popwreckoning

The popular Arizona rock band that has inspired practically any modern alternative rock band in existence has announced the upcoming release of Invented. Jimmy Eat World will release Invented September 28, 2010.

The band reunited with their Bleed American producer, Mark Trombino, for this record. He also recorded Static Prevails and Clarity with the band.

The first single, “My Best Theory,” hits radio in August. Stay tuned for tour dates from the band at www.jimmyeatworld.com.

The nominations for the 2010 Barclaycard Mercury Prize – awarded to the album deemed the best released during the prior year from the United Kingdom and Ireland – were announced earlier today, July 20, at a London ceremony by BBC 6music radio host Lauren Laverne. You may recognize several of this year’s nominees as acts previously featured on PopWreckoning.

Here are the 12 nominees for this year’s Mercury Prize:

Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea
Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N’ Cheek
Foals – Total Life Forever
I Am Kloot – Sky At Night
Kit Downes Trio – Golden
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation
Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
The xx – xx

Receiving a Mercury Prize nomination (and/or winning it) generally leads to increased album sales and increased celebrity profile for a band. London rapper Speech Debelle received the honor in 2009. The 2010 Barclaycard Mercury Prize will be awarded in London on September 7. The winning act will receive a cash award of £20,000 (over $30,000 US).

One very good option this past boiling Friday night in Washington was to head into the decidedly more comfy confines (read: well air-conditioned) of the Black Cat to see We Are Scientists gig on the main stage. This time, they’d brought with them two opening acts, girl group Bad Girlfriend and Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes).

I tend to be overly critical of girl bands. Especially if they’ve got long blonde locks and are dressed in polka-dotted, super short dresses. But the truth is, they have so much to prove in the male-dominated music industry, and that means they have to really rock and prove themselves a hundred times over to audiences and critics. With the unsigned Brooklyn band Bad Girlfriend, I wasn’t too impressed with their vocals – a song titled “Blonde Rocket” isn’t really my thing – but their garage fierce guitar-playing leads me to think there’s something there, if it’s not obvious on the surface. The sound is very Californian – jangly guitars with vocals, kind of similar to what the Like and Surfer Blood are doing these days (somewhat aping the Beach Boys‘s vibe), but the songs aren’t as strong as those groups.

Next up was Lightspeed Champion. I first came to know of Dev Hynes‘s solo work by hearing the ‘tude-filled and hook-laden “Marlene” on BBC 6music, so I was expecting to hear this recent single at this show. No such luck. Hynes, seemingly always wearing his New York Yankees baseball cap, played Friday night with nothing but his guitar and a Macbook for backing. If you’re into uncomplicated sweet pop songs, this would have been the set for you.

One girl at the front knew every word to every song Hynes played, so I’m glad she was up front, but I think I can speak for the rest of the crowd, we were mostly lost. For example, “Galaxy of the Lost”, with the lyrics of ” well kiss my open wounds, and add some ice, and choke on my sick vice,” is more heart-wrenching and probably would have worked better with a less happy-go-lucky, indie rock band than We Are Scientists. Hynes has a strong singing voice as evidenced by songs like “Midnight Surprise”, it’s just that the audience there that night at the Black Cat were mostly the kind who didn’t appreciate his type of mostly baroque pop.

We Are Scientists began their set shortly after 11. By this time, the club had mostly filled up and it was feeling a little cramped in the front. The Black Cat hosts mostly all-ages shows, so by now, those who could drink had already thrown back a couple and were being generally obnoxious. The band’s latest album Barbara was just released in mid-June so I knew they’d be playing songs from that album. The most disappointing thing about the whole night was that it became crystal clear to me that most people there didn’t have a clue that the band had new songs, let alone that they had a new album out. Um, there’s this thing called the internet? “Nice Guys” started the set with appropriate high energy, but the crowd wasn’t with lead singer / guitarist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain. I love the song, the way it’s frenetic and poppy. But the crowd wasn’t feeling it.

The next song, “This Scene is Dead” from their debut With Love and Squalor, went down far better, everyone in the club dancing along. As the night went on, it was obvious the old favorites – “Inaction,” “Dinosaurs”, and “The Great Escape” (introduced by Cain as their best dance song) just three examples – that the majority of the crowd had come to see. Peppered throughout the band’s set was Murray and Cain’s always funny conversations with each other and with the crowd; I’m not sure if all the joking was causing them to make count-in mistakes, but it really didn’t matter because like cats, they always landed on their feet with something terribly amusing to say to us and everyone forgot that there was a “mistake” in the first place. Another mistake I spied was by a girl who had pushed herself to the front and had elbowed all of us out of the way. In her effort to be “seen” by the band, she waved her arms frantically during the last third of the set, and then clapped enthusiastically to new song “Jack and Ginger,” blissfully unaware that she was clapping completely off the rhythm. She also stole a set list from the stage later, which all regular Cat gig-goers know is bad etiquette.

I don’t know about you, but to me, a We Are Scientists gig seems to be the last place you’d see canoodling. But there was a couple right up front, making out during “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” while me and new friends I’d made at the concert rolled our eyes and looked away to stop ourselves from getting sick. I guess if you had to choose a song to make out to, that would be the one. I just wasn’t expecting anyone to do it at a gig. I mean, really. Get a room. Or at least go to the side and get out of our way. We want to groove to “Chick Lit” and “It’s a Hit” and you’re really distracting us.

An aborted attempt of Cain’s to start encore song “Cash Cow” causes him to fool around with this bass, concocting several possible lines to be Murray’s “theme song” until Murray is happy with it and the audience cheers for him at the just the right moment. See, with any other band, five false starts would be cause for cat-calls and groaning. But not for our We Are Scientists. They’re funny, they’re real, and for goodness sakes, they play some great rock. And if you haven’t seen them live yet, go. You are in for a real treat.

We Are Scientists Set List
Nice Guys
This Scene is Dead
Inaction
I Don’t Bite
Impatience
Let’s See It
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
Rules Don’t Stop
Chick Lit
Pittsburgh
Ambition
It’s a Hit
Dinosaurs
The Great Escape
Jack and Ginger
After Hours
//
Cash Cow

Tour Dates:
Jul 19 – Horseshoe Tavern / Toronto
Jul 20 – Blind Pig / Ann Arbor, MI
Jul 21 – Bottom Lounge / Chicago
Jul 23 – Larimer Lounge / Denver
Jul 26 – Doug Fir / Portland
Jul 27 – Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver
Jul 28 – Neumo’s / Seattle
Aug 06 – Troubadour / Los Angeles
Aug 07 – Slim’s / San Francisco
Aug 08 – Cellar Door / Visalia, CA
Aug 10 – Kilby Court / Salt Lake City
Aug 12 – Record Bar / Kansas City, MO
Aug 13 – Old Rock House / St. Louis
Aug 14 – Basement / Columbus
Aug 15 – Brillobox / Pittsburgh
Sept 03 – Fountain Square / Cincinnati

We Are Scientists: website | myspace | Brain Thrust Mastery review | @ Johnny Brenda’s | @ Austin Music Hall | @ Electric Factory | @ Black Cat, January 2010 | MP3 Minute: “Rules Don’t Stop” | We Are Scientists Debut “Nice Guys” Single | Interview with: Chris Cain of We Are Scientists | Barbara review
Lightspeed Champion: website | myspace
Bad Girlfriend: myspace

Reminiscent of an explosive 1970s garage rock band or rather “barn rock,” as they describe themselves, Turbo Fruits hail from Nashville, TN and embody everything we love about sweaty, rambunctious southern garage rock. These Nashville rockers have had quite a busy year. Nonstop touring and playing a strenuous 17 shows at SXSW, this is a band that we will surely hear a lot more about in the future. The band took some time out to talk to PopWreckoning about human centipedes and their lovely stay in Germany. Be sure to catch them when they roll through Kansas City with Those Darlins, September 30 at the Record Bar.

Photo by: Patrice Jackson

Turbo Fruits – Colt .45

Patrice Jackson, PopWreckoning: Hi, how are you guys?
Jonas: Very fine.

PW: You guys just drove from Denver, how long of a drive is that?
Jonas: It took about 12 hours. We slept in the van last night. I woke up and I took the wheel for a good amount of time, and it was probably the best drive. Then Matt took over for a bit.
Dave: I slept the whole time. My throat has been killing me. I rolled my mat on the amps and slept on there. It was wonderful
Matt: I stayed up; well, I got some sleep, but not good sleep.

PW: St. Louis is your last stop on this tour. After this do you guys get a break?
Jonas: Hell yeah. We have a little bit of time off. About a month off.

PW: What do you plan on doing after your time off?
Jonas: We have three shows with Colour Revolt.
Matt: Then we have another week with Colour Revolt and then about 8 dates with Those Darlins.
Jonas: Then we are getting ready for the Bruise Cruise festival at the end of February.

PW: Now, tell me about SXSW. How many shows did you guys play?
Jonas: Seventeen.

PW: And how did that work out for you guys
Jonas: It was the worst idea in the world.
PW: What possessed you guys to do that many shows?
Jonas: Don’t worry about it.
Matt: I think we are egomaniacs and we thought we were going to play the most shows anyone has ever played at SXSW, but it wasn’t possible. We played everything we could.

PW: What is the most shows anyone has played at SXSW?
Matt: We think it’s 19. We had about 19 or 20 shows scheduled and a couple fell through. Either we couldn’t find them or they just didn’t exist. We played everything we could.
PW: So, you guys are never doing that again?
Matt: Yeah, we are never doing that again. That was a bad idea. It was really exhausting.

PW: You guys were in Europe in June, correct?
Jonas: Yeah!
PW: And how was that?
Jonas: It was very fun.
Matt: Most the most picturesque trip I have ever been on.

PW: How do the overseas crowds differ from the American crowds?
Jonas: Let’s just say we came back more American than any American could come back as.

PW: You guys needed some PBR?
Jonas: Needed PBR, some Mexican food. I wanted to come back to the Melting Pot.
Matt: We were all talking about getting a bald eagle.

PW: What has been some of the craziest things that have happened on tour thus far?
Jonas: Are we talking about this tour?
David: Well, there was that incident in Fargo.
Jonas: Nothing happened in Fargo, don’t worry about it.
David: It’s been a pretty uneventful tour.

PW: In Germany, you guys spent time with a couple that found a mouse in their apartment and they skinned it, disembowel it, dye it’s bones red and preserve it in a jelly jar? Did you guys witness this?
Jonas: We didn’t witness it, we just witnessed the results.
Matt: We came over hammered and laid our stuff on the ground and they came out the kitchen like “hey look at this.” And Dave was all passed out so I put it next to head so he woke up to it.

PW: I saw on your blog you guys wanted to get you hands on copy of The Human Centipede, did that ever happen?
*laughter*
Matt: No, we never saw it, but we really want to.
Jonas: Matt and I can have a large screening.

PW: The second album is called Echo Kid. How did that name come about?
Jonas: The guy that produced and recorded our record, Jeremy Fergenson from Battle Tapes recordings. I just asked if he had any ideas, he come up with that and it stuck. It also somehow works with the album cover. You look at the record cover and it makes perfect sense.

PW: What did you guys what to achieve with this album?
Jonas: Play Lawrence, KS twice in six months.
PW: That’s on the top of your list?
Jonas: It’s the only thing on my list.

PW: It seems like you guys easily get thrown in to the garage rock category a lot… How would you guys describe your sound personally?
Jonas: It’s more like barn rock.
Kingsley: Bedroom rock.
Jonas: Again, barn rock.

PW: Now, you guys are already working on new songs. Are you hoping to have a new album released in the new year?
Jonas: Not a full length album, just singles, a lot of singles.

PW: No more 18 shows for you guys at SXSW?
Jonas: Nope. We are all grown up. It was awful.

PW: Jonas, how much practicing did it take to start hanging and playing upside down from rafters?

Photo by: Bekah Cope

Jonas: I’m just naturally talented. I can climb shit.
Matt: It kind of scared me seeing him do it in Austin at the Mohawk. He was seven feet up and I am looking at him thinking he’s either going to get down and it’s going to be awesome or he’s going fucking die or be paralyzed and it’s going to suck.

PW: What albums are you guys currently listening to?
Jonas: Chain and the Gang.
Matt: Down With Liberty Up With Chains.
Jonas: Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

PW: If you weren’t in a band currently, what other professions you like to attempt?
Jonas: Porn.
Matt: I need to think for a minute.
Dave: I would be a professional liar…I’d be a politician.
Kingsley: I have no idea.

PW: What movie would accurately portray your life at the moment?
Jonas: The Big Lebowski.
Everyone agrees.

PW: Your house is on fire, three things you would try and rescue?
Jonas: My dog, my peanut butter and my spoon.
Dave: My copy of Cosmo Factory, probably a fire extinguisher, for sure, and my hair gel.
PW: Can’t forget the hair gel.
Dave: Yeah, it’s fucking critical.

PW: Name some of the neurotic tendencies you guys have?
Dave: I don’t know, messing with my hair.
Matt: Everyone thinks I am slow as shit when I order food, but I am also the person that everyone looks at saying “man, you ordered the best thing on the menu” and I am like, that’s fucking right because I took a second to think about it.
Dave: Took a second? You take the whole goddamn day.
Jonas: I have to have at least one tomato juice everyday. Delicious.
Dave: I am really anal about directions.
Kingsley: I am pretty neurotic about showers.

PW: Not taking them or taking one everyday?
Kingsley: Taking one every day, if I can.

PW: What was the last lie you told?
Matt: Good show.
Everyone agrees

PW: Fill in the blank…if you could, you would _______
Dave: Fly like an eagle into the sea.
Jonas: I was going to say something similar, but I would get one of those bird man suits and jump off a giant cliff and coast against the wall.
Matt: Drive a little better.

PW: Who is the most reckless driver?
Dave: Matt.
Matt: Reckless, I really don’t think I am that reckless, I just don’t like driving when I am super stoned.

PW: What is a motto you live by?
Dave: Seize the carpe.

PW: Any last words?
Jonas: Keep your meat ice cold.

Check out Turbo Fruits tour dates on their myspace page!

Listening to Striking Back’s new The Restless EP, on the first run-through there wasn’t a lot that intrigued me. Maybe that’s just my taste. But if you like the impassioned lip-pierced hard-but-soft prog rock with a heartfelt message thing, lead singer-songwriter Jordan Thompson’s debut EP as Striking Back is just for you.

Take a bit of the melodic cues from the Lovehammers, old-school Hoobastank and throw in some passionate, although sometimes overworked vocals, and you’ve got The Restless EP. It’s very radio-friendly music for mainstream alt-rock stations all across America. And I also wouldn’t be surprised if it were to show up as the soundtrack for some angsty teen show.

The majority of The Restless EP is almost painfully generic. The title track “Restless,” along with “Falling” and “Dream On” could easily rival the cheesiness of such similar acts from recent years like Hinder or Shinedown. It’s not quite emo, yet not quite metal at the same time. “Over Now” sticks with the ultra-anthemic feel, but loses some of the cheese, with a straightforward and driving chorus. “Dark Day Afternoon” however breaks away just enough for me not to completely dismiss Striking Back. It’s a simple ballad, and showcases both Thompson’s vocals as well as his songwriting. Although I’m not sure why we were given both the original and an acoustic version on a 6-track EP. And going back to listen to both versions, it sounds like they used the same vocal track just with different instrumentation for each, so it makes one of the versions quite useless.

While this kind of music isn’t my preference, I still like to be surprised. After I heard the title track, I didn’t have a lot of expectations, but I kept an open mind. Nothing on Striking Back’s debut EP excited me. None of the songs jumped out and told me “hey look at me I’m awesome!” They all just sat in the back of my brain and didn’t make much of an impact.

This is surely one of those albums that a live show would do a load of justice. The problem with so many mainstream prog rock albums these days is how overproduced they are. It would be different if Thompson had a completely new point of view and sound, but overproduction isn’t going to cover up a bland EP. Sorry.

Track List:

1. Restless
2. Dark Day Afternoon
3. Falling
4. Dream On
5. Over Now
6. Dark Day Afternoon (Acoustic)

by Patrice Jackson

Turbo Fruits,  from Nashville, TN, is comprised of Jonas Stein (lead singer and guitarist), Matthew Hearn (drums), Dave McCowen (bass) and the newly added member Kingsley Brock (guitarist). Turbo Fruits got their name from a gambling machine in London and when you won, the game lit up saying Turbo Fruits and the rest is history.

Turbo Fruits played the Replay Lounge for a crowd of 10-15 people. Despite the thin crowd and being exhausted from a 12 hour drive from Colorado, they still put on a great show and seemed to have a good time playing. Although, a lot of it may have to do with the interpretive dancer that out shone the rest of the crowd. He was everyone’s favorite for the night. Think of Napoleon Dynamite’s dance to Jamiroquai’s Canned Heat and you’ll have a good visualization.

Turbo Fruits played a quick set which included the following:

Colt .45

Trouble

Mama’s Mad Cos I fried My Brain

Broadzilla

Hungover Today (new song)

Get Up Get On Down (Tonite)

Shakin’ (orginially by Johnny Kidd and The Pirates)

photos by Patrice Jackson

PopWreckoning is giving away tickets to Civil Twilight on July 19 at the Record Bar in Kansas City, MO.

We only have three pairs of tickets up for grabs. The contest will end at 3:00 p.m. the day of show (July 19). Winners’ tickets will be at the door when you arrive at the show. Please also include your full name and email in the comment so that we can get in touch with the winners of the contest.

Winning is easy, simply complete the following steps:

1. Comment in this article with the answer to this question: Which Civil Twilight song is your favorite and why? PopWreckoning staff will read your answers and choose from the correct ones the day of show.

2. Repost this article on either your facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website or other social media tool. Spread the wealth, then send us the link (by posting it in your comment).

Then, best (and easiest) of all, show up at the venue and enjoy the show, compliments of PopWreckoning. Good luck!

PopWreckoning is giving away tickets to Bowling for Soup on July 20 at the Jackpot Saloon in Lawrence, KS.

We only have three pairs of tickets up for grabs. The contest will end at 2:00 p.m. the day of show (July 20). Winners’ tickets will be at the door when you arrive at the show. Please also include your full name and email in the comment so that we can get in touch with the winners of the contest.

Winning is easy, simply complete the following steps:

1. Comment in this article with the answer to this question: Which Bowling for Soup song is your favorite and why? PopWreckoning staff will read your answers and choose from the correct ones the day of show.

2. Repost this article on either your facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website or other social media tool. Spread the wealth, then send us the link (by posting it in your comment).

Then, best (and easiest) of all, show up at the venue and enjoy the show, compliments of PopWreckoning. Good luck!

Summer has arrived and Los Angeles is ready to provide the entertainment (as it always is) with the events that are characteristic of the season. From raves to music festivals, there’s no end to the insanity.

by Dana Hawley

HARD will be presenting MIA and N*E*R*D at Los Angeles State Historic Park July 17th, along with a music festival and summer tour in August. Hollywood Bowl will be boasting such acts as Kings of Leon and Dave Matthews Band, and other assorted venues will be presenting Wolf Parade, Pinback and MGMT. But what about those of us who yearn for the intimacy and wish to avoid the crowds, $70 tickets, and unreasonable parking?

Thank God for the underground, and Los Angeles has a plentiful amount of space for it to thrive. Looking for a low-key show over a cup of coffee? Drover Shy may be the answer. A one-man act, Emory Davis totes his story-telling acoustic tracks at various open mics around Los Angeles, including Time Warp Music, An Urban Coffeehouse, Travel Cafe and Café Muse. The gentle instrumentation of his songs is accentuated nicely by his deep, emotional vocals. His music is a gentle reminder of the soul searching blues that prevailed in previous, yet glorious musical eras. Although Drover Shy has not released an EP as of yet, Emory is hard at work putting together a compilation of gems by the end of the month.

When asked why musician was his career choice, Emory replied, “It seems like the most natural thing…writing songs, making music, and performing.” His influences include Moondoggies, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, and Fleet Foxes. For a night of easy listening, you can check up on his shows via his various social networking pages .*

Swinging indie pop is a typical mainstay on the more low-maintenance musical arenas and Chasing Kings is just that type of band. This quartet from the Malibu/Los Angeles area is sincere and diligent in their musical efforts. With a collection of songs they fine-tuned and recorded with producer Tony Berg (producer of Phantom Planet’s Raise the Dead album) for their debut album The Current State of Our Future, they have waltzed their way into the curious ears of many Los Angeles natives, as well as those who got the pleasure of seeing them on their DIY tour across the country in fall of 2009. Their catchy melodies, eclectic riffs, and unique vocals create one hell of a show, and leave a lasting impression that most cannot demand in a live performance. Their charismatic indie has caused such a stir that it brought them to SXSW 2010 and ushered in gigs at the Bootleg Theatre with Hot Hot Heat, the Troubador, Spaceland, and a KROQ Locals Only Show with Seawolf at Roxy Theatre. Upcoming shows include the House of Blues in Anaheim on July 8th, and a free show at the Hammer Museum for KCRW’s “I Like to Rock” series. They hope to release a new album by 2011. For more information on the Chasing Kings you can visit their Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and website.**

My final suggestion for the upcoming months of musical mayhem? Rumspringa. These local favorites have been traipsing around the greater LA area for quite some time and have acquired some legitimate notoriety along the way. The recent duo turned quartet, plays a funky, psychedelic, dance-worthy rock that is not only brilliantly orchestrated, but worded impeccably. I had the pleasure of seeing them live at the Unknown Theatre some months back, and the show was exactly how I had wanted to spend my evening: a small, but ornate venue, quite a few people, but not too many, and all of them affixed in the throes of ecstasy over these boys and their talent. Their live showcase is not only charming, and eloquent, but seductive and mesmerizing. They have already released a couple EPs, all of which I would recommend immediately, and not only are they awesome, but usually so are the bands accompanying them (White Arrows, Mississippi Man, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes among them). Despite usually having a plethora of shows in or around the vicinity of Los Angeles, Rumspringa is currently on tour, however, their 4th show of the tour will be at the 3 of Clubs on August 5th. Tour stops include San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Costa Mesa. For a full tour schedule, and other various details, check out their array of social networking sites.***

*Drover Shy: myspace | facebook
**Chasing Kings: myspace | facebook | twitter | blog
***Rumspringa: myspace | facebook | website | tumblr | twitter

I had no idea who Bruno Mars was until I had to look up the singer to the sexy vocals during my favorite part of Travie McCoy‘s “Billionaire.” Turns out Mars is pretty savvy when it comes to co-writing and helping other artists with production work. His resume boasts K’Naan and Flo Rida.

In May, Mars released his debut solo EP and is supposedly releasing a full-length later this year. He just released a video with Cee Lo Green and B.o.B. for his tune “The Other Side” off his It’s Better If You Don’t Understand EP. The video has a nice down-to-earth vibe and some cool framing. Check it out.