The Cannibal Cheerleader lineup for this year’s SXSW 09 Blood Bath keeps getting better with the introduction of the Whispertown 2000 to the lineup. We’re also partnering with OverUnder Records to bring you several New York acts including Howlies! Should be a rocking time, so be sure and be at the Peacock (515 Pedernales) on Wed. Mar. 18th at noon!
With the opening riffs of Kylesa’s latest effort Static Tensions the band clearly has chosen to expand their horizons, dwelling on intense buildups, frighteningly intricate drumwork, and searing guitar lines, all as the songs dip, wrap around, go soft, explode and re-explode, all within ten tremendous tracks. Gone is the sameness of past Kylesa records which, while excellent, suffered at times from an unvaried metal formula – no longer! Utilizing Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants’ voices equally and featuring their dueling guitarwork to maximum effect, Static Tensions is a giant leap forward, a slow-burning metal monster that shows off the group’s development and maturity earned from years of touring. Truly the best metal release of 2009 so far, a blazing record and one not to be missed. Check out a few tracks below!
The party takes place Wed. March 18th at the Peacock (515 Pedernales) from 12 to 5pm. We’re still working on beer sponsors and drinks, but free beverages will probably be available for some of the first attendees (and hey, $2 Lone Stars all day anyway so can’t go wrong there). More details as they come but get ready folks!
We’re introducing a new feature here at Cannibal Cheerleader called Piece By Piece where we review an upcoming album track by track. This’ll be reserved for the records we’re absolutely floored by and what better album to start off with than the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs LP It’s Blitz!
1. “Zero”
Album opener “Zero” sets the tone for It’s Blitz! early on, featuring the same sexy, bloody, ferocious Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ lyrics we’re familiar with but with the added effects of layered electronics care of Nick Zinner’s vintage synth-work. Karen O’s voice is featured prominently in the mix, simaltaneously sweaty and sultry when she belts out the high notes in the bridge while still hushed and passionate when she dives into the meat of the song. The whole tune builds to a fiery finish, equal parts dancey and rock and roll, a definitively YYY experience but wholly different from anything else the band has done before.
2. “Heads Will Roll”
Beginning with soft, dreamy electronic warbles, “Heads Will Roll” quickly gains steam when Karen O’s vocals begin (”Off with you’re head!”) and Brian Chase’s drumline crackles behind the textured synths. Sounding like a combination of an Italians Do It Better alumni and a new-rave disco act, YYY have managed to take their fiery carnage to an entirely different level, combining churning dance rhythms, 80s electronics, and their signature rip-roaring guitars to massive art-rock effect. When KO shrieks “Dance ’til you’re dead!” under a mountain of swirling synths one can’t help but feel the band is back in rare form with this song. Plus c’mon “glitter on the wet streets” – pure awesomeness.
3. “Soft Shock”
The first of many left-turns on this album, the song begins with the soft-tinging of a toy xylophone and KOs soft, wordless croon. As more drums and a snakey-guitar line are added, the song stays in a low register, a fiery intensity burning underneath the surface, a sound the title of the song encapsulates perfectly. Karen O sounds wounded and pained when she begs “leave me out” and her voice never rises above a murmer, spiking only as she begs the song to soar “louder, lips speak louder”. The track builds to a passionate close of chunky guitar lines cascading over warm synths and Chase’s steady beat. A fantastic and unique track that pulls its listener further into the album’s haunting little world.
4. “Skeletons”
Perhaps one of the most adventurous and inventive tracks the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have ever produced, “Skeletons” features hushed vintage synthesizers dashing back and forth over a sparse piano line and KO’s wounded voice poetically begging “love don’t cry/skeleton me”. The track slowly adds drum-clicks and a distant keyboard line, but never rises to rage and riot, instead containing its feriocity in the lyrics and KO’s pained lyrics. The track truly is a triumph for YYY, breaking them completely out of their comfort zone of up-against-the-wall punk to a dreamy art-rock slow burner, sounding at times almost shoegazey with thin layers wafting and drifting over each other with each passing second. The song stretches past the five-minute mark, but when it ends you’re not ready for it to be over.
5. “Dull Life”
One of our most anticipated tracks from the album (due in no small part to the YouTube video below) “Dull Life” does more than simply meet expectations: it soars, astounding with its bombastic rhythms and wailing vocals. Starting with a patented Zinner guitar-pluck, KO softly murmers the intro for bursting into her own, followed closely by her cohorts who churn up the music accordingly. Shrieking and raging about personal ennui and situationist philosophy (layers upon layers of “oh my sooooooul!”) the YYYs burn down the house with this one, ripping and roaring through line after line of this brilliant tune. Even when the song dips its volume down into the low registers near its final breakdown, the intensity still grabs the listener by the throat, throttling with ferocious undercurrents. A standout track and one of the best YYY tunes ever.
6. “Shame and Fortune”
A return to a dancier format with this track as Karen O’s voice echoes over maracas and a distorted guitar line that powers the song alone with reckless abandon. Featuring a killer guitar riff care of Zinner, save for electronic layerings this song most resembles a classic YYY rocker, with KO wailing about “all fortune on the floor” and interspersing her cavalier growls and cries throughout the last minute of the song, which slowly lilts down to nothingness as the album wraps up.
7. “Runaway”
Another hard-left turn as “Runaway” begins with a strikingly stark and simplistic piano line which expands only slightly as Karen O begins panting lovelorn lyrics of loss and escape over the tender notes. A smooth electronic whoosh slowly rises from the background in the second verse, and chimes dance in the background as faraway synths swirl and explode behind KO. The track builds slowly in intensity, feeling like a night-drive on a dusty road carrying one into the distance and the sun is slowly beginning to rise as the song comes to a close. As the longest song on the album “Runaway” nonetheless doesn’t overstay its welcome, remaining haunting and passionate until the end.
8. “Dragon Queen”
Without a doubt the danciest song on the album, featuring a synth-line seemingly snatched straight from late-70s NY loft, “Dragon Queen” boasts a Glass Candy feel but with the same YYY sexuality we’ve come to expect from the band. With lyrics like “my mouth/is touching/your mouth/is running”, the song bleeds heat and drips with passion, a miniature disco hidden discreetly near the end of the album. Karen O sings in tandem with Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio on this track, their vocal interplay reflecting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs flirtations with experimentation on this record. This album is working wonders.
9. “Hysteric”
Speaking of flirtations, Zinner briefly tries on his dub-shoes on “Hysteric”, as his light but echo-laden guitar effects bathe Karen O in a downpour of fuzzy riffs and shoegaze pedals. Featuring a killer drum line care of Chase and whispered vocals with a hopeful push and pull about love and madness. KO simply soars on this song which features her singing range prominently, darting between her carefree shouts and her murmured croons. A wonderful song that seems to summarize a lot of the themes of the whole album.
10. “Little Shadow”
With Imaad Wasif manning the acoustic guitar duties on this incredible closing track, Karen O whispers over his tender plucking a sad but somehow hopeful track about uncertainty and bravery, following her shadow into the night (”will you follow me”). With a drum blast the electronics sweep under KO and slowly envelope her, washing over her like a wave of the blood, sweat, and tears this album is made out of. A perfect closer.
Reflecting on the whole album, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have truly been building up to this one album since their beginnings. A brutally honest and fiercely independent vision, It’s Blitz! is an art-rock triumph, showcasing a band’s willingness to step outside of their own comfort zone and go from a riotous punk act to a dream-pop band in the span of a single album. And truly, It’s Blitz is a dreamscape worth experiencing and well worth the wait. Five out of five.
Lastly, check out this YouTube the band posted to their Myspace called “The Scientist”. I think the thing that Nick Zinner has in his briefcase is a badass synth myself. Check it:
MF Doom (now apparently called just DOOM in all caps) has leaked a Promo sampler featuring several new tracks from his upcoming LP BORN LIKE THIS (also in all caps apparently). Barring confusing capitalization preferences, Doom is bringing his illest rhymes back in force, with the same mush-mouthed delivery and fiercely creative lyrics we’ve come to expect from the masked menace. These tracks also feature some killer J Dilla tracks from his Donuts LP, so check them out below!
Comments? Anyone a fan of the new ‘Piece by Piece’ feature? This may be my only update of the week until Friday, as I am in New York interviewing for grad school (wish me luck!). Have a great week everyone!
MARNIE STERN INTERVIEW We here at Cannibal Cheerleader were among some of the most ardent fans of Marnie Stern’s sophomore release This is It… and we proclaimed it as one of our top albums of 2008. Now, before she heads down to Austin for SXSW 08, Marnie Stern has granted us an interview about her life, that whole kissing-booth affair, and what makes the indie-shredder so rock and roll.
CC: Describe your sound to the uninitiated. What is Marnie Stern all about? Introduce yourself, your music, and how it all came together in the beginning.
MS: It took a really long time for my music to come together… A lot of years of trying to find my own voice. I guess my sound is a mash up of a bunch of different musical tastes I like, along with some ideas and questions I’ve had about life thrown in there for good measure.
CC: What are some of your biggest influences? What bands do you like to listen to? Do you find yourself emulating other artists or mostly doing your own thing?
MS: I try not to emulate other artists. I never learned people’s songs when I was learning to play the guitar. I think often times when you do that, you end up trying to get into the mind set of someone else and really that’s impossible to do, so you have a harder time of expressing yourself on the intsrument. It’s different for everybody though. If I really like something I will try and absorb the essense of it and incorporate my own style into what I’m doing. There haven’t been many bands that I have gotten into over the past few years. I’ve been dissapointed by that because I like feeling a healthy competitiveness where I hear a band and it challenges me to do better work. I do like Ponytail very much.
Whaddya know? We love Ponytail too! Great minds think alike! Read more excerpts from the interview below and stay tuned for the complete version in our third issue of Cannibal Cheerleader Magazine, out during SXSW 09!
Marnie Stern – “The Crippled Jazzer” ******************************************************************** TV ON THE RADIO RETURN TO AUSTIN By some misfortune we managed to miss out on catching TV on the Radio’s last jaunt through the Lone Star State, but we’re in luck as the band will make their triumphant return to Stubb’s on May 15th. Get ready all and check this awesome TVOTR video below!
TV on the Radio – “Love Dog” ******************************************************************** MARNIE STERN INTERVIEW (CONT’D) CC: Your last album garnered a lot of attention and positive praise, even more so than your debut. What was it like being thrust into the limelight like that? Was there a sense of relief or added pressure?
MS: Is that what happened? How exciting if it was!! To me it felt like an extension of what happened when I released my debut. There were positive reviews and I went on tour, but I couldn’t really tell a big difference from the release of the first to the second. I guess when you are in the middle of it, you can’t really tell.
CC: Starting with influential online outlets like Pitchfork Media and Stereogum and trickling all down the blogosphere you’ve been given a lot of attention over the past year from this new form of music journalism – what do you feel about the online music community and how has it affected you?
MS: I love it!!!! It’s been very positive, so what’s not to like? Ha! Seriously though, the online music blogs are the only place I go to read about reviews and what’s going on. I never look at rolling stone or other music magazines, so I couldn’t be happier about that. Of course when you open yourself up to a blog, you are always left with the negative comments that people make, but I guess all press is good press and you just have to ignore the nasty things people say.
CC: Do you feel like the rampant torrent usage of these sites negates their positive influence? I’ve heard you were particularly unhappy when your album leaked, can you describe that situation to us?
MS: Well it is a very very tough situation. It’s great that so many people get to hear it, but from a business angle (or rather the angle of trying to make a living) it’s really bad. An album that sold 5,000 copies this year would have sold 15,000 copies 10 years ago and that’s a huge difference. I think prople have this misinterpretation that if you are getting attention, that you are making money..and that just isnt the case. I’m 30,000 dollars in debt from subsidising tours etc, and it’s really scary. On the otehr hand, I am doing what I love to do, so I really shouldn’t be complaining. A shift is going to come at some point in the music industry, but it might take 5 or 10 years and that is probably the span of my career, so more likely than not I missed the boat on money.
CC: The kissing booth clearly started as a joke and became an online sensation, but do you feel it detracts from the music or simply gets more people interested in your shows? Do you have plans to retire or continue the smooch-a-thons? Have any particularly smelly fans been denied a kiss?
MS: That really did start out as a joke and I had no intention of making it such a big deal, but It was fun and like you said, if it gets people more interested in shows, then great! Never say never, but I think the smooch-a-thons are retired. No one was denied a kiss, but honestly there weren’t many takers.
CC: Describe to aspiring guitarists your playing style and how you’ve managed to become one of the genre’s most celebrated shredders? Talk about your unique style and how you come up with your riffs. What’s it like being the greatest indie-rock guitarist of all time (and if you’re not it, who is)?
MS: Well there are so many people who are much better players than I am. My favorites are Spencer Seim and Mick Barr. There are thousands though. I think it’s more important to have your own style, then to play well. I would like to think that people like my music more for the way I put together the guitar parts, than for the shredding aspect. I’ve had a hard time with the ‘virtuoso’ title, because I don’t think I am that, and really it puts you in a position where you have nowhere to go but down. A lot of people say that I get attention because I am a female playing guitar. I had never really thought about gender before. I had always just thought about artists I liked and wanted to be as good as. In the end, I just have to keep on playing and trying to grow as a player.CC: What is it for an artist to ‘make it’ in the music industry today? Have you ‘made it’ as an artist or are you still striving for more? Can you finally say you support yourself playing music or do you have a day job?
MS: I think I answered that in one of the other questions. I don’t have a day job because my schedule is so strange and I have to leave to go on tour so often. I have applied for a lot of waitress positions but no one calls me back. In terms of making it, I think I made it when I got to release my first record. That was my goal and everything since has been icing on the cake. Though it is true that once you feel you’ve conquered one step, you want to try and keep going. It’s human nature.
Comments? Any huge Marnie Stern fans out there like ourselves?
This coming Monday we’re going to be making a huge Cannibal Cheerleader announcement. Here are some hints – it involves SXSW 09 and it rhymes with ‘ARTY’. Rock out this weekend folks, seeya Monday!
We’ve been huge fans of Neko Case since her Blacklisted days (and we still can’t get over how awesome Fox Confessor was), so we were ecstatic to nab a copy of the Canadian soulstress’ new LP Middle Cyclone, which definitely does not dissapoint. Featuring hushed instrumentation backing Case’s powerful voice, the album is her most organic yet, due in no small part to the recording location of an abandoned farmhouse. With much shorter songs featuring small vignettes about the multitude of wild characters Case has been known for, Middle Cyclone combines experimentalism with alt-country stalwarts to create one of our favorite albums of the year so far. Give it a sample listen below.
We’re still anxiously awaiting the newest release from Giant Drag, the Swan Song EP, and Annie Hardy continues to tease us, this time with a short excerpt from an upcoming music video for standout track “Stuff to Live For”. Apparently the new video is going to feature Annie being covered with a whole variety of disgusting liquids, so be sure and check it below.
Kylesa just conducted an interview with the influential online metal mag Crusher Magazine. Check it out here and stay tuned for the new album Static Tensions which we hope to grab a copy of ASAP!
Not sure if this leak was intentional or some fortunate coincidence, but the new single from New York art-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Zero”, from their forthcoming third LP It’s Blitz!, has taken the blogosphere by storm. Featuring vintage synths care of Nick Zinner, an infectious dancey groove reminiscient of TV on the Radio, and the signature Karen O croon (equal parts hot whispered murmurings and fierce spiked shrieks) it’s definitely enough to spark our interest in the upcoming LP (you know how we like our dance-rock here at Cannibal Cheerleader). Give it a listen down below, and ignore the haters who are dissing this track – classic Show Your Bones meets Is Is EP right here.
SPINNERETTE RELEASE ‘SEX BOMB’ Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Spinnerette drop “Sex Bomb”, the newest single from their upcoming debut album. Check out the link to buy here and the cover for the 7″ below. Want to sample the tune first? Can’t seem to find an mp3 online, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have YouTube which offers us a taste of the album version of “Sex Bomb” below. Check it.
Spinnerette – “Sex Bomb (Adam Freeland Remix)” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: THE JOY FORMIDABLE Shrieking out of London care of Wales, the Joy Formidable have garnered acclaim from UK rags like NME for their Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets Pixies style sound, though in our opinion the band is a fantastic amalgamation of Asobi Seksu and Austin’s own Ume. With haunting vocals, squalling guitars, and genuine pop sensibilites, the Joy Formidable stand poised to fire up the UK scene, which seems mired in Britpop aping these days. But don’t take our word for it, check out the official video for “Austere”, some live footage, and some of our favorite mp3s below. Fast becoming a CC favorite.
There are no words. Check that bad boy out. New record from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs called It’s Blitz! due out April 14th. Check here for more info. Tracklist below:
1. “Zero” (4:25/ Eric Biondo – trumpet, Stuart Bogie – saxophone) 2. “Heads Will Roll” (3:41) 3. “Soft Shock” (3:53)4. “Skeletons” (5:02) 5. “Dull Life” (4:08) 6. “Shame and Fortune” (3:31) 7. “Runaway” (5:13 / Jane Scarpantoni – cello, Greg Kurstin – piano) 8. “Dragon Queen” (4:02 / Tunde Adebimpe – vocals, Stuart Bogie – saxophone, Kyp Malone – tambourine) 9. “Hysteric” (3:50 / Eric Biondo – trumpet, Stuart Bogie – saxophone) 10. “Little Shadow” (3:57/ Imaad Wasif – guitar)
Check this rad new live video from Cannibal Cheerleader fave Bat For Lashes, featuring the British chanteuse performing “Moon and Moon” from her upcoming Two Suns LP. Check it.
Quick update today, Pete Doherty of Babyshambles and Libertines fame (who apparently now prefers to be called Peter Doherty) is offering up some new tracks from his upcoming solo album Grace/Wastelands. Check them out below, check the link for a Pete Doherty video from NME, and stay tuned for more from this awesome artist!
According to sources within the band’s camp, our favorite electro-thrashers Crystal Castles will be returning to Austin on April 13th, at a location to be announced. Great news considering the band will be skipping out on this year’s SXSW 09, so citizens of the Lone Star State will be given an opportunity to catch this live act in all its powerhouse glory. Check it.
With Belle & Sebastian on a seemingly endless hiatus, we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are more than happy to go with the next best thing, that is Glasgow-based twee-poppers Camera Obscura. Check out the title track from their new LP My Maudlin Career below and check out a whole report on the new LP here. While this is purportedly the band’s “darkest” record yet, we have a feeling it’s more like Mean Girls dark, rather than Rosemary’s Baby dark. Still, can’t wait!
The world is now complete thanks to the awesomeness that is the return of the Thermals‘ brand of blistering punk rock. The title track from their upcoming LP Now We Can See has vocal harmonies unheard from the band but the same crunchy guitar lines and spitfire lyrical delivery we’ve come to love. Definitely a step-forward for the group, check it.
When we picked up the debut album Fur and Gold from British singer and multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan AKA Bat For Lashes we were incredibly impressed at its intriguing take on the Cat Power chanteuse formula, with whispered vocals and ethereal instrumentation. However, with her new album Two Suns Bat For Lashes has outdone herself completely, combining dancey pop sensibilities with celestial, airy instrumentations and Khan’s trademark vocal stylings. This is definitely one of our favorite releases of the year so far, check it out below! Hope to hear more from Bat For Lashes soon – come visit us in Austin! Bat For Lashes – “Glass” Bat For Lashes – “Sleep Alone”
As a bonus, check out one of our favorite videos from all time, Bat For Lashes’ “What’s A Girl To Do” and some bonus mp3s including “The Big Sleep”, the track Scott Walker guests on from Two Suns.
While I’ve seen next to nothing on the subject of Blink-182’s return to the studio on like-minded, indie-oriented blogs, let it be known that we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are infamous pop-punk apologists and couldn’t be more excited at the news of an upcoming release from this titanically talented trio. Far be it from us to say we weren’t raised on this band’s scorching anthems of teenage angst and juvenille deliquency (so sue us, we grew up in small town Texas), but the subversive aspects of a large stretch of the group’s later works, including their seminal self-titled final LP, serve as a testament to the intelligence and versatile songwriting skills behind the group’s simple melodies. Here’s what the band had to say on their website: Sounds like exciting stuff – we expect to hear some new material by May guys! Leak it to us old time fans first, we’re not indier-than-thou yet!
The Riverboat Gamblers have just uploaded a new song called “Victory Lap” to their Myspace. As you’re hopefully well aware the Austin-based punk legends are releasing their new album Underneath the Owl on March 10th, and it’s definitely the group’s most well-defined and intelligent work to date. Check out this live version of “Alexandria” and a few tracks from UTO and be sure and give “Victory Lap” a listen here.
