The prolific Bay Area bred Mikey Maramag aka Blackbird Blackbird teamed with Texas’ Pandit for the marching-band-meets-chillwave track "Lovesick" available for free download here. Tough to resist a download tagged with “weird" and "california," aptly described by Blackbird Blackbird label UFOLK RECORDS. Just as he did on recent solo albums “Halo” and “Summer Heart,” Blackbird Blackbird paired the single with cool, original cover art.

Don’t miss Blackbird Blackbird with Ghostland Observatory at The Regency Ballroom on May 10, Rickshaw Stop on May 25 or 105 Pioneer St. in Santa Cruz on May 28.

–Whitney Phaneuf

"Noir," the new album from San Francisco and Seattle based Blue Sky Black Death, is a sweeping, shoegazing soundtrack reminiscent of early trip hop. The fourth studio album for Young God and Kingston, accomplished producers known for their collaborations with hip hop’s Jean Grae, Crooked-I and Hell Razah, "Noir" continues to build upon the duo’s cinematic style. Combining live instrumentation and sampling, the sound is intricate and ambient. The meditative layers in tracks such as "Where Do We Go," "And Stars. Ringed" and "Sleeping Children Are Still Flying" carry the album and create what feels like a composition rather than a collection of singles. Listen to all of "Noir" on Blue Sky Black Death’s YouTube channel.

-Whitney Phaneuf

You Are Plural—duo Jen Grady on cello and Ephriam Nagler on Wurlitzer—opened for The Felice Brothers to a packed Great American Music Hall show last Thursday night. The San Francisco-based pair also joined the New York folk-rockers Felice Brothers in Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake City.

The band returned to Grady’s home-base of Washington to record "Hand It Over," its seven song debut EP, which is sold at shows and on Bandcamp. Grady and Nagler’s music is both dramatic and calming. They harmonize quite beautifully on many of the songs, while Grady confidently steps into lead vocals on other songs. Nagler adds piano to their classical yet highly experimental sound. He has played in bands such as Marin-based Oddbird and with Tim Kasher of Cursive, while Grady plays cello with Emily Jane White and Garrett Pierce. She also played bass on Two Gallants frontman Adam Hayworth Stephens’ solo tour last fall. 

This is the first time these talented musicians are leading their own project, and the audience took well to the innovative sound. The ornate interior of the Great American Music Hall was an ideal venue to enjoy the rich, complex sounds. The show was then taken in a rocking direction with The Felice Brothers, whose fourth album "Celebration, Florida" (Team Love Records) will be released next week. Their folk songs are filled with fascinating personal narratives, enhanced by accordion and violin among the usual rock instruments. Their new songs feature unexpected rave beats, which got the audience really going, as did older songs which were shouted along to by a dancing crowd.

—Shauna Keddy

Save a slow dance for Silver Swans at Thursday’s Popscene, sharing the bill with Brooklyn’s The Hundred in the Hands. Silver Swans’ dark, dream-pop lullabies are the project of DJ producer Jon Waters and songwriter Ann Yu. The duo likes to record late night and it’s heard in the ethereal, bedroom sound of the "Secrets" EP. Together they marry synth and low-fi with Portishead-style distorted female vocals, feedback, piano, loops, and rhythm noises. The upbeat remixes will warrent more than a slow dance while covers such as The National’s “Anyone’s Ghost” show off Silver Swans’ ability to leave its signature moody mark on any song.

-Whitney Phaneuf

Silver Swans – Anyone’s Ghost (The National Cover) by silverswans

San Francisco six piece Cannons & Clouds have announced the release their latest EP June along with a supporting tour. On the heals of their 2010 debut album After All, this EP marks a change of pace for the band from the likes of indie folk into the more upbeat realm of rock. June marks new ground for the band as they embark on their upcoming West Coast tour and prepare for a new full length album (set to release later this year). They will be celebrating this release tonight at the Cafe Du Nord with Silian Rail and The Lambs. To have a listen to the tracks on June, or for more information on their West Coast tour, check them out here. Otherwise, grab yourself a hard copy of the EP tonight at the Cafe Du Nord.

The long awaited reunion of Americana/ folk-rock duo Two Gallants (Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel) finally took place last weekend in their home-city of San Francisco, at the beloved Portero Hill venue, Bottom of the Hill. The venue was completely packed on its second sold out night, and many attendants even flew and drove in for the show. Favorite songs from the duo’s four releases to date (three albums and one EP) such as "Seems Like Home to Me", "Steady Rollin’", "Despite What You’ve Been Told" and especially "Las Cruces Jail" were welcomed by an uproarious crowd. Stephens and Vogel, who have been friends since childhood, were incredibly grateful for the reception of fans, and were as tight in their playing as they were during their last tour in 2008. The two had not played together since their December 2008 performance at The Fillmore. These home shows kick off a North American tour, which will be followed by a string of European dates. With stops in Vienna, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium and England, these boys will have quite the busy summer. Their show in Vienna is with Saddle Creek Record label-mates Bright Eyes and Warner Bros. band Jenny and Johnny. (Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice both hold ties to the Nebraska-based Saddle Creek Records as well). Another highlight of the tour is a performance in Belgium at a free outdoor festival.

Although Two Gallants are known for Vogel’s intense drumming power, the band is revered for its controlled chaos—they have many songs of quiet profundity. One such song of fierce tranquility is "Crow Jane", from 2004’s The Throes which was performed with the help of Jackie Perez Gratz (from the San Francisco metal-trio Grayceon) on a beautiful electric cello.

Stephens and Vogel have been recording as Two Gallants (named after a James Joyce story in Dubliners) since their mid-20’s, and have been applauded for a sound that authentically hearkens back to the early days of blues music in America. Songs such as "The Deader" (Two Gallants, 2007) were passionately sung along to by fans, with such classic blues sentiments sung by Stephens as "Let the river be my guide, let the desert be my bride". Another audience favorite to sing along to is always "Despite What You’ve Been Told", with lines such as "I’ll take to the hills, savage and free. I don’t need nobody and nobody needs me". The band opened with a cover of the Blind Willie McTell song "Dyin’ Crap Shooter Blues", which was on their 2003 album-length demo By The Grace of God, and sounded as if it could have been written by Stephens himself. The band also performed their controversial song "Long Summer Day" (What the Toll Tells, 2006), which tells the story of an African American man before the civil rights movement, who is driven crazy by hard work in the hot summer days, while a "white man feels lazy" and turned away from voting. Their songs always tell rich narratives, but this stands out as their most political song to date.

Fans were relieved to see Stephens playing with his full force, as he was seriously injured in an accident when returning from his tour of his solo album released this fall We Live on Cliffs (Saddle Creek). When driving through a Wyoming snowstorm with his drummer Omar Cuellar, their van flipped multiple times. Physical therapy sessions have enabled both to be able to play again.

If you missed them on this tour and are eager to check out new material from the two, Vogel’s solo album was released last summer, entitled The Devotionals, and is a mesmerizing instrumental project. Otherwise, stay tuned for the recording of their next album and more home shows to follow.

–Shauna C. Keddy

I’ve been listening to a lot of The Clash lately. I think it’s something about the springtime that brings out the 70’s punk girl in me. When I heard the first song off Terry Malts’ new 7-inch I’m Neurotic, I couldn’t help but equate the two. Their biography section on their Facebook Page, while never the most important way to retrieve information on a band, seems to, in this case, ring true to the trio as it reads, “Detached, disillusioned so and so’s, thriving on barely trying.” These Bay Area boys pull off the lazy and bored musician thing better than most.

The first song off the EP, also titled “I’m Neurotic,” starts with a fuzzy guitar riff over a fast-paced and extremely powerful drumbeat as the vocals creeps quietly into the song repeating “I’m neurotic.” It’s the perfect opener for a 7-inch as it instantly grabs an audience that seems to be currently obsessed with finding a 60’s or 70’s band to compare a new band to (guilty). Terry Malts originality shines through more on the second track, “Distracted” which kicks off with an echoing gospel-like acapella before starting into another quick and highly succinct drumbeat with drawn-out guitar riffs. The last track “Where is the Weekend?” is by far the “sloppiest” song in the best and most oxymoronic way possible. The patterned and simple lyrics over a chaotic and fast paced tempo in a short two minutes left me wanting more—hoping for a full-length from these guys soon.

 –Anna Oseran

Opening with a warm ambient hum, "What With" sets the tone for Mist Giant‘s debut EP Human Tree and lays out the foundation for their pensive electronic indie-rock sound. Smooth ambient synths, subdued rhythms, and a peppering of wistful guitar melodies bring to life Mist Giant’s brand of drone-y pop. Borrowing some of the musical practices of trip hop, Mist Giant has created an exciting and austere soundscape with this EP.

Minimal and well-crafted, Human Tree is a wonderful surprise from a band that seemed to pop up on my radar out of nowhere. With the chugging ambiance of “What With,” the eerie sounds and electronic drums of “Empty Archipeg,” and the pulsing heartbeat rhythm of the “Some Ophelia,” Mist Giant have delivered an intricate and thoroughly intelligent set of songs. Human Tree comes highly recommended for anyone in search of a brief respite from the Bay Area’s great garage revival.

-Ada Lann

Human Tree is currently available for download here with the promise of a vinyl pressing this May.

Spring rolls on with week of lovely weather. Here are few show selections for you to take in once the sun goes down.

Tonight Ears of the Beholder will be presenting a show at the Rickshaw with Dominant Legs, Superhumanoids, and Dirty Ghosts, 8pm.

Friday, back at the Rickshaw, Soft White Sixties will be celebrating a double album release party with AB and the Sea alongside The She’s, 8:30pm.

Saturday out at the Hotel Utah catch Manatee with The Soonest, The Dandelion War and Calling Morocco, 9pm. This will be The Soonest’s EP release show.

–Ada Lann

 San Francisco garage rock scion Ty Segall and his band played to a sold out crowd on last Thursday the 21st at Bottom of the Hill. This is not your Mom and Dad’s rock and roll — this is the kind that’s meant for teenage rebellion.

Channeling the unadulterated energy from early 60’s garage rock, Ty Segall’s sound is nothing short of noisy and his look is dirty. But don’t let all the drum banging and guitar fuzz fool you — these are completely talented musicians, and they showed their skills to the jam-packed crowd.

The kids and the not-so-young alike danced and shoved the night away, getting throughly riled up by the rocking lo-fi grooves curated by Mr. Segall and his all girl band. Especially noteworthy performer was drummer Emily Rose Epstein. Her tight drumming kept everyone’s feet moving — but it was still fun since she beat the hell out of her drums.

Opening bands for Ty were San Francisco based R&B act Nick Waterhouse and the Tarots, Costa Mesa band TRMRS and local band The Royal Baths.

 – Lauren Manary

Gypsy-electro-roots-bassheads Beats Antique has taken its sound circus back on the road. Treading the line between hippie and raver, the Oakland, CA-based trio plays Milford, CT tonight, Burlington, VT on April 27, and Boston, MA on April 28. You can also catch Beats Antique at festivals Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, All Good, Lollapalooza, and Bear Creek.

Beats Antique’s eclectic sound appeals to a wide variety of tastes. Like-minded collaborators range from Bassnectar to John Popper. The local favorites quickly sold out the Fillmore in late March, and the show featured surreal animal masks, dancers, live instruments, and, of course, heavy beats. They closed the set with a Glitch Mob remix that left everyone sweaty and slightly transformed. Being Bay Area cool kids, Beats Antique’s refreshed website is worth a look, and there you’ll find the complete 2011 tour schedule. –Whitney Phaneuf

Vardo by beatsantique

Finally fulfilling the promise of their demo we reviewed recently, Phantom Kicks have announced the release of their official EP Tectonics. Featuring all the songs from the demo plus a few additions, this EP is definitely worth a listen. Grab yourself a copy while it’s still free over at their Bandcamp page and, if it’s not too late to make plans for the evening, catch them at the Hemlock tonight with Ash Reiter and Radiation City.

–Ada Lann