Baltimore’s Future Islands returned from a tour abroad last week, having completed some awesome firsts: first show in Greece, and their first show in Spain. They’ve already embarked on a stateside tour with a record release show coming up at the Black Cat on November 4 (w/ Romantic States). The new 7" split (out on Friends Records) features a new Future Islands song "The Ink Well", written and recorded this summer, with life-long friends Lonnie Walker on the flip (and in the 11/4 line-up). Earlier this month, Thrill Jockey Records released Undressed, an acoustic EP of their earlier recordings. Check it out here.
If I wasn’t going to be traipsing around New Orleans this weekend for VOODOO Music Fest, I’d be at this show. Great lineup of local and national bands, and will be hosted by Dean "Tex Rambunctious" Shortland, and–god forbid this is actually true–the one and only, Basil Marceaux. Wha…?! But you definitely don’t want to miss Chancellor Warhol, or Space Capone. And do I even need to tell you to not miss the Ying Yang Twins? Now that’s a timeless act right there. Check here for more details. —Deli Editor
Looks like some pretty "colorful" entertainment will be happening in Nashville this weekend, especially at 12th and Porter. It also looks like it might be a good idea to try and snag advance tickets for a lot of the shows going on, because they’re probably gonna be pretty packed. Go here for more information and tickets.–Deli Editor
We are full of videos today. But who doesn’t love a little visual stimulation with their music? Not any of us. Well, our favorite sons Grandchildren released a new video today via The Fader for “Saturn Returns”. Yes, they just released one last week already, but this one is definitely the more professional version with Canadian short filmmaker Chelsea McMullan at the helm. Glad to see someone is laying down some cash to help get these guys more exposure. They deserve it. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff
This week Disturbed will premiere The Asylum Interactive Experience an online game based on their album Asylum. The album was recently released on Reprise Records, and was Disturbed’s fourth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1.
Donny Smeads of "The Donny Smeads Show" is back with our freedom rock lovin’ jokesters Free Energy for another two minutes and fifty-nine seconds of the “Free Energy Power Hour”. Did you ever wonder where you could get your favorite cassingle refurbished? Or your VHS and Beta collection of porn? Well, here you go. – The Deli Staff
Yay! We love “Throw Yourself Apart” by Lehigh Valley’s Soars! Now, they have a new video for it which you can view over and over again below. In keeping with their eerie cinematic sound, they sample scenes from the 1960 Japanese horror film Jigoku. The video was directed by Jaimie Harley. You can check out our review of their self-titled debut album here and our recent interview with the whole band here. You’ll also be able to catch them live on Nov. 7 at Pilam w/Hot Guts and Nov. 27 at JB’s w/Aunt Dracula. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff
On the cover of their third full-length Autumn, Again, in large, definitive typeface are the words “POP SONGS – 2010”. For A Sunny Day in Glasgow, that’s both an attention-grabber and a reminder, of course, that “pop” is a pretty relative term. Either way, it’s appropriate, as the band has never sounded as concise as they do here. The tracks are generally shorter and more tightly constructed, and the multilayered vocals are now far sharper, having been lifted out of the murkiness that once characterized them so strongly.
This doesn’t mean that ASDIG has lost any of their soft, ethereal qualities, however. The band has always been (and still is) firmly rooted in the shoegaze/dream-pop tradition, but comparisons to My Bloody Valentine (which doesn’t seem to mean anything anymore, frankly) never seemed as telling as ones to Slowdive, Lush, or Curve. In the case of Autumn, Again, the delicate, reverberating textures of the first two are fused with the prominent electronic elements of the third. In fact, it seems like ASDIG has gone from being a band with electronic undercurrents to a full-blown electro-pop act without sacrificing any of their dreaminess.
Breathy, feminine vocals interweave, meld with percolating synths, odd snatches of guitar, and sturdy industrial beats. The opening motorik rhythm of “Sigh, Inhibitionist (Come All Day with Me)” is pleasantly reminiscent of Yo La Tengo, and the first few vocal lines of “Drink Drank Drunk” are quite catchy. Although there are no clear singles (except maybe, again, “Drink Drank Drunk”), the “POP SONGS” declaration still isn’t surprising. Whereas earlier releases were content to wallow, quite beautifully, in their own fuzzy headspace, their latest release strives to do not only that, but also create a pointed, self-encapsulating piece of work. Autumn, Again is available for free download or donations here. – Joe Poteracki
As severe metal goes, Philly’s Woe has some serious balls – just listen to their coveted sophomore release on Candlelight Records, Quietly, Undramatically. Fronted by Chris Grigg, founder of Phillymetal.com (read The Deli’s FYI on DIYs in PHL with Grigg here), Woe takes hard-hitting thrashes to the extreme, employing melodic undertones, prog-rock leanings, and throaty, high-pitched screeches. They’ll share the stage with New Jersey’s slow-driving, slugging metal veterans and label mates Kreig, who returned full swing to the scene in 2008 and is releasing their sixth full-length, The Isolationist, on Candlelight, which they will be celebrating its release tonight at KFN. Need more? Philly distorted and fast-driving metal quintet, Infernal Stronghold, is set to open, and the show is FREE. They call that awesome. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, Free, 21+– Annamarya Scaccia
We asked our friend Nora at I Rock I Roll Blog to highlight the best LA band she saw at CMJ this year, here’s her response:
Pepper Rabbit – Disclaimer: I’m pretty sure any band that makes beautiful music and has the word Rabbit in their name is going to elicit some major musical crushing from me. That said, this LA Duo just released a gorgeous album Beauregard on Kanine. These gorgeous songs will make you swoon upon first listen and then somehow haunt you for days later – definitely one of my absolute new faves that people will be talking about a lot next year.
We asked our friend Nora at I Rock I Roll Blog to highlight the best NYC band she saw at CMJ this year, here’s her response:
1. "NYC (via Tacoma, WA) band Oberhofer – I’m pretty sure these guys are all teenagers. Okay I googled and Brad Oberhofer is actually 19. Wow. While discoveries like this sometimes make me question what I did with my life when I was 19, something always wins me over about bands that are so young, polished and so clearly talented beyond their years. Their supercharged pop-rock, which has been garnering praise all over the blogoshpere this year, won over packed crowds throughout the 5 CMJ days (they played 11 shows in 5 days!) and maybe made some of us nostalgic for our younger days too. I call that a big win."
2. Pepper Rabbit – Disclaimer: I’m pretty sure any band that makes beautiful music and has the word Rabbit in their name is going to elicit some major musical crushing from me. That said, this LA Duo just released a gorgeous album Beauregard on Kanine. These gorgeous songs will make you swoon upon first listen and then somehow haunt you for days later – definitely one of my absolute new faves that people will be talking about a lot next year.
3. Kids of 88 – Ok this one is technically cheating because I didn’t ACTUALLY see this band during CMJ due to scheduling, taco time, putting my showcase together, and so on. My disappoint in that epic failure caused me to beg their publicist to at least send me the funky new-wavey New Zealand duo’s debut album Sugarpills and I have not been able to stop listening to it since she kindly obliged. Seriously, "Ribbon of Light" is on my top 10 list for the year for sure – not that new wave pop is a brand new thing, but somehow they make it seem fresh and to me that’s the most important thing. Come back soon, Kids of 88!
Bands that cite the Legendary Pink Dots as influences include The Dresden Dolls, Skinny Puppy and MGMT. Rolling Stone says that they “created some of the most enigmatic and challenging compositions in modern music.” The Legendary Pink Dots are the kind of wildly influential artists that never blew up to über buzz worthy status, but whose fan base is comprised mainly of notable musicians. While most buzz bands go broke during their first tour, The ‘Dots have been doing it since 1980 and have recorded more than 40 albums along the way. They appear this Friday at Les Poisson Rouge amidst their fall tour, in support of their new album "Seconds Late for the Brighton Line" released on ROIR Records. The album is moody and abstract like dozing off in a subway car.
Led by singer/songwriter Edward Ka-Spel and keyboardist/songwriter Phil “Silverman” Knight, the band is currently a quartet as members Niels Van Hoorn & Martijn De Kleer left the group. The ‘Dots blend experimental music of all genres, including punk, goth, neo-psychedelia, krautrock and ambient music; they defy description and have an incredible range of sound, making them hard to pin down to a specific genre. The Legendary Pink Dots play NYC once again this Halloween at Irving Plaza with The Dresden Dolls. – Alex Borsody
Bands that cite the