This week's m/group/itsatrap">It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:
01. The Arcade Fire
02. Bloc Party
03. The Shins
04. Arctic monkeys
05. Bright Eyes
06. modest mouse
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Laakso
09. The Radio Dept.
10. The Beatles
The Beatles? Sure, why not I guess. Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: m/help/" target=_blank>https://www.last.fm/help/
Bloodlights reports that drummer Jonas has left the band and his last shows will be in early may. His replacement is named Nico and that's really all I know about it. In other news, the band's new album is done and mastered, but won't be released until September. However, the band says they'll be posting samples soon so hold tight.
Radio Dept. is hard at work on their new album, but will be slowed in coming months as martin and ex-bassist Lisa are expecting their first child any day now.
Franky Lee on tour in Australia:
06/28 - The Zoo, Brisbane
06/29 - manning Bar, Syndney
06/30 - The Corner, melbourne
07/01 - Uni Bar, Adelaide
Penny Century has some new songs posted on myspace from their forthcoming album: myspace.com/pennycentury" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/pennycentury
"Reader's companion" alums mPTP have posted the b-side remixes for their forthcoming "Jim morrison" 7" on myspace for streaming: myspace.com/mptpspace" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/mptpspace
I'll be getting a few copies for resale when it's released in early may.
Pitchfork talks to Björk: media.com/article/feature/42181-interview-bjrk" target=_blank>https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/42181-interview-bjrk
I'm taking the next few days to talk about demo music. First on the chopping block, Norway's Shoot the Breeze, a band I first covered m/index.php?a=162">over a year ago. Their latest recording isn't much better in terms of actual sound quality, but the music is totally solid. I imagine that some folks might feel silly getting down with such unabashed arena rock, but don't let it get to you. Sure, it's clichéd, but remember that they call it "classic rock" for a reason. I honestly believe that these guys could do well if provided with a proper recording budget - that's really the only thing holding them back at this point. The songs are good and the performances are strong. What else do you need? Nothing.
Shoot the Breeze - Higher ground
"Helpless", a song that sounds exactly like it should. It's a sublime piece of frail, fragile beauty. The subject matter is depressing, but I like to think that the melody of the refrain offers a sense of hope for an otherwise untenable situation.
The Bear Quartet - Helpless
Help wanted! I know I keep posting this over and over, but I really need more people to contribute. A couple of people have shown interest, but they so rarely follow through. So, are you up for it? Can you write a coherent sentence in English? Do you feel an overwhelming need to inflict your tastes on others? If so, m/contact.php">let me know!
Last night's playlist for my show on Sirius Blog Radio:
01. Isolation Years - Yellow cross on blue
02. TALK 1
03. Johndoe - Nattskift
04. montys Loco - Wasteland
05. Once We Were - Cut corners
06. TALK 2
07. [ingenting] - mycket vasen for ingenting
08. margaret Berger - Robot song
09. Namur - marching
10. Lampshade - New legs
11. TALK 3
12. maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
13. mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
14. Fattaru - 100:-
15. Juvelen - Hanna
16. TALK 4
17. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
18. Sonores - 16th of June
19. Detektivbyrån - E18
20. TALK 5
21. At the Gates - The swarm
22. Barra Head - Kill the lights
23. TALK 6
24. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
25. Torpedo - my evil twin
26. Alog - Catch that totem!
27. TALK 7
28. Valley Days - 10k angels
29. A-ha - Celice
30. Victims - Who the fuck are we?
31. TALK 8
32. The Vicious - Alienated
33. Viola - Unreal life
34. Zweizz - Nowadays the only boring everything is so frustrating
35. Viktor Sjöberg - Winter guitars
36. TALK 9
37. Closer - The talker
38. Aerial - my god, it's full of stars!
39. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
40. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
41. The Psyke Project - Panic
42. TALK 10
43. C.Aarmé - We are the world
Next week: expect lots more killer jams including totally a brand new track from Closer and maybe even a spotlight set on post-rock/ambient music. Good times!
Attention Sirius subscribers! Don't forget to tune in to Left of Center at 10pm ET tonight to listen to the premiere of IAT on Blog Radio! A full playlist will be posted here tomorrow.
may's extra-special Tack! Tack! Tack! showcase has been confirmed! Shout Out Louds, Loney, Dear and maia Hirasawa at the ICA in London on may 24! Tickets aren't on sale quite yet, but when they are, clicking the banner on the right will take you to the right place! Special thanks to the Swedish Institute for making this possible.
Also note that Logh leaves next week to embark on their European tour and I've updated the sidebar with a bunch of new dates.
Check out the video for the new Universal Poplab single "Fire": m/content/view/10/8/" target=_blank>https://www.universalpoplab.com/content/view/10/8/