classic vintage video.
Asia - "Heat of the Moment" (1982)

From Bubblegum to Sky
A Soft Kill (Eenie Meenie)
release: June 3, 2008
style: one man band indie pop
[rating: ***1/2] A Soft Kill is an indie pop record's indie pop record. The many touchstones are evident on Mario Hernandez' third record in eight years. A guitar riff for one tune is a knock off from a vintage girl group song, like Vanilla Ice taking Queen's "Under Pressure." Another holds in its arms a recognizable melody from a semi-known New Order song. Perhaps that is listening too deeply. The point is, even if we've heard the pop-influenced pop before, a Soft Kill is chock full of the ABC's of ice cream indie, albeit comprised of the commonly contrasted solemn lyrics. To be release digitally and on vinyl, the latter of which comes with a t-shirt! Bu-bu-bu-bubblegum! -Kenyon

www.myspace.com/frombubblegumtosky

Ladytron tour > new video > Velocifero out June 3 on Nettwerk.

"Ghosts"


Ladytron 2008 tour dates up the yinyang.

May 20 2008 - The Starlite Room (All Ages) Edmonton AB
May 21 2008 - The Warehouse (18+) Calgary AB
May 23 2008 - Commodore Ballroom (19+) Vancouver, British Columbia
May 24 2008 - Showbox Seattle, Washington
May 25 2008 - Wonder Ballroom (All Ages) Portland, Oregon
May 27 2008 - The Fillmore Auditorium (All Ages) San Francisco, California
May 29 2008 - Henry Fonda Theater (All Ages) Los Angeles CA, California
May 30 2008 - Henry Fonda Theater (All Ages) -Sold Out Los Angeles, California
May 31 2008 - Belly Up Tavern (21+) Solana Beach, California
Jun 2 2008 - In The Venue (All Ages) Salt Lake City, Utah
Jun 3 2008 - Gothic Theatre (16+) Englewood, Colorado
Jun 5 2008 - Palladium Ballroom (All Ages) Dallas, Texas
Jun 6 2008 - Stubbs BBQ (All Ages) Austin TX, Texas
Jun 7 2008 - The Meridian (All Ages) Houston, Texas
Jun 8 2008 - House of Blues New Orleans (18+) New Orleans, Louisiana
Jun 10 2008 - Czar Tampa, Florida
Jun 11 2008 - Studio A (18+) Miami, Florida
Jun 12 2008 - Club Firestone (18+) Orlando, Florida
Jun 13 2008 -Variety Playhouse (All Ages) Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 15 2008 - Bonnaroo Music Festival (All Ages) Manchester, Tennessee
Jun 16 2008 - The Pageant (All Ages) St. Louis, Missouri
Jun 17 2008 - Vic Theatre (All Ages) Chicago, Illinois
Jun 18 2008 - Saint Andrews Hall (All Ages) Detroit, Michigan
Jun 25 2008 - Terminal 5 (All Ages) New York, New York
Jun 26 2008 - Fillmore at the Theater of Living Arts (All Ages) Phil, Pa
Jun 27 2008 - Sonar (All Ages) Baltimore, Maryland
Jun 28 2008 - Merriweather Post Pavillion (+Thievery Corporation & TV on the radio) Washington DC
Jun 30 2008 - Paradise (18+) Boston, Massachusetts
Jul 2 2008 - Metropolis - Jazz Fest Montreal PQ
Jul 3 2008 - Theatre Imperial - Quebec City International Festival (All Ages)
Jul 4 2008 - Harbourfront Centre (All Ages) Toronto, Ontario
Jul 5 2008 - Blues Festival Ottawa, Ontario
Jul 12 2008 - Creamfields Central Europe Breclav
Aug 8 2008 - Pantiero Festival Cannes
Oct 1 2008 - Tivoli Brisbane
Oct 2 2008 - Corner Hotel Melbourne
Oct 4 2008 - The Great Escape Festival Sydney
Oct 5 2008 - Bakery Artrage Complex Perth

Mogwai: Young Team
(Chemikal Underground re-issue)
release: June 17, 2008
[original release 1997]
style: post-rock experimental
Chemikal U offers a deeper listening of the original Young Team, first made available in the U.S through Jetset records (the band moved to Matador from there). Unlike most remastered albums, the Scotland group's debut gets much-deserved retooling, as Young Team was a rush job with even the band acknowledging its shortcomings. The unitiated will be understandably bored by the record's lack of vocals and the 7 to 10 minute pieces. Most of this bores ME. Not to mention the (always pretentious!) scattered semi-field voice snippets, with the exception of one track that has some legit vox. If you love this kinda sh*t, you may as well start with album closer "Mogwai Fear Satan," a definitive 16 minutes featuring guitar squalling balanced by flute. If you hate this kind of sh*t, try Mog's Rock Action, which has more to like if you're into electronics, melody, vocals and warmth. Some other places of note on Young Team are "With Portfolio," which has some trippy noise panning action that gave me a decent buzz and "Yes! I am a Long Way from Home," which is like a reprise of Smashing Pumpkins' "Drown." A bonus second disc, comprised of studio and live recordings from 1997-1998, is somewhat of a revelation. Woo! "I Can't Remember" is mad dark and sinister. A pretty cover of Spacemen 3's "Honey" (!) gives in to vocals and we also get a volcanic live version of "Like Herod." -Kenyon

Spiritualized 2008 North American tour dates so far.

July 20 - Chicago, IL @ Union Park
July 21 - Nashville, TN @ City Hall
July 22 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
July 25 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
July 27- New York, NY @ Terminal 5
August 1 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
August 2 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
August 3 - Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
September 6 - Toronto, ON @ Toronto Islands Park
September 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
September 27 - Austin, TX @ Zilker Park (Austin City Limits)

2008 has been the best year ever for reunions. the verve> woo! swervedriver> yea! my bloody valentine> pee yourself pitchfork! new kids on the block> crickets chirping<. full, as yet untitled album and dates in new york area in september.

here's the new single -"Summertime"- via an unofficial, fan-made (?) video with clips from their heyday. note the eerie similarity to the end chorus of Bobby Brown's "Roni."

Pia Fraus: After Summer (Clairecords)
release: May 13, 2008
style: swirly dream pop
[rating: ****] Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub, among other bands) was the perfect choice for producer of Pia Fraus' latest confection. Possessing the ingredients for indie pop, twee and shoegaze, After Summer was right up Blake's alley. In fact, most any song from the Estonian group could have been on that famous C86 comp. Every segment, from the dizzying "Doctor Optimism" to the trippy "Mute the Birds," is soft as snow and warm inside. Allowing its instruments to flow on their own, Fraus has put together one of the most pretty, natural-sounding recordings of the year. A welcome addition to the Clairecords catalog. -Kenyon

http://www.clairecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/piafraus

E for Explosion: Reinventing the Heartbeat (Eyeball)
release: May 20, 2008
style: gentle emo rock
[rating: ***] Formerly of Warped Tour-style act JamisonParker, Explosion's Jamison Covington has gone the way of Trent Reznor, jumping off the Interscope ship and onto a boat that is free to sail the seas. Covington even has a song name similar to NIN titled "You Know Who You Are." It happens to be one of the top songs on Heartbeat, which was recorded with producer extraordinaire Dave Trumfio. The debut is emo ballad city, though with drum machine, breathy vocals and the occasional strings or piano, it is at least a sparkling full sound. "Antarctica" emits warmth rather than ice cap coldness. And like the ice caps, the girls will be melting after being exposed to this kid's lovelorn charm. Rated E for everyone. -Kenyon

The Daysleepers
Drowned in a Sea of Sound (Clairecords)
release: May 13, 2008
style: shoegaze, dream pop
[rating: ***] An obvious title for the style, Drowned isn't noisey like mbv or ocean-wavey like Slowdive, so getting drowned in a sea will be unlikely. We go a few feet into the water, maybe up to our hips and then spin around a little and feel the water and see the blue sky without stepping on a crab. Much of the chilly ringing guitar from this latest ethereal rock discovery is repetitive, though the drums are full and the female vocals--prettier than that of the male--allow for decent gaze. Opener "Release the Kraken" (hey! that is NOT very dream pop! i think that's from "Clash of the Titans"?) is like a gaze take on "Don't Fear the Reaper." "Twilight Bloom" improves and makes like Slowdive's Souvlaki at twice the tempo. "Summerdreamer" is even better. Aside from the swirly instrumental "Space Whale Migration," the latter half of the record feels tacked on. -Kenyon

they invented it. all we have to do is listen to it.

9.22.08 NYC . Roseland
9.23.08 NYC . Roseland

a huge brick just came out of me.