Jemina Pearl, our favorite rioting, rambunctious, rancorous ex-Be Your Own Pet frontwoman shotgunned our faces off last week with the announcement that her debut LP sits ready and raring to rend our ears straight from our smiling mugs. We’ve already listened to the excellent ‘Get Awkward-era’ tracks posted on JP’s Myspace page (the summery, subversive edge of “Ecstatic Appeal”, the bouncey, shredding brain-addled boogie of “Heartbeats”, and the croony, garage-rock mashup of “Nashville Shores”) and with the release of new single “I Hate People” featuring Iggy Pop(!!!) on backup vocals, which combines girl-group hooks with the menacing titular lyrics, Pearl seems poised to usurp her status as punk-rock frontwoman to solo rocker superstar.The new album will be called Break It Up and will be out October 6th, featuring 13 songs of Shangri-Las inspired rock and roll. Check out the tracklist below:
01 Heartbeats 02 After Hours 03 Ecstatic Appeal 04 Band On The Run 05 I Hate People (with Iggy Pop) 06 Looking For Trouble 07 Retrograde 08 Nashville Shores 09 No Good 10 D Is For Danger 11 Selfish Heart 12 Undesireable 13 So Sick
All this with the bonus news – turns out Jemina Pearl will soon be on tour and will be swinging through Austin on October 27th at Mohawk! Good snap, we’re already snatching up our tickets and you people really should too. Here’s to JP and company, may they have a show to remember.
******************************************************************** NOW, NOW EVERY CHILDREN KILL IT IN AUSTIN Welcome back Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, here’s a searing series of psychotic indie rock stabbing you right in the ears, beginning with the instantly enjoyable new stumbleupon Now, Now Every Children blasting out of Minneapolis. Here’s a group that we here at Cannibal Cheerleader regrettably wouldn’t have given a second look to had we not been invited to check the group out live – and what we were treated to was a tour-de-force bedroom-pop meets Stars-inspired jam session with unfettered emotion and inspired musicianship powering the songs forward like a cascade of dreamscapes. NNEC might initially suffer from a variety of short-sighted and ignorant criticisms focusing perhaps on the age of the group (all under 21, looking much younger) or their acceptance into the cult of personality surrounding groups like the Alternative Press Magazine crowd or Paramore (whose Hayley Williams has been known to don a Now, Now Every Children shirt during her band’s stadium-packing concerts). Such ancillary discussions somehow might inhibit a listener’s initial foray into the group’s music – we here at Cannibal Cheerleader would like to throw open that closet door. Beginning with two excellent EPs (the Not One, But Two EP and the In the City EP) the group, consisting only of Cacie Dalager on vocals, keyboards, and guitars and Bradley Hale on drums (though the live band is bolstered by friends of the group) has only just released their incredible debut LP Cars in December of 2008 and have been riding its wave ever since. With indie-sensibilities well beyond their years the duo crafts a brand of soft-spoken and sensitive bedroom-recorded, 8-track-loving pop music with a delicate eye for heartfelt lyricism which doesn’t dive into melodrama or pitying pathos but swoons with metaphor and darkness. Songs like “Everyone You Know” and “Friends With My Sister” denote a level of maturity and understanding that indie-rockers have been clumsily striving for for decades. Here’s a band that knows how to take the Stars formula, whip in a little shoegaze drone, punch it up with some guitar riffs, and inject a little personability to make a fantastic brand of rock music. Definitely check out this group immediately – we did and we’re thankful for it.
Now, Now Every Children – “Everyone You Know” Now, Now Every Children – “Friends With My Sister” ******************************************************************** NEW LISSY TRULLIE VIDEOS Lots of people have been leaping onto the Lissy Trullie bandwagon as of late and we don’t blame them – with an infectious sound and an enticing band personality to boot, LT and crew have garnered the attention of hip magazines trying to claim street cred and lame magazines trying to reclaim coolness. According to all reports the group is taking it in stride and now that they’re stuck in the studio hopefully churning out new and even more electric tunes we thought it prudent to give the fans a whirlwind tour of the group’s recent video lineup, starting of course with their new single “Ready for the Floor”.
As it turns out the original Hot Chip version of this track will be featured in the upcoming horror flick Jennifer’s Body (you know, the one about the hot cheerleader who eats her fellow classmates, more on this later…) and will hopefully throw some listeners Lissy’s way. We really feel that LT’s power and genuineness shine brightest during live performances and this one is no exception. It’s an interview video care of ABC News (???) featuring Lissy Trullie and the band performing tracks for a hard-hitting, 40+ year old reporter and still managing to win him over. Good or bad thing that parents might like LT? We’ll leave that up to listeners. Turns out this video is not embeddable (strange I know) but here’s the link because it’s actually a pretty interesting watch and comes recommended by the CC crew. Lastly if you haven’t checked out the Lissy Trulie “Boy Boy Remix” yet you’ve got to get your ass in gear and download it below. It’s a stellar mix and definitely showcases LT’s Scarlett Johansson voice – worth a listen every time!
Lissy Trullie – “Boy Boy (Blunt Laser Remix)” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: LANTERNS Smashing their way out of San Diego with an equal parts bombastic and wiry guitar sound, Lanterns features a brand of Sonic Youth-meets-Bloc Party sound that’s sure to please fans of either group. With a self-proclaimed fluid band structure that features members of the group constantly moonlighting in other groups, Lanterns has still managed released a myriad of EPs, all apparently coalescing into one giant sonic assault in the form of their upcoming debut LP Young Wizards. Seeing as the group combines our favorite elements of new-wave British dance-rock a-la the Futureheads and the best feedback of the true American fuzz-masters like the Raveonettes, we’re gearing up for an audio maelstrom the likes of which we’ve never heard. Definitely can’t recommend this group more, check them out or miss the boat after it leaves the harbor people.
Lanterns – “Creation Myth” ******************************************************************** NEW YOB RECORD REVEALED Road-weary travelers of the stoner-rock landscape will be familiar with the name Yob, the inimitable and downright fearsome trio hailing from Eugene, Oregon whose breakup and reformation were the topic of much of the Northwestern metal landscape for several years. And now, finally in 2009 we have the result of the reformation in the form of the five track searing LP The Great Cessation, a collection of smoldering, crackling, choking doom metal that marks a new high point for the band and sounds not unlike a legless zombie slowly clawing its way out of some dark pit to tear your breath from your chest. Featuring greater use of lead guitarist and vocalist Mike Sheidt’s voice than ever heard in previous Yob records, The Great Cessation stands as one of the group’s most terrifying works, delving into the realm of blackend metal with grinding guitar parts and hellish yelps and shrill cries splattering across every track. Here’s the new Yob record – definitely and defiantly worth the wait.
Yob – “Burning the Altar” ******************************************************************** THE DANDY WARHOLS REVEAL THEY ARE SOUND We here at Cannibal Cheerleader count ourselves as Dandy Warhols apologists. Sure they might be hipper than thou and of course they’re more electronic leanings and dancier rhythms are no match for their early, drone-rock recordings (The Dandy Warhols Come Down is still one of our favorite records) but with a bevy of fantastic singles and a live show that strips you of all pretensions (and sometimes your clothes) the group still stands a testament to the power of indie-rock and roll in today’s musical landscape. And what better way to recapture that early DW love than to invest in a remix album that takes the band’s first step into the true mainstream with Welcome to the Monkey House and twists it into a lo-fi version featuring the producer of the Roots. The Dandy Warhols Are Sound is a reimagining of Welcome to the Monkey House that features alternative mixes of the album’s tracks, mainly resulting in a more organic, live performance style sound that captures the Dandys in rare form, combining their penchant for live fuzz-rock with their newfound interest in electronic noodling. The album is in many ways a step up from the original album, which, while solid, definitely suffers from overproduction and a sparkling clean finish that marked the jump to a bigger label for the band. Definitely check this one our as soon as you get a chance, and hey, go listen to the Dandy Warhols when they fly through town on Sept. 9th at Emo’s here in Austin!
The Dandy Warhols – “We Used to Be Friends” The Dandy Warhols – “Burned” ******************************************************************** CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES SOLO SHOWS Speaking of apologies, we have very few to say when it comes to our unabashed love of New York-based singer-songwriter Charlotte Sometimes whose debut LP Waves and the Both of Us still spins at the Cannibal Cheerleader house every once in a while. Turns out that CS is performing at a variety of NY locales over the rest of the summer, including tomorrow July 29th at Piano’s! Check her out people, this gal is most certainly going places!
Charlotte Sometimes – “Losing Sleep” ******************************************************************** VIDEO FROM THE DANKS If there’s one record we’ve been spinning madly down here at Cannibal Cheerleader headquarters over the past few weeks it’s got to be the Danks’ debut LP Are You Afraid of the Danks?, an album many are describing as the Canadian answer to the Strokes, a highly positive critique that we can’t help but agree with. The Danks combine a bouncey, garage-rock based rhythm with sing-song vocals and scratchy-voiced lead singer philosophizing on the merits of youthful rebellion while his band frolicks on their guitars in the background. Speaking of the background here’s the group’s newest video for single “In Alright” which features the band acting as party music for a college kegger. Watch the luckless foursome get shoved aside by blonde bombshells and wonder why they aren’t getting all the girls yet. Oh that’s right, they play indie-rock and roll. Oh what a world, check it out below:
The Danks – “Who Knows” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: heat-ray Here’s another in a long line of Cannibal Cheerleader shoegazey favorites – introducing heat-ray from Alberta, Canada, a five-piece pop group that combines a two-fold male and female vocal assult with the punishing power of ‘Creep-era’ Radiohead’s three-guitar punchout to create an overall aura of bombastic, glowing guitar-rock that billows and flares like a four-alarm fire. With the recent release of their debut LP LoveAllOver the group has managed to capture a stormy but sophisticated sound that garners instant comparisons to the likes of Catherine Wheel or Ride without sounding like petulant knock-offs or boring retreaders – instead the group sounds equal parts fresh and exciting while still retaining a level of pop pride that echos through ever pedal and amplifier on stage. Check out the group below and prepare to be amazed (also, yes, we’re aware the name’s not capitalized, that’s how it’s supposed to be geez).
heat-ray – “Come Closer” heat-ray – “If Love is The Drug” ******************************************************************** PETE DOHERTY BOOTLEG: LIVE FROM BARROWLANDS If you’re visiting this site for the first time or are a long-time reader we can safely say you’ve not lost your faith and love in music – lucky for us neither has Pete Doherty, former Libertiner and current Babyshambler whose current solo tour has been causing waves across the British press for its heartbreaking renditions of well-worn Arcadian tunes old and new. Featuring many new tracks from his latest LP Grace/Wastelands Doherty has been relentlessly perfecting his live show, bringing the Babyshambles backing band and Graham Coxon as support. Fortunately for all of us across the pond who can’t see Doherty live there’s a fervent recording community for all the former Libertines located at Albion Arks and French Dog Blues, the latter of which forwarded us this bootleg entitled Pete Doherty at Barrowlands and features the singer-songwriter performing gut-wrenching renditions of classics old (”Fuck Foverer”, “Music When the Lights Go Out”) and new (”The Lost Art of Murder”, “Sheepskin Tearaway”). Definitely live show worth reliving again and again, give a listen below.
Pete Doherty – “I Am the Rain (Live at Barrowlands)” Pete Doherty – “What Katy Did (Live at Barrowlands)” ******************************************************************** FUN FUN FUN FEST SLOWLY REVEAL LINEUP All roads point to Austin this November as the 4th Fun Fun Fun Fest gears up for a slamming lineup of punk, indie, and hip-hop for what we Texans have gotten used to calling the best festival that nobody knows about. According to all sources this site features the latest leaks for F3 and we’re stoked at the people it’s listing so far – Jesus Lizard? GZA? MELT BANANA? We here at Cannibal Cheerleader have a Melt Banana fetish that stretches back to our days in high school and to see them live on a stage as big as the F3 ones, well that’s just a recipe for success in our book. Keep tabs on the site and look for more updates soon! ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: BAD VEINS The band’s name is Bad Veins and they will change the way you think about lo-fi rock and roll. Frothing forth from the depths of Cincinatti, Ohio the duo of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz craft a brand of woozy, stadium-sized crashing rock, complete with Brandon Flowers-style vocals sung through a Strokes-esque megaphone. The duo features guitar riffs that mesh in soupy mash of electronic warblings and keyboard cuts to create an air of shoegazey-meets-organic roots rock, all recorded on what sounds like the most beat up 8-track dragged from the depths of your mother’s basement. In all sincerity, the band requires a listen to fully understand, so here’s a sample of Bad Veins, a band with a lot of room to rise in a landscape that needs their type of creativity.
Bad Veins – “Found” Bad Veins – “Gold and Warm” ******************************************************************** RA RA RIOT TOUR THROUGH AUSTIN Still stretching their legs to the tune of their debut LP the Rhumb LineRa Ra Riot will once again be blasting through Austin on Sept. 24th and you know we’ll be first in line for such antics. This sextet still remains one of our favorite acts of the day, combining all our love for tender folk, loud-quiet-loud rock and roll, and singalong harmonies in seemingly every song. Here’s to the Ra Ra Riot gang – may you continue to forge ahead!
Ra Ra Riot – “Dying is Fine” ******************************************************************** JENNIFER’S BODY REPORT So here’s the story so far – seems as if love-her-or-hate-her screenwriter Diablo Cody of Juno fame has penned a horror film entitled Jennifer’s Body starring Meghan Fox. The plot revolves around a bombshell cheerleader (the titular character played by Fox) who becomes wrapped up in a Satanic sacrifice ritual by what else, a rock band hoping that the Devil will assist them in snagging a record contract. The spell goes wrong and Jennifer turns into a possessed demon, luring boys into her clutches and, here’s the catcher, consuming them. In many ways this plot obviously sounds incredibly badass. As it evident from the title of the blog we’re huge horror fans here at Cannibal Cheerleader and when it comes to high schoolers getting torn apart you can put money on us being first in line. On the other hand, we’re a little apprehensive about Diablo Cody stalking us, taking our name and applying it to a film. Either way, we’re going to be seeing this one in theaters, if only because Fangoria seems to be giving it the go-ahead (and Lord knows we love and trust those guys). So here’s hoping the film does well and, just so it’s written in stone and recorded on the ever-trustworthy internet – we were here first people. Thanks!
Scary stuff, mwahaha! ******************************************************************** CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER AND YOU Thanks for reading Cannibal Cheerleader faithful. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods – we here at CC headquarters in Austin, Texas have been super busy over the past few weeks (as if our lack of weekly updates wasn’t evidence enough). We’ve stretched ourselves pretty thin with ancillary jobs outside Cannibal Cheerleader but fear not (or fear rather, mwahaha) we’ll be back up to speed in no time – things just need to cool down and smidge and we’ll be back in fighting form.
Also a quick plug for our friend over at Decaying Youth Buttons. Check out the buttons they did for us recently: Really rad stuff if we do say so ourselves. Head on over to their website and take advantage of their July deal where you can get 100 buttons for fifteen bucks – quite a deal. And if you’re in the Austin area, let us know if you’d like some Cannibal Cheerleader swag. We’ve got buttons, stickers, zines – just let us know and we’ll get it to you! Even you people from around the world, hit us up and we’ll get you something cool. Stay hungry everyone, see you next time!
NEW LISSY TRULLIE REMIX Our favorite NYC garage-rocker extraordinaire Lissy Trullie has been busy traversing these United States over the past summer, burning rubber and breaking hearts up and down our interstates, and it would seem that now that she’s cozied back up in her big city apartment she can finally begin cranking out new material as she said she would in our exclusive interview. No sooner said than done as LT and crew have recently had their hit single “Boy Boy” remixed by Blunt Laser into a dreamy, pop wonderland with Trullie’s sonorous growl echoing in like from a dub megaphone, soaring over handclaps and glitchy-notes that crackle into trumpet solos. Overall a fantastic and dancey remix, way above and beyond your average ‘add a dance line and boom-tsk’ reworking, and we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are able to bring it to you exclusively for download. Check it below.
In other news, Lissy has also been up to quite a bit on their latest European tour, according to their latest press release, which you can read below:
Lissy Trullie has had an eventful year so far, and the last few months and those to come are no exception. The New York group have recently signed to Downtown Records in North America, and Wichita Recordings for the UK and other territories, and are currently in the studio writing songs and preparing to record their debut full-length which they plan to release in early 2010. The band is excited to build upon the success of their debut EP Self-Taught Learner, which since its release in February ‘09, has garnered praise from many corners including SPIN, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Blurt, and VICE among others. This spring they also made their late night debut on Last Call With Carson Daly and played for and chatted with ABC Amplified’s Dan Harris at their practice space. Following a summer full of writing and recording, Lissy Trullie will hit the road in the UK with The Cribs and Adam Greene this September. Plans to tour the states following those dates are in the works.
All has not been without hiccups however. Having completed a tour of the US with The Virgins and Anya Marina this May, Lissy Trullie kept on and crossed the Atlantic for what was looking to be a very fun and successful jaunt through Europe and the UK. Yet after a couple of shows prospects headed south in Hamburg as Ian Fenger (Bass) was diagnosed with the dreaded H1N1 virus (aka Swine Flu) on June 7th and was committed to hospital. Seriously ill and hooked up to an IV, Ian and the band as well as their friends and family discovered that the infamous Flu was in fact no joke. They also found out the German government was not going to treat it as such either. Despite not showing signs of illness, precautionary measures were enforced, and the rest of the band and tour manager were quarantined in their hotel and prevented from leaving. There they were administered medicine and monitored for symptoms. “We had to take tamiflu so we couldn’t catch anything…” said Lissy of the experience, “not even a break!” The band were greatly concerned for Ian’s health, and devastated at having to cancel many of their planned tour dates because of uncertainty surrounding their detention. Your browser may not support display of this image. Your browser may not support display of this image.
Three days later the outlook finally began to brighten. With Ian’s condition improved and everyone else seemingly healthy, the rest of the band were allowed to leave for London (home of their label Wichita Recordings) providing they remain quarantined upon arriving. Six days after being admitted to hospital, Ian was finally discharged, and returned to the United States to be with family. The rest of the band were also eventually deemed safe for the public, and were able to salvage the final two shows of their tour in Paris and Amsterdam.
Finally home and in good shape after a harrowing and frustrating experience, Lissy Trullie are looking forward to eventually making up the dates they missed due to an unfortunate attack of the H1N1 virus. Their tour this September with Adam Green and The Cribs will help them on their way to accomplishing that, as they play a few of the cities they had to miss on this latest run. In the mean time this summer they’ll continue work on their full-length debut.
All of our favorite indie-rockers are catching swine flu, ah! Glad to see everybody’s back safe and sound – let’s keep it that way, shall we?
Lissy Trullie – “You Bleed You” ******************************************************************** ARCTIC MONKEYS PRESENT “CRYING LIGHTNING” Continuing to live up to every bit of hype that every couch-surfing critic seems to sling their direction, the Arctic Monkeys present “Crying Lightning”, a boot-stomping churner of a track featuring a threatening, stealthy bassline complimented by Alex Turner’s cleverest of quips on the subject of a deranged relationship and a sinewy, spidery guitarline. Content to play to its subtelties as opposed to exploding at first chance as the track threatens to do at every change and turn, this first single of the Monkeys upcoming LP Humbug delivers on the promises of a sludgier, more virulent sound, making even a saxophone solo a haunting presence. Give it a listen below and be sure and comment with your feelings on the Sheffield foursome’s new direction.
Arctic Monkeys – “Crying Lightning” ******************************************************************** NEW ACTION DESIGN NEWS Lots of news from Cannibal Cheerleader favorites the Action Design who are currently resting from a Warped Tour jaunt while simultaneously gearing up for a whirlwind August tour across the Southwest. The group has just finished filming the music video for “Landmines” and will be releasing this undoubtedly action-packed affair on the general internet populace before long.
The band has also been hard at work on a bevy of new tunes, including “Chamber of Hellos” and “I’ll Do You”, both covers of songs by the band Wire Train and available on the new soundtrack to The Endless Bummer, a National Lampoon movie with an inexplicably kicking soundtrack due in part to its association with Warped Tour ‘09. “I’ll Do You” is streaming over at the band’s PureVolume page whereas “Chamber of Hellos” is at the band’s MySpace. Check them both out for some new Action Design goodness.
In other news the band has recently stated they will be releasing new tunes soon so definitely stay tuned for more Action Design news and check out their Video Diary of the past few months below (and while you’re at it, subscribe to the band’s YouTube account). at Les Eurockeennes de Belfort ‘09. Watch out for obligatory Jack Daniels preparation and some serious Spence-sibling vocal tradeoffs. One of the best live vids of the band we’ve seen in a while (short of our own of course, haha).
The band has a lot in store for the rest of the year and while we’re not allowed to say much yet, be prepared to hear a lot more from this progressive hardcore act before year’s end. Keep checking their blog for updates. More forthcoming…
Rolo Tomassi – “Fofteen” ******************************************************************** NEW BEYOND GODS & EMPIRES VIDEO Speaking of excellent hardcore, local Austinites Beyond Gods & Empires are gearing up for a media blitz with their new EP The Descolada Virus, featuring a pummeling assault of hardcore vocals mixed with intricate metal instrumentation, all recorded live on tape here in the Lone Star State. Check out an excerpt below for the video of “Insurrection Song” and be prepared for an audial reckoning as the foursome gears up for a tour in support of their newest release. The song itself stands tall as a 6+ minute-long rancorous political diatribe with spit-sung vocals that continues to whirl about with unchecked ferocity. One of our favorite metal tracks of the year. Check it:
Beyond Gods & Empires – “Insurrection Song”NEW FEVER RAY VIDEO One of our favorite releases of the year so far, Fever Ray’s self-titled debut, has also been providing us with a cornucopia of bizarrely horrifying and absolutely electric music video selections, including this newest induction for the “Triangle Walks” single. Featuring a laser light show in the spirit of the darkly tribal atmospherics that plague the former Knife member’s solo effort, the video stands tall as another fierce addition to the singer’s catalogue. Check it out below.
Fever Ray – “Dry and Dusty” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: SHE KEEPS BEES An unlikely offspring from the NYC Cake Shop scene, She Keeps Bees consists of a boy-on-drums, growling, riot-grrrl on guitar and crafts the most hypnotic indie blues-soul this side of Detroit. With an appetite for pop hooks and dual-vocal delivery, She Keeps Bees grinds out lo-fi sonic gems with all the fiery abandon of a preacher speaking in tongues, with the Southern-stylings to match. Here’s an open invitation to get your city-slicker asses down to Austin you two, because in the capital city you’ll be welcomed as royalty. Until then, be sure and check these two out below.
She Keeps Bees – “Focus” She Keeps Bees – “Gimmie” ******************************************************************** NEW RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS VIDEO The Riverboat Gamblers have been touting their new excellent LP Underneath the Owl up and down this great nation of ours over the past few months and just recently the band released the video for second single and standout track “Victory Lap” featuring some pretty stellar live footage that needs to be seen to be believed. This video really packs in so much of the band’s true heart and soul that we not only had to post it but apologize for not keeping up with these guys recently – all hurt feelings aside, we love the Riverboat Gamblers, we love Underneath the Owl, and we love Rookie Sensation Mike Wiebe and unhealthy amount. Check it out below.
The Riverboat Gamblers – “A Choppy, Yet Sincere Apology” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: THOU On a more serious, far more metallic note, enter Thou, New Orleans answer to every sludge-metal act that dared to say they were ‘Southern-influenced’. With thunderous riffs that feel as if they could literally collapse lungs in man’s chest, and shrieked vocals that sound like a discordant marriage between Jacob Bannon and a manical, church-burning black metal miscreant, Thou creates a wall of sound that while chugging along at the rate of a lumbering giant nonetheless captivates with its brutal anti-establishment message and teeth-in-your-neck delivery. From the experimentally edged brutal musicality to the forcefully apocalyptic and yet wholly imaginiative lyricism, this foursome is a true beast, a sight to behold and one of our favorite finds of the year.
Plus, as announced by the band on their website, the group will be releasing a split with none other than Cannibal Cheerleader’s other favorite purveyor of doom and gloom Salome. Look for it at the end of the summer or right here, where we’ll be sure and get it to you first.
Thou – “Tyrant” Thou – “Monstrance” ******************************************************************** FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE PRESENT LUNGS Back on a lighter note, the long awaited debut album Lungs from long-time Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Florence and the Machine has finally dropped and it delivers in spades, featuring the same sparkling and unique instrumentation and the absolutely blasting and beautiful tones of the lead singer. With big, booming pop dreamworlds dancing through each of Florence’s cathartic and creative character studies, the dance-hall musicianship compliments fantastically with the overall hip-shaking eroticism that seethes from every track. Florence has everything going for her on her path to become a vital and exciting breakout American act like she’s already being touted as in the UK. Here’s hoping for some justice and a showing of Lungs on the US charts. Check it out below.
Florence and the Machine – “Cosmic Love” Florence and the Machine – “My Boy Builds Coffins” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: THE DANKS Crossing the lo-fi pop-rock aesthetics of the Strokes with the high-minded baroque leanings of Tokyo Police Club, Canada’s the Danks tout a brand of fuzz-filled, soft-spoken nerd-rock that slowly burrows its way into your conciousness while never allowing you to let it spin idly in the background. Just intent to be engaging while still lazy enough to seem as if this quartet might just be too cool to care if you like them or not, the Danks combine warbly synths with basic three-chord structures and sleepy vocal delivery to heart-warming effect. Stick this in your stereo and drive to the beach immediately – pick up a surfboard and sell your worldly possessions on the way.
The Danks – “What We’re Doing” The Danks – “Who Knows” ******************************************************************** PIPETTES SINGER GOES SOLO When the Pipettes announced way back when that the inimitable trio of chanteuses would be uncerimoniously dropping two of its key members Riot Becki and Rosay from its lineup the indie community was nothing if not perplexed. Still, not one to be left out in the cold, Rosay, or in true life Rose Elinor Dougall, decided to regroup and rebrand herself as a Siouxsie Sioux-esque solo artist with jangly pop numbers with etheral sensibilities and homespun charm. Lofty goals sure but it might seem as if the starlet has done just that with the release of her latest 7″, featuring the hypnotic single “Start/Stop/Synchro” which sounds like a Howling Bells take on Beach House tune, all glockenspiel and tinkerbell-on-cough-syrup instrumentation with Dougall flinty voice guiding the song gently forward. A real bedroom-pop gem from this rising star – here’s hoping she can come back even stronger than the group who felt they didn’t need her anymore.
Rose Elinor Dougall – “Start/Stop/Synchro” Rose Elinor Dougall – “Static Saturday” ******************************************************************** (OLD) BAND CHEER: THE TWILIGHT SAD While the Twilight Sad have certainly seemed to have traced their route around the blogosphere once or twice already, the Scottish foursome definitely have enough heartfelt indie hooks and shoegazey guitarwork to garner mention here. As the world waits with baited breath for the premiere of Forget The Night Ahead, the group’s second album, its worth mentioning the brilliance of the group’s debut LP Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters and how it has captured the imagination of post-punk and ex-emo enthusiasts worldwide. With life-affirming lyricism that borders on melodramatic for all its depth and heaviness were it not for the vast and haunting musicality to match, the group manages to make lonely feel terrifyingly immediate and real, the stark Scottish accents a pleasingly incongruous foil to the band’s booming shoegaze freakouts. This debut album remains such a wholly worthwhile listen, filled with such rich textures and purposefulness of intent, all red-faced and unabashedly hysterical with its heart-on-its-sleeve emoting, that one cannot imagine Forget the Night Ahead coming close to the group’s first flirt with the independent music community.
However, upon hearing the first few tracks from the band’s sophomore effort, namely “Reflection of the Television” and “I Became A Prostitute”, it has become apparent the group has managed to bottle the inimitable energy and naked ambition of their debut and release it once again on rock fans worldwide. In many ways, the album finds the group sinking deeper into darker territory, and just as lead singer James Graham’s vocals drift further and further down below the guitar-wailing hysterics of his bandmates so too does the subject matter of the group’s songs, dipping ever deeper below the surface into pale-blue suburban nothingness.
The Twilight Sad have recently announced through their Twitter page that they will be having an upcoming US tour with another Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Frightened Rabbit, giving Austin an opportunity on September 24th at Mohawk to be delivered a one-two sock to the face of Scottish sadness. Here’s to hard knocks. Below you’ll see the beautiful video for “I Became A Prostitute” – highly recommended.
The Twilight Sad – “Reflection of the Television” The Twilight Sad – “Twenty-Four Hours (Joy Division Cover)” ******************************************************************** TOKYO POLICE CLUB BLOGGING NEW ALBUM Our favorite indie-rockers from yesteryear Tokyo Police Club are riding high from a highly regarded debut LP, a fantastically enigmatic debut LP, and a world tour opening for Weezer of all bands, and now that the band has to continue being a fantastic bunch of music-makers, they’re finding the need to share the whole experience with us care of this blog. Seems as though the boys are doing well for themselves – watch out for extended cooking tips and a good deal of studio trickery in the coming days. Definitely worth following.
Tokyo Police Club – “In A Cave” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: BLACKHOLE Quality, creative hardcore music remains decidedly difficult to come by. Whether it dwells in the mediocrity of scene politics or remains uninspired in its delivery, sameness is the death-knell of American punk – that’s why the good stuff not only seems to be springing from the UK but also from the Carter family. You’ll remember Frank Carter, little-known frontman for London-based hardcore juggernaut Gallows? Well turns out his brother Richard Carter fronts a hardcore band as well known as Blackhole and if anything the group is a crustier, more energetic and less-produced beast of a band than his brother’s. Don’t get us wrong, Gallows’ remains one of our favorite bands of the moment but Blackhole is sitting pretty as, well, the new black and with tours with The Ghost of A Thousand and Cancer Bats upcoming the band seems poised to take over. Not much available yet in terms of mp3s, but do check out this video from the band featuring some killer and cathartic vocals care of Carter and some churning punk riffs. Crusty, metal-infused, dirty, underground, mangy punk rock just like the good old days.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been busy recently, bouncing across the States on a helter-skelter tour in support of one of our favorite releases of the year It’s Blitz!. They’ve been so busy in fact that it seems as if they hardly have time to devise their own tshirt ideas, which gives rise to the plan to allow fans to submit their own creations. Yes, the NYC trio have announced via their MySpace that the group will be holding a tshirt making competition – simply head here for all the details and good luck!
In other news the band has crafted a new video for standout track “Heads Will Roll” (we personally think that every tracks from IB! sounds like a standout, but hey, that’s us) and it features, unsurprisingly, a good deal of glitter and rediculous Karen O costuming as well as, inexplicably this time, a break-dancing werewolf that equal parts bizarre as it is awesome. Confetti doubling as blood normally wouldn’t fly in the Cannibal Cheerleader world, but we’ll let the Yeah Yeah Yeahs slide – this time.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Dull Life” ******************************************************************** CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER AND YOU And so wraps up another jam-packed installment of Cannibal Cheerleader. Take a few days to digest it all because it certainly took quite a few days to write people. We here at Cannibal Cheerleader want you to know we value your readership and while we refuse to buy into the repetitive blogosphere hype and concern ourselves with page views and the next big thing, we’d like to be able to connect with readers. That’s why we’ve set up a variety of ancillary sites that you can view Cannibal Cheerleader materials on. We’ve placed them all over to the right in a little section we like to call ‘The Blight’, seeing as 99% of Web 2.0 remains mindless tripe (except for you and us of course).
We’ve got a YouTube page where we post all of our concert videos, a Vimeo page where we post higher quality reels, a MySpace where we maintain connections with different artists from around the world, and a Last.fm where anyone can view our listening habits. We’re also on Hype Machine, which is a great aggegator of different blogs (just be sure to actually read the content, don’t just download the song!). We invite you to check these ancillary additions out and subscribe/friend/whatever us so we can be closer to you, the reader.
And yes, to all concerned, we have a Twitter, though adding us will only grant you the occassional disgusting tweet about dismemberment or punk situationist theory or hey, maybe a new Lissy Trullie track. Silly maybe, but we’d love to have you follow us regardless.
As a final note we’d like to regurgitate our purpose again, which is not to mindlessly deliver some new mp3 from the newest in-vogue artist or claim to have the most exclusive content – we don’t have the money or the staff for that. Those blogs have lost sight of what it is to write about music, the fiercely independent and underground artistry that is music journalism. The drive and passion that is cutting a pasting a zine together on your living room floor. The love of music that is working nights as a waiter just for the opportunity to write more often and hear more bands. We strive to be the answer to those hipster blogs, to deliver thoughtful, imaginative prose and prime music journalism with an eye for the outsider art that attracted us to indie rock in the first place. Thanks for reading, and as always, until next time, stay hungry.
The new album will be called Break It Up and will be out October 6th, featuring 13 songs of Shangri-Las inspired rock and roll. Check out the tracklist below:
All this with the bonus news – turns out Jemina Pearl will soon be on tour and will be swinging through Austin on October 27th at Mohawk! Good snap, we’re already snatching up our tickets and you people really should too. Here’s to JP and company, may they have a show to remember.
Welcome back Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, here’s a searing series of psychotic indie rock stabbing you right in the ears, beginning with the instantly enjoyable new stumbleupon Now, Now Every Children blasting out of Minneapolis. Here’s a group that we here at Cannibal Cheerleader regrettably wouldn’t have given a second look to had we not been invited to check the group out live – and what we were treated to was a tour-de-force bedroom-pop meets Stars-inspired jam session with unfettered emotion and inspired musicianship powering the songs forward like a cascade of dreamscapes. NNEC might initially suffer from a variety of short-sighted and ignorant criticisms focusing perhaps on the age of the group (all under 21, looking much younger) or their acceptance into the cult of personality surrounding groups like the Alternative Press Magazine crowd or Paramore (whose Hayley Williams has been known to don a Now, Now Every Children shirt during her band’s stadium-packing concerts). Such ancillary discussions somehow might inhibit a listener’s initial foray into the group’s music – we here at Cannibal Cheerleader would like to throw open that closet door.
Beginning with two excellent EPs (the Not One, But Two EP and the In the City EP) the group, consisting only of Cacie Dalager on vocals, keyboards, and guitars and Bradley Hale on drums (though the live band is bolstered by friends of the group) has only just released their incredible debut LP Cars in December of 2008 and have been riding its wave ever since. With indie-sensibilities well beyond their years the duo crafts a brand of soft-spoken and sensitive bedroom-recorded, 8-track-loving pop music with a delicate eye for heartfelt lyricism which doesn’t dive into melodrama or pitying pathos but swoons with metaphor and darkness. Songs like “Everyone You Know” and “Friends With My Sister” denote a level of maturity and understanding that indie-rockers have been clumsily striving for for decades. Here’s a band that knows how to take the Stars formula, whip in a little shoegaze drone, punch it up with some guitar riffs, and inject a little personability to make a fantastic brand of rock music. Definitely check out this group immediately – we did and we’re thankful for it.
Lots of people have been leaping onto the Lissy Trullie bandwagon as of late and we don’t blame them – with an infectious sound and an enticing band personality to boot, LT and crew have garnered the attention of hip magazines trying to claim street cred and lame magazines trying to reclaim coolness. According to all reports the group is taking it in stride and now that they’re stuck in the studio hopefully churning out new and even more electric tunes we thought it prudent to give the fans a whirlwind tour of the group’s recent video lineup, starting of course with their new single “Ready for the Floor”.
We really feel that LT’s power and genuineness shine brightest during live performances and this one is no exception. It’s an interview video care of ABC News (???) featuring Lissy Trullie and the band performing tracks for a hard-hitting, 40+ year old reporter and still managing to win him over. Good or bad thing that parents might like LT? We’ll leave that up to listeners. Turns out this video is not embeddable (strange I know) but here’s the link because it’s actually a pretty interesting watch and comes recommended by the CC crew.
Lastly if you haven’t checked out the Lissy Trulie “Boy Boy Remix” yet you’ve got to get your ass in gear and download it below. It’s a stellar mix and definitely showcases LT’s Scarlett Johansson voice – worth a listen every time!
Smashing their way out of San Diego with an equal parts bombastic and wiry guitar sound, Lanterns features a brand of Sonic Youth-meets-Bloc Party sound that’s sure to please fans of either group. With a self-proclaimed fluid band structure that features members of the group constantly moonlighting in other groups, Lanterns has still managed released a myriad of EPs, all apparently coalescing into one giant sonic assault in the form of their upcoming debut LP Young Wizards.
Seeing as the group combines our favorite elements of new-wave British dance-rock a-la the Futureheads and the best feedback of the true American fuzz-masters like the Raveonettes, we’re gearing up for an audio maelstrom the likes of which we’ve never heard. Definitely can’t recommend this group more, check them out or miss the boat after it leaves the harbor people.
Road-weary travelers of the stoner-rock landscape will be familiar with the name Yob, the inimitable and downright fearsome trio hailing from Eugene, Oregon whose breakup and reformation were the topic of much of the Northwestern metal landscape for several years. And now, finally in 2009 we have the result of the reformation in the form of the five track searing LP The Great Cessation, a collection of smoldering, crackling, choking doom metal that marks a new high point for the band and sounds not unlike a legless zombie slowly clawing its way out of some dark pit to tear your breath from your chest.
Featuring greater use of lead guitarist and vocalist Mike Sheidt’s voice than ever heard in previous Yob records, The Great Cessation stands as one of the group’s most terrifying works, delving into the realm of blackend metal with grinding guitar parts and hellish yelps and shrill cries splattering across every track. Here’s the new Yob record – definitely and defiantly worth the wait.
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader count ourselves as Dandy Warhols apologists. Sure they might be hipper than thou and of course they’re more electronic leanings and dancier rhythms are no match for their early, drone-rock recordings (The Dandy Warhols Come Down is still one of our favorite records) but with a bevy of fantastic singles and a live show that strips you of all pretensions (and sometimes your clothes) the group still stands a testament to the power of indie-rock and roll in today’s musical landscape. And what better way to recapture that early DW love than to invest in a remix album that takes the band’s first step into the true mainstream with Welcome to the Monkey House and twists it into a lo-fi version featuring the producer of the Roots.
The Dandy Warhols Are Sound is a reimagining of Welcome to the Monkey House that features alternative mixes of the album’s tracks, mainly resulting in a more organic, live performance style sound that captures the Dandys in rare form, combining their penchant for live fuzz-rock with their newfound interest in electronic noodling. The album is in many ways a step up from the original album, which, while solid, definitely suffers from overproduction and a sparkling clean finish that marked the jump to a bigger label for the band. Definitely check this one our as soon as you get a chance, and hey, go listen to the Dandy Warhols when they fly through town on Sept. 9th at Emo’s here in Austin!
Speaking of apologies, we have very few to say when it comes to our unabashed love of New York-based singer-songwriter Charlotte Sometimes whose debut LP Waves and the Both of Us still spins at the Cannibal Cheerleader house every once in a while. Turns out that CS is performing at a variety of NY locales over the rest of the summer, including tomorrow July 29th at Piano’s! Check her out people, this gal is most certainly going places!
If there’s one record we’ve been spinning madly down here at Cannibal Cheerleader headquarters over the past few weeks it’s got to be the Danks’ debut LP Are You Afraid of the Danks?, an album many are describing as the Canadian answer to the Strokes, a highly positive critique that we can’t help but agree with. The Danks combine a bouncey, garage-rock based rhythm with sing-song vocals and scratchy-voiced lead singer philosophizing on the merits of youthful rebellion while his band frolicks on their guitars in the background.
Speaking of the background here’s the group’s newest video for single “In Alright” which features the band acting as party music for a college kegger. Watch the luckless foursome get shoved aside by blonde bombshells and wonder why they aren’t getting all the girls yet. Oh that’s right, they play indie-rock and roll. Oh what a world, check it out below:
Here’s another in a long line of Cannibal Cheerleader shoegazey favorites – introducing heat-ray from Alberta, Canada, a five-piece pop group that combines a two-fold male and female vocal assult with the punishing power of ‘Creep-era’ Radiohead’s three-guitar punchout to create an overall aura of bombastic, glowing guitar-rock that billows and flares like a four-alarm fire. With the recent release of their debut LP LoveAllOver the group has managed to capture a stormy but sophisticated sound that garners instant comparisons to the likes of Catherine Wheel or Ride without sounding like petulant knock-offs or boring retreaders – instead the group sounds equal parts fresh and exciting while still retaining a level of pop pride that echos through ever pedal and amplifier on stage. Check out the group below and prepare to be amazed (also, yes, we’re aware the name’s not capitalized, that’s how it’s supposed to be geez).
If you’re visiting this site for the first time or are a long-time reader we can safely say you’ve not lost your faith and love in music – lucky for us neither has Pete Doherty, former Libertiner and current Babyshambler whose current solo tour has been causing waves across the British press for its heartbreaking renditions of well-worn Arcadian tunes old and new. Featuring many new tracks from his latest LP Grace/Wastelands Doherty has been relentlessly perfecting his live show, bringing the Babyshambles backing band and Graham Coxon as support.
Fortunately for all of us across the pond who can’t see Doherty live there’s a fervent recording community for all the former Libertines located at Albion Arks and French Dog Blues, the latter of which forwarded us this bootleg entitled Pete Doherty at Barrowlands and features the singer-songwriter performing gut-wrenching renditions of classics old (”Fuck Foverer”, “Music When the Lights Go Out”) and new (”The Lost Art of Murder”, “Sheepskin Tearaway”). Definitely live show worth reliving again and again, give a listen below.
All roads point to Austin this November as the 4th Fun Fun Fun Fest gears up for a slamming lineup of punk, indie, and hip-hop for what we Texans have gotten used to calling the best festival that nobody knows about. According to all sources this site features the latest leaks for F3 and we’re stoked at the people it’s listing so far – Jesus Lizard? GZA? MELT BANANA?
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader have a Melt Banana fetish that stretches back to our days in high school and to see them live on a stage as big as the F3 ones, well that’s just a recipe for success in our book. Keep tabs on the site and look for more updates soon!
The band’s name is Bad Veins and they will change the way you think about lo-fi rock and roll. Frothing forth from the depths of Cincinatti, Ohio the duo of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz craft a brand of woozy, stadium-sized crashing rock, complete with Brandon Flowers-style vocals sung through a Strokes-esque megaphone. The duo features guitar riffs that mesh in soupy mash of electronic warblings and keyboard cuts to create an air of shoegazey-meets-organic roots rock, all recorded on what sounds like the most beat up 8-track dragged from the depths of your mother’s basement. In all sincerity, the band requires a listen to fully understand, so here’s a sample of Bad Veins, a band with a lot of room to rise in a landscape that needs their type of creativity.
Still stretching their legs to the tune of their debut LP the Rhumb Line Ra Ra Riot will once again be blasting through Austin on Sept. 24th and you know we’ll be first in line for such antics. This sextet still remains one of our favorite acts of the day, combining all our love for tender folk, loud-quiet-loud rock and roll, and singalong harmonies in seemingly every song. Here’s to the Ra Ra Riot gang – may you continue to forge ahead!
So here’s the story so far – seems as if love-her-or-hate-her screenwriter Diablo Cody of Juno fame has penned a horror film entitled Jennifer’s Body starring Meghan Fox. The plot revolves around a bombshell cheerleader (the titular character played by Fox) who becomes wrapped up in a Satanic sacrifice ritual by what else, a rock band hoping that the Devil will assist them in snagging a record contract. The spell goes wrong and Jennifer turns into a possessed demon, luring boys into her clutches and, here’s the catcher, consuming them.
In many ways this plot obviously sounds incredibly badass. As it evident from the title of the blog we’re huge horror fans here at Cannibal Cheerleader and when it comes to high schoolers getting torn apart you can put money on us being first in line. On the other hand, we’re a little apprehensive about Diablo Cody stalking us, taking our name and applying it to a film. Either way, we’re going to be seeing this one in theaters, if only because Fangoria seems to be giving it the go-ahead (and Lord knows we love and trust those guys). So here’s hoping the film does well and, just so it’s written in stone and recorded on the ever-trustworthy internet – we were here first people. Thanks!
Thanks for reading Cannibal Cheerleader faithful. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods – we here at CC headquarters in Austin, Texas have been super busy over the past few weeks (as if our lack of weekly updates wasn’t evidence enough). We’ve stretched ourselves pretty thin with ancillary jobs outside Cannibal Cheerleader but fear not (or fear rather, mwahaha) we’ll be back up to speed in no time – things just need to cool down and smidge and we’ll be back in fighting form.
Really rad stuff if we do say so ourselves. Head on over to their website and take advantage of their July deal where you can get 100 buttons for fifteen bucks – quite a deal. And if you’re in the Austin area, let us know if you’d like some Cannibal Cheerleader swag. We’ve got buttons, stickers, zines – just let us know and we’ll get it to you! Even you people from around the world, hit us up and we’ll get you something cool. Stay hungry everyone, see you next time!
