popwreckoning

With Conor Oberst‘s many side musical projects and activism efforts, the future of perhaps of the band that made him famous, Bright Eyes, has been a little questionable. Good news! Bright Eyes is still very much alive and in February 2011, Bright Eyes will release a new album.

On February 15, 2011, Bright Eyes will release its 7th studio album, The People’s Key, on Saddle Creek Records. The band has also confirmed two shows at Radio City Music Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Key players Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott return as Bright Eyes, but the guys are also joined by a rotating cast of musicians in the studio that include: Andy LeMaster (Now It’s Overhead), Matt Maginn (Cursive), Carla Azar (Autolux), Clark Baechle (The Faint), Shane Aspegren (The Berg Sans Nipple), Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) and Denny Brewer (Refried Ice Cream).

Live shows & on sale info:
March 9th New York, NY Radio City Music Hall*
June 23rd London, UK Royal Albert Hall#
*Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: December 4 at 10AM EST
# Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: Saturday, December 4 at 9AM

Tracklisting:
1 Firewall
2 Shell Games
3 Jejune Stars
4 Approximate Sunlight
5 Haile Selassie
6 A Machine Spiritual (In The People’s Key)
7 Triple Spiral
8 Beginner’s Mind
9 Ladder Song
10 One For You, One For Me

Thirty Seconds to Mars have released a short film for its next single, “Hurricane.”

Bartholomew Cubbins directed the mysterious, action-packed short film that is filled with secrets and evil villains, and, of course, awesome music. You can watch the video below.

An alternate version of “Hurricane” can be found on the deluxe edition of This Is War. “Hurricane 2.0″ features Kanye West and the deluxe edition can be ordered on iTunes now.

It seemed like just yesterday you couldn’t turn on the radio without catching the Black Kids upbeat debut single, “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance.” Yet, after that big buzz debut, the group kind of quieted down.

Well, they haven’t been sitting idle. And Tuesday, November 30, the group’s bassist, Owen Holmes, is debuting a five-track EP on Rough Trade.

Holmes is peforming under the alias Gospel Music and his debut EP is called Duettes. True to its name, it features Holmes on some pretty awesome duets that will have hipsters everywhere in a tizzy.

Check out Gospel Music’s hipstamatic-esque video for “Automobiles” featuring Camera Obscura‘s Tracyanne Campbell with Holmes in a very Noah and the Whale sounding tune below.

“Automobile” featuring Tracyanne Campbell

Patrick Stump, whom you might recall as the lead singer of Chicago’s popular Fall Out Boy, needs your help.

He’s putting together a debut solo record and he can’t decide on which version of his song “Spotlight” to put on the album. The first version is more of a synth pop tune called “Spotlight (New Regrets)” and the second version is percussion indie rock song called “Spotlight Oh Nostalgia.”

You can hear and download for free both versions of the song and then vote for your favorite. Just go to PatrickStump.com.

In 2007, the ACBs released their self-titled record. It was an upbeat pop record full of catchy hooks. A follow up was eagerly anticipated, but things fell quiet in the young band’s camp. Years passed and two members left. Frontman Konnor Ervin even admitted he was lacking motivation to dive into the next record.

But Ervin finally made it into the studio and as he started writing, he found new musicians to join him bassist Bryan McGuire in the band. The Abracadabras‘ Kyle Rausch joined on drums and Ghosty‘s Andrew Connor came on with guitar and additional vocals.Now, over three years later, The ACBs have returned with Stona Rosa.

Stona Rosa isn’t quite as straightforward pop-friendly as the band’s previous release, and the record does lack a cohesiveness that can at times be infuriating. However, this isn’t a record to skip – just don’t go into it expecting the ACBs self-titled part deux.

The album starts with a count off into a jangly pop tune about loving Italian girls, but before you ladies start crushing on these guys, take heed of the lyrics on the next track, “Street Fighter II.” On this staccato-guitar heavy song the lyrics sneak from lying in bed with a woman to quietly trying to play video games. Oh, boys.

The band is really at its best when it is singing the upbeat indie pop tunes like album stand outs “Be Professional,” “Boy Like Me” and “My Face.” “Be Professional” is like a self-motivation speech. “This could be it. I can’t believe what’s been said,” it sings. “So be professional.” The warm, organic vocals circle over a bass drum stomp then a clap. It’s catchy, interesting, memorable and some of the band’s best work to date.Some of the band’s other best work is on “Boy Like Me,” which seems to capture the enthusiasm of rediscovering the possibility of love after a depressing – the depressing break up can be found in “It Sure Looks Dark and Cold,” the track prior to “Boy Like Me.” With big drums and a really cool vocal layering effect to spit out “girl like you” and “boy like me” rapidly, this is a song guaranteed to get people up and dancing. There’s no way not to love this song.

The album does seem to lose some steam toward the end. While, lyrically “Ol Boy” has an interesting thought process on aging, it isn’t instrumentally memorable. “I Wonder” has too much of a musical range gap with high-pitched vocals over a bass line to make it a go-to track.And the album closer, “Neon Light,” does capture the idea of walking dark streets after bars closed with just the flickering of neon signs for company with its jazzy sound and muted trumpet wail, but it just seems so out of place. It goes back to that cohesiveness thing, which is the primary criticism of the album.

Stona Rosa is a lyrically interesting album, which still has plenty of the pop gems the band is known for, but still has some style surprises that fans might love or be completely lost by. The new members left a definite imprint on this record that alone makes checking out Stona Rosa worth it.

The ACBs will celebrate Stona Rosa‘s release this Saturday, November 27, at the Record Bar in Kansas City at 7 p.m. They’ll also be heading to Lawrence on December 11 to play the Noise for Toys charity show at the Bottleneck.

“Be Professional”

“Boy Like Me”

Track Listing:
01. Italian Girls
02. Street Fighter II
03. Be Professional
04. Hold Phone
05. It Sure Looks Dark and Cold
06. Boy Like Me
07. My Face
08. Ol Boy
09. I Wonder
10. Neon Light

Australian electronic drum and bass band Pendulum have announced they will be officially releasing their third album, Immersion, in America on January 25, 2011.

Immersion was released in late May in most of the world, hitting the number one spot on the UK albums chart the week of its release. The first single from the album, “Witchcraft,” will be released stateside on December 14. Watch the video for the song below.

The band, now based in London, have also announced a support slot with Linkin Park for January and February of next year. Catch their amazing live set if you can – I saw their energetic and fun stage show (and the completely mental Scandinavian audience reaction to them) at Roskilde Festival‘s Arena stage in July. It absolutely broke my heart that I had choose between them and Muse, so I’m definitely going to catch them in February when they hit my town. West Coast headlining dates are expected to follow soon.

Tour Dates (all dates supporting Linkin Park)
Jan 20 – Bank Atlantic Center / Sunrise, FL
Jan 22 – St. Pete Times Forum / Tampa
Jan 23 – Philips Arena / Atlanta
Jan 25 – Joe Louis Arena / Detroit
Jan 26 – United Center / Chicago
Jan 28 – Xcel Energy Center / Saint Paul
Jan 29 – Sprint Center / Kansas City
Jan 31 – Wells Fargo Center / Philadelphia
Feb 01 – TD Garden / Boston
Feb 04 – Madison Square Garden / New York City
Feb 07 – Bell Centre / Montreal
Feb 08 – Air Canada Centre / Toronto
Feb 10 – Verizon Center / Washington, DC
Feb 11 – Mohegan Sun Arena / Uncasville, CT

Pendulum: website | myspace

Abandon Kansas has been hard at work prepping their full-length for Gotee Records, Ad Astra Per Aspera. Fans wanting an early taste of the record will have a chance when frontman Jeremy Spring embarks on Living Room Tour II.

The tour kicks off just after Thanksgiving and ends just before Christmas.

So if you want to hear an intimate acoustic Abandon Kansas set of old and new songs, as well as some holiday tunes, be sure to check out the tour dates below.

Some dates still need hosts. If you would like to host one of the dates that still says ‘available’ please e-mail thelivingroomtour@hotmail.com.

Tour Dates:
11/26 Springfield, MO The Hub
11/27 Fort Smith, AR The Regeneration
11/28 Texarkana, TX David Farren’s House
11/29 Arlington, TX All Saints Lutheran Church
11/29 Arlington, TX Steven’s House
11/30 Dallas/Fort Worth Live on 89.7 POWER FM
11/30 Waco, TX Details coming soon
12/1 Belton, TX First Baptist Church
12/1 Austin, TX University of Texas
12/2 Lafayette, LA Details coming soon
12/3 Montgomery, AL Details coming soon
12/4 Birmingham/Mobile/Pensacola AVAILABLE FOR BOOKING
12/5 Nashville, TN Kayla’s House
12/6 Cleveland, TN Clayton, Zack, Jordan, Tony’s Place
12/7 Atlanta, GA AVAILABLE FOR BOOKING
12/8 Winter Haven, FL Ridge Point Church
12/9 Valrico, FL South Brandon WC
12/10 Titusville, FL Party in the Cul-de-sac
12/11 Jacksonville, FL AVAILABLE FOR BOOKING
12/12 Greenville, SC The Alfonso Home for Wayward Souls
12/13 Cincinnati, OH Corner Bloc Coffee
12/14 Auburn, IN Adam’s House
12/15 Madison, WI AVAILABLE FOR BOOKING
12/16 Minneapolis, MN Details coming soon
12/17 St. Paul, MN The Space
12/18 Cedar Falls, IA Details coming soon
12/19 Omaha, NE Bri’s House
12/19 Lincoln, NE Andrew’s House
12/20 Lees Summit, MO Evan’s House
12/20 Overland Park, KS The Peterson’s Home
12/21 Oskaloosa, KS The VanHoozier’s House
12/21 Junction City, KS Details coming soon
12/22 Clay Center, KS First Presbyterian Coffee House
12/23 Wichita, KS Mead’s Corner

Circa Survive are one of those bands that I loved in high school. I had a copy of Juturna and played it constantly in my car while driving around. Since I had never seen them, of course I jumped at the chance.

Although I was a little late arriving to the Beaumont (right before Dredg took the stage), I wish I could have caught Animals as Leaders. I’ve heard great things about those guys and plan on catching them the next time.

Not much of an avid listener to Dredg, I was both a little weirded out and impressed. They’ve got some strange fillers and samples but overall, put on a good show that I enjoyed from the back while crowd watching. There was such a wide variety of people in attendance for this; from the newer Circa fans, i.e. suburban scenesters to the long-time Circa fans.

Circa Survive finally takes the stage and starts out strong with “Strange Terrain” off their newest release, Blue Sky Noise. In fact, their first three songs were off this album. Oh, reverting back to the start of their set, they had confetti guns which shot out in the middle of “Strange Terrain.”

I overheard a couple talking about how the last time they saw Circa, vocalist Anthony Green, was absolutely ridiculous with energy; hanging from the rafters and all. He definitely didn’t let up on energy this time around either. However, he wasn’t the one in the rafters – there was a guy filming the entire set from up there. Even his button-up proved his energy, it was soaked by the fifth song.

Almost halfway through the set – MORE CONFETTI! Oh, and so many strobes!

They calmed things down a bit with an acoustic version of “Spirit of the Stairwell,” dedicating it to his son.

One thing that stuck out about this show is the crowd and the way they received it. They are so completely into it, almost in a worshipping manner. Green stood on the barricades, practically standing on top of the crowd, using them to balance. During this, people were pulling on his shirt and arms, just trying to touch him as he had them sing the song back to him. Now, I’m all for crowd involvement but during every single song it is slightly excessive, except for the obvious gang vocals or well-known spot. It seems as though it takes away from the moment of the song.

Something really great about Circa Survive is that they encouraged everyone to buy merch from the other bands. You don’t see that enough anymore.

More confetti during “Imaginary Enemy.” There’s a pattern here. TUH-DUH – huge see-through balloons with confetti and glowsticks! IT’S A BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Best part of the show was when the bassist, Nick Bear, ninja kicked one of the balloons off stage. Those rather entertaining balloons popped just as quickly as they were. Only one left and Green encourages the crowd to hit him in the face, whoever can – gets a free t-shirt!

Fourteen songs, tons of confetti, a lot of sweat and one almost-satisfied crowd later: before exiting the stage, Green tells everyone that this show was the best show they’ve played here in Kansas City. I completely believe it.

Wait just one second, the lights are still off. Know what this means? ENCORE.

Started out with an extremely long, slightly unrecognizable intro to “Dyed in the Wool.”

Second song of encore: “I Felt Free.”

Voila! MORE BALLOONS AND CONFETTI! A birthday party, a six-year-old’s birthday party!

And scene. Gone for good this time.

I haven’t felt the urge to stage-dive in years and this show made me want to. That, to me, is a good fucking show.

It seemed a little bass heavy at times, but isn’t that what makes a show like this? Where everyone in the building can physically feel the beat in their body.

You know those bands that are all performance, but absolutely suck live? Then there’s the other bands that are great, but don’t have any stage presence. Circa Survive is a blend of the two, I highly suggest you see them if the chance ever comes up.

Set List:
Strange Terrain
Get Out
Glass Arrows
Mandala
In The Morning And Amazing…
Holding Someone’s Hair Back
Frozen Creek
In Fear And Faith
The Difference Between Medicine and Poison Is in the Dose
Spirit of the Stairwell
Imaginary Enemy
Through the Desert Alone
Invalid Litter Dept. (At The Drive-In Cover)
Stop the Fucking Car
//
Dyed in The Wool
I Felt Free

In music, there are a handful of ideas that can be attempted that simply have to be approached with extreme ease. At the top of that list, blaring warning with caution tape, orange school crossing vests and bright flashing lights are concept albums. Done correctly, these albums can project your career into the musical history books, leaving you with a legacy the like of Pet Sounds, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and Dark Side of The Moon. However, done improperly or approached in a clumsy and unprepared manner you’re left with Chris Gaines, Garth Brooks alter-ego and the awful Tori Amos album, Strange Little Girls.

At first glance, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys sounds as twisted and complicated as a Quentin Tarantino movie. Set in California in the year 2019, the band The Fabulous Killjoys (who are the alter-egos of My Chemical Romance) set out fighting against the evil corporation Better Living Industries, otherwise refereed to as BL/IND. Throughout the quest, the group is guided by pirate radio DJ Dr. Death Defying. Each of the album’s songs depict stages of their journey. Overall, the concept seems like a pretty brilliant idea. However, with that said, My Chemical Romance is still skating on thin ice.

This is not necessarily because they’ve made a bad album. Actually, they haven’t. In reality, the album is a rather refreshing listen. It’s creative in its comic book theories, structured strongly in its songwriting and deep in drawing on emotions the band has become know for draining. It is however also quite different conceptually from their previous two successes. In a fickle market where fans and critics are quick to stand over artists with their CSI black lights searching for the slightest finger print of reason to bitch, a shift in direction is one of the quickest ways to kick open the door to unwanted and harsh judgments, even if those conclusions are unjust.

Yet, regardless of clinging to a new image (or pretending to be a whole new band) on Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, My Chemical Romance also manage to visits their roots. The album’s first single “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” kicks off closer to punk than dark emo, reacquiring My Chemical Romance with their first single “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” “Bulletproof Heart,” the album’s sophomore track gathers the glitter rock sound that took the band from side stages at Warped Tour and left them headlining rooms the size of Madison Square Garden. It also simultaneously (while possibly unintentionally) pays homage to David Bowie and the other godfathers of glam. However, “Sing” and “The Kids From Yesterday” add an almost U2 arena rock, dance-pop feel to the album at times. This rounds out the blatant fact that this band has not only sustained the momentum of their previous success, but has grown along the way. It is becoming exceedingly difficult to find ways to write off My Chemical Romance as just another radio band. This is because they aren’t.

In closing, Danger Days’ success is in the hands of the population. The album is laid out for success. I have little doubt the band will form a tour to match. However, success can only come through acceptance. That will be determined mostly by the manner in which the band’s fans grasp and digest the concept of the roller coaster ride the band is about to take them on. It could go either way. However, if the kids manage to overcome their fears of change and take the time to wrap their head around the story they should quickly find that the path they’re about to take is one of a great adventure. Done correctly it could be one they’re telling their kids about in years to come.

SXSW 2011 has announced a second batch of band’s playing this year’s festival March 16-20. This new batch of bands includes PopWreckoning favorites such as Missouri’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Nashville’s Turbo Fruits and many others.

To see the full list of announced bands go here. More announcements will soon be made.

Newly announced SXSW bands:

Alberta Cross (Brooklyn NY)
AM (New Orleans LA)
Asking Alexandria (York ENGLAND)
Bajzel (Poznan POLAND)
Bare Wires (San Francisco CA)
The Bellrays (Los Angeles CA)
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (York ENGLAND)
Beta Wolf (Los Angeles CA)
Bituaya (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Black Gandhi (Barcelona SPAIN)
Bleu Edmondson (New Braunfels TX)
Blue King Brown (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Bowling For Soup (Denton TX)
Carter Twins (Nashville TN)
Casiokids (Bergen NORWAY)
Chetes (Monterrey MEXICO)
City and Colour (Toronto ON)
Colleen Green (Los Angeles CA)
Curry & Coco (Lille FRANCE)
Dame 55 (Los Angeles CA)
Dawn of Ashes (Los Angeles CA)
Dax Riggs (Austin TX)
The Dears (Montreal QC)
Demon’s Claws (Montreal CANADA)
DeVotchKa (Denver CO)
Eliza Doolittle (London ENGLAND)
Elizabeth & the Catapult (Brooklyn NY)
Endless Hallway (Los Angeles CA)
Fergus & Geronimo (Brooklyn NY)
Francis and the Lights (New York NY)
Frazey Ford (Vancouver BC)
Gary Wilson (San Diego CA)
Gepe (Santiago CHILE)
Grass Widow (San Francisco CA)
Grieves (Seattle WA)
The Happy Hollows (Los Angeles CA)
Harrys Gym (Oslo NORWAY)
Heavy Cream (Nashville TN)
Hell & Lula (Los Angeles CA)
Hey Rosetta! (St John’s NL)
HORSE the band (Los Angeles CA)
Ice Black Birds (Brighton ENGLAND)
J Mascis (Amherst MA)
Janka Nabay (SIERRA LEONE)
JEFF The Brotherhood (Nashville TN)
Joan of Arc (Chicago IL)
Jukebox the Ghost (Washington DC)
Kina Grannis (Mission Viejo CA)
Kopecky Family Band (Nashville TN)
La Sera (Los Angeles CA)
Locos Por Juana (Bogota COLOMBIA)
Maps & Atlases (Chicago IL)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City MEXICO)
Middle Class Rut (Sacramento CA)
Morning Teleportation (Portland OR)
Murfila (Barcelona SPAIN)
MURS (Los Angeles CA)
Noah And The Whale (London ENGLAND)
North Mississippi Allstars (Hernando CO)
O’Death (New York NY)
Onra (Paris FRANCE)
Parlor Mob (Red Bank NJ)
Paul Cary (Chicago IL)
Pedropiedra (Santiago CHILE)
Pernett (Cali COLOMBIA)
Prince Rama (Brooklyn NY)
Professor Green (London ENGLAND)
Protistas (Santiago CHILE)
Pterodactyl (Brooklyn NY)
Pujol (Nashville TN)
Quintron and Miss Pussycat (New Orleans LA)
Rey Pila (Mexico City MEXICO)
Rosie and Me (Curitiba BRAZIL)
The Secret Handshake (Dallas TX)
Shuttle (Boston MA)
Skrillex (Los Angeles CA)
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Denver CO)
Some Community (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Springfield MO)
Sounds Under Radio (Austin TX)
The Strange Boys (Austin TX)
Stephen Kellogg (Northampton MA)
Summer Camp (London ENGLAND)
Suzanna Choffel (Austin TX)
Teen Daze (Vancouver CANADA)
Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco CA)
Tôg (Stavanger NORWAY)
Turbo Fruits (Nashville TN)
Ty Segall (San Francisco CA)
The Vaccines (London ENGLAND)
Voxhaul Broadcast (Los Angeles CA)
Wagons (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
War From A Harlots Mouth (Berlin GERMANY)
Whitechapel (Knoxville TN)
The Woggles (Atlanta GA)