Cannibal Cheerleader

The One-Two Punch

FRIGHTENED RABBIT/OXFORD COLLAPSE IN AUSTIN
Last night at Mohawk here in Austin audiences were treated to the indie-rock equivalent of the 0ne-two punch, with Scottish crooners Frightened Rabbit teaming up with poppy-punksters Oxford Collapse for an evening of scorching numbers, all played with such effortlessness the boys in the bands made it look easy.
Oxford Collapse opened and by the time lead guitarist Michael Pace’s amp blew out in mid-song we knew we were in for a good set. Playing loose and cavalier the trio bounced around the stage with an energy that even got the much-maligned Austin hipster crowd to shake their hips.
Frightened Rabbit’s music, while definitely more reserved, nonetheless sounded equally bombastic with the band ripping through tracks from their newest LP the Midnight Organ Fight with ease. Tracks like “The Modern Leper” and Cannibal Cheerleader favorite “The Twist” got us to our feet in no time flat, and frontman Scott Hutchison sings each tune with the grit and fervor of a man holding back years of tears with each word. Both bands provided for an emotional experience that won’t soon be forgotten here in Austin. Great double bill and kudos to OC, FR, and especially Mohawk. Here are some more pics from last night:

Frightened Rabbit
Oxford Collapse
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NEW STARS “BITCHES IN TOKYO” VIDEO
One of our favorite releases of last year (as you can read from our first post ever) was Stars‘ In Our Bedroom After the War. It combined our love of well-honed and perfectly executed pop music with our penchant for subversive politics, all wrapped up with a little bit of rock and roll to boot. One of the best songs from that album was undeniably “Bitches In Tokyo” so it’s awesome to see that even a year after the album was released we have the band’s new video for this standout track. Check it out below and be sure and pick up the entire Stars’ discography (if you like music that is).
Bitches In Tokyo
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NEW BAND CHEER – PONYTAIL

We’ve heard the rumblings about Baltimore’s Ponytail for a while now. From their recent Pitchfork review all the way back to mixtapes circling the Internet from radio stations in Maryland. But it wasn’t until we heard the band’s newest LP Ice Cream Spiritual, a bricolage of pop-punkery and noise-rock mashed into a rainbow cataclysm of sound and fury, that we decided to throw our full weight behind this great act. Truth be told Ponytail is one of our favorite new bands of the year bar-none and we’ll be impressed to see what they’ve got in store as the year progresses. Word on the street is they’re one of the best live acts around so here’s hoping they swing through Austin! MP3s are sadly still down but here’s a video to tide you over and introduce you to their fantastic sound.
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TERROR THURSDAY – CREEPERS
One of the weirdest Terror Thursdays yet, Dario Argento’s Creepers (the American edit of Phenomena) stars Jennifer Connelly as the new girl in an all-female boarding school when murder mysteriously star occurring. Seemingly missing massive chunks of the plot due to perhaps a poor quality film print or bad editing (perhaps Phenomena is more complete?) the film nonetheless impresses with the Italian master’s signature artful kills and enough disgusting gore (pool of body parts and maggots anyone?) to impress even the most jaded horror fans. I give this one 3 out of 4 bloody pon-poms though it might get more when I rent the full version of the film. Look for the review in the future!