News for November 2009

Promises

Jumping on this bandwagon a midge too late perhaps, but if there’s even one person out there who hasn’t heard about the utterly phenomenal heirs to the indie-Scot-rock throne We Were Promised Jetpacks, let us here at Cannibal Cheerleader let you know this group can only be described as utterly life-altering in their musical ways. While their name might inspire jeers and questions, focus not on the sci-fi inspired humorousness of the statement but the sense of emptiness and disappointment, the realization that childhood fantasies give way to harsh, cruel reality. Careening across the Western hemisphere, riding high on the back of their excellent debut LP These Four Walls, this Scottish foursome has a lot to be proud of when they stand beside groups like the Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit at a recent gig at the Mohawk here in Austin. A testament to the power of indie-rock and roll, find out about this group quickly.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – “It’s Thunder And It’s Lightning”
We Were Promised Jetpacks – “Conductor”
Posted: November 9th, 2009
Categories: frightened rabbit, mohawk, the twilight sad, we were promised jetpacks
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Bleed

Another ferocious find for Cannibal Cheerleader faithful today, as Toronto-based trio Die Mannequin came ripping and gnashing through out inbox, out our speakers, and down out throats like a poison-tipped sabre, except replace the poison with the malice that is singer Care Failure’s slobbering, blood-guzzling bellow. Rocketing skyward on the backs of several successful EPs, having once featured former Death From Above 1979 members as well as E. Kath of none other than Crystal Castles, Die Mannequin remains one of the few alt-rock female-fronted groups with not only a sense of depth to their songwriting but a set of balls that crushes even their most machismo-ridden male counterparts. Their new record FINO + BLEED may just catapult this band to superstardom based on its carefree rampage and squalling guitar lines, not to mention Failure’s utterly electrifying and inimitable voice. Definitely worth checking out CC faithful.

Die Mannequin – “Bad Medicine”
Die Mannequin – “Dead Honey”
Posted: November 6th, 2009
Categories: bad medicine, care failure, crystal castles, dead honey, death from above 1979, die mannequin, fino bleed
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Strange

Here’s a hot find for you listless lovers out there - Mayer Hawthorne, the personality formerly known as DJ Haircut, recent signee to our favorite hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, and owner of the most soulful, sonorous voice this side of the racial divide, a nerdtastic white kid from Michigan, is here to make all your worries drift away. With a killer, blue-eyed soul sound and a taste for retro-arrangements recalling an understated Curtis Mayfield single, Hawthorne, having just released his debut album A Strange Arrangement, seems poised to smolder in the stereos of thousands of lucky indie-rockers looking to score the Starbucks girl with class. Here’s to you Mayer Hawthorne – making clothes harder to keep on since ‘09.
LINK REMOVED BY REQUEST – PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY IF YOU WANT YOUR SONGS TAKEN DOWN!
Posted: November 5th, 2009
Categories: a strange arrangement, dj haircut, mayer hawthorne, stones throw
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Stills

You’ll all know our love of God Help the Girl and Stuart Murdoch’s former (perhaps still current?) band Belle & Sebastian, so we can’t help but find ourselves in a state of twittering excitement at the announcement of the upcoming Stills EP. Filled with the same flowery showiness and delightfully cabaret singing-style that separates God Help the Girl from it’s predecessor, the Stills EP delights with its bite-sized tenacity and carefully crafted lyricism, feeling every bit as strong of a release as another Lazy Line Painter Jane or Books EP. Fantastic stuff from a fantastic group!

God Help the Girl – “I’m In Love With The City”
God Help the Girl – “Stills”
Like Russia in the seventies people…
Posted: November 4th, 2009
Categories: god help the girl, stills ep, stuart murdoch
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The Slip

Undoubtedly still topping our lists as one of our favorite finds of the year, the Joy Formidable continue to churn out absolutely spectacular tracks, from their first singles “Austere” and “Cradle” to their followup, the inimitable “Whirring”, and sleeper hits like “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade” the trio of Londoneers stand poised to mount an impressive assault on the unassuming masses. Recently the band released an excellent new track “Greyhounds in the Slip” featuring Paul Draper which you can find below and more importantly, a new live CD entitled First You Have to Get Mad – best name for a live album ever in our humble opinion. This an absolute must-have which you can nab from here. Pre-order quick and get it bundled with a cool shirt! Definitely worth your cash folks!

The Joy Formidable – “Greyhounds in the Slip”
Posted: November 3rd, 2009
Categories: first you have to get mad, the joy formidable, whirring
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Break

When we first heard about Jemina Pearl’s solo debut our fevered sniveling over the traumatic breakup of Be Your Own Pet was quelled – at least for a moment. Would the ferocious frontwoman bring the goods without her shredding sidekicks – would the songs maintain their high-flying heroics with the loss of the loose ends? By all means, by all standards, indubitably faithful friends. But this isn’t the Jemina Pearl we’re all familiar with – instead of the stabbing, shrieking siren of olde, this horrifying hellion has herself transformed into a songwriting starlet, with pop hooks, loud-quiet-loud choruses, and Shangri-La’s inspired harmonies replacing all the punk pulverization. While this might be a big change, and one might understand how it could turn off the purists (fuck ‘em), the song remains the same – cocaine, easy girls, heartbreak, cheeseburgers, confusion, tears, youth in general – these are the subjects of Pearl’s tunes, no less childishly awesome than anything BYOP did before, only instead of being dumped in the same pile as a wonderful mish-mash of guitar rock, here comes a perfected pop-punk squall, wiry guitars mixing with Pearl’s ever-engaging voice. Here’s an album that’s not only sure to grow on its listeners but undoubtedly announces an artist with a long road ahead of her full of excellent albums. Definitely check it out.

Jemina Pearl – “Retrograde”
Jemina Pearl – “Selfish Heart”
Posted: November 2nd, 2009
Categories: be your own pet, break it up, jemina pearl, shangri la
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