London garage rock band the Jim Jones Revue has announced plans for a 2-week tour of North America in the first half of September. Catch the band’s special blend of classic rock ‘n’ roll piano and punk rock at a venue near you. To give you an idea of what they sound like, watch the video for “Shoot First” below.
Tour Dates
Sept 01 – Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver
Sept 03 – Doug Fir Lounge / Portland
Sept 04 – Bumbershoot Festival / Seattle
Sept 07 – Independent / San Francisco
Sept 08 – Echo / Los Angeles
Sept 010 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn
Sept 11 – Brighton Music Hall / Allston, MA
Sept 12 – Casa del Popolo / Montreal
Sept 13 – Horseshoe Tavern / Toronto
Sept 14 – Schuba’s / Chicago
Sept 16 – Blockley Pourhouse / Philadelphia
Sept 17 – Black Cat / Washington, DC
Sept 18 – Maxwell’s / Hoboken
The nominations for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize – for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland – were announced last week at a special ceremony in London by BBC 6music radio presenter Lauren Laverne. Receiving a Mercury Prize nomination (and/or winning it) generally leads to increased album sales and increased celebrity profile for a band. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 6 at a special event in London featuring performances from all the nominees.
Here are the 12 albums up for this year’s Mercury Prize:
’80s music icons Erasure have announced plans to release their next full-length studio album, Tomorrow’s World, on October 4 in the U.S.
Accompanying the album releasenews is the announcement of a substantial North American tour, the first on this continent for Vince Clarke and Andy Bell in more than 5 years. The duo responsible for Eighties classics like “A Little Respect” and “Chains of Love” will start their tour in Tampa on August 31 and conclude their jaunt on October 6 in Seattle.
Tour dates-
Aug 31 Tampa, FL. The Ritz Ybor
Sept 2 Orlando, FL. House of Blues
Sept 3 Atlanta, GA. Center Stage
Sept 4 Asheville, NC. The Orange Peel
Sept 6 Washington, DC. 9.30 Club
Sept 7 Washington, DC. 9.30 Club
Sept 8 Philadelphia, PA. Theatre of Living Arts
Sept 10 Boston, MA. House of Blues
Sept 11 Toronto, ON. Sound Academy
Sept 13 New York, NY. Terminal 5
Sept 14 New York, NY. Terminal 5
Sept 16 Chicago, IL. Congress Theatre
Sept 17 Chicago, IL, Congress Theatre
Sept 18 Milwaukee, WI. Pabst Theater
Sept 20 Indianapolis, IN. The Vogue Theatre
Sept 21 St. Louis, MO. The Pageant
Sept 23 Austin, TX. ACL Live
Sept 24 Houston, TX. Verizon Wireless Theatre
Sept 25 Dallas, TX. House of Blues
Sept 27 Denver, CO. Ogden Theater
Sept 28 Salt Lake City, UT. Kingsbury Hall
Sept 30 Las Vegas, NV. The Palms Concert Theater
Oct 1 Los Angeles, CA. Hollywood Palladium
Oct 2 San Diego, CA. House of Blues
Oct 4 Oakland, CA. Fox Theater
Oct 5 Portland, OR. Crystal Ballroom
Oct 6 Seattle, WA. Neptune
Beady Eye – essentially Oasis minus the elder Noel Gallagher – have announced a series of gig dates in North America starting in late November. The 2-week tour begins on November 25 in Vancouver and ends in New York City on December 9. The band signed earlier this year to Dangerbird Records, also the American home of the Dears, Delphic, and Minus the Bear. For more information about purchasing tickets, visit the Dangerbird Web site. Most tickets to this tour go on sale this Friday (July 15) at 10 AM.
Beady Eye’s debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding, was released on February 28 in the UK and March 1 in America.
English band the Horrors will be releasing their third album, Skying, on August 9th in the U.S. (July 11th in the UK) on XL Recordings. Ahead of the album release, the band has released the first promo video from the album, for the song “Still Life.” Watch it below.
The Horrors will be touring North America in September, starting on September 7 in Vancouver and ending in Washington DC on September 30. More information on these dates can be found on the band’s official website.
An all New York City bill went down at DC’s Red Palace Saturday night. The Postelles were in town to celebrate the release of their debut album on +1 Records on Tuesday. With them were their buddies Ambassadors and a band that surprisingly they had never run into back home, the Dig. I wasn’t about to miss a Postelles show; not counting this gig, I’ve seen them three times, and they never disappoint. Saturday’s show in Washington was as good of an excuse as any for the band to party with what lead singer/guitarist Daniel Balk counts as one of his favorite cities to play in.
Ambassadors was the only act of the night I’d never seen live before. I try not to overuse the word “eclectic” in any of my writing, but I don’t know how else to describe this band’s music. Their song “Bodybag” could have easily fit in Fleet Foxes’ repetoire. In another song, lead singer Sam Harris was using a bow on his bass guitar: unusual, no? Their closing number sounded more MGMT. Lead guitarist Noah Feldshuh had a Nord in front of him, which seemed strange considering Harris’s brother Casey is their dedicated keyboardist. They have some good songs, but I think trying to focus on one general genre would probably serve them well, so they would have a better chance at hawking their debut album (to be released sometime in 2011) around to labels.
Having seen the Dig open for two great British bands (Editors and the Joy Formidable) last year, I knew I was in for a treat. Personally, I feel that the Dig should have a larger profile on the American music scene, already having released a very good debut album last year (Electric Toys, review here). Their hard rock yet fun sound is the kick in the pants that American rock stations need. In addition to playing “Two Sisters in Love,” “You’re Already Gone,” and “Look Inside,” the band also played some new material that I hope will be released on a new EP or album sometime in the very near future.
Then 11:30 rolled around and it was time for the main event. The Postelles’ debut album has 12 songs, yet they only played 8 of them, which was a little disappointing to me, since I love the entirety of The Postelles. “Sleep on the Dance Floor” was peerless, as were “1, 2, 3 Stop” and “Hey Little Sister,” the latter with Balk asking the crowd to sing along at the end on the “hey little sister!” refrain. I don’t know how it’s possible, but the band sound tighter each time I hear them play, and it’s been great seeing their progression from support to headliner. I can’t wait to see where these guys go.
My only complaint: maybe the band is bored of playing the songs off the album, because they played what I considered two completely non sequitur cover songs. In the middle of the set, they played the late ’70s Wreckless Eric hit “(I’d Go the) Whole Wide World,” a song by an English singer/songwriter than I’m sure very few patrons present had even heard of. This was later followed by a cover of the Rivieras‘ “California Sun,” which is a fun summer song for sure, but I never put surf pop and the Postelles in the same sentence, so it seemed a little out of place. Still, it was a really enjoyable show, and it was obvious that the crowd was enjoying it as well. Loud, drunk girls shouted as to how hot bassist John Speyer’s vest and drummer Billy Cadden‘s v-neck t-shirt were. Is this the kind of reception the Beatles got in their early days?
Oddly, the sets grew shorter as the night progressed, with the Postelles only playing about 35 minutes, including the encore. I found out after the show that this had to do with a curfew (rats) but I was promised by Balk that they would return. Whenever the Postelles do, they will have a fanatical crowd waiting for them, no doubt about it.
The Postelles Set List
Stella
She She
Sleep on the Dance Floor
Looking Glass
Hey Little Sister
(I’d Go the) Whole Wide World (Wreckless Eric cover)
1, 2, 3 Stop
Running Red Lights
California Sun (the Rivieras cover)
Can’t Stand Still
White Night
//
Boy’s Best Friend
Tour Dates
Jun 15-16 – NXNE / Toronto
Jun 17 – Schubas / Chicago
Jun 18 – Summer Soulstice Music Festival / Milwaukee
Jun 20 – Tractor Tavern / Seattle
Jun 23 – Popscene @ Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Jun 28 – Echo / Los Angeles
Jul 07 – T.T. the Bear’s / Cambridge, MA
As a record label, Paris’s Kitsune seem unable to make a misstep when signing bands. The latest artists they took a chance with that made it huge here in the U.S.? Hopefully La Roux and Two Door Cinema Club ring some bells for you. And it’s quite possible that the first album Kitsune releases on this side of the Atlantic, thanks to a recent deal with Cooperative Music and Downtown Records, could be just as big. As might be expected from their name, Is Tropical, a dance trio from London, make tropical music. And their debut album Native To, which quite possibly might be “the” soundtrack to the summer, is dropping just in time for the warmer weather, this Tuesday.
Early on in the game, Kitsune gave away “The Greeks” as a free download. With its quick guitar line, infectious chorus and relentless beats, it’s no surprise it’s been a runaway success online. Certainly, some of its popularity has to do with the unveiling of its NSFW promo video featuring kids in shooting each other, cartoon blood flying. Not really my thing at all, but I guess dubious promotion is better than no promotion. I like “South Pacific,” the opening track, much more; it’s got the same guitars as ‘The Greeks’ but is more mellow and less frenetic, which is better for summer driving music anyway. It’s like a tropical version of the The’s “This is the Day”. Watch the video for it below.
The tropicalia vibe continues through “Land of the Nod,” sounding like it could easily be placed as the background music for a Club Med advert, and “Clouds,” suitable for a Super Mario game set in the islands, mon (if Nintendo ever decides to go there, that is). “Think We’re Alone” will remind you of Cut Copy. And I did say this band was “dance”, and this is clear in the track “Lies” (not to be confused with Fenech-Soler‘s “Lies”). Compressed synths stretch around this track’s corner, and the words “they don’t love you / they just need a little sex sometimes / gotta shine through / don’t beat yourself up for being too blind,” while cynical, they ring true about some of the worst liaisons, don’t they? “Berlin” sounds like Kraftwerk redux, but with more heart. And vocals echoing all the while.
Here is the main problem I have with Native To: while of course there is echo and reverb on dance albums, for some reason, there’s too much of both on here. I admit that to some people, this is endearing because it gives the music a “lighter”, floating on air-type of quality. But a song like “Zombie,” with a dark vocal and even darker buzzing synth, tells you this band is capable of being a heavier band. It’ll be interesting to see what direction they take for future material – whether they stick with the tropical, dance beat formula or go somewhere else.
This is a good question, because there are songs on here that just don’t relate to the others. “What????” isn’t satisfying, with quickfire rap as an overlay on an otherwise hohum synth base. After Lupe Fiasco “lifted” the chorus from Modest Mouse‘s “Float On” for his recent single, “The Show Goes On,” you should be looking at the Is Tropical tune “Take My Chances” with a jaundiced eye. The melody’s a bit similar, isn’t it? Groan. The album ends with the instrumental jam “Seasick Mutiny.” It’s okay, just repetitive. While there are definitely some worthwhile tracks on Native To, I can’t call it a 100% stellar album. But it’s definitely worth looking into if you want to equip your car with some fun new tunes this summer.
Tracklisting
01. South Pacific
02. Land of the Nod
03. Lies
04. The Greeks
05. What????
06. Clouds
07. Take My Chances
08. Oranges
09. Berlin
10. Think We’re Alone
11. Zombie
12. Seasick Mutiny
It’s taken a long time, but the Postelles are finally releasing their album their eponymous debut album this upcoming Tuesday (June 7). The New York good time rock ‘n’ roll band – comprised of lead singer/guitarist Daniel Balk, lead guitarist David Dargahi, bassist John Speyer, and drummer Billy Cadden – are close friends and this is reflected by the musical harmony heard on The Postelles. Does this sound familiar to you? It should. They consider the Beatles a big influence musically, which should come as no surprise when you listen to the record. Major keys to the Fab Four’s success were excellent songwriting skills, equally excellent musicianship, and enough charm and charisma to send millions of hearts a-flutter. The Postelles already have #1 and #2 in the bag. It’s only a matter of time before #3 becomes a reality for them.
Strong songs and strong music is where The Postelles is at. This is an album that will get your toes tapping and put a smile on your face, because this is a band that excels in crafting the pop tune. It should also be noted that this album was produced by Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes, so you know there was good work done behind the scenes. If autotune (um, Kanye West) leaves you cold and you’re tired of style over substance (um, Lady Gaga), than this is the album for you. The most “high-tech” gadgets used on here are the maracas on “She She.” I used to think that this genre of rock was just a throwback to the ‘60s, but giving that label is doing a great disservice to the Postelles. It’s not easy in this day and age to write songs like they did back then. There’s so much pressure these days to use fancy thingamabobs in the studio. Why? Because they are there and you can. But when you’ve got songwriting chops and don’t need all that electronic wizardry, why use it?
The Postelles specialize in straight-forward rock ‘n’ roll: guitars and drums paired with lead vocals, augmented by tight harmonies. Seriously, how often do you go to a gig and not see a Macbook or synthesizer hooked up somewhere? The Postelles don’t need them. Take for example the single they released last year, “White Night.” Balk’s voice slinks up and down the notes effortlessly, with Dargahi’s backing vocals in response and in harmony just sound so sweet. If you’re like me and think Please Please Me was one of the Beatles’ best albums, this should be music to your ears.
And “Sleep on the Dance Floor” (watch the video below), the song that immediately follows “White Night,” is even better. This, along with so many others on the album, has a great singalong chorus. The Postelles want to entertain you, but they also want to engage you. Listen to this a couple times and before you know it, you’ll be crooning “fell asleep…on the dance floorrrrr…” along with Balk. Same goes for “Hey Little Sister,” featuring a rare lead vocal from lead guitarist Dargahi; and “Stella,” Balk telling off a girlfriend, finally leaving her, his bandmates shouting with gusto, “Stella, you’re on your own!”
Most of all, I encourage you to listen to The Postelles closely. The bass line in “Can’t Stand Still” can’t be beat. “Hold On” (acoustic, pared down version above) demonstrates the band’s deftness with the ballad; it’s a good break from the other songs of a pretty brisk pace. And by the way, “brisk pace” and “good-time rock ‘n’ roll” do not mean these guys from New York City are lightweights in the topical sense. A fact-based account of a former girlfriend of Balk and Cadden’s, “Boy’s Best Friend” is the realization that the girl you once went out with has now come out as a lesbian. “Whisper Whisper,” echoing Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy’s “When You Go to Bed” more than Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun,” provides insight into an abusive relationship.
Fifty years ago, the world was infatuated with the Beatles. Now it’s the time the world became infatuated with the Postelles.
The Postelles’ self-titled debut album will be released on July 7 in America on +1 Records. The band will be touring the U.S. and Canada in June and July.
Tracklisting
01. White Night
02. Sleep on the Dance Floor
03. 1, 2, 3 Stop
04. Boy’s Best Friend
05. Can’t Stand Still
06. Hold On
07. Stella
08. Hey Little Sister
09. Whisper Whisper
10. Sound the Alarms
11. Blue Room
12. She She
Tour Dates
Jun 07-08 – Mercury Lounge / New York City
Jun 10 – Kung Fu Necktie / Philadelphia
Jun 11 – Red Palace / Washington, DC
Jun 15-16 – NXNE / Toronto
Jun 17 – Schubas / Chicago
Jun 18 – Summer Soulstice Music Festival / Milwaukee
Jun 20 – Tractor Tavern / Seattle
Jun 23 – Popscene @ Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Jun 28 – Echo / Los Angeles
Jul 07 – T.T. the Bear’s / Cambridge, MA
Following on from a completely sold out, very well received solo tour this past spring, English folk singer/songwriter Frank Turner has announced a huge tour of North America beginning at the middle of September to the beginning of November. This series of dates takes Turner and his band to many places he hasn’t headlined yet, including several major Canadian cities.
Turner’s new album, England Keep My Bones, will be released on Epitaph Records next Tuesday (June 7) in America.
Tour Dates
Sep 20 – Heirloom Arts Theatre / Danbury, CT
Sep 21 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City
Sep 23 – Ottobar / Baltimore
Sep 24 – Alley Katz / Richmond, VA
Sep 25 – New Brookland Tavern / Columbia, SC
Sep 27 – Social / Orlando
Sep 29 – Culture Room / Ft. Lauderdale
Sep 30 – Crowbar / Tampa
Oct 01 – Masquerade / Atlanta
Oct 03 – Emo’s / Austin
Oct 04 – Loft / Dallas
Oct 05 – Conservatory / Oklahoma City
Oct 06 – Record Bar / Kansas City
Oct 07 – Marquis Theatre / Denver
Oct 08 – Launch Pad / Albuquerque
Oct 10 – Rhythm Room / Phoenix
Oct 11 – Glass House / Pomona
Oct 12 – SOMA Side Stage / San Diego
Oct 13 – El Rey / Los Angeles
Oct 14 – Slim’s / San Francisco
Oct 15 – Hawthorne Theatre / Portland
Oct 16 – Neumos / Seattle
Oct 17 – Biltmore / Vancouver
Oct 19 – Starlight Room / Edmonton
Oct 20 – Republik / Calgary
Oct 21 – Exchange / Regina, SK
Oct 22 – WECC / Winnipeg, MB
Oct 23 – Triple Rock Social Club / Minneapolis
Oct 25 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee
Oct 26 – Bottom Lounge / Chicago
Oct 27 – Magic Stick / Detroit
Oct 28 – Phoenix / Toronto
Oct 29 – Corona Theatre / Montreal
Oct 30 – Mavericks / Ottawa
Oct 31 – Cercle / Quebec City
Nov 02 – Middle East Downstairs / Boston
Nov 04 – TLA / Philadelphia
Released in the fall of 2008, Friendly Fires‘ self-titled album had me at hello. It was the sonic equivalent to the boy next door: a bit naive, a little rough around the edges, a tad tentative, yet completely unpretentious. It winked with the wide-eyed naivete able to win your heart but was sexy enough to make you feel like you were the prettiest girl in the room. Having had a love affair with its predecessor, I knew Pala had to really wow me like a knight in shining armor to even stand a chance against my darling Friendly Fires. Basically, it was an impossibly tall order.
The album was named after the fictional setting of the Aldous Huxley novel Island, and based on that alone, you can tell this album was conceived, written, and recorded with much thought. This time around, lead singer Ed Macfarlane took advantage of writing songs not just in their hometown of St. Albans like for those on Friendly Fires but also Rye in Sussex, the little village Yvetot in France, and New York. He’s talked about wanting to break out of the stereotypes that the media tried to pin on them after their first album, and certainly, no one can accuse them of writing a Friendly Fires pt. 2 with this effort. The problem? Pala is an example of how (usually) less is more. Despite the great care taken to make every sound on this album resonate beautifully (no doubt with producer Paul Epworth‘s help), there is so much going on here and in so many different directions that it’s hard to find continuity.
Having said that, there are some real winners on here. “Live Those Days Tonight,” the album’s first single, is a carnival. The first time I heard it, I hated it. I had already worried based on the “Kiss of Life” single released in the summer of 2009 that Edd Gibson‘s guitar work was going to be muted on their future recordings in favor of a heavier dance sound; for this song and most of Pala, I was right. But the song grew on me: it’s kind of hard to not eventually fall in love with it, because it’s so damn catchy. And if you’ve ever seen Macfarlane dance when the band performs live, the mental image of him swiveling his hips around to the music pops into your mind and is pretty mesmerizing. A good friend of mine just saw the band play at London’s intimate club venue Heaven on May 9 and assured me that the Friendly Fires live performance is better than ever and completely “lush,” and I take his word for it.
Let’s talk about the good. “Show Me Lights,” having a sensual r&b groove, is the stand out track on the album. Interestingly, when you compare this song’s chorus of “take me back / take me back / take me back in the darkness” to “Strobe” from the first album, which begins with the words “I see you / you come out of the strobe / you come out of the strobe,” you notice both songs are about winning back a love, just in opposite lighting situations. Comparing the new track to the old one side by side is like comparing apples and oranges, and in this case, I approve of the newer apple. “Pull Me Back to Earth” lets guitarist Gibson flex his musical muscles – thank goodness. Title track “Pala” is a fantastic slow jam; with Macfarlane’s dreamy vocals, it would have felt completely out of place on Friendly Fires. But it’s a perfect example of my “less is more” argument.
Less successful are the songs that sound like they’re from an earlier time. “Hurting” would have felt at home in the ’70s, and you almost feel compelled to do the hustle to it. The ’80s sounding “Hawaiian Air” has video game-like bleeps. Both this track and “True Love” (guest starring Holy Ghost!‘s Alex Frankel on clavinet) buzz along with Jack Savidge‘s relentless drumming leading the way, and for some reason, they just don’t ring true with me. I’m going to assume that these translate better live than on record, and I hope when the live Pala and I are formally introduced next week in Washington, we’ll get on like a house on fire.
Pala by Friendly Fires will be released in America on May 24 on XL Recordings.
Tracklisting
01. Live Those Days Tonight
02. Blue Cassette
03. Running Away
04. Hawaiian Air
05. Hurting
06. Pala
07. Show Me Lights
08. True Love
09. Pull Me Back to Earth
10. Chimes
11. Helpless
Tour Dates:
May 25 – Webster Hall / New York City
May 26 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC
May 27 – Paradise / Boston
May 28 – Corona Theatre / Montreal
May 30 – Phoenix / Toronto
May 31 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago
Jun 01 – Varsity Theater / Minneapolis
Jun 04 – Venue / Vancouver
Jun 05 – Neumo’s / Seattle
Jun 06 – Doug Fir / Portland
Jun 08 – Independent / San Francisco
Jun 10 – Music Box @ Henry Fonda / Los Angeles
Jun 11 – Teatro Chino De Six Flags / Mexico City
Jun 12 – Escenica / Monterrey, Mexico
To keep this site up and running, we reserve the sidebar for ads. In that case, put your ad here.
All that's needed is for you to fill out this lovely form.
All media content contained within PopWreckoning is meant to enhance reader appreciation for the art and medium. Please support artists you discover here by purchasing albums, attending shows and buying merch.
Contact us should you wish for certain media to be removed from PopWreckoning.
Concert Calendar
Nov 23, 2011
HaHa Tonka @ Recordbar, Kansas City MO
Nov 25, 2011
Thee Oh Sees @ The Granada, Lawrence KS
As a record label, Paris’s 
It’s taken a long time, but 
Released in the fall of 2008, 
