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Divider imageFriendly Fire Recordings Announces SXSW Party


flyer by Gregory Pepper

FRIENDLY FIRE & FRIENDS SXSW SHOWCASE!
Friday 3/19 at Lambert’s (402 West 2nd Street @ Guadalupe – less than a five minute walk from 6th St!)
free giveaways of Pomp & Circumstance magazine!

1am – SLOW CLUB (Moshi Moshi)
12am – OH NO ONO
11pm – A SUNNY DAY IN GLASGOW (Mis Ojos Discos)
10pm – ELK CITY
9pm – THE WHITSUNDAYS
8pm – TAPE DECK MOUNTAIN (Lefse)

Oh No Ono, Elk City, and the Whitsundays have some other shows throughout the course of the week to which you are all invited as well:

WEDNESDAY 3/17:
2:55pm – Oh No Ono @ Terrorbird day party, Red 7 (611 East 7th St.)

THURSDAY 3/18:
3:30pm – Oh No Ono @ Billions day party, Mohawk (912 Red River St.)
6pm – Oh No Ono @ Homeslice Pizza “Music by the Slice” party (1415 South Congress)

FRIDAY 3/19:
12:15pm – The Whitsundays @ Everlasting Records party, Design Within Reach (200 West 2nd St.)
1pm – Oh No Ono @ Mess With Texas party, Waterloo Park
5pm – Oh No Ono @ Danish day party, The Music Gym (815 East 6th St.)

SATURDAY 3/20:
4pm – Elk City @ Redhouse Pizza “Music for Listeners” party (1917 Manor Rd.)
5pm – Oh No Ono @ Filter/Dickes day party, Lustre Pearl (97 Rainey St.)




Divider imageOUT TODAY: Epstein Y El Conjunto “When Man Is Full He Falls Asleep” On Asthmatic Kitty


Click the album art to buy When Man Is Full He Falls Asleep via Asthmatic Kitty

Discography Sampler via XLR8R
MP3s: Gallop & A Lost Animal via My Old Kentucky Blog

“Roberto Lange’s latest album continues nicely along the aural pathway he has set for himself. “A Lost Animal” is indicative of this sound, featuring chattering vinyl samples, fuzzy syncopated synth lines, and complicated rhythms as influenced by hip-hop as they are by South American folk music.” – XLR8R

Today Asthmatic Kitty will be digitally releasing the new album by Epstein Y El Conjunto. Epstein is one of the many talented alter-egos of Roberto Lange, and El Conjunto the willing volunteer band to fill out the Epstein sound. The album’s title, When Man is Full He Falls Asleep, comes from a lyric by Facundo Cabral translated into english from the song: “No soy de aqui, Ni soy de alla”. The song and Facundo’s philosophy serves as inspiration for the album, positioning the musician as conscienscious objector to the succumbing of violence and misery in the world. Rather, a sense of joy and humor are embraced and music is used as a surrogate for words. The physical process of this record is a journey traveled to dusty closets of thrift stores in Crown Heights, to forward thinking record stores in Lynchburg, Virginia. The samples and synthesizers are the medium to complete the story that is a visual and ephemeral representation of the two worlds of hunger and sleep, both important daily routines. The resulting sound is a hazy dreamscape of bass, beats, and gloriously washed-out electronics.

To prepare for this release, we are celebrating 10 years of Epstein music making with the release of Epstein – Completed Mythologies (Back Catalog). The release is made up of his four back catalog titles (with cover art by La Mano Fria). These will be available through all of your fine digital music stores February 28th. This is the first time any of these titles have been available outside of Japan. And in support of this release, Epstein will be touring in Japan in March as part of the Beta Bodega Coalition alongside La Mano Fria.

Equally influenced by weirdo out-pioneer Moondog, Parliament, DJ culture, and Argentine folk-singer Facundo Cabral, this 14-track danceparty kicks off with “Arrival to New York,” an upbeat jam built from samplers and Lange’s woozed-out vocals. A warm, billowing electronic visionquest, the track is a solid set-up for what’s to come.

As When Man is Full He Falls Asleep reaches the end (aka, the point where you’ll want to hit Play again) one of its greatest tracks, “A Lost Animal,” a collaboration with School of Seven Bells, shows its pretty face. Anchored by Yeasayer member Jason Trammell’s live drumming and MPC sampler-built warbles of re-energizing, healing noise, “A Lost Animal,” is a definite highlight in a record of highlights.

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Divider imageOUT TODAY: The Splinters “Kick” On Double Negative Records


Click the album art to purchase Kick via Double Negative Records

WATCH: “Mysterious” video via The Fader
FEATURED: Riotous Grrls at SF Weekly

March, 17th @ Red 7 Austin, TX (Terrorbird/Forcefield SXSW day party) w/ Neon Indian, Matias Aguayo, Real Estate, Oh No Ono, and more.
March, 18th @ TBA Austin, TX (SXSW)
March, 19th @ Club 1808 Austin, TX (SXSW)
March, 20th @ Domy Books Austin, TX (KVRX SXSW day party)
March, 23rd @ Hideaway Lounge El Paso, TX *^
March, 25th @ Trunkspace Phoenix, AX *
March, 26th @ Origami Records in-store Echo Park, CA
March, 26th @ The Smell Los Angeles, CA *#
March, 27th @ Beauty Bar Las Vegas, CA *#
March, 28th @ Bar Pink San Diego, CA *#
March, 30th @ Biko House Santa Barbara, CA *#

*w/ Jeff The Brotherhood
^ w/ The Coathangers
# w/ Ty Segall

“The Splinters mix silliness, sincerity, and sarcasm so much that it can be hard to tell them apart.” – SF Weekly

“Girl-group sounds-meets-90s punk attitude.” – Gorilla Vs. Bear

“They perfectly channel the devil-may-care, DIY, girls-in-the-garage sense.” – The FADER

“Playing a Raincoats-esque brand of shambling post-punk, the four ladies from Oakland rocked a pretty bass-heavy sound that was interspersed with lots of cutely loud yelping.” – Portland Mercury

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Jay on March 9th, 2010 in Out Now, and tagged with , , , . Leave a comment



Divider imageOUT THIS MONTH: Free the Robots Presents “Ctrl Alt Delete” On Alpha Pup Records


Low End Theory staple and The Crosby owner readies new album for Alpha Pup Records due March 30th

MP3: Orion’s Belt Buckle via LA Record

“LA’s Free the Robots has slowly been crafting one of the more unique sounds to come out of the West Coast beat scene, pairing futuristic basslines that could fit into a dubstep set with chunky, dusty beats that sound straight out of the mid-’80s.” – XLR8R

“Free the Robots doesn’t as much assert a new vision as much as add a different angle, one occasionally angular and overly stiff, but often sleek and punishing, closer to traditional dubstep but unorthodox enough to dig up some dirty Levantine psych to make a beat called “Turkish Voodoo.” I gave the weed dispensaries six weeks to add this sativa.” – Passion of the Weiss

“Alfaro is a savvy cratedigger who applies his vast knowledge to creative productions that stand out from the hordes of sampladelic beat scientists.” – The Stranger

Alpha Pup Records is proud to announce the release of Ctrl Alt Delete, the debut album from Free The Robots. A staggering work of mind-warping electronics, fuzzed-out psych and devastating hip-hop beats, the impending release of Ctrl Alt Delete will catapult Free The Robots to the forefront of the world renowned L.A. beat scene.

Initially started as a side project by Chris Alfaro in 2003, Free The Robots has quickly garnered a worldwide audience. Combining dusty swap-meet samples, futuristic synthesizers and live instrumentation, Free The Robots has created a unique harmony of past sounds and future ruminations. Much like his L.A. contemporaries Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing, Free The Robots knows no genre boundaries.

Ctrl Alt Delete, which also features Ikey Owens of The Mars Volta, has been a long time coming. Originally signed to Alpha Pup over two years ago, Free The Robots has put his heart and soul into this album. Meticulously constructed, the album is a culmination of countless late nights at Low End Theory Club, combined with a spirit of fearless experimentation. The result rattles with grit and swagger — a firm proclamation of Free The Robot’s sonic arrival.


Ctrl Alt Delete




Divider imageThe 25th Independent Spirit Awards “Keep It Indie” With Terrorbird Artists

Terrorbird artists Those Darlins, Princeton, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Surfer Blood, Starfucker, These United States and Windmill will be heard during the Independent Spirit Awards live on Friday, March 5th at 8pm PST.

Additionally, actor Emile Hirsch is a fan and is featuring “Calypso Gold” by Princeton, “15 to 20″ by The Phenomenal Handclap Band, “Wild One” by Those Darlins, and “Hard Smart Beta” by Starfucker on his Independent Spirit Awards playlist, also featured on myspace. The Canadian metal band Anvil has selected Surfer Blood “Swim” to be featured on their playlist.

Stream it after the jump.

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Divider imageThe Splinters Premiere “Mysterious” Video On The Fader, Hold Record Release Party In SF Tonight


Berkeley’s The Splinters ready their debut LP, get set to tour the West Coast & Texas

WATCH: “Mysterious” video via The Fader

TONIGHT March, 4th @ Amnesia San Francisco, CA (record release party) with Hunx and His Punkettes and Magic Bullets
March, 17th @ Red 7 Austin, TX (Terrorbird/Forcefield SXSW day party) w/ Neon Indian, Matias Aguayo, Real Estate, Oh No Ono, and more.
March, 18th @ TBA Austin, TX (SXSW)
March, 19th @ Club 1808 Austin, TX (SXSW)
March, 20th @ Domy Books Austin, TX (KVRX SXSW day party)
March, 23rd @ Hideaway Lounge El Paso, TX *^
March, 25th @ Trunkspace Phoenix, AX *
March, 26th @ Origami Records in-store Echo Park, CA
March, 26th @ The Smell Los Angeles, CA *#
March, 27th @ Beauty Bar Las Vegas, CA *#
March, 28th @ Bar Pink San Diego, CA *#
March, 30th @ Biko House Santa Barbara, CA *#

*w/ Jeff The Brotherhood
^ w/ The Coathangers
# w/ Ty Segall


The Splinters present Kick
Out March 9th, 2010 on Double Negative Records

“The Splinters mix silliness, sincerity, and sarcasm so much that it can be hard to tell them apart.” – SF Weekly

“Girl-group sounds-meets-90s punk attitude.” – Gorilla Vs. Bear

“They perfectly channel the devil-may-care, DIY, girls-in-the-garage sense.” – The FADER

“Playing a Raincoats-esque brand of shambling post-punk, the four ladies from Oakland rocked a pretty bass-heavy sound that was interspersed with lots of cutely loud yelping.” – Portland Mercury

The Splinters may have only been a band since 2008, but the girls actually began palling around four years earlier as freshmen at UC Berkeley. In the waning months of their college careers, Ashley Thomas (guitar), Lauren Stern (tambourine), and Caroline Partamian (guitar) began messing around with music and cranked out a few silly, lo-fi garage-pop songs. Quickly realizing that a few of the songs were actually pretty good, they recruited their friend Courtney Gray (whom had previously played with Ashley in a short-lived Misfits cover band called The Skullfuckers) to round out the group on drums.

Within a few months, The Splinters found themselves playing a bevy of shows and writing one insanely catchy song after another, their ramshackle rock n’ roll sound and multipart vocal harmonies earning them comparisons to ’60s girl groups like the Shangri-Las, artsy post-punk outfits like the Raincoats and the lo-fi grrl-pop stylings of early ’90s K Records bands. The band tossed together a limited-edition, hand-decorated CD-R release, which quickly disappeared, and eventually followed that up with the Splintered Bridges 7″ on Double Negative. Splinters tracks are also set to appear on upcoming compilations from UK label Germs of Youth (alongside Frankie Rose, Cold Cave, and Veronica Falls) and the hotly tipped YETI magazine.

In the meantime, the girls have worked hard honing their craft-writing new songs, turning heads at SXSW, and playing shows with the likes of Mika Miko, The Mae Shi, The Coathangers, Explode Into Colors, Ty Segall, Nodzzz, Brilliant Colors, The Fresh & Onlys, The Strange Boys, Yellow Fever, Sleepy Sun, and countless others.

Now Double Negative is dropping the The Splinters’ first full-length, Kick, a 12-track collection of delectable indie-pop tunes recorded and mixed by Maus Haus frontman Jason Kick. Set for release in March, Kick is one of those infectious albums destined to be played again and again.




Divider imageFree Music From cars & trains: Listen To “The Roots, The Remix”

cars and trains

ALBUM DOWNLOAD: The Roots, The Remix via Circle Into Square

cars & trains released The Roots, The Leaves in late January, and now he brings our attention to the roots, the remix, a 13-track remix compilation including the likes of Boy In Static, Melodium, Universal Studios Florida, Lullatone, Polyphonic, Ernest Gonzales and several more.

The proper album The Roots, The Leaves is the sophomore effort of Portland, Oregon based multi-instrumentalist cars & trains (Tom Filepp), a more personal and emotive foray than his 2007 debut full-length, Rusty String. Tom deftly mixes out-of-the-box electronics and found sounds seamlessly with a myriad of instruments, woodwinds, banjos, acoustic guitars, strings and glockenspiel, walking a blurry line that makes one wonder where exactly the uncommonly organic drum programming ends and the instruments and lushly layered found sounds begin.

On his first Fake Four Inc. release, Tom does what he is best at, as in previous efforts, vividly creating microscopic ship-in-a-bottle worlds with circular themes that one can imagine crawling into, like a favorite childhood hiding place, while brooding nostalgically on a favorite time or place long since past. His distinctive and thickly layered vocals sit atop soft but steadily pulsing guitars, malfunctioning toys, twangy banjos, crooning woodwinds and dirge-like trumpets, weaving a nimbly produced record that tells a succinct and engaging story.

Lyrically The Roots… is much more vested in storytelling, painting vivid pictures of moss-laden decaying buildings, rusty old railroad tracks, and dusty urban settings, all tinged with hints of nature and melancholy. Drawing on inspiration both from his adopted hometown of Portland and from his native Hudson Valley in New York, Tom builds on reoccuring themes that make the listener feel like they are part of something special and intimate. The ten tracks are more staked in a carefully hewn songwriting sensibility, while focusing to a greater extent on Tom’s Singing and lush vocal harmonies than before.

Many guest artists contribute vocals and a diverse array of instruments to The Roots, The Leaves, including a handful of fellow labelmates on Fake Four Inc. (like Ceschi Ramos, Alexander Chen of Boy In Static), in addition to some Portland, Oregon locals. Carrying on the mantle of previous releases laden with toy instruments, distorted tape samples and banjos, The Roots… sits at a curious intersection between more folk-oriented electronic groups like Tunng and the distinctive Pacific Northwest experimental folk sound of K Records/The Microphones/Mt. Eerie renown.

The Roots, The Leaves is cars & trains’ most realized and expressive effort to date, full of energy and intimacy gleaned from Filepp’s intense, energetic, and intricate live looping show that he has steadily developed and gained notoriety for. From the intricate plucking of The Roots… cyclical opening and closing songs, and everything in between, cars & trains carefully journeys hand in hand with his influences, cajoling them into a world all his own.

cars & trains – i know someone who can’t recognize from cars & trains on Vimeo.




Divider imageTune In To NBC’s “Mercy” Tonight 8/7c and Listen For Laura Veirs “July Flame”

Tune in to NBC’s Mercy tonight 8/7c and listen for Laura Veirs “July Flame” at the very end of the episode! We’ve been fans of Laura for years and think her new album, July Flame, is her best yet. Check it out!

For a preview of how beautiful this song is, take a look at the painstakingly crafted stop-motion video that accompanies it:

Posted by Jay on March 3rd, 2010 in On the Air, TV, and tagged with , , , . Leave a comment



Divider imageBirds & Batteries Plot Tour With Stops At SXSW, Daytrotter; Up To No Good EP Out Now

MP3: Out In the Woods (Woodsarama Remix) via RCRD LBL
MP3: Out In the Woods via Pitchfork
MP3: Sneaky Times via The Fader

March 6 – San Diego, CA at Bar Pink w/ Writer
March 7 – Tucson, AZ at Plush
March 9 – Albuqurque, NM at Burt’s Tiki Lounge
March 10 – Lubbock, TX at Bash’s
March 11 – Fort Worth, TX at Lola’s
March 12 – Dallas, TX at City Tavern
March 14 – Denton, TX at NX35 Festival
March 18 – Austin, T at Beauty Bar w/ The Bay Area Takeover at SXSW
March 22 – Tulsa, OK at The Soundpony Lounge w/ Judgement Day
March 25 – St. Louis, MO at Cicero’s
March 26 – Indianapolis, IN at The Melody Inn
March 27 – Chicago, IL at Ronny’s Bar
March 29 – Rock Island, IL at Daytrotter Sessions
March 30 – Iowa City, IA at The Mill w/ The Cave Singers for the MCMF
April 2 – Colorado Springs, CO at The Rocket Room
April 3 – Santa Fe, NM at Corazon

Combining meticulously produced psych, synth-funk, Americana, aching electro, and unveiling more surprises upon closer listen SF’s Birds & Batteries return with their latest: the spooky, funky Up To No Good EP. Stacked with addicting aching-electro/boogie jams the EP manages to convey a degree of mystery/magic amidst post-modern wreckage, combining the fun of late 70’s freak funk with a detached, studio cool of 80’s r&b.

Still centered around the art of the song, redoubled by meticulous arrangements and rich atmospheres, B&B saw the EP format as an opportunity to dig deeper into one group of sounds, with synth bass, kick drum, percussion and voice at the forefront. The result is more focused than previous efforts, allowing for a unified statement and narrative to emerge as well as a nineteen minute dance party. This fusing of song craft and electronic music feels natural and easy, owing more to pioneering electro-funk than post-punk.

Birds & Batteries’ live show focuses on the more energetic and rocking parts of their repertoire. “As we’ve toured and played more and more shows, we’ve found ourselves choosing set lists from the material that is most enjoyable to play live and that gets people loose.”

They will be on the road this winter/spring to support Up To No Good and previewing songs from their upcoming full-length due in 2010.

“This is some freak-funk, alt-electro right here. Blast it in honkey-tonk dives and haunted houses alike.”
RCRD LBL

“They reminded him of early Brian Eno, which I can also hear in their fine melding of electronic bleats and slow simmering pop. I also pick up on a similarly playful aesthetic that aligns them with groups like Super Furry Animals.”
Pampelmoose

“It’s rare that a band can remind you of Neil Young, Sparklehorse and The Legend of Zelda at the same time, but San Francisco’s left-field electric-folk band, Birds & Batteries traffics in both the nerdy and beautiful.” Williamette Week

“When Neil Young discovered the synthesizer, he made Trans. San Francisco’s Birds & Batteries demonstrate another-dare we say better?-way that combination could have worked.” RollingStone.com

Posted by Jay on March 2nd, 2010 in On Tour, Out Now, and tagged with , , , , , . Leave a comment



Divider imageThe Delta Mirror Begin Their March Residency At The Echo Tonight

Up-and-coming label Lefse Records signing The Delta Mirror announces their month long residency at the Echo. Merging brooding songs with boom bap production, their debut Machines That Listen (out 3.16.2010) is a clever, haunting record full of ear-tickling electronics, psych layers, and foreboding storytelling. With plans to tour this spring along with a stop at SXSW, the songs of the Delta Mirror are poised to linger in the ears of new listeners well into 2010.

Listen to two tracks plus an Alias remix via Stereogum

All shows at The Echo:

March 1st
9PM – Healamonster & Tarsier
10PM – Nalepa
11PM – The Delta Mirror
12AM – Full Frontal

March 8th
9PM – Corridor
10PM – Alexandra Hope
11PM – The Delta Mirror
12AM – Sister Crayon

March 15th
9PM – Cannoneers
10PM – Pop Noir
11PM – The Delta Mirror
12AM – Divisible

March 29th
9PM – Borneo
10PM – Pity Party
11PM – The Delta Mirror
12AM – Spirit Vine

The Delta Mirror is a cocktail of all your past loves, the ones you wish had stuck around, and check up on from time to time even though you’ve moved on. They were made from the sprained fingers and broken records of mid 90’s hip hop. They were made from the bent circuits of electronica, dead IDM lap tops and broken shoegaze strings. They were made from the injured spirit of a folk singer’s broken heart. Alongside bands like The Big Pink and The Fuck Buttons, The Delta Mirror sees the things that made our past relationships work and brings them together creating the ideal love.

Craig Gordon and David Bolt started out as a hip hop two-piece years ago and they have been writing music in some form ever since. With the addition of Karrie K on bass, their sound has progressed to an ambient mix of shoegazy guitar and gothic vocals, but their production has held onto the same boom bap button pushing they started with. Machines That Listen is The Delta Mirror’s debut long play. Each song on this 9 track collection is a story that takes place in a different room of a hospital. Track 2 “and the radio played on” tells of a dying elderly man and his wife’s last moments together, while “hold me down just don’t let me go” is told from the perspective of an ER nurse treating a stab victim.

Listening to this record is like walking through the halls of Bellevue or Cedars Sinai listening to a score that is re-written daily. The Delta Mirror has shared the stage with bands like Sleepy Sun, VOICEs VOICEs, EGADZ!, Jogger, Odd Nosdam, Tape Deck Mountan, The Mathematicians, Oliver Future and Healamonster & Tarsier. Later this year Lefse will release a collection of remixes from Machines that Listen put together from an all star cast of bands and producers.

Posted by Jay on March 1st, 2010 in Events, and tagged with , , , . Leave a comment



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