popwreckoning

New York City’s twee pop band the Pains of Being Pure at Heart will be touring with new wave artiste Twin Shadow and several other bands come the end of March. They also make their first appearance in Mexico, ever, at the Indieofest on March 12. The band’s second album, Belong, is expected to be released in late March on Slumberland Records. For a taster of the album, check out the already released singles for “Say No to Love” and “Heart in Your Heartbreak.”

Tour Dates:
Mar 10 – 35 Conferette / Denton, TX
Mar 12 – Indieofest / Mexico City
Mar 31 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia
Apr 01 – Black Cat / Washington, DC*
Apr 02 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC*
Apr 04 – 40 Watt Club / Athens, GA*@
Apr 05 – Earl / Atlanta*@
Apr 06 – Bottletree Cafe / Birmingham*
Apr 07 – One Eyed Jacks / New Orleans*
Apr 08 – Fitzgerald’s / Houston*
Apr 09 – Emo’s / Austin*
Apr 12 – VFW / Santa Fe*
Apr 13 – Club Congress / Tucson*&+
Apr 18 – Cellar Door / Visalia, CA*&
Apr 19 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco*&
Apr 20 – Doug Fir / Portland*&
Apr 22 – Crocodile / Seattle*!
Apr 25 – Triple Rock Social Club / Minneapolis*
Apr 26 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee*
Apr 27-28 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago*%
Apr 29 – Rhino’s / Bloomington, IN*%
Apr 30 – Basement / Columbus*%
May 02 – Daniel Street / Milford, CT*
May 03 – Paradise / Boston*#
May 06 – Webster Hall / New York City*^
* with Twin Shadow
@ with Gold-Bears
& with Catwalk
+ with Warpaint
! with Seapony
% with Weakness
^ with Big Troubles

Top 13 Acts of CMJ:

Ty Segall:

This San Francisco lo-fi rock band has become a new staple in the garage revival. The songs are short, and catchy. They hit you quick and hard with bursts of energy. Pushing a raw, dirty, reverb heavy sound, channeling the likes of Iggy Pop. Also, having a female bass player AND drummer gives the band some bonus points.

Panache Showcase Knitting Factory:

Turbo Fruits:

Straight outta “Music City” Nashville, Turbo Fruits are doing it their own way with a whole lot of swagger. Turbo fruits new songs give off 60s/70s bubblegum pop feel whilst still maintaining their raw garage sound they are known for. Their music brings back the nostalgic feeling of being young, drunk and not giving a fuck. Jonas Stein engages with the crowd more than most front men these days do. Be it crowd surfing, jumping into the crowd and playing, hanging from rafters or sitting on someone’s shoulder singing around in the crowd, you can always expect some sort of spontaneous act and the crowd eats it up. Turbo fruits lineup is the strongest it has ever been. With the addition of Kingsley Brock, their sound is much more explosive and fuller. Matthew Hearn keeps the band on point with his tight drumming and Dave McCowen brings it home with his killer bass lines, overall leaving little room for error. Turbo Fruits is definitely a band to keep on your radar for 2011. Not only with their own music but also with Stein’s latest venture Nashville based Turbo Time Records. Turbo Fruits latest single “Where The Stars Don’t Shine” was released on this label in limited edition white vinyl. Don’t miss out on these rambunctious fellows from Nashville. We should be hearing plenty more of them in the future.

Panache Showcase Knitting Factory:

PUJOL:

If Jack White says so, then we better listen, eh? Daniel Pujol is well on his way to being on the top of everyone’s radar. PUJOL writes energetic garage punk anthems channeling vibes of his fellow Nashville peers (i.e. JEFF the brotherhood, Turbo Fruits and Heavy Cream). His songs are infectious; you can’t help finding yourself nodding your head along to the songs. The lyrics are clever and the hooks are near perfection and you’ll find his songs sneaking into your consciousness.  If listening to PUJOL isn’t enough to convince you of their staying power, then their live shows should definitely seals the deal. Packed with energy, enthusiasm and leavings you wanting more.

Panache Showcase Knitting Factory:

Tôg:

Seeing Tôg at the garage heavy Panache showcase was quick a surprise. This seven-piece band from Norway plays electronic pop music that will get you on your feet and moving within seconds. Sure, you may not know what they are singing being that they stick to their native tongue whilst performing, but nonetheless you find yourself dancing to their insanely catchy songs. CMJ was Tôg’s first time performing outside of Norway. As they complete their first album, expect to hear more from them in 2011 as they will be returning to play SXSW.

Panache Showcase Knitting Factory:

Crocodiles:

Crocodiles have really grown since their debut album Summer of Hate. Although they still record as a two-piece, live they have three additional members joining them on stage filling out their sound. Crocodiles channel the likes Jesus and Mary Chain, Galaxy 500 and Echo and The Bunnymen. Dark droning riffs, lots of reverb, and distortion Crocodiles cover all the basic criteria of a shoegaze band. Yet, underneath all those layers of guitars there is a strong send of melody. A clear of example of this is off their new album “Sleep Forever” that was released by Fat Possum. The song “Stone to Death” shows how they have developed since Summer of Hate, melancholic lyrics, bass heavy, loud and plenty of reverb.

Bowery Ballroom:

Hunx And His Punx:

Hunx and His Punx are over the top, trashy, slightly uncomfortably sexual yet extremely entertaining live. Hunx and His Punx make swoony bubblegum-punk music, clearly influences by 60s girls groups such as The Shangri-Las. Although their strange presence may be outrageously tarty, their songs are surprisingly charming and innocent. Seth Bogart voice is a bit nasally but when executing rebellious youth with his lyrics, he is spot on.

Shea Stadium:

Golden Triangle:

Golden Triangle seems to remain Brooklyn’s hidden gem. Their shows are known to be chaotic and fully of energy. By the end of the show, you’ll to be drenched in sweat and out of breathe. Their stage presence is what makes this group memorable. If The B-52’s and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts had a baby, Golden Triangle would be their love child. They are grungy with a bit of spastic dance flare.

Shea Stadium

Heavy Cream:

Here we have another band hailing from Nashville (must be something in the water).  A nearly all girl band, Heavy Cream’s sound is classic three chord Ramones, with a bit of The Runways thrown in. The songs are short and catchy. With simple surf-punk riffs and bare drums, Heavy Cream put on a solid show. Jessica is an energetic front woman moving all about the stage and engaging with the audience who are having the time of their lives rocking it out to this four-piece garage band from Nashville.

Panache Showcase Knitting Factory:

Check their latest video “Watusi” of their album “Danny” directed by JEFF the brotherhood’s Jamin Orrall.

\”Watusi\” – Heavy Cream

Marnie Stern:

Marnie Stern kept very busy during CMJ playing several shows during those five days. She shredded her way though as many songs as should could during Brooklyn Vegan’s Saturday day party. She played old favorites such as “Transformer” and then newer power songs like “Her Confidence.” Marnie hammered away at her fretboard, the bass player powered through heavy basslines and the drummer moulded his kit arm over arm causing the crowd to bang their heads in unison. Not only was the show full of energy and a crowd in awe of Marnie, we still have Marnie giving her banter. Now, what is Marnie Stern show without some vagina talk? Whilst soundchecking, Marnie couldn’t hear what the sound guy was saying, so in retort she says, “What did you just say? Did you just say you wanted to touch my vagina?” Classic Marnie. She is back in full force with a new band and a new album ready to shred her way into each and everyone’s heart (or vagina…)

Brooklyn Vegan Day Pary Public Assembly:

(Photo straight out of camera. I’m quite proud, if I do say so myself.)

Even though my night ended up with me being stranded outside the Showbox because my car got locked in a parking garage, I look at it as a “glass-half-full” night. Because a.) Frightened Rabbit was in town again to start off their fall tour, and b.) the lighting at the Showbox was better than I’ve seen it in at least a couple of months.

Starting out the night was the adorably lo-fi Bad Veins, who definitely deserved to be higher on the bill. Just the two guys on stage made for a different kind of performance, because I’m so used to at least four people on stage. It makes you pay attention to each band member more closely because there are so few of them. Lead singer Benjamin Davis basically stood in one place, but amped it up with an altered mic stand featuring an old-school corded phone that fed into an equally as old school voice recorder which sat in the middle of him and drummer Sebastian Schultz, who made up for the lack of people on stage with his charming effervescence.

I figure the phone-recorder set up was the cheaper alternative to an actual talk box, and it worked really well with the laid-back, hook-laden retro indie pop. “Falling Tide” and the lovely “Gold and Warm” and “The Lie” are alone enough to go buy their debut album, out now. Seriously. Do it.

Plants and Animals were up next, who weren’t bad. They just left me, as well as the rest of the audience, a little bit cold. The songs seemed to drag on in the middle of the set, and we were all pretty anxious to see some of our favorite Scotsmen. And Bad Veins were just so darn good.

“Undone Melody” was a beautiful 6-minute epic, though. That’s partially why their set seemed to drag – because on average, their songs were 2 minutes longer than Bad Veins’ songs. The one thing I did like particularly about Plants and Animals was the instruments they used. Lead guitarist Matthew Woodley played several different guitars throughout their set, but one specifically was so weathered that it matched up perfectly with their on-record sound. Plants and Animals only records to tapes, so it could easily sound like it was recorded now or in 1975, which is a refreshing change-up from the digital world that we currently live in. And the live show almost lived up to the feeling, but just fell short of the analog-only sound.

Walking on stage still with an internal body clock that said it was 7 a.m., Frightened Rabbit pushed through the lack of sleep to put on an amazing show. And not just for Thursday. It would have been equally as amazing if it were on a Friday or Saturday.

Starting off with the first track from their third album A Winter of Mixed Drinks, “Things” had just the right amount of positive vibe to set the mood for the show. After that came “The Modern Leper,” “Nothing Like You,” and “The Twist,” all intermixed with some particularly nice words from Scott for one of our local radio stations KEXP, which was in the midst of a fundraising week.

“KEXP is the most important U.S. radio station for fledgling British bands,” he said, which was then met by a huge round of applause and “woop-woop”s. It was nice to hear some praise for one of the only stations around that doesn’t have commercial motives, and hasn’t fallen into the cliché “Seattle music” trap (i.e. playing at least one Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains song every hour, often the same one several times a day). But all of Scott’s gushing for Seattle was completely sincere, which is one of the things that I enjoy so much about Frightened Rabbit – that they’ll cuss like sailors, play after being awake for an obscene number of hours, but love every minute of it.

“We played this stage about three years ago, when we came through supporting Pinback, and we thought that this room was fucking huge,” Scott said, “And well, it still is, I suppose. But thanks for filling it up!”

The last time Frightened Rabbit played Seattle wasn’t actually all that long ago – in May at Neumo’s, which is a considerably smaller venue, but this time the show wasn’t any less intimate.

During “Foot Shooter,” most of the band – Andy Monaghan, Gordon Skeene, Billy Kennedy – sat idly for Scott to perform a particularly beautiful acoustic version of the song with brother Grant Hutchison on drums.

“When you play a song this many times, you wanna change it up sometimes.” Amidst the complete silence, it actually sent some people into tears.

As a prelude to “Be Less Rude” off their first album Sing the Greys, Scott told a lovely story about when he wrote the song.

“I wrote this when a friend of mine was dating this girl, who was a complete dick. This song was about her.”

How could you get a more simpler plea than “be less rude?”

I failed to mention already that a friend of mine, Susie – who lives in Scotland and has seen Frightened Rabbit close to 30 times – was staying awake through the night to read my tweets from the show because she was “living vicariously through [me].” One of the things that surprised her was the rearrangement of the band’s setlist. I guess for the last two years they’ve been finishing the night with “Keep Yourself Warm” in the encore, but this tour that was no longer the case.

The final song of the normal set list was “Keep Yourself Warm,” the heartbreaking lament off The Midnight Organ Fight which featured a large majority of the crowd singing along to “It takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm” before the ascending outro where Andy, Scott, Gordon, Billy, and Grant all played as if it were still the last song of the night. But glancing at the set list, I knew that there were still two songs to go.

Scott started the encore with the stripped-down “Poke,” a beautiful ballad that almost sounded like a lullaby, and like “Foot Shooter,” the audience responded with complete silence. And immediately the rest of the band came on stage after that to play the final song – “The Loneliness and the Scream,” in which Andy gestured for everyone to start clapping along to the driving beat. I didn’t expect for us to be clapping through the entire song, but even though “The Loneliness and the Scream” isn’t a short song, everyone in this awesome crowd threw their hands together the whole time. And nearing the end of the song, our clapping was met with the accompanying “oh whoa ohh whoaaa” to finish out the 19-song set joyously.

I explained it to Susie afterward, who had a hard time comprehending the set list change. Seeing that A Winter of Mixed Drinks was considerably more positive than The Midnight Organ Fight, Frightened Rabbit probably wanted the finale of the live show to be as uplifting as the new album.

They definitely achieved that. Waiting until the end of the show and leaving too late to get my car out of the parking garage before it closed – thus me having to sleep on my friend’s couch and pay an extra $20 the next morning for overnight parking – was totally worth it.

Set List:

1. Things
2. The Modern Leper
3. Nothing Like You
4. The Twist
5. I Feel Better
6. Fast Blood
7. Foot Shooter
8. Old Old Fashioned
9. Swim Until You Can’t See Land
10. The Wrestle
11. Good Arms vs. Bad Arms
12. Head Rolls Off
13. My Backwards Walk
14. Be Less Rude
15. Yes, I Would
16. Living Colour
17. Keep Yourself Warm

Encore

1. Poke
2. The Loneliness and the Scream

After getting beaten up in a highly unexpected mosh pit at a small club show on the outskirts of Boston the night before and making a hasty retreat from that mess, I was actually looking forward to seeing a show at the House of Blues the next night. I’d heard mixed reviews for the House of Blues and their many outposts scattered across the U.S. – huge places with overzealous security and little atmosphere was the consensus. So after a fun night at the Philly Trocadero 3 days earlier, I wasn’t expecting much from the WFNX-sponsored Temper Trap show Wednesday night.

Security at the House of Blues was professional and courteous. Maybe it was my photo pass but everyone I encountered at the venue was super nice. And I didn’t get patted down like I was in Philly, so I didn’t feel violated. Once inside on the ground level, I gasped as I looked around. The place is massive (twice as big as the Trocadero, with room for 2,400) but it’s beautiful and breathtaking. Helpful security inside advised, “watch your step, ladies,” as there are several steps to negotiate. Well lit, well stocked bars and clearly marked restrooms on this floor – definite pluses. While I was waiting for the show to start I got to talking to two kids from the local Berklee College of Music; it was really cool to talk to “the young people” and hear their appreciation for the Temper Trap’s music. I also advised them to invest in a good set of earplugs, which turned out to be an excellent suggestion given that this was the House of Blues and the size of the speakers hanging from the ceiling should have immediately told you that the gig that night was going to be loud.

It is really cool to see how bands get more at ease after the first night of a tour. The Hundred in the Hands, while being only two people on an expansive stage, sounded better on the House of Blues’s state of the art sound system than they did in Philly. Lead singer Eleanore Everdell was visibly more confident as well, smiling broadly as the audience not familiar with their music politely clapped between songs. Guitarist Jason Friedman looked like he was having a ball on stage, strumming on one of his two guitars.

Highlights were “Lovesick (Once Again)” and “Young Aren’t Young,” showing me yet again the understated beauty of Everdell’s voice. Unfortunately they didn’t play “Gold Blood,” one of my favorite tracks from their self-titled debut album released on Warp Records last month. By the end of the set, the Brooklyn duo had already won some new fans, as evidenced by the people who shouted in displeasure when Everdell announced their sixth and final song. Great to see people responding to them.

Once the Hundred in the Hands‘ equipment was removed from the stage, it was time for Delphic to set up their gear, which is a lot. Standard drum kit and guitars but a couple synths and electronic drum pad setups as well. This is a band that has played to thousands at Glastonbury so I didn’t think the bigger stage (compared to the Trocadero’s) would faze them. And I don’t think it did, really. Singer/bassist James Cook looked more poised and his voice sounded better than ever. Multi-instrumentalist Rick Boardman, guitarist Matt Cocksedge, and touring drummer Dan Hadley were completely on.

The problem was the audience. They never really got into the music and generally just looked bored for both support bands, all waiting (impatiently looking at their mobile phones, I might add) for the Temper Trap. There was no fist pumping or rampant dancing like Sunday night in Philly. (It should be noted that the venue was pretty empty at the start of the night and it wasn’t until shortly before the Temper Trap were due on that the floor filled out.) Too bad, their loss. There was one girl who talked to me after the show who said she was going to buy Acolyte in a music shop as soon as she could, so I was pretty happy about that.

It’s been over a year since I first heard “Counterpoint” on BBC Radio, and I’ve had Acolyte for a long time now, listening to it constantly, so I know all the words on the album. I like to sing in general and this spills over into shows too, so you can imagine this is potentially embarrassing at gigs. But when I did sing, Cook looked my way a couple times and smiled, as if acknowledging this dubious mastery. Haha. Also, I got my wish for “Submission,” my favorite song from Acolyte, and maybe it was the echoes in the huge venue, but the vocal key sounded a bit off. Maybe they are a little rusty after having a couple weeks off between gigs, but I imagine this will wear off after some more gigs stateside. (As of this writing I’ve already read some great comments about their set from the New York and Montreal shows that followed.) I’m looking forward to seeing them in DC in a few days.

Delphic Set List
Clarion Call
Doubt
Red Lights
This Momentary
Submission
Halcyon
Counterpoint

It is a real joy to watch the Temper Trap at this stage of their career. When the well-oiled Temper Trap machine gets fired up, hold on tight, because you’re in for a wild ride. “Fader” was the first Temper Trap song I learned on bass, so it holds special meaning to me, but wow, when it’s offered up to fans live, it’s like a explosion of energy. With its jangly guitar riffs and emotional lyrics, the Melbourne band’s power ballad “Love Lost” is going ensure their place in popular music history. I’m not one to get emotional at gigs, but I have to say that this song brought me to tears. It’s just perfect.

It was fun to witness the thrill of fans who had waited to see their current favorite band. I was surprised to learn that of everyone I talked to, I seemed to be the only one who’d seen them before. One woman came with her boyfriend and requested that he catch her if she fainted when Dougy Mandagi appeared. (She didn’t faint, I’m happy to report. But she was so animated after the gig, she was practically glowing with excitement, chattering away on how great they were.) The students I mentioned before were waiting for their favorite song, “Down River,” and with its fun chorus that got everyone singing along, they weren’t disappointed.

Part of me wishes that the Temper Trap would mix things up, because Wednesday night in Boston was the fourth time I’ve seen and heard that exact same set list this year. I can’t imagine it being too difficult to change song order, because it’s not like they have complicated synth setups like their two openers. But really, how can you complain when they put on such an amazing show, night after night? Cheers guys.

The Temper Trap Set List
introduction
Rest
Fader
Fools
Down River
Love Lost
Soldier On
Sweet Disposition
Resurrection
Drumming Song
//
Rabbit Hole
Science of Fear

Tour Dates (dates with all three bands except those noted)
Oct 07 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus
Oct 08 – DC9 / Washington, DC^
Oct 09 – Austin City Limits / Austin*
Oct 09 – MOTR Club / Cincinnati%
Oct 11 – St. Andrews / Detroit
Oct 12 – Metro / Chicago
Oct 13 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee
Oct 14 – First Avenue / Minneapolis
Oct 18 – Crocodile / Seattle%
Oct 19 – Woods / Portland%
Oct 21 – Popscene / San Francisco&
Oct 22 – Fox / Pomona, CA
Oct 23 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles
^ Delphic only
* the Temper Trap only (festival appearance)
% the Hundred in the Hands only
& Delphic and the Hundred in the Hands only

The Temper Trap: website | myspace | @ 9:30 Club | @ Bonnaroo 2010, Day 1 | The Temper Trap Announce August-October North American Tour with Delphic and The Hundred in the Hands | @ Showbox at the Market | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia
Delphic: website | myspace | American Release Details of Delphic EP | Delphic’s Debut Album Streaming on Their MySpace | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia | Interview with: Matt Cocksedge of Delphic, Part 1, Part 2
The Hundred in the Hands: website | myspace | ‘Pigeons’ takes flight with Foals’ remix | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia

The Temper Trap have been touring so much and in so many places in 2010, I’ve lost count. So I consider the Trocadero gig in Philadelphia the start of their “latest and greatest” North American tour, if you will. The Melbourne-based band played to an enthused crowd there Sunday night. It’s pretty uncommon for me to know about all three bands on a tour – usually I’ll know the headliner and probably one of the headliners peripherally, but on this tour, I was stoked beyond belief that two of the best electronic bands of the moment would be support for the Temper Trap.

Brooklyn’s the Hundred in the Hands have just released their self-titled debut album on Warp Records last week, and it’s an amazing effort. Definitely in my top 5 of albums of 2010, I think it would handily beat out LCD Soundsystem’s This is Happening in a head-to-head contest on the dance floor. You always wonder how electronic bands translate (or don’t) in the live environment, and I can say without a doubt the Hundred in the Hands passes with flying colors. The only issue I had was with some of the instrumentation getting muddled, which I think was more of a fault of the venue’s sound system and not a reflection on the duo. Weirdly, the front row of the standing crowd stock still for the entire night, and it was us and my new friends in the second row that were kicking up our heels to the Brooklyn duo (and the rest of the night for that matter).

Eleanore Everdell (lead vocals / synths) sings, at times, with a yelping howl not unlike Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes but I think Everdell does this better, because her disaffected voice is perfect for dance music. Check out the amazing “Last City,” the opening track on their album, with its “oh oh oh OH ohs” that will make this an earworm for sure, and even better live. “Pigeons,” a single getting a lot of airplay on British radio, is another gem. A fascinating sidenote: Hundred’s guitarist (and also beat master) Jason Friedman has the same model of Rickenbacker as Delphic’s Matt Cocksedge, so I was doubly blown away by equipment prettiness.

So the next two bands of the night I had been lucky enough to have seen last at Roskilde Festival in very sunny Denmark in July. Delphic released two singles, “Counterpoint” and “This Momentary,” in their home country in 2009. While these didn’t race up the UK singles chart, they generated enough interest such that when the Manchester, England band let loose their debut album, Acolyte, early this year on their own Polydor imprint Chimeric, the buzz was enormous. I was already a big fan of theirs after hearing Acolyte in January, and it quickly became the soundtrack to my cardiovascular workouts for the rest of the DC winter (read: shoveling during the second biggest snowfall ever recorded in Washington). The band have no idea of this particular reason for my great affection for their music. Interestingly, it became clear Sunday night that I, along with the aforementioned second row of fans at the Trocadero, were going to use Delphic to soundtrack quite a workout.

I should probably mention that despite it being autumn on the East Coast already, the inside of the Trocadero was hot. Steamy. Boiling. By the time Delphic started their second song, the synthtastic “Doubt”, the shirt of lead singer/bassist James Cook was already soaking wet with sweat. He seemed unperturbed by this, singing his heart out on tunes like “Red Lights,” complete with requisite red lighting and concluding with a monster synth outro – just what you’d expect from three English boys who are self-described “synthesizer geeks.” Keyboards/synths man Rick Boardman surprised me, singing his backing vocals with so much enthusiasm, I was floored. He sings in a higher register than Cook and frankly, you haven’t heard sexier high-pitched male vocals in a dance song since the Bee Gees days. “Halcyon,” the song that cemented my love for the band (used somewhat freakily for a UK mobile phone advert, I can’t be the only one who thinks James Cook singing “give me something I can believe in” has absolutely nothing to do with mobile phones), was fantastic, with guitarist Matt Cocksedge ripping his now famous guitar solo.

Even though it appeared that myself and one other guy next to me (clutching a Delphic press clipping from NME, no less) were the only people in the whole club to even know who they were and what they sounded like, by the time the set closer “Counterpoint”, with the swells of its guitar and synth and Cook’s upbeat yet sad lyrics of “but you don’t come back around / it seems to me that we will never be” and his emphatic declaration that “nothing’s wrong / nothing’s wrong with today,“ everyone was already on their side, pumping their fists in the air. See, Delphic may write songs about love and heartbreak like other bands, but they write and play them in a way you will force you to take notice, because you won’t be able to keep still. This is music that makes you want to dance.

Delphic Set List
Clarion Call
Doubt
Red Lights
This Momentary
Halcyon
Counterpoint

The way things are going for the Temper Trap, I think they could very well be playing stadiums in the near future. They have the swagger, they have the confidence, and they certainly have devoted fans. In Washington, maybe a quarter of the attendees show up before or around doors and the rest amble in at the appointed set time for the headliner. Not so with Sunday’s Temper Trap show. I have never in my life seen such a long line outside a venue before doors, going for what seemed like miles down Arch Street. Thanks to two wonderful openers, the Trocadero crowd was drenched in perspiration and ready for the headliner.

All too predictably, “Sweet Disposition,” the song on the “500 Days of Summer” soundtrack that made the Temper Trap a household name in America, got the loudest crowd reaction. But my buddies and I in second row standing had a good time pogo-ing to “Fader,” “Love Lost,” and even “Down River,” the latter with its unusually plodding verses but endearing, shoutable chorus of “Down river! Down river!” and odd spoken lyrics from bassist Jonathan Aherne. I think a lot of people went to this show knowing nothing but “Sweet Disposition” and maybe “Fader,” but they all came away with a feeling of euphoria, seeing a band close to or at its peak in performance terms. Dougy Mandagi grinned through the entire set, later reaching out to the crowd at the end to shake as many hands as he could.

The light show for their final song, “Science of Fear,” was a war between strobes and blue spotlights. This is the level of light show Muse uses on tour. So it’s not a far stretch of the imagination to imagine envision the Temper Trap playing Madison Square Garden or the Meadowlands sometime soon. They won’t be playing clubs for much longer. Watch this space.

The Temper Trap Set List
introduction
Rest
Fader
Fools
Down River
Love Lost
Soldier On
Sweet Disposition
Resurrection
Drumming Song
//
Rabbit Hole
Science of Fear

Tour Dates (dates with all three bands except those noted)
Sept 29 – House of Blues / Boston
Sept 30 – Wellmont / Montclair, NJ
Oct 01 – Terminal 5 / New York City
Oct 02 – Le National / Montreal
Oct 03 – Capital Music Hall / Ottawa
Oct 05 – Phoenix / Toronto
Oct 07 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus
Oct 08 – DC9 / Washington, DC^
Oct 09 – Austin City Limits / Austin*
Oct 09 – MOTR Club / Cincinnati%
Oct 11 – St. Andrews / Detroit
Oct 12 – Metro / Chicago
Oct 13 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee
Oct 14 – First Avenue / Minneapolis
Oct 18 – Crocodile / Seattle%
Oct 19 – Woods / Portland%
Oct 21 – Popscene / San Francisco&
Oct 22 – Fox / Pomona, CA
Oct 23 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles
^ Delphic only
* the Temper Trap only (festival appearance)
% the Hundred in the Hands only
& Delphic and the Hundred in the Hands only

The Temper Trap: website | myspace | @ 9:30 Club | @ Bonnaroo 2010, Day 1 | The Temper Trap Announce August-October North American Tour with Delphic and The Hundred in the Hands | @ Showbox at the Market
Delphic: website | myspace | American Release Details of Delphic EP | Delphic’s Debut Album Streaming on Their MySpace
The Hundred in the Hands: website | myspace | ‘Pigeons’ takes flight with Foals’ remix

Another highlight of this past year’s Lollapalooza was Jukebox the Ghost. The piano rockers are releasing a new album, Everything Under the Sun, on Sept. 7. Bethany caught up with them at Lolla and asked them a few questions about their real biography, playing Lolla and the upcoming release. The full interview is below:

Bethany, PopWreckoning: Ok, first off, I was trying to find some information about you guys online and really all I could find is a biography of President Taft. What’s up with that?
Tommy Siegel, Jukebox the Ghost: Haha. I think I have to answer this. Do you guys even know about this? I’m Tommy, by the way. I play guitar and sing sometimes. We set up the Facebook bio and instead of putting an actual bio, I put the Wikipedia entry for Howard Taft. So now when you search on Facebook for Jukebox the Ghost, it says Jukebox the Ghost – indie rock – and underneath it says, “Born in 1837″ or whatever.
PW: You guys are anti-slavery under influences. It says that as well, so that’s good.
TS: Yeah, that’s good.

PW: So what’s your real background story? How did you guys all meet?
Ben Thornewill, Jukebox the Ghost: We met in college at George Washington University in DC. I lived next door to Jesse and met Tommy Sophomore year, so we started there. I’ve lived in Philly for three years. Some of us live in New York and some of us in Philly.

PW: How does the distance thing work with the band with practicing and touring?
BT: We barely practice as it is. Touring is our practice. We would practice like two or three times a year, doing like a marathon: eight hour days for like a week and a half. We’ll keep doing that and it doesn’t really matter where we do it.

PW: Is this your first time at Lollapalooza? How does it compare to other things that you’ve done in the past like club shows?
BT: This is our first Lolla and it is (a) way better than any other festival that we’ve done, for sure. And (b), it is sort of like a perfect show. We had like people as far back as we could see. It is the biggest show we’ve ever played.

PW: And you’re doing an after show for free. How is that going to compare what people saw already at Lolla?
TS: It will be longer, there will be 1/100th the number of people, but it will be fun. We’re playing with two great bands: Skybox, whom we’ve toured with before from Chicago, and Spinto Band, whom we’re fans of but have not met.

PW: Lolla is an extreme festival compared to others. Do you guys have like a survival kit or anything that you’ve learned on how to make the most of it?
BT: Not really. They have golf carts that take you, artists and others, from place to place. That’s the greatest thing. Tommy has advice.
TS: My advice is just to act confident. Because anyone who is a security person, they might ask you a question, but they’re way less likely to if you just act like you know where you’re going. So act confident and you can get all sorts of free stuff that’s not really free here.
Jesse Kristin, Jukebox the Ghost: This is Jesse. I play the drums. My Lollapalooza 2010 tip is bring your cell phone charger with you because there are outlets everywhere. You just got to find them. I was watching the Strokes and charging my phone. It was great. They actually have electricity in this wilderness.

PW: So, the Strokes must have been a must-see for you, but were some of the other acts that you were excited for this year?
JK: Miniature Tigers. They’re one of our best band friends and they just put out a new record. It’s just phenomenal. They’re small for the festival, but we’re pushing them really hard because we love them and they’re going to be huge. We have other friends that have played and are playing. These United States, Freelance Whales, Skybox, so a lot of friends here and we’re pushing for them. The big ones are fun, but it is special to see these small bands play on these big stages.

PW: What are your plans post-festival?
BT: Post-festival we’re just driving back to the East Coast and playing some small album type stuff. The album comes out Sept 7 on Yep Roc Records. Then we’ll go on tour after that for like five weeks. So until Sept. 3, keeping it easy, practicing and maybe learning a new cover.

PW: For people who didn’t get a chance to hear the new songs here, on the upcoming album, what can they expect?
TS: They can expect a more mature version of what we had done before. It’s nothing wildly different, but it is definitely moving in a new direction. There are some prog rock elements, but there are a lot of just straight retro pop elements. We got into a very Beatles-y phase. There are a lot of songs that reflect that aesthetic. We’ve been playing a lot of these songs live though for awhile. Most of our hardcore fans will already know what’s in store.
PW: Sweet.

Things are looking up for New York band the Postelles. They wowed crowds at South by Southwest in March. In May, they toured the UK as support for Sunderland, England’s Futureheads and played a headlining gig at famed London venue Koko. They toured with Alberta Cross in June, and then in July, they played a sold-out show at the Bowery Ballroom (and you can watch some backstage antics in the video below). And now they’ve just announced tour dates for the fall.

Tour Dates
Sept 05 – Northeastern University / Boston%
Sept 09 – Billy Reid store / New York&
Sept 18 – DC9 / Washington, DC*
Sept 24 – Great Scott / Allston, MA *
Sept 30 – Bar St. Laurent / Montreal $$
Oct 06 – Bowery Electric / New York City#
Oct 13 – Bowery Electric / New York City#
Oct 20 – Bowery Electric (CMJ Official Showcase) / New York City #
Oct 23 – Hideout / Chicago*
Nov 27 – Webster Hall / New York City**
Nov 29 – La Sala Rossa / Montreal **
Nov 30 – Mod Club / Toronto**
Dec 02 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC**
Dec 03 – Royale / Boston**
Dec 04 – Water Street Music Hall / Rochester **
Dec 07 – Culture Room / Fort Lauderdale**
Dec 09 – Social / Orlando**
Dec 10 – Covenant College / Lookout Mountain, GA**
Dec 11 – Loft / Atlanta**
Dec 13 – Paramount Arts Center / Ashland, KY*
* headlining gig
% with Manchester Orchestra
& New York Fashion Week Event
$$ Pop Montreal
# Bowery Electric residency (free shows)
** with Fun. and Steel Train

The Postelles: website | myspace | interview with | @ Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel | The Postelles Premiere First Promo Video, “White Night”

Photo: Mary Chang

We at PopWreckoning know your wallet is hurting in these trying financial times. If you live in New York City, have we got a deal for you. DFA Records, the famed independent dance record label co-founded by James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy, has joined forces with New York’s upscale Hudson Hotel for a special (and free!) dance party from 9 PM to 12 AM Wednesday nights. It all takes place in the hotel’s Private Park, where you will be surrounded by 45-foot trees and ivy-covered walls – a world away from the usual hubbub of busy, frenetic Midtown – where you can enjoy DJ sets from the DFA family.

Justin Miller, DJ Kaos, and Matt Cash are just some of the names who have been announced as guest DJs for the month of September. And on September 15, James Murphy himself will be spinning, along with “special guests” yet to be announced. Seeing that it’s James Murphy we’re talking about, it’s probably going to be some pretty big names. (For starters, I’m going to guess Tim Sweeney and Holy Ghost!) So if you’re in town, check it out. For more information on the schedule, visit DFA’s MySpace.

Photo: Mary Chang

New York’s the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have announced on their official website dates for a fall North American tour.

The band recently released a new single, “Say No to Love,” in June on Slumberland Records.

Tour Dates
Oct 20 – Paradise / Boston#
Oct 21 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn#&
Oct 22 – Pi Lam / Philadelphia#
Nov 04 – Venue / Vancouver^
Nov 05 – Vera Project / Seattle^
Nov 06 – Reed College / Portland
Nov 07 – EMU Ballroom / Eugene^
Nov 09 – Independent / San Francisco^
Nov 10 – Fresh and Fabulous Cafe / Oxnard, CA^*
Nov 11 – Loft @ UCSD / San Diego^
Nov 12 – Echoplex / Los Angeles^
# with Yuck
^ with Weekend
& with the Blow + Young Men
* with Sweater Girls, Sea Lions and Avocados

Photo: Mary Chang

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | @ Monolith Festival 2009, Saturday, September 12 | Interview with | @ Black Cat, 2009 | @ Irvine Auditorium

Check out Holy Ghost!‘s new video for “I Know, I Hear”, one of the four tracks from their Static on the Wire EP released earlier this year. It features Caroline Polachek of Chairlift.

Holy Ghost!: website | myspace | Friendly Fires / Holy Ghost! – 12” Split Single| Interview with: Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost! | @ U Street Music Hall | @ 9:30 Club