NYC

New Austin band: Love Inks announces release of debut album “E.S.P.” + 3 SXSW dates

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I had a gigantic infatuation for Kim Deal when I was about 19 years old – yes, she was quite cute at the time, but it was her voice that did it: I can still confidently state that her voice is one of the best if not the best female voice in the indie rock genre. Austin up and comers Love Inks‘ vocalist Sherry Leblanc has a tone very reminiscent of Kim, which – of course – got me excited. The only song you can currently hear from this band (embedded here) is a very simple pop gem that seem designed to allow indie pop lovers to fall for Sherry’s voice and melody. Well I think it works. The band just announced the release of their debut album, due on May 11. They’ll be playing at Cheer Up Charlie on March 10 and then at 3 different Austin venues during SXSW.

 

Philadelphia

The Deli’s March Album of the Month: Smoke Ring For My Halo – Kurt Vile

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Kurt Vile has come a long way since officially releasing his first album and being hastily lumped into the lo-fi bedroom project family. Emerging on the scene with reverb pedal and drum machine underneath his arm, he released Constant Hitmaker in 2008. While the albums title seems somewhat tongue-and-cheek, with the release of three more subsequent LPs, including his newest, Smoke Ring For My Halo, it is hard to deny his prolific songwriting ability with all his creative output in such a short period of time (and that’s not even including all the CD-Rs). The immense talent Vile has for effortlessly crafting songs was quickly revealed with his first two solo creations. The lo-fi nature of the records could hardly contain the complex and tempered songwriting that flourishes with the help of The Violators and a trifecta of professional studios. The following two releases, 2009’s Childish Prodigy and last year’s Square Shells EP are two endearingly different parts of Vile’s schizophrenic songwriting that were skillfully rendered and harnessed on this newest release with the help of producer John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., The Breeders, Sonic Youth, etc.). The songs are often forward moving, rarely bothering with a conventional “chorus” or other musical tropes instead opting for ever-evolving songs that are carefully crafted but naturally executed. 
 
Smoke Ring’s biggest changes in terms of Vile’s sound seem to be the increased presence of The Violators in the actual recording and the cleaner but still finely textured production. The album opens with a creak rather than a crash with the beautiful and distant “Baby’s Arms”. When he sings “Hide in my baby’s hands/ because except for her, there just ain’t nothing to latch on to”, he evokes a feeling of haunting solitude that reoccurs throughout the album’s 11 tracks. That being said, Smoke Ring is certainly less rollicking than Childish Prodigy, but it wouldn’t be a proper Vile album without a crunchy, nose-thumbing sludge-rocker like “Puppet To The Man”. Somewhere between the ends of his sonic spectrum sits “Society Is My Friend” which reminds me of a moodier Neil Young track with militant drumming and layers of guitars that are distorted so much that it is hard to tell they are even guitars. The back half of the album settles into a quieter mood that highlights the intricate guitar arrangements and Vile’s lyrical tossing and turning like on the sauntering “Runner Ups” and “Peeping Tomboy”. The album comes to a close and a swell with the pensive, slow-churning number “Ghost Town” that has an “alone in a empty mansion” kind of feel that Vile and his Violators then transform into a slow-burning psych-jam before all of the atmosphere is stripped away leaving Vile alone with his guitar, the same way his musical journey began and how this particular one will end. Smoke Ring For My Halo is my favorite and the most cohesive Vile release so far via Matador Records. The album will be available March 8, but you can stream it here now. – Adam G.
 
Philadelphia

Dragon King Headline at KFN March 1

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Dragon King will be headlining tonight at Kung Fu Necktie. Dominic Angelella’s project with producer Ritz Reynolds just premiered a new music video at Phrequency yesterday for the super-hyped track “Wolfman” featuring Peedi Crakk. (You can check out our review of Dragon King’s Warriors EP here.) The footage was filmed and directed by Adam Michael Lovitz. This evening’s lineup will also include Brooklyn’s blues-garage rock duo Boom Chick, Nate Rylan’s Early Ape, Rum Rooster & the Farm (the original Toy Soldiers duo), and Y-Not Radio’s Josh T. Landow spinning tunes for your enjoyment. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ (Photo by Mark Stehle) – H.M. Kauffman
 

Philadelphia

Roots Picnic 2011 Lineup Announced!

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The 4th Annual Roots Picnic is back with a great, eclectic lineup. It will be happening on Saturday, June 4th at the Festival Pier, and tickets will go on sale at 10am this Friday, March 4th. Nice to see locals like Man Man and Nicos Gun included in the mix with acts like Nas, Ariel Pink, The Dismemberment Plan, Yelawolf and many more. Leave it to The Roots to make a classy statement to naysayers when they back Esperanza Spalding. Also suck it Bieber nation! – The Deli Staff