Melody's Echo Chamber - I Follow You [VIDEO]

Melody's Echo Chamber
"I Follow You"
Melody's Echo Chamber
Fat Possum 2012
Director: Laurie Lassalle

Cool video for a great track. Real pumped to hear this record in September!

HOT TRAXXX: The Walkmen - Heartbreaker [MP3]

MP3: The Walkmen - Heartbreaker

Disclosure: I've never really been a Walkmen fan. In passing, even though I've given their albums each a shot or two over the last decade, something just never really clicked. Even now, not so much. However, I must give credit where it's due, and "Heartbreaker" is a brilliant song, start to finish. Even will the cheesy line "it's not the singer, it's the song", the rest of the song remains unaffected. It's a summertime romp, one meant for the rolled-down windows and loud playing. Bop and enjoy.

Yuck - Chew [STREAM]

"Chew" is Yuck's musical contribution to "keeping up the good work". If you love riffs and dreamy vocals like we all do, this is your kinda thing.

Spiritualized - Hey Jane [VIDEO]

Spiritualized

"Hey Jane"

Sweet Heart Sweet Light

Fat Possum 2012

Director: AG Rojas

Less than one month.

FUCK TRAXXX: Spiritualized - Hey Jane [STREAM]

This one is rather obvious, I mean how can one really hate on a new Spaceman song? Seeing how his less affective material is still what other bands dream of, it's a moot point. The surprising aspect on the first view is the intimacy of the recording. In recent interviews he's mentioned how it was recorded in the front room of his house, and really that adds to the overall sound. And never one one for shying away from an epic ending, he's again achieved that result. I personally cannot wait for the new album. Enjoy.

Tennis - Origins [MP3] + Deep in the Woods [VIDEO]

MP3: Tennis - Origins

Tennis
"Deep in the Woods"
Origins
Forest Family Records 2011
Directors: Scott Laidlaw & Frank Rinaldi

BONUS: Enjoy an mp3 of the a side - "Origins", which will appear on their forthcoming LP2 Young and Old on Fat Possum. Excited for this one, as the group seems to have amplified everything that was charming about them and abandoned the lackluster songwriting that plagued their last effort Cape Dory, preventing it from becoming anything memorable.

Blood.

MP3: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Ffunny Ffriends

Had this grandiose plan to update a ton on the blog today with a bunch of cool music but then my bike broke and I took a nasty spill in the process so fuck that. Tonight UMO plays Cafe 9 in New Haven and I'm gonna be there to groove and hopefully stop bleeding. New record out on Fat Possum in like 2 weeks or something. You'll forgive me for not checking.

FUCK YEAH: Stoning

MP3: Bass Drum of Death - Nerve Jamming
MP3: Bass Drum of Death - Young Pros

Here's another band that is actually giving rock and roll some goddamn hope: Bass Drum of Death's album "GB City" initially drove me in with that bad ass album cover you see above this text, and the music it contained was just as worthy of high praise. These guys never stop ripping, ever. It is a killer one for putting on while having a pint and some grass. Well done dudes and also Fat Possum (again and again)!! Cop this shit now!

Video: Get Away

Originally it seemed like Yuck's debut album was very good but probably wouldn't have much lasting power after it's release, but they've proved us quite wrong. It's really fucking great. This is their new video for opener "Get Away", the second best song on the record ("The Wall" takes the blue ribbon of course).

New Sonny & the Smiths: I Wanna Do It

MP3: Sonny & the Smiths - I Wanna Do It

Sonny & the Smiths may be the only band around today that actually is music legally allowed to name their album "Hit After Hit": they're damn fucking good and consistent. Very excited for this new album, out April 12th on Fat Possum.

Dinner for Yuck

MP3: Yuck - Shook Down

There's nothing wrong with paying homage to your influences—as long as you do it well and add on their legacy. On their self-titled debut, Yuck do just that. The early 90s vibe is harnessed and calculated throughout, but what stays the truest to the sound is the looseness with which band plays, and that's what allows it to seamlessly fit with the aforementioned decade. Enjoy.

Doubles Match

MP3: Tennis - Long Boat Pass

Well they're no John McEnroe that's for sure, but Denver's Tennis takes the faux-back sounds which Best Coast excretes out as music and makes them tolerable. Competence is always a plus when one is working with a song structure, and the latter could sure take some tips from the former. This isn't anything mind-blowing, nor do I believe it'll have much staying power. What it is though, is good background music, which when you hear at bar, you'll begin humming to the familiar melody.

Think fast, slim!

MP3: Smith Westerns - All Die Young

MP3: Smith Westerns - Smile

Here I was thinking I'd be getting the first new post of the year, and BAM! POW! Joey hops in first with the Golden Girls. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how the musical trends consolidate and which the press overlords will determine which bland electronic acts to proclaim heraldry upon. However, let's get it going with some heavily T.Rex inspired tracks by Chicago's Smith Westerns. Out soon on Fat Possum, "Dye It Blonde" kicks the musical year off right with fuzzy guitars and full production. Enjoy.

Post Acid

MP3: Wavves - Post Acid

More Mountain Dew rock from their Green Label Sound soda label. "Post Acid" is the first peek at the studio polished Wavves, and it sounds pretty sweet for the most part. King of the Beach drops in August from Fat Possum.

The Best Albums Of The Decade: #17 - Rubber Factory

MP3: The Black Keys - Girl Is On My Mind

#17 - The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Fat Possum Records 2004

Joey On Rubber Factory:

Yeah, I still have fond memories of drinking whiskey and PBRs and driving (don't do it kids) with this as loud as my car stereo would go in Portland that one time with Morgan. It was the first time he ever heard this album and we put this song on repeat and made up the lyrics as drunk folks do. Also, I only own this on a shitty promo cd-r that Epitaph sent Borders in 2004 and Amber made sure to set it aside for me as I expressed an interest of it to her. Matt knew Amber too. Do you know what happened to her, Matt?

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.

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