell, for all I know, magic unicorn dust could account for all of this electronic mayhem. Seams feasible to me. After all, you must be doing something magical if at the end of the night there are several guests voluntarily dancing along side you on stage in various limbs and heads of severed piñatas while the giant head of Shaquille O’Neal floats behind you and a dedicated crowd dances unaffected even though the entire bar reeks of parmesan cheese and BO.

To sum it up, everyone, everything, every instrument and even every piñata was brimming with life Friday night for The Record Machine’s Holiday Showcase. Kansas City and its wide range of musicians and the people who love them pullulated with energy, indeed making it a holiday night to remember and it sure as hell beat The Wedding Planner.

The Record Machine: website

Photographs and writing by: Crystal Clem

Due to copyright issues, violinist Owen Pallett is using his own name henceforth for his solo work. His albums previously released under the name Final Fantasy will be reissued and his upcoming album Heartland will be released January 12 as an Owen Pallett project.

Pallett has issued the following statement on the name change:

Friends,

I began playing solo violin shows in 2004. Although it was essentially a solo project, I named the band Final Fantasy, as the experience–and the tone of the material–was reminiscent of the hours and hours I had spent as an adolescent playing those epic JRPGs.

But the laws of trademark infringement exist for good reason, and so I am voluntarily retiring my band name. In the new year, my record Heartland is coming out, and it is my first to be released in many territories, including Japan. With this in mind, I feel it is in my own best interests to definitively distinguish my music from Square/Enix’s games.

So, I am no longer playing shows as Final Fantasy. Subsequent releases, including Heartland, will be issued under my own name, Owen Pallett. Prior releases will sometime soon be re-packaged and re-issued.

I thank Square/Enix their kindness and support, and I thank you all for your understanding.

Salud!

Owen

Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy: website | myspace | plays to please review