Please Be Patient With Me

Add To Your Radar…Wild Yaks

emahollitz — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:46:27 +0000

Brooklyn’s Wild Yaks specialize in some of the most simplistic, yet carnal and effusive music I’ve heard in some time. So far the unsigned band has released an EP, which you can stream on their MySpace page. Following their current smattering of New York it shouldn’t take long for a record deal and subsequent debut album. In the meantime, the folks at The Fader have been showing the band some love, most recently by hosting this short documentary:

Download: River May Come (MP3) (via KEXP)

Upcoming Madison Shows

emahollitz — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:05:07 +0000

This week is brimming with a wacky array of concerts that should get everybody out at some point. It all starts tonight at the High Noon with Japanese punk band Peelander-Z. Dressed like rogue Power Rangers and often singing about such things as steak and karaoke, this trio must be seen to be believed. Hopefully, they’ve brought along their live-action bowling props. Now, let’s see how the rest of the week stacks up.

Tue. 4/21 — Extra Golden @ The Annex
>>While most African music that reaches the states comes from Western countries like Mali and Senegal, Extra Golden has gained notoriety for combining Kenya’s benga music with America’s rock. See what all the fuss is about tomorrow night. This Bright Apocalypse opens.

Tue. 4/21 — Attention Deficit Tour ft. Wale, UCB Band + Colin Munroe @ the Memorial Union
>>Through the use of online mixtapes, DC rapper Wale has quickly amassed quite a following. But then, who doesn’t want to rock out to hip-hop jams laced with go-go music. This is Wale’s first tour in support of an official release and the perfect time for you to jump on the bandwagon.

Thur. 4/23 — Great Lake Swimmers @ High Noon
>>Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers just released their fourth album, Lost Channels, an album full of indie-Americana gems that are perfectly suited to the High Noon. Kate Maki and The Championship open.

And because this town is severely lacking in good dance music, don’t pass up the following:

Sat. 4/25 — Future Rock + Orchard Lounge @ the Majestic
>>Chicago’s Future Rock put together a heady mix of glitchy rock-tronica that is sure to please those itchy dance feet. If not, you’ve got athlete’s foot.

Download: Peelander-Z – Let’s Go! Karaoke Party! (MP3)
Download: Wale – The Mixtape About Nothing (MP3)
Download: Great Lake Swimmers – Everything Is Moving So Fast (MP3)

New Lightspeed Champion!

emahollitz — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:25:40 +0000

Devonte Hynes, formerly of Test Icicles and current owner of the Lightspeed Champion moniker, says I guess I finished recording the new album, kind of… I’m a huge fan of Hynes first Lightspeed record, Falling off the Lavender Bridge. I was fortunate enough to see him play to a crowd of ~20-30 people at Seattle’s Chop Suey. Surely the public at large has woken up since then. If that news isn’t enough, Hynes went on to say Also, I should inform everyone, that i’ve just started on ANOTHER album to hopefully be released not too long after this next Lightspeed record. Hynes also recently published a short story entitled The KKK Took My Baby Away. If you’re familiar with the artist’s previous work, that title isn’t shocking at all. (Thanks to BrooklynVegan for the tip).

Life is Good.

Here’s the video for Falling off… highlight Tell Me What It’s Worth:

**Don’t forget his amazing ’07 appearance on Black Cab Sessions.

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Diplo Play the Union This Weekend

emahollitz — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:43:23 +0000

This weekend is packed with good shows, the surest sign yet that Spring has arrived. DJ, Producer and Mad Decent labelhead Diplo will perform in Der Rathskeller tomorrow night, bringing a rare dose of electro and hip-hop inflected beats to the city. Earlier today, via his twitter page, Diplo revealed that his set would likely include an afterparty announcement. As if you needed another excuse to catch every last synth blast. Savor this one, Madison.

But first things first — tonight, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band shakes things down at Memorial Union. The Seattle band just released their debut album on Dead Oceans, cementing their ‘band to watch’ status amongst all those previously unaware. Currently in the middle of their first national tour, look to hear a lot more from/about these guys in the coming months. Seattle’s own KEXP recently interviewed the band.

Also this weekend:

>>Richard Buckner (early show) and underground legend Rodriguez (late show) play the High Noon ($10 & 15 dollars respectively, 4/10).

>>Alexi Murdoch and Dawn Landes play the Majestic ($15, 4/12).

>>Strand of Oaks plays Montmartre ($7, 4/12).

New White Rabbits: It’s Frightening

emahollitz — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:12:19 +0000

Brooklyn’s White Rabbits crafted one of my favorite albums in 2007 — their debut record, Fort Nightly. Since then, they’ve toured pretty consistently, monopolizing audience attention everywhere they go. Not long ago, it was revealed that Spoon‘s Britt Daniel was producing their forthcoming album — an announcement that ignited further hype for a band that had become largely synonymous with being on the road.

With the May 19 release of It’s Frightening on TBD Records fast approaching, we now have album opener, Percussion Gun, to whet our appetites. Beginning with what sounds like hobbit laughter, the track quickly lives up to its title with bludgeoning drums and the band’s aggressive vocal styling. There was always a noticeable Spoon similarity in Fort Nightly, but no previous awareness of the band is necessary to notice it here. Daniel’s hands are all over this and with stunning results.

Download: Percussion Gun (MP3)

White Rabbits play the High Noon Saloon June 30 with another great Brooklyn band, the Harlem Shakes — easily one of my most anticipated shows of the year thus far. There is currently a White Rabbits video in the works. While we wait for that, let’s relive this gem from Fort Nightly, The Plot:

Zola Jesus Enraptures SXSW Audiences

emahollitz — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:21:10 +0000

Each year, SXSW dominates music news coverage while it’s going on and for weeks thereafter. Many news outlets push their favorites for ‘best band at SXSW.’ No band garnered that tag as much as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but one of the biggest sleeper hits was Madison’s own Zola Jesus. In the past week Zola Jesus, consisting of 19-year-old Nika Danilova, received remarkable write-ups from the likes of Pitchfork and The Fader. Be sure to pick up her 10-track CD-R, New Amsterdam, via Sacred Bones, as well as the Tsar Bomba LP on Troubleman. Surely more than a fad, Danilova will be increasingly on your mind and in your ears in the months and years to come.

Stream or Download: Sea Talk (MP3) (From Tsar Bomba) (Via RCRD LBL)

Here is video(quality somewhat lacking) from a Zola Jesus performance @ SXSW:

Because Money Grows On Trees…

emahollitz — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:54:13 +0000

Another week gone by, another batch of excuses to head to your local record store. Here are my favorites:

>>An Horse – Rearrange Beds (Mom & Pop)
Download: Company (MP3) [from Not Really Scared]

buy it at insound!

Camp Out (Performed on Letterman 3/11/09):

>>Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Beware (Drag City)

buy it at insound!

**Do yourself a favor and pick up the Ultraload, a 10″ featuring 4 non-album tracks, along with a download of the complete album.
I Am Goodbye:

>>Nick Lowe – Quiet Please: The New Best of… (Yep Roc)

buy it at insound!

Cruel to Be Kind (Live on BBC):

>>Wavves – Wavvves (Fat Possum)
Download: So Bored (MP3)

buy it at insound!

**As always, you can view the complete list of releases over at Largehearted Boy. Happy Shopping!

The Return of Viva Voce

emahollitz — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:14:23 +0000

Originating in Muscle Shoals, AL, in the late ’90s, Kevin and Anita Robinson quickly found the environs of Portland, OR to their liking. They’ve been there ever since, crafting sleeper hits like ’04s The Heat Can Melt Your Brain and the magnificent ’06 record Get Yr Blood Sucked Out. These quiet successes are suiting and yet odd for a rock duo that is capable of making so much noise.

After touring quite extensively on Get Yr Blood…, the Robinsons decided to take some time off. They returned last year not as themselves, but as a more expansive Blue Giant, a supergroup of sorts that involves The Decemberists‘ Chris Funk, Evan Railton of Swords and others. The fuller band format proved so enjoyable to Kevin and Anita that reviving Viva Voce would have to include more members — and so Railton and Corrina Repp have been added to the permanent lineup. VVs return, entitled Rose City, was recorded in three weeks in the Robinson’s backyard studio. The album is set for May 26 release on Barsuk. Get the tracklist and a few downloads below.

Rose City Tracklist:

1. Devotion (MP3)
2. Die A Little
3. Octavio
4. Midnight Sun
5. Red Letter Day
6. Good As Gold
7. Rose City
8. Tornado Alley
9. Flora
10. The Slow Fade

Download: When Planets Collide (from Get Yr Blood Sucked Out) (MP3)
Download: We Do Not Fuck Around (from Get Yr Blood Sucked Out) (MP3)

From the Devil Himself:

Tonight: AA Bondy @ Memorial Union

emahollitz — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:35:05 +0000

The Alabama native and former frontman for rock outfit Verbena will perform the Union’s Der Rathskeller this evening. The cavernous venue should provide the perfect backdrop to Bondy’s stripped down tales of murder, drug use and desolation. With just a guitar and his voice, which often sounds like it’s sung through gritted teeth, Bondy quickly spins tales of sorrow into feelings of redemption and heartache. Like Neko Case, he takes folk/country back to its roots, when it was more about meaning and transcendence than crafting another radio hit. There are a few samples to check out below, but in this case you should take my word for it. See AA Bondy tonight!

>>MySpace
>>Daytrotter Session (includes unreleased material)

Download: American Hearts (MP3)
[from his solo debut, American Hearts, on Fat Possum]

American Hearts

It’s Time for the Remix

emahollitz — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:48:51 +0000

Mmm…remixes. Enjoy!

Jensen Sportag – Cocktease (Max Tundra Remix) (MP3) (via Pitchfork)

Gordon Voidwell – Ivy League (Circus Remix) (via RCRD LBL)

The Long Lost – Amiss (Tunng Remix) (via RCRD LBL)
*The Long Lost is Daedelus, aka Alfred Darlington, and his wife, Laura.

Nickel Eye ft. Wale – Brandy of the Damned (Ronson Remix) (MP3) (via The Fader)

Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence (Mr. Vega Remix) (MP3) (via The Music Slut)

Datarock – Give It Up (Kissy Sell Remix) (MP3)

Marina & the Diamonds – Obsessions (The Aspirins for My Children Remix) (MP3) (via Neon Gold)

XRABIT & DMG$ – Follow the Leader (Club Remix) (via RCRD LBL)

Telepathe – So Fine (Lauren Flax Remix) (MP3) (via The Fader)

Diplo – Must Be a Devil (CSY Remix) (MP3) (via Mad Decent)

Favorites? What reworked tracks have been driving you up a wall recently?