Sarah June
In Black Robes (Silber)
release: February 16, 2010
sim: Cranes, Joanna Newsom, Cat Power
[rating: ****] The classical framework of Sarah June's guitar playing captures an uncommon style on the enchanting In Black Robes. Her reverbed, child-like vocals and dark lyrics cast light on the shadows of her days in Detroit. Though it's only her voice and a guitar (except for the jazz infused "Brand of Bitterness), June acheives haunting, un-ignorable pieces regarding the reaper, judgement day, skeletons and dreaming in black & white. There will be no talking when she's playing live. NONE! --Kenyon

www.myspace.com/sarahjunesound

Summer People
Good Problems (Red Leader)
release: March 2, 2010
similar: Desaparecidos, Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, Built to Spill
[rating: ****] The eight members of this upstate New York troupe recorded this exciting blues-rock-folk explosion completely live, which was a smart move for their debut. Not that Good Problems is extra raw and gritty. In fact, songs are sharp, promising an equally welcoming concert performance with the right sound system. It never even becomes the mess that's expected, namely when Summer People go from a full-on emo folk rock attack to a soft, guitar-effect driven experiment or a heartfelt downtempo number with more reserved vocals. Some way, somehow, even a nine-minute drone in this album seems to make sense. -Kenyon

www.myspace.com/summerpeople

This charming man.
Andy Rourke of the Smiths at the Crazy Donkey!

Rourke spun a rad set that included Joy Division, Happy Mondays, New Order, Blur, Pixies, David Bowie. Aside from being the bassist from one of the greatest bands of all time, he is also a super cool fellow.



andy and kenyon.

tonite!

Adam Green > new album > mp3

Move side to side and clap. Now put your left foot foward and back in. Okay you got it! You're doing the "Castles and Tassels" dance. Adam Green had set his sights high with the ambitious Friends of Mine in 2003, and then killed hopes of becoming the next Burt Bacharach with the dreadful follow-up Gemstones (remember "Choke on a Cock", anyone?). Okay, so "No Legs" from Friends wasn't short on eyebrow-raising either. Already Green's sixth solo album, Minor Love (out next week), at least proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's prolific as hell. "Castles and Tassels" joins the best of both of Green's musical worlds, featuring his deceptively playful baritone and a twangy bass. -Kenyon

"Castles and Tassels" [mp3]

The Postelles > tour dates with Hockey > new EP

This young NYC group harnesses the feel-goodness of early 60s pop along with the modern age of such bands as Locksley and the Strokes. Check out the innocence of "123 Stop" and "Boy's Best Friend" at their myspacey. Their White Night EP, produced with the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr, is available March 2, 2010 via (Astralwerks / Capitol). These brave souls are gigging tonite (snowstorm?) and next wednesday at Bowery Electric NYC and then the WHO tribute and down the road for them is Bonnaroo, wooooo. -Kenyon

www.myspace.com/thepostelles

2/10/10 - Bowery Electirc - New York, NY
2/17/10 - Bowery Electric - New York, NY
3/2/10 - Carnegie Hall (The Who Tribute) - New York, NY

and then they got all these dates with the band HOCKEY

March 11th- 7th Street Entry (Minneapolis)
March 13th- Outland on Liberty (Ohio)
March 15th- Bowery Ballroom (NYC)
March 16th- Johnny Brendas (Philadelphia)
March 17th- Rock and Roll Hotel (DC)
March 18th- 21st- SXSW (Details TBA)
March 23rd- Mercy Lounge (Nashville)
March 24th- Drunken Unicorn (Atlanta)
March 25th- Cafe 11 (St. Augustine, Florida)
March 26th- Club Downunder (Tallahassee)
March 27th- Bottletree (Alabama)
March 29th- Thirsty Hippo (Mississippi)
March 30th- Spanish Moon (Louisiana)
April 1st- Warehouse Live (Houston)
April 2nd- Emo's Alternative (Austin)
April 3rd- The Loft (Dallas)
April 6th- Larimer Lounge (Denver)
April 8th- The Neurolux (Idaho)
April 10th- Wonder Ballroom (Portland)

a-ha final tour! May 6 + 7, 2010 at Nokia Theater, NYC


a-ha continued to exist after 1986. And they had other good songs besides "Take on Me." But that still doesn't justify $42 ticket! boooo. They are actually only playing a few dates in the U.S, which i don't blame them for since they're better known elsewhere (they have dates in Brazil next month). $42 + fees + $15 train = not worth it for this particular show. Hunting High and Low remains a new wave touchstone. The latest album, from 2009, can be heard at the a-ha.com. -Kenyon

rad out of towner bands at Stony Brook. Can't even believe it.


Small Black (Brooklyn)


The Spinto Band (Delaware)


Spinto

EDGE wins 2010 Royal Rumble! just like I SAID he WOULD!
boo hoo shawn michaels. eff the bs music awards.

so for the first time ever i paid $45 goddamn dollars to view a WWE PPV. Royal Rumble is usually only the second or third biggest event after Wrestlemania, as well as the so-called ROAD to Wrestlemania. Overall the matches weren't too hot and only one championship changed hands, as Micky James defeated Michelle McCool in one minute. The best thing about the event, by far, was the return--after about 10 months from injury--of Edge. Since last March i had predicted that Edge would be the surprise entry for the 2010 Royal Rumble and the first person he would attack in the ring would be former tag team partner Chris Jericho. And Edge did EXACTLY would i said he would do (that's dramatic wrestling speak for you newbies). He goes to Wrestlemania. (This was very similar to the 2008 Rumble i actually went to, when John Cena was the surprise). Shawn Michaels was crying after going over the top rope cause he can't accept that he lost a chance to face the Undertaker at Wreslemania again. GET OVER IT! Photos taken from standard non-HD television.

Sheamus vs Randy Orton. awkward!


Christian vs Ezekiel Jackson. MORE awkward!

Cody, WTF? you stupid sh*t, jigsaw's testing you!

Orton vs Sheamus

After once again being the joke of the immature 5th grader Michelle McCool, MJ takes her title belt.

ummmm. choose your own comment.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

other matches:

Undertaker defeats Rey Mysterio (heavyweight championship)

the Miz defeats MVP (United States championship, late addition match)

Lali Puna >> new track, finally!
The German artist's first album in over five years is ready to go. Elegant ambient electro pop from the deepest reaches of ethereal beautifulness. Our Inventions is out April 6, 2010 on Morr Music.

"Remember" - [mp3]

Brian Jonestown Massacre>>new album, world tour and Matt Hollywood back in band!

BJM's next album, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?, is scheduled for February 23, 2010 release. Recorded in Iceland and Berlin, it has a similar, neo-psych approach as the last album, My Bloody Underground, which was notably heavier on the experimentalism than most of the melodic, Brian Jones-inspired rock 'n' roll from previous outings. It will see light via leader Anton Newcombe’s own label, A recordings LTD (distributed though Red Eye). Guitarist/vocalist Matt Hollywood, an original member who co-wrote much of the prolific band's material through the 1990s until having a falling out, is re-joining, at least for this tour. The line-up is pretty sick right now, though is always subject to change without notice. And the gig in New York is like half a year away. -Kenyon

current line-up on BJM's myspace:

Anton Newcombe - Guitar/Vocals
Matt Hollywood - Guitar/Vocals
Frankie Teardrop - Guitar
Ricky Rene Maymi - Guitar/Feedback
Collin Hegna - Bass
Daniel Allaire - Drums
Rob Campanella - Organ/Guitar/Percussion
Joel Gion - Tamborine/Maracas


"Feel It" is one of a few new tracks posted by Anton on Youtube.

U.S tour dates
5/28/2010: Minneapolis, MN @ Cabooze
5/29/2010: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
5/30/2010: Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/31/2010: Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
6/02/2010: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall
6/03/2010: Montreal, QC La Tulipe
6/04/2010: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
6/06/2010: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
6/08/2010: Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
6/09/2010: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6/10/2010: Cincinnati, OH @ Mad Hatter
6/11/2010: St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
6/13/2010: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
6/14/2010: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
6/15/2010: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
6/17/2010: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
6/18/2010: Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
6/19/2010: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
6/21/2010: San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
6/22/2010: Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater

February 14, 2010!

Soundpool >>> new track


"But It's So" - listen here.

Post-shoegaze ambient dance with a canonball of cosmic sounds, including one you will recognize from the Ting Ting's "Great DJ." "But It's So" will be on the upcoming album Mirrors In Your Eyes, the New York groop's third full-length album, expected soon on Killer Pimp records. Track is also on a limited 7" out later this month. -Kenyon

into>>the>>future.
American Laundromat Records Announces details for rad upcoming benefit compilation Sing Me To Sleep.

Comp will feature lullabies done by Tanya Donelly, Dean & Britta, Say Hi, Telekinesis, The Real Tuesday Weld, Sigur Rós, Stars and more. The money goes to the Valerie Fund, which support health care for children with cancer and blood disorders. Ready for global coverage on May 18, 2010. -Kenyon

www.alr-music.com for pre-order. Limited edition style has bonus items.

Confirmed Tracks (Original Artist) - Artist Performing:

Asleep (Smiths) - Stars
Boys Of Summer (Don Henley) - Papercuts
Can't Get It Out Of My Head (ELO) - Telekinesis
Cloudbusting (Kate Bush) - Neil Halstead
Dear Prudence (Beatles) - Casey Mecija (Ohbijou)
Dream A Little Dream Of Me (Traditional) - Dala
Edelweiss (The Sound of Music) - Laura Gibson
Gymnopédie No. 1 (Erik Satie) - Coctails
Have You Forgotten (Red House Painters) - Jenny Owen Youngs
Inchworm (Hans Christian Andersen) - The Leisure Society
Kafari (Original) - Sigur Rós [bonus 7" vinyl only]
Kiss Off (Violent Femmes) - Say Hi
Little Boxes (Malvina Reynolds) - The Real Tuesday Weld
Making Me Smile (Jack Early) - Dean & Britta
Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany's) - Tanya Donelly
Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany's) "Blue Mix" - Tanya Donelly [bonus 7" vinyl only]
Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) - The Rest
Rainbow Connection (The Muppet Movie) - Trespassers William
Strings That Tie To You (Jon Brion) - Julie Peel with Field Mouse & Hailey Wojcik
The North Wind Doth Blow (Traditional) - Snowbird
The Sounds Of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) - The Abbasi Brothers
You And Your Sister (This Mortal Coil) - O+S
You Are My Sunshine (Traditional) - Peter Broderick

new audio + video
Val Venosta : "The Price is Right"
Neo-experimental Swedish electro, featuring clips from the often overlooked classic horror film The Abominable Dr. Phibes, starring Vincent Price. The creeping surrealistic film actually contains some fantastic vintage gore that is only a step below the work of Lucio Fulci.

movie left for dead.
The Brain (1988) What a way to go. Being eaten by an enormous alien mutant monster brain. That's some suggestive effin vore there. Hey, the brain was doing fine controlling minds until some meddling kids got in the way. Now it has to take breaks from its mind control room to eat them. Eating them will cause the brain to expand, and we'll assume, become even more powerful. Now listen brain, don't get a big head! The doctor assisting you just got decapitated! In other words, this film is classic. Rare and never released on DVD. [rating: ***1/2] -Kenyon

Aarktica: In Sea (Silber)
style: icy ambient
[rating: ***1/2] The sixth outing from Jon DeRosa's Aarktica is another spacious and sparse record, an alternate-reality of darkish ambience resulting from hearing loss in one ear, first surfacing on 2000's No Solace in Sleep. On In Sea, he pays tribute to his mentors, who taught him to rely on physical vibrations of instruments. Unlike some previous recordings, this one is solely guitar and an antique pump organ. DeRosa even sings on "Hollow Earth Theory," which may have been best saved for a vocals album. An odd choice for a cover, "Am I Demon?" by Danzig, closes the album, Aarktica style. "Onward" and "Young Light" are the centerpiece, directing seagulls across the waters and onto distant shores. -Kenyon

http://www.silbermedia.com/

Dan Black
Black sews the modern pop fabric of Blake Lewis and Robbie Williams (though he claims influence from Sigur Ros and Jay-Z). Either way he leans towards polished pop. You know, sometimes...Dan Black....i don't knowww about youuu. Love the designs of your virtual promo materials. This includes the inventive video for "Symphonies," which takes on many classic film title intros. -Kenyon

Dan Black - Symphonies

DAN BLACK MySpace Music Videos

Tour dates too holy cow!
February 18 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
February 19 - Montreal, QC @ Belmont
February 20 - Toronto, ON @ WrongBar
February 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Cinespace
February 25 - San Francisco, CA @ Popscene / 330 Ritch

www.myspace.com/danblacksound

Sweet Apple

The latest signing to the great Tee Pee records is supergroup Sweet Apple, which is yet another band with J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. It also includes Tim Parnin and John Petkovic of Cobra Verde and Dave Sweetapple of Witch. Obviously he made up that name Sweetapple for the band. Just like Pat Battle from NBC news. I mean come ON. Obviously made that up to sound all tough news-like. The one track from Sweet Apple, which indirectly formed as a result of the death of Petkovic's mother, is on their myspace. "Do You Remember" is gritty old school indie rock. Album is out end of March 2010. Very futuristic. -Kenyon

www.myspace.com/sweetapplesongs

Ship Wrecks

This indie-folk duo from Elizabethtown, PA is the kind of people that would have fit in real nice when there were frequent local house shows here in Long Island. But now...nothing that i know of like that is happening, at least in my circles of peoples. Cause too many kids moved to Brooklyn, dammit! Check the Ship Wrecks tenderness on their EP, the Good Old Days, via www.myspace.com/shipwreckspa or download at www.gimmesound.com/shipwrecks . -Kenyon