popwreckoning

Founding members of iconic British rock band The Verve, Nick McCabe and Simon Jones reveal the first material from their new project The Black Ships. They will be joined by Mig Schillace (Portishead, Goldfrapp) and Davide Rosse (whose string compositions have been used by The Verve, Coldplay, and Goldfrapp). You can download the entire debut EP Kurofune here for free.

Their first live appearance will take place at Kings College, London on Thursday June 2nd. Limited tickets available here.

Here’s what Nick McCabe has to say about the new project/EP:

“You just know when things are right. The four of us met in various circumstances and each meeting was accompanied by this feeling of “we’ve absolutely got to do more together”. And here we are. The joy of music: what does that really mean? Living and breathing it. Obsessing about detail whilst discovering the beauty in chance, and then doing what is necessary to give it life. All the peripheral activity, traditionally taken out of your hands in service of the big organisations of yore becomes a joy in service of the music. It is undoubtedly the hardest work we have collectively put into any band, but the satisfaction is already huge.”

Lollapalooza is celebrating its 20th anniversary and as promised, the recently announced delivers some pretty hefty acts. 

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5 and A Perfect Circle will headline the annual event in Grant Park from August 5-7, 2011.

If you missed Death From Above 1979‘s Coachella reunion, Lolla gives fans another chance. There’s also many other classic acts such as The Cars to up and comers The Naked and Famous. You can see the rest of the announced lineup below:

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, Cee Lo Green, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas, the Cars, Ween, Bright Eyes, Arctic Monkeys, Big Audio Dynamite, Deftones, Beirut, Explosions in the Sky, Death From Above 1979, Ratatat, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, Atmosphere, Cold War Kids, Lykke Li, Cage the Elephant, OK GO, Local Natives, The Kills, White Lies, Portugal. The Man, Two Door Cinema Club, Ellie Goulding, Delta Spirit, Beats Antique, Mountain Goats, Sleigh Bells, Manchester Orchestra, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Drums, Black Lips, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, City and Colour, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, Cults, Noah and the Whale, Sam Adams, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Tinie Tempah, Lissie, Dom, The Vaccines, Foster the People, Titus Andronicus, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Chico Trujillo, The Naked and Famous, Phantogram, Rival Schools, Friendly Fires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Reptar, Maps & Atlases, Fences, Tennis, An Horse, Young the Giant, Los Bunkers, Imelda May, Grouplove, Wye Oak, The Joy Formidable, Lord Huron, Disappears, Walk the Moon, Gold Motel, Iration, Ryan Leslie, Tab the Band, Skylar Grey, Christina Perri, Black Cards, The Pretty Reckless, Boy and Bear, Patrick Stump, Kids These Days, Young Man, The Kingston Springs, Lia Ices, The Chain Gang of 1974, Ximena Sarinana, Typhoon, Electric Touch, Kerli, Ruby Jane, Julia Easterlin, and DJ Mel.

On Perry’s Stage:

Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Kid Cudi, the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, AfroJack, Modeselektor, Skrillex, Perryetty vs. Chris Cox, Chuckie, The Glitch MOb, Busy P, Joachim Garraud, Super Mash Bros., Jay Electronica, 12th Planet, Daedulus, Feed Me, JackMaster, Collie Buddz, Savoy, Kyle Lucas and Captain Midnite, Ana Tijouxana, Midnight Conspiracy, L1ght, and Lady D.

Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but you can now buy regular priced tickets for $215 while supplies last. VIP Passes and Travel Packages are also available. A limited number of
Single Day tickets will go on sale June 7. Go here to buy tickets.

Organizers are expecting over 240,000 people.

While on holiday in England in April 2007, I saw the indie rock group Hot Club de Paris open for Carl Barat and Gary Powell‘s post-Libertines band, Dirty Pretty Things, at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire. I was very confused that the trio was singing harmonies with an English accent and not a French one. Turns out the band is from the Northwest of England, Liverpool to be exact (yes, the home of the Beatles), and is comprised of principal songwriter / lead vocalist / bassist Paul Rafferty and a pair of brothers, Alasdair (drums) and Matthew Smith (guitar). Songs like “Shipwreck” from their 2006 debut album Drop It ’til It Pops turned into singalongs that Sunday night at Shepherds Bush, confirming to me that even though they aren’t massive in Britain like, say, Coldplay, they’ve got a devoted fanbase at home and in Europe. And for a British band, that’s a major thing to have under your belt: it gives you the clout to keep making records.

Hot Club de Paris‘ last two EP releases in the UK, With Days Like This as Cheap as Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want to Work? (released February 2010) and The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band (released May 2010), have now been combined into one album for their North American album debut, the whimsically titled Free the Pterodactyl 3. Their record label, Moshi Moshi, may not be familiar to you, but past acts like Florence and the Machine and Friendly Fires should be, having released their earliest works on the indie London label before moving on to bigger things.

Hot Club de Paris is an interesting amalgamation of punk and pop. They make music under their own terms, putting out what they want (which explains why they put out two EPs in the UK last year instead of one long player) and bowing to no one. The backstory of the title track of the album is described by Moshi Moshi as “a slow and wistful jam about singer Paul Rafferty’s scrape with the law whilst attempting the liberation of a 3-metre fibreglass pterodactyl from a derelict fun fair with a couple of friends.” Sounds like a punk, all right (watch the black marker and drum-centric promo video for the song below). Their sound is at times angry and angular as math rock, but also maintains a pop edge, making them accessible to anyone. I mean, really, what punk band can you name that regularly breaks out into three-part a cappella harmony at a gig? While I haven’t seen the band in four years, I imagine “The White Town Express (Get High, Stay Low)” would be perfect to showcase their gorgeous harmonies live.

My favorite songs from this band are of the winsome, up tempo variety. “I’m Not in Love and Neither Are You” and “Dog Tired at the Spring Dance Marathon” have fun guitar lines running underneath the insistent, shouted vocals. “Dance a Ragged Dance” has feel-good harmonies and the proof that well-read Rafferty is handy with choosing words (“…buildings / booked basement parties, sad times / the moonlight lit a kiss on the stairs…“) without abandoning punk (“we can either dance or die!“). The song also ends with xylophone, more Freelance Whales than punk.

Despite the name, “Biggie Smalls and the Ghetto Slams” is not a rap song at all but instead tells the story of young kids and their ill-fated band. If you haven’t figured this out already, Hot Club de Paris likes to be different, but not for the sake of being different: it’s just not in their nature to operate any other way. And I’m glad, because their sound is all that’s great about the young North. “The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band” and “Fuck You, the Truth” (with the question, “are you guys having a good time?“, and response from the crowd, “noooo!“) are more punk, but there’s something charming about the way the lyrics are shouted at you. You want to root for this band. It’s not hard to imagine fans at a gig shouting the words back at them, fists in the air. Me? I want to be a part of that.

While Free the Pterodactyl 3 is not a cohesive album (and if you’ve read this far, you understand why this is the case), it’s a good introduction to an exciting Liverpool band that deserves success on this side of the Atlantic.

Track Listing:
01. I’m Not in Love and Neither Are You
02. The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band
03. Fuck You, the Truth
04. Biggie Smalls and the Ghetto Slams
05. Free the Pterodactyl 3
06. Dance a Ragged Dance
07. Dog Tired at the Spring Dance Marathon
08. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
09. The White Town Express (Get High, Stay Low)
10. Three Albums and Still No Ballad
11. Noses Blazing
12. Extra Time, Sudden Death

Free the Pterodactyl 3 is available now from Moshi Moshi.

Hot Club de Paris: website | myspace

As a new listener to Austin, Texas – based Shearwater, I was walking into a record not knowing what to expect. Having previously met member Jordan Gieger, my only introduction to the band was that alone. I had also been informed they opened for Coldplay and have toured Europe, so my expectations ran very high to say the least.

Not only do Shearwater paint with heavy layers of instruments, but they can leave the listener with the illusion of Shearwater housing a lot more then five members. They are always building off of an initial idea, whether it be percussion, the piano or vocals. This idea is always being enhanced and is always building to the bigger picture. Think of it as watching Bob Ross. Take out the guy with the afro and replace it with Shearwater; take out the paint brush and insert the instruments. The finished product consists of 11 paintings crafted before your ears, all constructed with many different colors and techniques, which will leave you wondering how a simple group could pull so much off.

Singer Jonathan Meiburg‘s haunting voice can provide an array of moods. He is backed by a clearly talented group which delivers the same effect with their artistry to a “T.” From one end, they provide layers upon layers of strings, synths, keyboards and percussion, allowing for an intense folk rock experience. On the other end, they provide pleasant balladry that only showcases melody and simple chord voices. To bring it home, their solid quintet roots of bass, drums, guitars and keyboard create an amazing rock band commotion, all of which construct amazingly solid songs.

There is a catch.

Being an avid listener to all different styles, I realize that some bands require a certain degree of patience. I’ve got to say, a lot of music today is very easy to listen to. Three and a half minute punk/pop/rock songs have conditioned us to passively listen, but with Shearwater you can’t do that.

Shearwater can do a lot for you as a listener; you just have to let them. They build on an emotion and don’t stop. It’s a quite marvelous experience. For fans of The Swell Season, Coldplay (Circa Viva La Vida), Ra Ra Riot and Radiohead (these being the broadest of examples), Shearwater’s The Golden Archipelago is a geniusly orchestrated album.

Track Listing:
1. Meridian
2. Black Eyes
3. Landscape at Speed
4. Hidden Lakes
5. Corridors
6. God Made Me
7. Runners of the Sun
8. Castaways
9. An Insular Life
10. Uniforms
11. Missing Islands

Written by Todd Anderson

If you’re a first time listener, a few things most likely won’t surprise you.

1. These boys are UK-made and thriving
2. These boys are huge on the radio waves
3. These boys have seen serious family heartache

With Athlete’s first hit album, Vehicles and Animals, listeners heard more electric-tinged motion, and it included a quirky ditty, “El Salvador” that popped up on The Last Kiss soundtrack and gained quite a fan base. Fast-forward to year 2009, and Athlete is now releasing record number four, and has been mood music to “One Tree Hill” four times.

So what can we amateur Americans liken Athlete to? Well, critics seem to agree that Coldplay’s mellow swells and slows are here, and the sweethearts of popular indie success, Snow Patrol, would dig this. Lead vocalist Joel Pott has a voice made for proclaiming tender life lessons with backup from echo-ey (not acoustic or biting) guitars, symphonic synth, and moments when the arena-jammed fans are wailing “ohhh wooahhh ohh” right along with him.

Black Swan seems to have a steady plot; the whole arrangement was named appropriately for life and its cataclysmic turns. “We read an article about Nassim Nicholas Taleb and his book The Black Swan,” as Pott puts it. “He was saying that our lives are made up of a handful of significant shocks, good or bad. That’s exactly how our journey has been over the last six years. We’ve had lots of unexpected highs and lows, as a band and as people.”

That being said, there are definite winners in the mix, and then moments where it just seems too FM-ready. For instance, “The Getaway” is the first single and massive fan favorite in the U.S., and one listen will bring you to the conclusion that yeah, it’s perfectly produced and breathtakingly well balanced. The lyrics, starting with, “I never really know who you are/you could be a ghost for all I know” let you know that this is the track you want motivating your all-too confusing and bipolar love life. However, the cheesy clincher explodes later in the song, “please break my heart/just so I can feel.” Come on…cue the montage.

But not all tracks sound like a band-backed Matt Nathanson, Howie Day, Travis, Damien Rice, enter-any-other-young-adult-nighttime-soap-indie-band-here. “Love Come Rescue” really is beautiful, on any facet. From the finger plucking of the acoustic, to the resonating crooning of Pott’s voice, and even the tender lyrics that aren’t made for crowd pleasing; these are the lyrics that seem to be talking only to the subject, whoever that is. This should have been the single, in all its honesty and secrecy. But it’s a short track, at under three minutes. And so I elect another, “Superhuman Touch” to grace the radio for a while. It’s fun, and still has moments that, although not too innovative, seem unique.

The album is good enough to pass with a thumbs-up, but it should come with a warning to indie-absorbed snobs like this writer—overplay is an absolute possibility, if not guarantee. Come next spring, this sucker will be in ALL the bars.

Track List:
01. Superhuman Touch
02. The Gateway
03. Black Swan Song
04. Don’t Hold Your Breath
05. Love Come Rescue
06. Light The Way
07. The Unknown
08. Awkward Goodbye
09. Magical Mistakes
10. Rubik’s Cube
11. Black Swan

Athlete: website | myspace

Built to Spill, Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson, Thievery Corporation, Joshua Radin and Sondre Lerche are the latest artists to join the (RED)NIGHTS concert series. They join Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Santigold and others for (RED)’s series of 26 concerts in the U.S. to help fight AIDS in Africa. A portion of the proceeds from each show goes directly to the Global Fund.

For the first set of shows, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Gomez, Santigold, O.A.R., Lisa Hannigan, The Veronicas, Matisyahu and K’Naan each turned one of their concerts (RED) to bring the (RED) experience to life in a new way. At each of these shows, (RED)NIGHTS and the community of acclaimed artists aimed to inspire fans to participate in (RED)’s mission to eliminate AIDS in Africa by pausing to highlight the many ways to get involved and encouraging those in the audience to share the message and experience with others.

“I believe no person deserves to suffer from a preventable, treatable disease simply because they can’t afford medicine,” said Marc Roberge of O.A.R. “If bringing awareness to what (RED) is doing helps one person receive antiretroviral treatment and live a healthy life, we have accomplished our goal.”

Ultimately, it is the goal of (RED)NIGHTS to build a community—of artists, concertgoers and music fans everywhere—that is passionate about helping to fight AIDS in Africa. A portion of the proceeds of each (RED)NIGHTS concert goes directly to the Global Fund.

“(RED) was looking to engage more people in its mission, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. The (RED)NIGHTS series is an innovative concept that combines the power of Live Nation’s live music platform and venues to use people’s passion for music to raise awareness and, ultimately, generate more money to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.” said Russell Wallach, President of North American Alliances for Live Nation. “We’re building a great line up of artists for (RED)NIGHTS, and believe we can help (RED) successfully deliver its message by connecting them with music fans all over the country.”

(RED)NIGHTS arrives on the heels of (RED)WIRE ™, the innovative new digital music service from (RED). The (RED)NIGHTS artists join an impressive community of (RED) artists who are participating in (RED)WIRE, including U2, Coldplay, The Killers, Jay-Z, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Noel Gallagher, Conor Oberst, TV On The Radio, Death Cab For Cutie, Michael Franti and many more. (RED)NIGHTS and (RED)WIRE mark the first time (RED) has moved into the music arena and are a mutual extension of (RED)’s mission, whereby the music community is coming together as a vehicle to raise awareness and funds to help fight AIDS in Africa.

Tour Dates:
Aug 19 – Fall Out Boy @ The Pageant / St. Louis, MO
Sep 12 – Ingrid Michaelson @ The Paradise / Boston
Sep 13 – Sondre Lerche @ The Paradise / Boston
Sep 24 – Joshua Radin @ House of Blues / Chicago
Sep 25 – Brandi Carlile @ House of Blues / Chicago
Oct 03 – Ingrid Michaelson @ House of Blues / San Diego
Oct 04 – Thievery Corporation @ House of Blues / Dallas
Oct 09 – Thievery Corporation @ The Fillmore / Miami
Oct 31 – Built to Spill @ The Fillmore / San Francisco
Nov 01 – Built to Spill @ The Fillmore / San Francisco

(RED) Nights: website