LISSY TRULLIE LIVE IN AUSTIN Pretty amazing show this week care of NYC garage-rocker extraordinaire Lissy Trullie whose unique brand of smoldering, soulful tunes took on a new life in a live setting, punching up the volume and adding depth and passion to already heartfelt songs. Playing through every single track off of her Self-Taught Learner EP including the rare b-side “You Bleed You”, the band sounded confident and adventurous, cranking up the tempo on some songs and implanting feedback-laden riffs into others. Dressed in tattered jeans, a wife-beater, and six-inch heels Lissy Trullie came across as every inch the rock star, showcasing her artistic talent as well as her larger than life persona as the band rocketed through incredible renditions of “Ready For the Floor” and the best version of “Boy Boy” we’ve heard yet. With the band slated to record more tunes in July, we’re waiting with bated breath to see if the group can top the pop-rock majesty and cavalier style that is their first EP – but here’s hoping it’s Lissy Trullie’s equivalent to the Modern Age EP. More updates certainly forthcoming, check the pics below! Lissy Trullie – “Boy Boy”
PS. If you haven’t picked up the Boy Boy 7″ yet we highly recommend it – heavy vinyl, good quality, and cool packaging worth the cost! ******************************************************************** CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES COVERS KINGS OF LEON Been getting some flack for covering one of our favorite singer-songwriters (looking at you Gallows fans…) but we firmly stand behind New York-based Charlotte Sometimes, especially after hearing her cover of Kings of Leon’s “Sex On Fire”. Like many people we think KOL are the bees knees but the new album might have been a little big for their britches, as their U2 aping bordered on Coldplay territory – however the heartfelt and sex-infused lyricism is definitely still buried under all that giant wall of sound as is evident by Charlotte’s stripped down and hypnotic cover of this Only By The Night standout. Check it out below and be sure and keep up with Miss Sometimes at her blog Forever Sometimes.
Charlotte Sometimes – “Sex On Fire (KOL cover)” ******************************************************************** NEW SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS VIDEO Huge fan of School of Seven Bells here and just as they’re about to swing through Austin this coming Tuesday June 2nd at Mohawk we have a new video from the group with the inimitable single “My Cabal”. Definitely another trippy psychedelic wonderland for this posse and a wondeful edition to their catalogue. If you haven’t bought this band’s release Alpinisms yet you simply have to go to the record store immediately and pick it up – you’ll be astounded. Also, check out the Jesu remix of “Face to Face on High Places” below, definitely adds a droney element to an already firey song.
Comments? Summer is here folks and Cannibal Cheerleader will be hard at work on many different video and writing projects here in Austin. Still, we’re determined to update as much as possible – at least once a week every week all summer, so stay tuned for awesome updates on your favorite anti-blogosphere stars. Hail to the horror.
LISSY TRULLIE INTERVIEW We’ve been singing the praises of the inimitable Lissy Trullie since we first spun her Self-Taught Learner EP back in February here at Cannibal Cheerleader. Her brand of jangly guitar rhythms and NYC-livin’ lyrics conjure images of the heyday of garage-rock revival, and since she’s coming to Austin tomorrow Wed. May 27th at Emo’s we conducted a little interview with the talented frontwoman about her rising profile. Check it:
CC: What is Lissy Trullie all about? How did the band form and what inspired you to start making music. What is the music like to the uninitiated? LT: I’ve pretty much always played music since I was a child. I wrote lots and played in other bands… Lissy Trullie is basically me finally playing/doing my own thing. The Lissy Trullie band has been through many incarnations but this is by far the greatest. CC: What was it like cutting the Self-Taught Learner EP? What was the recording experience like? What’s the story with the wild cover? LT: The recording of the EP is like that expression “if you blink, you’ll miss it” It was such a rushed experience. We had little money and little time. We literally worked around the clock. The cover is an image that a friend of mine had from an early 70’s porno mag. I changed it a bit to make it less “porno-ie”. I guess it’s my homage to the butt cover of Springsteen’s and the crotch cover of The Stones.
CC: Tell us a little bit about your songwriting process. Is it a collaborative effort? Where do you draw inspiration from? What are some artists that inspire you?
LT: I write the songs on my own and them bring them to the band… They develop from there. I think as far as the song writing goes, my inspiration isn’t a constant “this or that”… I’m inspired by whatever I see or observe. Some come from personal experiences and others don’t. I think I’m beginning to realize that I write a lot about relationships (not of the romantic kind… or not always) But i dunno. That could all change. It’s hard to determine what kinda ridiculousness is coming next. CC: A lot of press on the band seems to mention your modeling work or the NYC fashion scene just as much as the music – does that association bother you or do you think it helps the band? How would you like to be portrayed by the music media? LT: It’s more of a surprise than a bother. I did model, but a long time ago and not for a long time. It’s bazaar to be described as a model because that seems like a different life. Musically, I don’t think it helps at all (press wise), but I think that has more to do with the music industry’s beef with the fashion industry and unfortunately I’m getting shit for it. It’d be very nice if our press focused on the music more. If i was really still a model then maybe it’d be relevant? But I’m not so I’m not sure why people care.
CC: What’s next for Lissy Trullie and company? What’s the takeover plan for 2009? Any plans for a full-length?
LT: We’re gonna record the full length!!!!!!!!! July and August. I can’t sit still, I want to start now.
A new Lissy Trullie full-length being recorded this summer? Sign us up please. Be sure and check Lissy and co. opening for the Virgins tomorrow May 27th at Emo’s.
Lissy Trullie – “You Bleed You” ******************************************************************** THE ACTION DESIGN LIVE IN AUSTIN Yet another awesome performance from Cannibal Cheerleader favorites the Action Design, this time decked out in their sunday best looking like a ramshackle gang of Mods and bringing the dancey hooks to match. With excellent renditions of crowd favorites like “Connect/Disconnect” and “Landmines” and moody takes on slower songs such as “Laundry Day”, the band continues to astound with their brand of Bloc Party-meets-Blondie dance rock. Here’s hoping the band keeps on trucking, catch them on tour! The Action Design – “Landmines” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: KASMSDuring our SXSW 09 Blood Bath members of Rolo Tomassi asked us if we were anglophiles (partly because I invited them to play, partly because of the Gallows shirt JB wore) and we can’t help but confirm their suspicions with our latest obsession from across the pond: Kasms, a quartet with a 50/50 boy/girl split from London. Packing a powerful post-punk crunch and a Jemina Pearl-wailing frontwoman, Kasms balances on the fence between punk fury and experimental feedback loops, creating an art-rock package that one might expect from a band with twice the experience of these UK youngsters. With such an interesting and frankly frightening blend of Liars-style guitar-shredding attacks and crushing wails, it’s no wonder Kasms list both Swans and Six Finger Satellite in their influences. Plus, seeing as how the band has just released their debut album Spayed, we plan on hearing a lot more from this group in the near future. Fantastic stuff, definitely worth checking out (see video for “Bone You” below).
PONYTAIL LIVE IN AUSTIN Wonderful week of live shows here at Cannibal Cheerleader with one of our personal favorites Ponytail from Baltimore absolutely wrecking shop at Red 7 last night. A completely amped up crowd mobbed the front of the stage from song one and given that the quartet never let the energy-level drop below ‘blazingly electric’ the enthusiasm ripped the night in half. Much is written about the vocal stylings of Molly, Ponytail’s lead vocalist, but it was her backing band that stole the show, with churning guitar lines seamlessly converging into dueling spidery solos, all backed by the furious assault of the drummer who left his seat on more than one occasion with reckless abandon, wailing on his drums like he was beating back hellfire. Playing through classics old and new, including personal CC favorite “Late For School” (yay!) the band cemented their reputation as not just another instrumental band but a indie-rock powerhouse with enough energy to power a small city into the new millennium and beyond. Fantastic set. . Ponytail – “Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From An Angel)” ******************************************************************** NEW AGENT RIBBONS 7″ Our friends in Agent Ribbons have been busy bees lately, what with opening up for Camera Obscura and picking up Naomi Cherie from the sorely departed Southern Drama all in the last few months. And now the California trio, on top of eberything, have sneaked in time to record a fantastic new 7″ entitled Your Love is the Smallest Doll, and it combines the lyrical whimsy and vaudevillian stylings of earlier recordings with a more fleshed-out sound care of Cherie’s string section. Featuring some of the group’s most infectious tunes, this EP comes highly recommended, if only for the title track’s vocal harmonies and liberal usage of toy piano. Agent Ribbons – “Your Love is the Smallest Doll” ******************************************************************** PULL IN EMERGENCY TO RECORD FULL-LENGTH Here’s the word from Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Pull In Emergency via the band’s Myspace:
” we’ve been a bit quite recently mainly because of the ol GCSEs/ A Levels so this is just an update.during the summer we’re going to be recording our debut album… and hopefully doing lots of gigs and stuff, underage is going to be sickkkkwe think the albums going to be out in February/ March of 2010, we’re going to New York in December for some gigs in Manhattan and Brookyln all in all, sorry for being quiet recently, but this summer is going to be intense…PIE.xxxxx“
New Pull In Emergency album? Sign us up immediately. If we hear anything we’ll be sure and alert the CC faithful first!
Pull In Emergency – “Planes” ******************************************************************** NEW ACTION DESIGN VIDEO Lots of news in the Action Design department, as the band is currently flying about the country on a new tour and will be touching down in Austin on May 25th. Not only that but the band has a new video forthcoming for standout single “Landmines” and we have the ‘pre-video video’ here to prove it. Check it out below!
The Action Design – “Move On” ******************************************************************** NEW HEARTSREVOLUTION VIDEO Been a while since we sat down with the Heartsrevolution crew but the duo of Lo and Ben have been getting a lot of press recently, what with their inclusion on Gossip Girl (quite a soundtrack that show) and being given the Kitsune Maison nod. Now the group has a new video for a song entitled “The Rose and Her Prince”. A much for downbeat tune for the group but a welcome experimentation for such an interesting band. Can’t for the life of me figure how to embed this but check it out here.
Heartsrevolution – “Ultraviolence” ******************************************************************** HAPPY BIRTHDAY May 22nd is JB’s birthday! If you see him celebrating with cheap beer and expensive cigars tomorrow night at his favorite Austin hangout (Crown & Anchor Bar) holler at him and he’ll give you a sticker or a zine!
ISIS/PELICAN/TOMBS LIVE IN AUSTIN A terrifying display of raw metal power last night here in Austin as post-metal juggernauts Isis joined forces with the psychadelic-power-punch of Pelican and the much-blogged about Brooklynites Tombs to create an unholy trifecta of malevolent mayhem. Opener Tombs began with a bang, churning through a brand of black-metal infused post-rock, speeding through intensely fast-paced riffs with shrill shrieks echoing over the onslaught. The crowd was definitely digging this doom, letting the wailing riffs waft overhead as they headbanged in unison. Definitely a great opener with a lot of power and potential behind them.
Tombs – “Gossamer” Next was Pelican, who if they’ve ever suffered from meandering live presentations or sleepy shows, that was certainly not the case this night as the Chicago quartet was as tight and taught as we’ve ever seen them. Careening through barn-burners from City of Echoes and ripping through tracks from their completely excellent new Ephemeral EP, Pelican practically stole the show with a wicked set of their finest work. Punctuating the set with a one-two punch that included the group’s cover of Earth’s “Geometry of Murder”, the band left the stage to raucous applause in what truly was the performance of the night. Consider us at Cannibal Cheerleader converted Pelican fans.
Pelican – “Embedding the Moss” Last was the headliner Isis, whose own Aaron Turner performed the soundcheck, standing every inch a metal god, decked all in black with a long beard, greasy hair, and intense eyes (all that was really missing was the corpse-paint). As the band ripped and tore through the majority of their absolutely phenomenal new LP Wavering Radiant, the seemingly subdued and altogether sedate audience began to mosh, raging and furiously spinning in time with the monstrous riffs. Save for a few painfully obvious Tool fans trying to force a metal epiphany and feeling the sound with their hands to the heavens all night (groan) the band absolutely crushed with Turner belting out the bellowing howls with a tinge of psychedelia the night through. For the encore the group pulled from their Celestial back catalogue and a sleepier number that sank the night into oblivion. All in all a genre defining night and one best spent nowhere else in Austin. Shame to the locals who missed out, but if you’re on the parade route for this tour, definitely check in, if only to grab the new Pelican EP (on vinyl starting in Alabama for those audiophiles amongst us).
Isis – “Ghost Key” ******************************************************************** NEW PELICAN EP Seeing as we enjoyed the new Pelican EP so much live we figured we’d share a little big more about the new release from the Chicago-based quartet in its own post. Featuring three new songs that signify a more “riff-oriented” that is purported to be reflected on the band’s forthcoming fourth LP due by year’s end, Ephemeral features a title track, the blistering opener “Embedding the Moss” and the incredible Earth cover “Geometry of Murder”. To say that Pelican have never been heavier would be an understatement, as the band have officially blown out their bass with this bone-crushing new style. Performed live the tracks inspire such a display of feet-stomping revelry as anything Isis did, so be prepared for some incredible listening experiences. Highly recommended.
Pelican – “Ephemeral” Pelican – “Geometry of Murder (Earth Cover)” ******************************************************************** NEW CRYSTAL STILTS VIDEO It has come to our attention that while in our personal lives we think of Crystal Stilts as not only one of our favorite new bands but easily the best act riding the new ‘lo-fi’ wave with their dark and dreamy delivery, we have never covered the band on Cannibal Cheerleader before. Let’s take this opportunity to not only share the band’s new video for “Love is a Wave” but to tell everyone that this band is truly one of the best around. Go ahead, give a liten – you’re worth it.
LIBERTINES REUNITE FOR ONE-OFF GIG Slow-news day on the blogosphere, but over the weekend it was all about UK garage-rock revivalists the Libertines reuniting with three of the original members (who really cares about John Hassell the bassist anyway?) at the London Rhythm Factory as a tribute gig to Johnny Sedassy, the late, great promoter who helped launched the band’s career back in the day. Babyshambles began the set with Pete Doherty in good spirits, blasting through classics like “Kilimanjaro” and “Albion” to the delight of fans. He was then joined on stage by Carl Barat and Gary Powell who proceeded to rip through a set of Libs essentials. The playlist apparently was:
“What A Waster” “Up The Bracket” “What Katy Did” “Can’t Stand Me Now” “Time For Heroes” “Death On The Stairs”
Carl and Gary then left the stage to allow Pete and the Babyshambles co. finish up with the likes of “Fuck Forever”. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but you can go here to check out some videos from the side of the stage, here for a great show breakdown by Jamie Fullerton, a reporter for NME (who was also a guest of ours at our Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath during SXSW), and check out a longer vid below.
STARS RECORDING NEW ALBUM. Exciting new update from the Stars camp, our favorite Canadian indie-pop collective who have been leaking material at a satisfying drip, including last year’s delectable treat the Sad Robots EP. Looks as if the group has a new album in the works, tentatively titled The Black House, The Blue Sky, and it’s being recorded in the same studio where the likes of Godspeed! You Black Emperor committed their hits to tape. This album also marks the return of Set Yourself on Fire producer Tom McFall whose work propelled the group to true indie-stardom. The band also has a new, completely dreamy song streaming on their Myspace called “Dedication” from the In Our Bedroom After the War sessions and you can follow Torquil Campbell, the opinionated male singer of the group on Twitter here. Check out more info from the official press release below:
hello beloved listeners… Stars have returned to the studio to start work on our 5th (!) album, tentatively titled The Black House, The Blue Sky. We’re working in Hotel2Tango, the magical mile end house of music put together by the legendary Godspeed/Mount Zion/Constellation records crew. It’s pretty fucking inspiring in there as you can imagine; so much great music has been made there, and Ephraim and Thierry and Howard and all the people involved in the space are such true musicians, such lovers of music, that you cant help but feel focused and inspired when you walk in the building. We feel lucky to have checked into the hotel…. Plus there are more great dogs roaming around that place than we have seen possibly ever, and you know, when there are great dogs around, you can be sure there are some great people around to tell them to stop chasing squirrels and sneak them pieces of baguette.. We are also truly blessed to have Tom McFall back with us as co-producer. Tom worked on Set Yourself On Fire with us, and since then has been enormously in demand, working with such bands as R.E.M., Bloc Party and Snow Patrol. So we are truly honoured he’s slumming it with us; Tom is a true artist, a true friend, and….well, he’s cookies and cold milk. We fucking love him.There’s a lot of synthesizers in the room, and a lot of love in the air. We think this combination of emotions running high and machines running hot is going to be pretty amazing.…fingers crossed..until then, we have a newish tune up on myspace, entitled division, culled from the original six and a half hour version of In Our Bedroom After The War, and we’ll be sending more songs you haven’t heard out into the ether in the coming months, so keep your ears open. Meanwhile, Amy and Torq continue to chug toward the finish line with their respective solo joints, with Amy in the lead by…oh, about three miles…..and, god help us, we have been told to twitter. So twitter we will…go to the twitter thingy and search “youarestars” and then sit back and wait for Torq to say something stupid….We are also extremely excited to be working with Danny Goldberg as our new manager. google the dude. He’s a fucking legend. His only weakness: he’s a Yankees fan. But at this point, you gotta feel more sorry for them than anything….We feel lucky these days. And even if everything goes wrong, i think we’re gonna keep feeling that way. Cause after all this time, and all these tears, we’re still drinking together and playing together and making fun of each other and everyone else….and that’s something to be thankful for….check you soon loves, xostars
Stars – “Undertow” ******************************************************************** WATCH FULL CONVERGE CONCERT Check out this incredible recording of our favorite hardcore act Converge at Burning Fight from Hate5Six Productions. Great stuff, lean back and soak it up over the weekend. Still can’t wait for the new full-length, details forthcoming…
Converge – “Locust Reign (live)” ******************************************************************** HEARTLESS BASTARDS LIVE TRACKS Lastly here are some sweet live renditions by the Heartless Bastards of some tracks from their excellent new LP The Mountain via Luxury Wafers. Check out the video below.
Comments? We’ve been getting a lot of good feedback recently so here’s another question for the CC faithful – we’ve been doing three hefty updates a week as opposed to five little ones on each weekday but which method would you actually prefer? Smaller daily updates or substantial thrice-weeklies? The danger of everday updates is that sometimes we find ourselves repeating the blogosphere at large (f*ck that) but we want to give you the reader what you want. Suggestions? Hail to the horror people, seeya Monday!
NEW WHISPERTOWN VIDEO. Haven’t been keeping up with our friends in the Whispertown 2000 lately, but rest assured Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, the LA-based quartet is alive and kicking. In fact, the band are just about to begin their first UK tour ever – hopefully they blog it in their overly addicting Tour Tumblr. The band’s sophomore LP Swim was one of our favorites of last year and “From the Start” was a real standout track – check out the video for it below, directed by none other than Morgan Nagler’s brother! Check it folks (we may be late on this one, but haven’t really seen it ’round the blogosphere yet!).
The Whispertown 2000 – “Atlantis” ******************************************************************** ROLO TOMASSI TOURING WITH GALLOWS. Just a quick update for those Cannibal Cheerleader fans not living in the UK (though apparently we have a lot of fans from across the pond, hmmm), two of our favorite acts right now London’s Gallows (whose Grey Britain is bloody ferocious) and Sheffield’s Rolo Tomassi (long time CC faves, headliners of our SXSW party, and punk rock masters of tomorrow) are tearing up the British Isles with a one-two rip-and-snarl of punk rock mastery. If there was ever a reason to make a trip from Austin to Portsmouth, now’s the time.
Gallows – “I Dread The Night” Rolo Tomassi – “Beatrotter” ******************************************************************** SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS TOUR DIARY. One of our favorite psych-rocking Brooklyn-based trios (and we know there’s probably a bunch of ‘em) School of Seven Bells have a really cool Tour Diary that you can access via their homepage. Definitely worth checking out if only for the cool tour pictures and trippy site design. Here’s hoping this group releases more material soon! They’ll be playing here in Austin on June 2nd at Mohawk and you know we’ll be first in line for that one.
School of Seven Bells – “Chain” ******************************************************************** GRAND OLE PARTY TO TOUR WITH YYYS. It’s official today – all of our favorite bands are hooking up! This time it’s the inimitable Yeah Yeah Yeahs with the fantastic San Diego trio and old-school Cannibal Cheerleader fave Grand Ole Party. Check out the dates on the GOP myspace (the only GOP this Austinite could ever get behind!).
Grand Ole Party – “Look Out Young Son” Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Hysteric (Acoustic Version)” ******************************************************************** NEW KILLERS VIDEO. We leave you fiends today with the Killers’ excellent rendition of their newest single “Dustland Fairytale” from their Day & Age LP – guitar-rock gods this quartet, gods we say! And Letterman appears to think so too.
THE MARS VOLTA RELEASE COTOPAXI Here’s the first single from the upcoming Mars Volta LP Octahedron. Sounds like some classic MV, a little less in-your-face that the Bedlam in Goliath but featuring the same energetic instrumentation with a flecks of Deloused in the psychedelic chorus. Definitely worth a listen, grab it below.
The Mars Volta – “Cotopaxi” ******************************************************************** BILL CALLAHAN IN AUSTIN Last Friday at Waterloo Records here in Downtown Austin local freak-folk hero Bill Callahan (aka Smog) performed some tracks from his new, hypnotic LP Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle to a hushed and reverent Texas audience. Marking a return to the darker days of his lo-fi cassette recordings, Callahan kept a crowded record store absolutely rapt with attention as he lightly strummed and picked through literary and intricate tracks. If you haven’t heard the new LP, definitely grab it from this Austin legend. Bill Callahan – “Jim Cain” ******************************************************************** NEW CELEBRATION SONGS Check out the new website from Cannibal Cheerleader favorites Celebration – it’s called Electric Tarot and it’s based on the idea that the 22 tracks from their latest LP of the same name are related to the 22 major archana of the Tarot deck. Their site will feature a full deck with cards being added over time. Studio recordings will be the major archana, home recordings the minor, and the Court cards will be Celebration videos. Sounds like a really cool idea to us, check out the mp3s and videos below for the first two songs, “What’s This Magical” (The Shaman/Magician Card) and “I Will Not Fall” (The Fool Card). Awesome stuff.
Celebration – “What’s This Magical” Celebration – “I Will Not Fall” ******************************************************************** NEW BLOC PARTY VIDEO Here’s the video for the Villains’ remix of “Ares” as featured on Bloc Party’s Intimacy: Remixed LP. It’s an all cell-phone-camera production recorded from two nights at London’s Olympia Theater. Very cool idea and even better realization. Take a look below.
LISSY TRULLIE ‘BOY BOY’ VIDEO. More news trickling out from the Lissy Trullie camp with today’s release of the official video for their single “Boy Boy”. Check it out below – we’ll be sure and cover these NYC garage-rockers up until their May 26th show at Emo’s! Lissy Trullie – Boy Boy (Official Music Video)
Lissy Trullie – “You Bleed You” ******************************************************************** FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE UPDATE. Seems like one of our favorite acts from across the pond Florence and the Machine has been making quite the name for herself in the UK, what with recently winning the Critic’s Choice Awards at the Brit Awards. Seems now the band is prepping for the release of their debut LP Lungs in July and you know us at Cannibal Cheerleader will be covering it!
Florence and the Machine – “Dog Days Are Over” ******************************************************************** GLASS CANDY AT MOHAWK’S. Our favorite haunted-dance maestros Glass Candy are careening through their brand of blood-soaked electro-disco this Saturday at Mohawk’s here in Austin. Cannibal Cheerleader is in need of some correspondents to take some photos or hey, even a video of the event! Anyone interested? Either way, make sure and hit up this fantastic act, it’s sure to be an incredible time.
Glass Candy – “Nite Nurses” ******************************************************************** JEMINA PEARL IS A SEX ZOMBIE? Still been reading Puke Til You Punk on a daily basis, covering the antics and activities of Be Your Own Pet’s former frontwoman and now solo artist Jemina Pearl, and seems as if the punker has come up with a name for her and John Eatherly’s new group: Sex Zombie. This new band will feature the two trading off on guitar and drum duties according to this post. Is Pearl playing a joke on her fans? We sure hope not – Sex Zombie is probably the greatest name for a band we’ve ever heard.
Comments? Soon Cannibal Cheerleader will be changing format, focusing more on hardcore, metal, and generally horror-related music materials. This doesn’t mean we’ll stop covering the likes of Lissy Trulie or Action Design (we’ve always thought of M and Lissy as slasher film heroines, definitely worthy of covering). Still, that might mean less Belle & Sebastian, less twee in general, and more blood-soaked rampaging Wolves in the Throne Room videos. Change is good, bear with us folks, and hail to the horror.
NEW PONYTAIL VIDEO. Here’s a new video from Baltimore pop-rockers Ponytail whose latest release Ice Cream Spiritual was one of our favorite releases of last year. Featuring the standout track “Celebrate the Body Electric”, this psychadelic trip-worthy mind explosion features the kind of balloon-busting antics we’ve come to expect from the spazz-tastic quartet.
In other news the band will be rolling through Austin on May 20th at Red 7 and you know the Cannibal Cheerleader crew will be there with electric bells on. Here’s hoping they play our favorite, “Late for School”!
Ponytail – “Celebrate the Body Electric” ******************************************************************** NEW HORRORS VIDEO. The Horrors have reinvented themselves so dramatically on their newest LP Primary Colours that listeners are rediscovering the group all over again. With their newest video for second single “Who Can Say” the band continues the transformation, featuring more live performance footage this time directed by Douglas Hart of the Jesus & Mary Chain, a group Faris Badwin and company are certainly emulating at this point. Check out the vid below!
The Horrors – “New Ice Age” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: THE VANDELLES. Riding on the crest of the lo-fi shoegazey wave with a brand of surf-rock that’s straight from Palm Beach, Brooklyn’s the Vandelles serve up an experimental brand of syrupy guitar-rock that haunts as much as it delights. Having garnered a fair amount of attention at this year’s SXSW music festival here in Austin, the Vandelles newest LP Del Black Aloha stands poised to break this band into the realm of the lords of lo-fi, so listen below and prepare to be amazed. Cowabunga Cannibal Cheerleader faithful! The Vandelles | Bad Volcano
Pretty amazing show this week care of NYC garage-rocker extraordinaire Lissy Trullie whose unique brand of smoldering, soulful tunes took on a new life in a live setting, punching up the volume and adding depth and passion to already heartfelt songs. Playing through every single track off of her Self-Taught Learner EP including the rare b-side “You Bleed You”, the band sounded confident and adventurous, cranking up the tempo on some songs and implanting feedback-laden riffs into others. Dressed in tattered jeans, a wife-beater, and six-inch heels Lissy Trullie came across as every inch the rock star, showcasing her artistic talent as well as her larger than life persona as the band rocketed through incredible renditions of “Ready For the Floor” and the best version of “Boy Boy” we’ve heard yet. With the band slated to record more tunes in July, we’re waiting with bated breath to see if the group can top the pop-rock majesty and cavalier style that is their first EP – but here’s hoping it’s Lissy Trullie’s equivalent to the Modern Age EP. More updates certainly forthcoming, check the pics below!
Lissy Trullie – “Boy Boy”
Been getting some flack for covering one of our favorite singer-songwriters (looking at you Gallows fans…) but we firmly stand behind New York-based Charlotte Sometimes, especially after hearing her cover of Kings of Leon’s “Sex On Fire”. Like many people we think KOL are the bees knees but the new album might have been a little big for their britches, as their U2 aping bordered on Coldplay territory – however the heartfelt and sex-infused lyricism is definitely still buried under all that giant wall of sound as is evident by Charlotte’s stripped down and hypnotic cover of this Only By The Night standout. Check it out below and be sure and keep up with Miss Sometimes at her blog Forever Sometimes.
Huge fan of School of Seven Bells here and just as they’re about to swing through Austin this coming Tuesday June 2nd at Mohawk we have a new video from the group with the inimitable single “My Cabal”. Definitely another trippy psychedelic wonderland for this posse and a wondeful edition to their catalogue. If you haven’t bought this band’s release Alpinisms yet you simply have to go to the record store immediately and pick it up – you’ll be astounded. Also, check out the Jesu remix of “Face to Face on High Places” below, definitely adds a droney element to an already firey song.
