Nar Wavves

MP3: Wavves - Gun In the Sun
MP3: Wavves - No Hope Kids

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from Matt Giordano, who is riding high on the hype wavve. Surfs up? Fuck yeah!

Wavvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvves is the new hot shit. Blogs are saying that==========THEY ARE MORE VALID THAN THE GUARDIAN. Seriously though, the fickle "flogosbere" as we'll now call it, has found its new band for 2009. Wavves slay much gash though, and their second, oh so soon second album is going to be one of the year's best recieved, and aptly so. Neo-punk in the vain of No Age, Abe Vigoda. et all. Tie your shoes and grease your elbows for the mosh pit.

"Wavves" is out on March 17th from Fat Possum.

Keep It Hid & Keep It Fresh, Dan Auerbach.

MP3: Dan Auerbach - My Last Mistake

The very existence of "Keep It Hid" asks two big questions of it's author Dan Auerbach: are these songs different from his main outfit the Black Keys and are they necessary? The answers that are audibly given say it's okay to take a sigh of relief.

"Keep It Hid" is chock full of special songs for your mixtape or pocket that could have been fermenting for years or maybe a month before putting these down in the studio. There is much soul, honesty and passion in songs like "Trouble Weighs A Ton", "Real Desire" and single "My Last Mistake" and I can appreciate and even envy a slight bit that Auerbach made this entirely by himself. The advantage is in the fact that he's been making records with his band for years, so this sounds less like a debut and more like a consistent gift to his fans new & old.

That said, there are a couple of songs, like "The Prowl" that sound like a Black Keys b-side, but you really can't fault a songwriter for sounding like himself, can you? Again, this record is near completely it's own thing: I've seen other reviewers say otherwise, but I think that's rubbish.

But judge for yourself... if you dug Auerbach's day job, you're going to love it. If not, give it a shot anyway, I think you'll be quite pleased with the results.

"Keep It Hid" is out now from Nonesuch.

---

Check out this real cool video of him playing "Trouble Weighs A Ton" here and (while it lasts) a sweet performance of "My Last Mistake" on Conan here.

Tourtastic:

Feb 28 - 9:30 Club - Washington DC, Washington DC
Mar 1 - Paradise Club - Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 2 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
Mar 3 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York
Mar 5 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 6 - Metro - Chicago, Illinois
Mar 7 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 10 - The Showbox - Seattle, Washington
Mar 11 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, Oregon
Mar 13 - Bimbo’s - San Francisco, California
Mar 14 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, California

Heartless Bastards are the greatest band on the top of the Mountain.

MP3: Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
MP3: Heartless Bastards - Could Be So Happy

I can't imagine the Heartless Bastards' band name is literal. They seem like some genuine, large hearted humans. I'm sure they chose it because, as bad asses, you need a bad ass band name. I get that. Their newest effort "The Mountain" does seem like it can be taken literally, however.

When listening to the record, you climb higher and higher. Though you aren't starting from the bottom: you get to cheat a little. It's like that episode of the Simpsons where Homer climbs that mountain hopped up on Powersauce and he thinks he makes it to the top, but really there is plenty more. We start from there, and it gets better and better. Songs like "The Mountain", "Early In the Morning" and "Out to Sea" soundtrack the determined climber, with a goal in mind to dredge past the shit that is below to make it towards the Sun's warm glow. Then, when you're ready to eat your packed lunch or wait out the heavy breeze, you can spin "Could Be So Happy" or "So Quiet".

It's damned near impossible to find an album with no duds in these hard times. Why are we spending our rent money on records anymore when only a handful of songs are subpar? It's worthless, but maybe now people will work harder for your money. Or it may come naturally: this album seems pretty fucking natural. This, to me, is exactly what I want to see more of in 2009. It's an attitude and a style that should catch on - and why not? It's infectious. You listen to this record and you want to be a better person, you want to do better things. You want to earn the right to be a listener and fan of the Heartless Bastards and I want to do what it takes to be worthy of them. "The Mountain" is not be missed, and is officially the first great record of 2009. Let it be heard.

"The Mountain" is out now from Fat Possum.

They play Letterman on the 10th and recently did a phenomenal Daytrotter session which could be found here.

TOURTASTIC:

02.04.09 - Maxwell’s - Hoboken, NJ *
02.05.09 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA +
02.06.09 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY +
02.07.09 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY +
02.11.09 - Gravity Lounge - Charlottesville, VA *
02.12.09 - Bottle Tree - Birmingham, AL *
02.13.09 - Government Street Grocery - Ocean Springs, MS *
02.14.09 - Last Concert Café - Houston, TX *
02.26.09 - Sam’s Burger Joint - San Antonio, TX *
02.27.09 - Longhorn Saloon - Fort Worth, TX *
02.28.09 - Hailey’s - Denton, TX *
03.15.09 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO @
03.16.09 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS @
03.17.09 - Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, OK @
03.18.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.19.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.20.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.21.09 - House of Blues - Houston, TX @
03.23.09 - The Lyric - Oxford, MS @
03.25.09 - Madison Theater - Cincinnati, OH *
03.27.09 - Webster Hall - New York, NY #
03.28.09 - Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA #
03.29.09 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA #
03.30.09 - Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH #
04.01.09 - St. Andrew’s Hall - Detroit, MI #
04.02.09 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI #
04.03.09 - The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL #
04.04.09 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN #
04.07.09 - The Warehouse - Calgary, AB #
04.08.09 - The Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB #
04.10.09 - Plaza Club - Vancouver, BC #
04.11.09 - Crocodile Café - Seattle, WA *
04.13.09 - Berbati’s Pan - Portland, OR #
04.15.09 - The Boardwalk - Sacramento, CA #
04.16.09 - Slim’s - San Francisco, CA #
04.21.09 - The Clubhouse - Phoenix, AZ #
04.22.09 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM #
04.23.09 - Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO #
04.24.09 - Gothic Theater - Denver, CO #
04.25.09 - Beaumont Club - Kansas City, MO #
04.28.09 - Granada Theatre - Dallas, TX #
04.29.09 - Antone’s - Austin, TX #
05.02.09 - The State Theatre - Tampa, FL #
05.03.09 - The Social - Orlando, FL #

* Heartless Bastards headlining
+ Show with The Black Keys
@ Show with Andrew Bird
# Show with Gaslight Anthem

VEGA: "Handsome fighters never lose a battle!"

MP3: VEGA - Well Known Pleasures
MP3: VEGA - All Too Vivid

According to a Google search, not only is Vega a Street Fighter character, but is also an extensively studied bright fucking star. I'm already learning from this post and I like that.

VEGA is also an artist from Austin, Texas which is arguably the best city in TX. His music is outer space large and beats vast in it's scope with some of the smoothest, casual, best friend vocals you can find on the planet. He also pops up on Miami Horror's "Bravado" ep, polishing an already non turd into a diamond. Yes, he's that magical.

I do have to wonder about the name choice. Is it because he is a pretty fighter from Spain who wears a mask so his face won't get ruined while fighting and had that one total Wolverine rip-off claw? Or is it because he's a bright star, blinding us with talent and pop genius? I could really take either, and maybe both.

Look out for this one duders. He's a keeper. The "All Too Vivid" 12 inch is coming soon and I can't wait. Let's star gaze for it together friends.