MGMT have had a busy year. Nearly unknown a year ago, they have exploded in popularity, mostly due to internet hype and blogs (like this one) that found their sound new and exhilarating. They have gone from playing in tiny clubs with crowds in the few hundreds, but found themselves playing Thursday night at the best music festival in the country.
Details after the jump
Tonight the F Yeah Tour swings into Baltimore’s Sonar with Matt & kim, The Death Set, Monotonix, and Team Robespierre. Pretty nice. If you’re in DC you might consider going to see The Golden Dogs and Sloan at the Black Cat. Or if you’re in Philly Johnny Brenda’s has Shearwater, The M’s, and Centromatic while the North Star Bar has Steve Goldberg and the Arch Enemies, The Hotspots, and The Blahs.
mp3: Shearwater – Lost Boys
mp3: The M’s – Plan Of The Man
mp3: The Golden Dogs – Birdsong
mp3: Matt & Kim – Yea Yeah
mp3: The Death Set – Intermission
mp3: Steve Goldberg And The Arch Enemies – Hideaway
Aderbat, aka Bucks County, PA’s own Matt Taylor, is about to release his debut LP, We Belong To The Sea in July. I was lucky enough to preview this album recently and walked away with Josh Rouse singing Bends-era Radiohead songs as a first impression. What does this all mean? It means that Taylor’s songs are thoughtfully written and emotionally performed. His raspy voice takes you down a country highway, while the overall song structure has you bobbing your head to something a bit more modern. The production isn’t over-glorified, yet it isn’t simple either. Takes for instance the strings on Recycled Language. They chime in like drum beats echoing every rhythm, giving it an angular Vanderslice feel to it. It’s these types of inclusions that broaden the album for the listener. Different instruments play their role to a tee heightening the emotional vision of We Belong To The Sea. Don’t just take my word for it, go see him and his Bucks County pals at their CD Release show on July 24th at Johnny Brenda’s.
mp3: Aderbat – Recycled Language
mp3: Aderbat – Busted Cars
As I’ve said many times before, nothing beats a great straight up rock band. The sun is shining and the windows are down. Now is not the time for the stereo gods to let you down. Well they didn’t. They promptly sent Athens, Georgia’s Mass Solo Revolt to the left, right, and rear speakers blazing their Modest Mouse shrouded in Pinback imitating Jawbox sound. Trust me, my steering wheel took a beating. But that’s just where it starts. Mass Solo Revolt, a project of song crafter, Martin Brummeler, have been gracing my audio system all week with their self released debut, Easy Mark. This rock brings joy to a music lover that grew up on Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Jawbox, and Modest Mouse. Thank you, stereo gods.
mp3: Mass Solo Revolt – Easy Mark
mp3: Mass Solo Revolt – All Bark
I have returned from my third consecutive Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in lovely Manchester, TN. And all I can say is….wow. So many amazing shows. Lots of details over the next few days, but all anyone needs to know is that My Morning Jacket are psychotic. They played the late night set Friday at Which stage starting at midnight. By the time it was all said and done, the crowd had witnessed one of the craziest shows I’ve ever seen. All 35 songs and 4 hours of it……. No, that is not a typo. 4 hours. And thats while MMJ seemed to have built themselves a weather control device. More on that later.
Lots more from Bonnaroo tomorrow. Any readers make the trip this year? Did you see MMJ? Other thoughts?
mp3: My Morning Jacket – Highly Suspicious
Tonight in DC the Black Cat has Evangelicals, Frog Eyes and Firewater while the Velvet Lounge has Unicycle Loves You, The Surge, and Michael The Blind. Finally in Philly, the Fire has Dawn Landes, The Spinning Leaves, and Balthrop, Alabama.
mp3: Evangelicals – Skeleton Man
mp3: Frog Eyes – One In Six Children Will Flee In Boats
mp3: Unicycle Loves You – Under 18
mp3: Dawn Landes – Twilight
mp3: The Spinning Leaves – Transistor Radio
The Spinning Leaves
The Spinning Leaves are a band from Philadelphia that plays psychedelic folk rock, but don’t let that scare you. This band is a true pleasure for the ears. Catch them at The Fire in Philly this Monday or on July 12th.
mp3: The Spinning Leaves – Transistor Radio
Blastronauts
Blastronauts are a four piece band from the United States/NYC/Boston/Ohio that play indie rock that is a bit more serious than their name suggests, but, all in all, a band that definitely has my interest right now.
mp3: Blastronauts – In A Fire
Cof Cof
Cof Cof is a duo from Spain comprised of Ana Anlogica and Alex Cuadrado. There are dashes of Yelle and CSS mixed within them, but ultimately Cof Cof plays their own dashing pop party music. In August you can catch them playing all over New York. Check their myspace for details.
mp3: Cof Cof – Caribbean Boy
