You Say Party! We Say Die! >> new tunes

The latest from the radically named You Say Party! is miles away from 2006's rebelious hyperactive song "The Gap." Two new tracks available from the album XXXX are like Cat Power fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with the post-punk mood of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Yes, cause it's a girl singing. These tracks are as hot as those girls in the band. The Canadian group's third album is present in the U.S.A from Paper Bag records in February 2010, though it's already tops in Canada. -Kenyon

"There Is XXXX (Within My Heart)" and "Dark Days" are HERE.

into>>>the>>>future
Hot Panda
Mint Records' latest artist, Hot Panda, will release its debut full length Volcano... Bloody Volcano in early February 2009. From Edmonton, Canada, the kooky indie rock band has enjoyed comparisons to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Daniel Johnson (not necessarily a good thing) and The Talking Heads. Although lately we seem to have enough bands with Panda and Hot already, they do have a cute press photo.

into>>the>>future
2009 artist to watch
.....or...something

Plushgun [Brooklyn]
My first thoughts were dang, Tommy Boy...this is hip-hop. Plushgun? Probably a boring generic rock band. Boy was i incorrect and will burn in hell. Plushgun's next album, Pins and Panzers is out from Tommy Boy in February 2009. Ravishing Postal Service/Joy Electric sputtery bounce led by Daniel Ingala. Listen to the wowy zowy of "Just Impolite"HERE.

The Divys
[New York City/Philly]
Similar: Foxglove Hunt, Book of Love
Undeniably indebted to vintage new wave pop, the Divys (William Rule and Kliff Ritz at the core) play the kind of tunes that would have been in a low-budget 1980s romantic-comedy. The Divys' "Sloppy Kiss," "Damaged Goods" and "Freak Boy" have an 80s-cheese awareness. These are songs that seem impossible to have been written after the year 2000. Which only makes the Divys incredibly joyous and in a wierd way, respectable. -Kenyon

http://www.thedivys.com/
www.myspace.com/TheDivys

The Bolts [California]
Similar: Weezer, Fountains of Wayne
If i was a high school kid in this band's town, there would be excitement in the air when they play small local shows. Three brothers and two friends get the party started (they say they are available for school dances, company parties, weddings, etc) with the funfilling, catchy harmony-driven pop rock of "Like a Fantasy", "Dead of the Night" and "Hero in Disguise." They also do a cover of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song. i bet these guys get a lot of girls. dang. They're playing at freaking Disney Land tonight. geez. -Kenyon

www.myspace.com/theboltsmusic

The Meadows [Los Angeles] - They sold me when i heard their cover of the Posies' "Dream All Day." Their version as well as the originals showcase the LA artists' Americana-Country-Pop. The pop side was pop enough to be on that Lifetime show Army Wives very recently. www.myspace.com/themeadows

ForceField On - [Long beach, CA] - The trombones are the centerpiece of this chamber-indie band, whose members have a wild range of credits with other artists (Calexico and Lampchop to All American Rejects and Neville Staple of the Specials.] they're true. honest. not trying to be the latest thing. it's on! www.myspace.com/forcefieldon

Mike Keane - [Milwaukee] On his website it reads: "Mike Keane allows taping at virtually all of his live performances." He is that cool. The songwriter is currently kicking the asses of coffee shop folk in Milwaukee Wisconsin with his sax-player friend. He's got no myspace. Now that is impressive. http://www.mikekeane.net

Millsted - [New York, NY] I'm thinking Hot Hot Heat meets Fishbone here. Hot! Millsted's assault is tight and professional, soon to be a band to watch on the NYC circuit. Make me wanna pogo. www.myspace.com/Millsted

Manda Rin of Bis to make solo debut. LP due in September 2008. Tell it to the kids.

Manda Rin, the girl from spunky-punk turned disco synth Scotland trio Bis, will release her first solo album, titled MY DNA, through This is Fake DIY records, September 8, 2008. She has four new songs at her myspacey and they're not far from where Bis left off quite a while ago with the 2001 album Return to Central. Although the lead single is "DNA" --a synth disco cheese affair-- the post-punk dance funk "No Language" sets the gears into motion. "Guilty Pleasure" is just that. This is all like, a naive Duran Duran fronted by...Manda Rin. Oh snap, i just remembered i met John Disco of Bis back in 1998! holy crap i forgot all about that.

Frog Eyes

Given the previous involvement of Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug, it's no stunner that Frog Eyes also breaks the rules of everyday indie rock. The 9-minute "Bushels" [MP3 here] is an offbeat, eccentric affair that could be one of the epic indie rock pieces of the summer. "Idle Songs," also from the new record released by Absolutely Kosher [myspace] throws Arcade Fire into fast-forward. The Canadian band goes on tour starting now.

06-03 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern
06-04 Portland, OR - Backspace
06-06 San Francisco, CA - Café Du Nord
06-07 Los Angeles, CA - Echo
06-09 Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts
06-10 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
06-12 Austin, TX - Club DeVille #
06-13 Dallas, TX - Club Dada #
06-14 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone #
06-16 Washington, DC - Black Cat #!
06-18 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's #
06-19 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg #*
06-20 Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear's Place #*
06-21 Danbury, CT - Heirloom Arts Theatre #*
06-22 Montreal, QC - Lambi #*
06-23 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern #*
06-24 Chicago, IL - Mansion #*
06-25 Madison, WI - Project Lodge
06-26 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
06-27 Fargo, ND - Aquarium
07-04 Victoria, BC - Logan's
* with Shearwater
# with Evangelicals
! with Firewater

Tin Bangs - [Toronto] - influenced by a wide range of the best in rock with a number of great tunes to show for it, Tin Bangs' exciting rock 'n' rolling post-post-punk dance is the best new thing i've heard this weekend. no, THIS WEEK. think the futureheads or a happier editors or the first bravery record without synth. they somehow, someway opened for the killers, editors and art brut and don't even have a record label. can you feel the BUZZ!?! it's getting me so high right now. they need a different band name though. anyway, Tin Bangs has flashes of rock fathers echo and the bunnymen and david bowie to name a few. and here's a cliche statement i never use: we will be hearing more about this band in the near future. oh snap! rockin video for "the skinny" at their myspacey. get jealous. i already am! so jealous. please, tin bangs, stop making me jealous. -Kenyon
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Luke Sneyd - [Toronto] - Sneyd and his band are like fresh minty breath after brushing your teeth thoroughly. sharing the style of sloan or brendan benson, the bubblegummish power pop addresses the usual array of subject matter (loss, alienation, politics). songs like "unknown," "timeless" and "waiting," however, are lovable enough that those subjects are overshadowed.
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Come on Caboose - [Ohio] - singer / songwriter Coran Stetter and drummer Eric Simonds "had just about enough with revolving door line ups in previous bands filled with all talk no walk musicians". boo hoo. have you been to iraq lately? okay okay, i dig what you're saying. then they met each other and discussed committment. they recruited two other guys and now they have some song. "organs" is semi-breezy indie pop/rock ala the 1990s, while the pina colada bassline leads into the decent but not so interesting "hot iron."
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cherryaxe - [Boston] - the first two songs provided are badly recorded and badly sung lo lo-fi indie-folk. Toy piano and accordion cancels out some of the badness. The other two fair better. "Febreze" drops the porch-folk for indie rock, which works better for cherryaxe. "Fresh Vegetables," although it switches to acoustic folk with banjo, is very very very serious.
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really quick reviews yo...

The Black and White Years - [Texas] - Ska has been dead for years now, but the Black and White Years (named "best new local band" by someone at the Austin Chronic-el) update the building block rhythm of ska with the vibrant "Power to Change." The self-titled debut album was produced by the Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison and they got a date soon with VHS or Beta, so werd up.

Gentleman Auction House - [St. Louis] "The Book of Matches" is posi kitchen sink indie rock with a big back beat. Would make sense opening for the Polyphonic Spree or alongside the Go! Team.

Alan Wilkis - [Brooklyn] '70s soft rock/pop walking on multi-color electronic lifts. "Milk and Cookies" is gonna make girls get all giddy. One of the best things heard all week.

Team Robespierre [Brooklyn] electro-punk for the kids in basements and warehouses featuring sing-alongs up the ying yang.

Secret Knives - [New Zealand] - bright eyes backed by editors or the killers but with a lo-fi recording method.

Sleepy Eyes of Death - [Seattle] - oooooo electronic swirly dream rock, like M83.

The Cotton Jones Basket Ride - [Maryland] - opening for John Vanderslice this Sunday at Mercury Lounge NYC, the curiously named act was "Born on a ship during the 1984 Baseball World Series between the San Diego Padres [Tony Gwynn rules forever) and the Detroit Tigers." Cotton's front porch psyche-folk goes down best during the line "black is the color of the heart they gave me" in "I was Stoned by the Choir," a knitting of Dylan, Marley and acoustic blues-style Spiritualized. -Kenyon
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Astral: Sleepwalker (Vibraphone)
release: March 25, 2008
style: lo-fi ethereal post-post-punk
similar: Experimental Aircraft, the Autumns
[rating: *1/2] With one hand in lo-fi dark post-punk and the other in dream pop/shoegaze, Astral offers an odd idenity crisis. The tinny drums are forgivable, but the vox often sound strangely off. Here and there they do find their footing: "A Lullaby from Amsterdam" and "Winters in May" ease into washy delay-enhanced guitar effects and spaced-out vocals, achieving average dream pop. When Astral takes on post-punk, the ghost of Bauhaus is screaming to be released. Screaming in agony. -Kenyon
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Son Lux - [NYC] - the latest from the challenging Anticon records is this manically unpredictable overcasting art experiment from paid composer Ryan Lott. Think Joseph Arthur's approach to dealing with multi-tracks, though more avant-garde. Son Lux has had the honor of sharing a stage with Sufjan Stevens. At War with Walls and Mazes released March 11. -Kenyon

Die! Die! Die! - Though there are some better band names with "!" and "Die," the name is very straight forward and so, naturally, is the band. The second record Promises, Promises (February 12, 2008), is sounding an alarm within rock music, especially tracks like the shout-along "A.T.T.I.T.U.D." The post-post-punk bratty New Zealand trio is the type of band that's gonna be hot for at least a few months. They got much in their pocket already too: the first album was recorded with Steve Albini, and they've opened for Blood Brothers, Wolfmother and Wire. !.

mp3- "Sideways, Here We Come"

www.diediedie.net
www.myspace.com/diediedienz


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Danny Ross - [New York] - Ross is leading a double life- while he's not concentrating on his very polished Ben Folds/Harry Connick Jr. songwriting with the jazz, he works for Congressman Jerrold Nadler (Ross has a degree in Goverment). It'd be a shock if the girls don't go wild for him. He's quite a charming fella that Danny Ross. www.dannyrossmusic.com
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The Downbeat 5 - [Boston] - featuring ex-Queers guitarist JJ Rassler and fronted by a raspy Jen D'Angora, the D5's garage punk has earned slots with Dick Dale, the Zombies, Detroit Cobras, the Muffs. If you can't handle the tough rough side, check out the 1950s girl group-pumped "Dum Dum Ditty" or swooning "Out in the Streets." http://www.downbeat5.com/

thanks for the add. now i will go clutter your comments. ha!

Juviley [New York, NY] - ultra fragile sensitive vocals are as gentle as the acoustic guitar. neither one is assertive enough to overpower the other and the two parts make for one sleepy sunny raindrop soaked morning. On "It Comes to this" he's a turtle looking out of his shell, backed by light percussion, extra guitar and a more assertive voice. There's some trouble with the high notes though. uh oh spaghetti o!
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The Lonely H - [Washington] - "The Meal" 1990s indie rock of Archers of Loaf hijacked by the classic rocky of Kings of Leon.
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Alex Highton - [UK] - beyond-quiet confessional lullabies. he's also in a band called Mohanski, which gathers the ashes of classic British rock and spreads them across the ocean.
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Pale Young Gentlemen - [Wisconsin] - original for sure, though also a pretentious mountain of classical-inspired madness anchored by piano and strings.
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Addisqt - [France] - what do you want me to say? i don't even know what this is supposed to be. a pounding of miminal synth blips and bleeps, could easily be music from an old video game. yea. this is blip-blop electronic.

die Kinder- [New York City] with a name like die Kinder ("the Children") we may be thinking something like the hard-electronic machinery metal of Rammstein or KMFDM. This electro-rock duo (featuring an ex-member of the Pilfers) is more like the Sounds or Republica. "Their beautiful blondeness will blind you" their blurb says. Over the top pretentiousness. However..."Tonight is All There is" has the horsepower for an imported car commercial.
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Brian Speaker - [New York City]- He picked up the guitar at age 12 and wrote his first song within a few months. Congrats, haven't we all. i did that too and look where i am now. Nowhere! okay calm down. Speaker should be addressed here for this reason and this reason only: among his cameos, his voice is in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game. i love grand theft auto, i play it every nite. Psyche! He does voices in commercials too. Therefore "Brian Speaker" is obviously his stage name.
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Novus Dae - [Connecticut] - The band firmly wears the influences on the sleeve: Stone Temple Pilots, Tool and other 90s hard rock staples. This could have been destined to hate. But it's bands like this --similar to Long Island band Dearly Departed-- that are sometimes a necessary emotional live experience. Come on dudes, you know you're going to quote me on this.
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i Concour - [Leeds UK] - "Lucky Jack / Build Around Me" single (March 10 on Brew records). I thought i made this clear on this blog. Don't mess with Kenyon when giving yourself a tag of shoegaze. i will call you out. i Concour, who has played with the Hold Steady (one of the most overrated bands in recent memory) is not making this sound natural. The guitars are shoegaze but there are no striking melodies. The vocals are way too clear and clean to be shoegaze. In fact, the vocals are being belting out from beyond. There is little in which to get lost. You will find yourself out in 20 seconds.
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Ten Minute Turns - [Brooklyn] - This eccentric outfit's lo-fi, almost primitive shenanigans produce off-kilter melodies too tough to tame. Most notably in "Red Light Room."
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Joe Calderone - [Connecticut] - From the "the Bang Song": "Gonna shoot you bang bang gonna shoot you bang bang bang bang with my love". Ok? ok cool.
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Family Lumber [Long Island/Brooklyn] - main person Mike Tietjen's recordings include a contribution from Mark Pirro of the Polyphonic Spree. Now i'm mad jealous. i HEART the P-Spree. the unplugged indie rock of lumber resides in layers of acoustic guitar that can trace its footsteps from hayden to folk implosion to kevin devine. -Kenyon

into the future->>>

Colour Revolt [Mississippi] - Scruffy Southern noise-rock, offset only by the gentle and deep-thinking "Mattresses Underwater." "Blood in Your Mouth" features the best use of harmonica in a rock song so far this year. A big shock that they've been under the radar, considering they've toured with Dinosaur Jr., Brand New (!?), Black Lips and Explosions In the Sky. Plunder, Beg and Curse out April 1, 2008 on Fat Possum.
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Dirty on Purpose [Brooklyn] - video for new song "Audience in the Room" HERE. From the Like Bees EP out January 15 on North Street records.
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Foxy Shazam [Cincinnati, Ohio] - A unique band with unique facial hair, their over-the-top masquerading rock is like Faith no More going fast forward. Video for "A Dangerous Man" HERE. From "Introducing" out January 22 on New Weathermen/Ferret. -Kenyon

short reviews

Olympic Lifts [Ireland] - Oh man i miss this carefree spirit. Thank you Olympic Lifts for doing the Pop Will Eat Itself/Carter USM/Stereo MCs early '90s thing. I count on the Lifts to be a good time live. Check the line-up: Bigshow (electric guitar/keys), Boma (MC/percussion), Pylon (MC), Icerink (bass) and Rock Suitcase (beats). Werd.
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Westside Daredevils - [Tennessee] - The colorful "Darling Currency" has the jangle of the Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub and sure enough the Fanclub is one of this band's influences. Goody! Westside was formed "with the ambition of postponing adulthood indefinitely." THANK YOU, stay young.
http://www.westsidedaredevils.com
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Lawrence Blatt [San Francisco] - Once in a while it's nice to hear acoustic guitar picking rooted in classical theory. Blatt's guitars are custom made with specific materials and taking months to finish. To the classically trained ear it's a unique tone. To ears that listen to guitar-drenched feedback it's a completely different way of life.
http://www.lawrenceblatt.com
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Daphne Darling [Toronto] - polished teen-pop ala Kelly Clarkson. Darling loves "Tenderness" by General Public and so do i. Potential guilty pleasure here. bop.
http://www.myspace.com/daphnedarling
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This Door to Remain Closed During Work Hours [Alaska] - instrumental post-rock not intense enough to be compared to, say, explosions in the sky. the metal riffs come in unneccesarily without warning and then a brief vocal stream comes in which negates the buildup and intensity. the fact that it's from alaska saves door to remain from being called too self-involved. alaska is cool, please stop the ice from melting. http://www.thesedoors.com

Robyn [Sweden] - not to be confused with any other artist named Robyn, as there are a bunch. this Robyn traverses pop, teenie-pop, hip-hop, electronic dance. look at her haircut, so my style back in the day. if i was 18 i would have such a crush on this girl. EP out January 29, 2008. at Highline Ballroom in New York February 5. -Kenyon

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Christopher Barnes [Boston] - The delicate, enchanting vocals of Barnes is what makes these pieces gold coins. Using only low-key piano and hushed vocals, you better not be talking or playing with your cell phone at his shows. There will be hell to pay. Possible blood shed. Although mainly piano, "Closing" has a very light synthetic percussion, while vocals (enhanced by female back-up) will stand the test of time. Too lilting for its own good. -Kenyon

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the five-day Tomorrow Never Knows is going down in Chicago January 16-January 20 and includes John Vanderslice, Bobby Conn, The Walkmen, White Rabbits. tickets at Schubas.com.

thanks for the add. now i will go clutter your comments. suckerrrr.

Michael Marton- [Canada] - In his press bio, Marton says he got a letter from Island records in response to his demo asking for more music. Listen, you don't need them. Just look at Radiohead! This Canadian is sporadically a pop-rock version of Johnny Cash, notably when his voice goes baritone. The gruff vocals for "I Won't Go" aren't working and don't even sound like the same person. Stop, you're killing me. Stick with the Johnny Cash, okay? There's a quote on his bio: "once you put it in your CD player, it'll be hard to take it out." Kenyon ain't gonna be played for a fool by cliche reviews. I took it out. -Kenyon

ATOMICTOM [brooklyn] - Atomic Tom is ready to take it to the next level. The list of influences don't add up to their streamlined rock (stuff like BRMC, Cardigans, Goldfrapp, M83, tatu, Pinback), but it's clearly professional and confident enough to open for Editors or Under the Influence of Giants. -Kenyon

Matt Gangi [brooklyn/LA] - On his myspace page, it reads he's from Los Angeles, in his EPK it reads Brooklyn. Don't screw with me Gangi. Gangi is "often associated with the New Weird America movement." Okay...this is news to *me. I'll tell you what this is for real: psych-folk possessing non-annoying falsetto vocals and delicate instrumentation. "Subject Positions" is number one, almost too good to be an original and practically re-inventing early Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones. Wow that was a bold quote for you to use, Matt Gangi. You're welcome. -Kenyon

thanks for the add. now i will go clutter your comments.

The Whiles - Joe and Matt Peppercorn lead this Columbio, Ohio band. i seriously doubt that Peppercorn is their real last name. i mean come on. Peppercorn? It's so obvious they made it up just for the band. They should have just called the band the Peppercorns. For serious now, the Whiles are pleasant heartaching folk-country-rock. Here's a press quote for you Whiles: These guys should be opening for Wilco. You like that? Good. -Kenyon

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele- this guy from Mississippi said he was in vein to the smiths and magnetic fields, et al. i said, "i'll be the judge of that." it's not like those two artists but i can hear a little of them--the ukulele and the sorta romantic baritone vocals--in Dent May's sophisticated low-key first half of the 20th century cultured folky pop. -Kenyon

The Hectors- Nah this doesn't have an infusion of shoegaze like another critic said. Do not mess with me when discussing shoegazing. Only when the Hectors get the vocals buried and airy and add more effects to the guitar will they have any "infusion" of that at all. The female fronted band has more in common with mid-90s bands Jale and Sleeper. But where are the hooks? I can't find them. Help! ok i go sleep now. -Kenyon