Watching the rabid gyrations of Karen O perform at theAustin City Limits Festivalearlier this month with theYeah Yeah Yeahsstunned us at Cannibal Cheerleader so completely, so devastatingly as to inspire a month-long self-imposed exile from the blogging community. The blazingly electric setlist, featuring carnal classics like “Gold Lion” and “Maps”, new-wave crooners like “Skeletons” and “Runaway”, and neurotically ferocious takes on barn-burners such as “Date With the Night” and “Dull Life”, may go down as so utterly picture-perfect as to inspire every other band to call it a day.
Flawless delivery from an utterly flawless band. Oh to be the microphone knawed between the jaws of Karen O as she wails like a possessed banshee. Oh to be the strings of pulsating power, whipping and cracking under Nick Zinner’s spidery fingertips. Oh to be the drumsticks, withered to the raw, blasting asunder as Brian Chase throws us to the pad below like a weightless guillotine. Contender for show of the year bar-none and a renewal of our faith in modern music.
Actually Cannibal Cultists a lot has been in the works as of late. Applying to law school. Heading off with Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures on a nationwide tour. Preparing to maim and destroy everything and everyone. But now we’re here. Cannibal Cheerleader – back and on the attack.
2009 may just be the year of the Yeah Yeah Yeah, considering their blazingly original third LP It’s Blitz! and the band’s monumentally successful North American tour thus far. Now, not only have we received news that Karen O and company are replacing the Beastie Boys at Austin’s own Austin City Limits Festival, but KO is helming the entirety of the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. Check out the video for “All Is Love” below and be prepared to get your yeah yeahs out Austin.
It’s been a hot minute since we reported on the activities of one of our favorite discoveries of the year, NYC garage-rocker Lissy Trullie and her company of dashing Boho-rejects and art-school dropouts. Seems as if LT and the gang will be swinging through Austin next month at Emo’s in support of another Cannibal Cheerleader fave, the Virgins. It’s a genuine New York City meets Lone Star State affair, so be there people! Here’s a few Lissy Trullie videos to quench your thirst until then!
Straight from the record label (Little Black Cloud Records) that brought us the inimitable Ringfinger comes Cinemasophia, a Richmond quintet by way of Brooklyn that blaze a brand of shoegaze-meets-electro, Stars-inspired indie rock in an equal parts subdued and fuzzed-out manner that’s wholly unique. Featuring faraway, distant vocals like an early emo-record or a long-worn cassette, Cinemasophia are crafting bedroom ready tunes that are nonetheless sure to rattle the windows from their panes. Tracks like “Pet Enemies” simmer with an undercurrent of electronic warbles before dipping into guitar heroics near the song’s end. The band’s intense use of volume disparity and sonic shifts give their music an unpredictable and electric feeling, churning behind a Firefox window for a few minutes before bursting up and making the listener click on the iTunes icon to see just who is that playing again. Very addictive, check it out below.
This year’s Austin City Limits Festival lineup has been revealed and while we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are excited about a few of the choices (the Virgins, the Raveonettes, the Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys, and Sonic Youth to name a few) the headliners are considerably weaker this year. While we can’t fault anyone for liking Pearl Jam (not our cup o’ tea) and we have a passing interest in the Beastie Boys (early 90s anyone?), to have Dave Matthews Band, nemesis of all indie-rock fans, headlining the event is pretty grotesque. Oh well, you’ll still definitely be seeing us at the show, if only to check if the Arctic Monkeys will be playing any new material. Check out the whole lineup below:
Pearl Jam Dave Matthews Band Beastie Boys Kings of Leon Ben Harper and Relentless7 Thievery Corporation John Legend The Dead Weather The Levon Helm Band Ghostland Observatory Sonic Youth Mos Def Toadies Flogging Molly The B-52s Lily Allen Citizen Cope Arctic Monkeys The Decemberists Coheed and Cambria Andrew Bird Girl Talk STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) Phoenix Bassnectar Bon Iver !!! The Avett Brothers The Airborne Toxic Event Medeski, Martin & Wood Clutch Michael Franti & Spearhead Grizzly Bear Heartless Bastards Passion Pit White Lies Dan Auerbach The Walkmen The Scabs Reckless Kelly Devotchka Blitzen Trapper The Virgins Here We Go Magic Eek-A-Mouse K’ Naan Asleep at the Wheel Dr. Dog The Raveonettes The Knux Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears State Radio Los Amigos Invisibles The Felice Brothers Federico Aubele Raul Malo Daniel Johnston Poi Dog Pondering Brett Dennen Rodriguez Henry Butler Preservation Hall Sam Roberts Band The Greencards Sara Watkins Walter “Wolfman” Washington David Garza John Vanderslice Zac Brown Band Todd Snider School of Seven Bells The Dodos Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 Alberta Cross Deer Tick Bell X1 Alela Diane The Wood Brothers The Parlor Mob Rebirth Brass Band Marva Wright Terri Hendrix L.A.X. Lisa Hannigan The Low Anthem Sons of Bill Suckers Sarah Jaffe Cotton Jones The Henry Clay People Papa Mali Jypsi Vince Mira Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights Mimicking Birds Jeffrey Steele Jonell Mosser Leatherbag Keith Gattis Damien Horne Sarah Siskind Dexateens Nelo Danny Brooks Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band The Soul Stirrers The Durdens Palm School Elementary The Gospel Silvertones Diaconos Quinn Sullivan Ralph’s World Q Brothers Milkshake Telephone Company Loose Cannons Lunch Money
BACK IN ACTION Rising from the grave, it’s Cannibal Cheerleader, here to award the faithful and punish the nonbelievers! But seriously folks I’m back and ready to report. Grad school apps still stretch to the horizon but I miss my little corner of the internet to stay away any longer.
A few changes: 1. No more quick bites! If I only have one thing to post in a day (or just not enough time to flesh out a post) that’s just all you get people! Having too much of a workload drove me away in the first place, so try and keep me around this time – it’s supposed to be fun! 2. More original content! More videos, more new band cheers, more interviews, and less linking to Stereogum and Pitchfork. 3. Stop emailing me record labels! I appreciate your concern, but I usually just report on things I like, not the next big indie thing you’re trying to sell me. Take me off your list if I’m on there, I don’t want to read it! And no, the (insert indie band here) do not sound like the new Beatles.
ON WITH THE HORROWSHOW!!! ******************************************************************** CAT POWER IN AUSTIN Over the break the much-awaited do-over show by Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Cat Power finally landed in Austin and to those who missed it, you definitely skipped out on what may go down as the best live music performance in the capital city all year! No exaggerations here, Chan Marshall and her Dirty Delta Blues Band tore up the stage with soulful ballads of wounded hearts and dusty roads, a perfect mixture of rhythm and blues, country, and good old fashioned indie rock and roll. The setlist concentrated chiefly on tracks from this year’s criminally underrated Jukebox and the seminal The Greatest, though the brilliant opener, which really set the tone for the whole night, was a woeful and charismatic take on “I Don’t Blame You” from You Are Free. Marshall flitted across the stage with a sexy confidence that kept the crowd screaming even during slow, quiet renditions of tracks like “The Moon” and “Silver Stallion”. Her performance, once notoriously unsure and nervous now exudes a quiet confidence not unlike the downtrodden characters of her cover songs; they’ve both managed to see it all, reach the bottom, and come back out on the other side, tired and hurt and all the better for it. The backing band was excellent as well, with guitarist Teenie Hodges, who performed the intricate guitarwork on the Greatest, joining the group mid-set. Their playing was not-unlike a smokey-bar jam band, twisting in out and out of each song, mixing and changing things up as they went along. By the end of the night Marshall and crew had captured the hearts of every man and woman in attendance at Stubb’s that night. During “Angelitos Negros” she threw a bouqet of flowers in the crowd, as if spreading her new found happiness over everyone. Truly an unforgettable show and deserving of all its praise. Dust off those old Cat Power LPs if you’ve got them, it’s time to rediscover one of the best artists of our time. More pictures below: Cat Power – “Metal Heart” ******************************************************************** ACL REVIEW Due to extenuating circumstances I was only able to attend one day of this year’s ACL Festival, but it was a doozy! As usual, ACL was overcrowded, too dusty, miserable at times, and fantastic at others. I’m always iffy at the end of each fest if I’ll be back next year, and then inevitably, I’m there again.
This year’s highlights begin with Vampire Weekend, who have of course been getting a lot of blog backlash since they hit the big time with their self-titled debut. However, the Oxford crew seriously tore up the stage during their early afternoon set on Friday, debuting a few new songs and keeping the crowd dancing with the classics. Overall, I think even I underestimated the enjoyability of these tracks live, as I found myself twisting to “A-Punk” alongside hundreds of others. Definitely a treat. Next was Jenny Lewis (whose new album Acid Tongue is brilliant by the way) whom we were able to capture only from far away. While the pictures aren’t so good and the stage not really suitable for her new, big band sound, it’s probably impossible for this fiery frontwoman to flop, as she belted out classics like “Rise Up With Fists” and ripped through new barn-burners like “The Next Messiah” and “Jack Killed Mom”. Whether she was striking the keys behind her piano or strumming riffs on the guitar, Lewis was in fine form in front of a loving crowd. Definitely worth the price of admission. Lastly, there was the Mars Volta, who my friend insisted was the greatest band of all time. Perhaps loudest or most confusing might have been a better title, as the band blasted through most of the tracks from their newest LP the Bedlam in Goliath, with such abandon that it might have seemed like they didn’t care about the crowd at all. I’m not totally convince they did ever give a shit at any point but when the Volta are on they’re great, and when they fall into weird, prog, static territory they’re basically unlistenable. Overall, the show fell comfortably in the middle, leaving the crowd not satisfied or unsatisfied and instead mostly confused. Oh well.
See you next year ACL, if I’m still dumb enough to buy a ticket next year!
Jenny Lewis – “Acid Tongue” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: BEYOND GODS & EMPIRES The Austin metal scene, like most hard rock scenes in the South, is criminally underrated, and the fact that locals Beyond Gods & Empires aren’t opening for Pig Destroyer yet is a testament to that fact. This crushing four-piece combines a dual-vocal attack a-la the Red Chord with a doom-metal instrumental approach that’s equal parts High on Fire and Converge. Songs stretch to the dark horizon but the brutal assault continues throughout. Definitely a band to keep on your radar. Don’t believe me? Check out this Cannibal Cheerleader video below and see for yourself! Check the band out at their Myspace.
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: LUCKY SOUL Sifting through the CMJ overload that occurred in the past few weeks, I came upon this real gem of a band whose first string of US shows garnered them a lot of much deserved praise. Lucky Soul hail from Londontown but their sound is all New York-girl-group, with bouncy melodies crackling behind moody tales of heartbreak as sung by the smoky-voiced Ali Howard. Equal parts delicately poppy and brashly rock and roll, the music plays without a wink of irony, no great nod to the past, and sounds all the more genuine because of it. The group’s debut The Great Unwanted was well-received in their home country and the group is now working on teh followup. You can bet we’ll be first on the list to hear any new tracks!
NEKO CASE WORKING ON FOX FOLLOWUPAccording to our friends at Pitchfork, one of our favorite Patsy-Cline-referencing alt-country megastars Neko Case is hard at work recording her followup to 2006’s awesome Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Any new material from Case is cause for excitement here at Cannibal Cheerleader so we’re absolutely stoked. Neko Case will be performing at this year’s ACL Festival in Austin, so be sure and check her out!
NEW CRYSTAL CASTLES VIDEO/NEWS Our dearest friends Crystal Castles have just released a video for their single “Crimewave”, featuring a mesh-masked Alice Glass and a lonely zombie. Check it out below.
Crystal Castles – Crimewave (Crystal Castles VS. Health) In other CC news, according to NME (and confirmed by our friend Myke) the band has canceled several dates in the UK because of ‘recording committments’. Can we expect new Crystal Castles material soon? Here’s hoping so!
Crystal Castles – “Death (White Lies Remix)” ******************************************************************** FINAL BE YOUR OWN PET SHOW VIDEOS Sad as we were that one of our favorite acts of the day Be Your Own Pet broke up, we’re happy to report they left behind a trail of death and misadventure to rival the best punk acts of the day, and these videos from their final show ever prove it. Check them out below and godspeed you black-hearted punksters, we hope to see you again soon! “Super Soaked”
“Heart Throb”
Be Your Own Pet – “Hillmont Avenue” ******************************************************************** STARS ANNOUNCE NEW EP According to Pitchfork and confirmed by visiting the Sad Robots website, our favorite Canadian indie-poppers Stars are releasing a new EP entitled Sad Robots. Tracklist below, featuring five new songs and a live version of “Going Going Gone” off of Nightsongs.
01 Maintenance Hall, 4am 02 A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife 03 Undertow 04 Going, Going, Gone (live) 05 14 Forever 06 Sad Robot
Stars will be playing this year’s ACL festival (last time they came they played against Wolf Parade so I had to miss them, not this time!) so don’t miss them when they swing through Austin!
Stars – “Why I Want To Save You” ******************************************************************** CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER VS. RNC We didn’t post on Thursday for two reasons – one, very slow news day, not much to talk about. But second, we were busy planning our Cannibal Cheerleader protest trip to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Those familiar with us know that we’re first and foremost filmmakers (liberal ones at that) so we’re going to document the events of the RNC protests and bring them back to Texas (see, we’re not all rednecks down here!). We will be out of pocket until next Friday, but tomorrow I plan on writing mini-updates for the rest of next week. Because these will be very bare and pretty unsubstantial updates, next week is being declared ‘Vegetarian Week’ here at Cannibal Cheerleader. Fear not, I shall return with cool videos in tow and what’s more, if I find myself with an internet connection up there I’ll be sure and do a few quick updates. Any comments on this situation? Would anyone prefer I not go? Speak now or hold your peace! See you all in St. Paul!
FOLLOW THAT BIRD! AT BEAUTY BAR Sorry for not updating Wednesday guys – a combination of more moving difficulties and a slow news day meant no time for an update. However, today is a double update, beginning with a show review of one of the best local bands we’ve stumbled upon all year, the punk trioFollow That Bird!.
Stunning an elated Beauty Bar crowd with their massive set, these women pack a sound laden with furious feedback and chugging basslines under the magnificent croon of Corin Tucker incarnate lead singer Lauren Green, whose wail refused to be overpowered even by the crunching notes of her own guitar shredding. The trio stormed through a set comprised half of punk vignettes highlighting Green’s vocals and half of more melodic pieces which challenged with their improvisational fuzz-work and splintered in a million different directions before returning to a poppy whole. All the while bassist Rachel Badger provided a solid base for the action to take place on, whipping through intricate basslines and diving below the lead guitar all with a moment’s notice, and drummer Tiffanie Lanmon railed on her drums and whipped her head about like the most metal of moshpit fanatics. Overall, the band surprised with its larger than life sound that nonetheless managed to hold fast to a punk ethos that kept us engaged and enthralled. We can definitely say without question that this was one of the best shows we’ve been to all year and we hope to see more of these girls soon! Here are some more pictures and another YouTube we found.
******************************************************************** SOUTHERN DRAMA INTERVIEW ONLINE The special interview we did a few weeks ago with our friends inSouthern Dramais now up at the Soundcheck Magazinewebsite. Go check it out hereand be sure and swing by the ladies’Myspacewhen you get a chance as well.
Southern Drama – “Blood Red”
******************************************************************** CRYSTAL CASTLES HEADS CMJ LINEUP The NYC equivalent of Austin’s own SXSW madness theCMJ Music Marathonhasannouncedits lineup and up near the top of the list is Cannibal Cheerleader favoriteCrystal Castles, along with other favorites like the Virgins, the Cool Kids, A Place To Bury Strangers, etc. We’ll definitely be looking forward to what these cats pull when their massive music fest isn’t in a town where the weather seems perpetually beautiful and cooperative (most of the time, haha). In other CC news, the duo is currently in Europe on tour and pretty soon they’ll be swinging back into the US for a romp with none other than Trent Reznor and co. We’ll be keeping you up to date on those shows when they happen!
Crystal Castles – “Trash Hologram”
******************************************************************** THE NATIONAL REVEAL NEW TUNE Recently at a show in Copenhagen our favorite brooding indie-rockers the Nationalrevealed a new track entitled “A Thousand Black Cities” which you can view below. A bit jazzier and light than the title might suggest, the song starts slow but then really comes into its own and stands aside some of the band’s strongest work, with a soaring chorus and the same hopeless, inner-city existentialism we’ve come to expect. Maybe not the band to soundtrack your latest frat party, but it’ll do if you can’t find your copy of Unknown Pleasures (lord knows that gets the sorority sisters bouncing!).
******************************************************************** ACL AFTERSHOWS ANNOUNCED According to theAustinistthe lineup of ACL Fest aftershows has been officially released and along with cool Texas acts like Bill Callahan (aka Smog) and the Butthole Surfers, there’s a special show at La Zona Rosa on Sunday night featuring none other than Conor Oberstand special guestJenny Lewis. You know that we’ll be waiting in line all day for that one, screw waiting for Foo Fighters. List of shows below:
Stubb’s BBQ:Thursday Sep 25: (outdoors) An evening with Manu Chao Ticket: $35 adv/ $35 dos Doors 7pm, show 8pm.
Friday Sep 26: (outdoors) Gnarls Barkley w/ CSS
Ticket: $27 adv/ $30 dos
Doors 8pm, Show 9pm
Saturday Sep 27: (very special gospel brunch) Gospel Brunch w/ Mike Farris featuring the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Ticket: $30, $40 (Call for reservations 512-480-8341)
Doors at 11am, Brunch at 11:30am
Saturday Sep 27: (outdoors) Return of the Butthole Surfers w/ The Kills
Ticket: $30 adv/ $33 dos
Doors 7pm, Show 8pm.
Saturday Sep 27: (indoors) Mugison
Ticket: $15 adv/ $15 dos
Doors 11:30pm, show midnight
Sunday Sep 28: (outdoors) The Black Keys w/ The Black Angels & Jessica Lea Mayfield
Ticket: $25 adv/ $25 dos
Doors at 7pm, Show at 7:30pm
LaZona Rosa:
Friday Sep 26 G Love & Special Sauce
Ticket: $25 adv/ $27 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 11pm
Sunday Sep 28 Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band w/ Special Guests Jenny Lewis and M. Ward
Ticket: $30 adv/ $30 dos
Doors at 9pm, Show at 10pm The Parish:
Friday Sep 26 Jamie Lidell w/ Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears
Ticket: $20 adv/ $20 dos
Doors at 10pm, show at 11pm
Paramount Theater:
Thursday Sep 25 David Byrne on Tour – songs from David Byrne and Brian Eno
Ticket: $50, $55
Doors at 7:30pm, Show 8:30pm
Saturday Sep 27 The Swell Season w/ Bill Callahan
Ticket: $35, $42.50 (depends on where seat location is)
Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8:30pm
Emos:
Friday Sep 26 (outdoors) Drive-By Truckers w/ Shooter Jennings
Ticket: $20 adv/ $22 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 10:30pm
Friday Sep 26 (Emos Jr) Heartless Bastards w/ Dead Confederate & Wax Fang
Ticket: $15 adv/ $17 dos
Doors at 10pm, show at 10:30pm
Friday Sep 26 (Emos Lounge) Car Stereo Wars
Ticket: $8 adv/ $10 dos
Doors at 10pm, show 11pm.
Saturday Sep 27 Emos Outside Okkervil River w/ Man Man & Crooked Fingers
Ticket: $15 adv/ $17 dos
Doors at 10pm, show 10:30pm
Saturday Sep 27 (Emos jr) Jose Gonzalez w/ Neva Dinova & McCarthy Trenching
Ticket: $18 adv/ $20 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 10:30pm
Saturday Sep 27 (Emos Lounge) Car Stereo Wars
Ticket: $8 adv/ $10 dos
Doors at 10pm, show 11pm.
Antone’s:
Saturday Sep 27 Jakob Dylan and The Gold Mountain Rebels w/ Back Door Slam
Ticket: $23 adv, $25 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 10:30pm
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: KYLESA Make no mistake about our indier-than-thou, twee lovin’ credibility over here at Cannibal Cheerleader – heck, we’re a stones-throw from tight-jeans wearing hipsters – but we love ourselves some face-melting fuckin’ metal every once in a while. And while we hate the radio-ready rock of bands like the much maligned Disturbed, we can’t help but be intrigued every time we hear about a band that takes the dynamic elements of metal (it’s penchant for feedback-heavy riffs, it’s air of slow-burning experimentation, etc) and fuses them into a truly unique package. That band is Savannah, Georgia’sKylesa, a beast of a band combining swirly guitar-noodling, teeth-grinding riffs, and a brilliant vocal dichotomy between two lead vocalists, Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants. With a psychedelic tinge and a habit of making loud-quiet-loud seem like doom-hushed oblivion-doom, Kylesa take Southern metal and brand their mark of experimentalism and purebred fury into its dusty hide. Lucky for us Austinites the band will be swinging through on Sept. 20th supporting Pinback, and you know, as always, Cannibal Cheerleader will be there!
Our favorite Canadian melodic-popsters Stars are back on their game with the posting of a new track entitled “Why I Want To Save You” on their Myspace. The track contains all the formulas for success – sweeping chorus, intricate instrumentation, heartfelt and lovelorn lyrics. It’s the Stars formula alright! Give it a listen below (track starts about ten seconds in so be patient blog readers!). Also, can’t wait to see Stars when they roll through town for this year’s ACL Festival. Woo!
OCTOPUS PROJECT TO LAUNCH NATIONWIDE TOUR Our favorite local instrumental-noodlers the Octopus Project are set to launch their nationwide tour starting with Lollapalooza in just a few days. We’re of course stoked to see one of our favorite local acts cause such a stir outside of Austin, so in support here’s there video for “Truck” which is garnering some attention over at YouTube. Go Octopus Project and see you when you get back in time for the ACL Festival!
******************************************************************** FLEETING JOYS POST NEW TRACK If you read Cannibal Cheerleader at all you know we’re huge shoegaze fans and there’s none better or purer working today than the California duo the Fleeting Joys, whose new record (with no title or cover art yet as we see) drops August 11th. The band just posted a brand new track to their Myspace called “You Are the Darkness” and it’s up there with the highest quality spins from their first LP. This might be their next “Lovely Crawl” so give it a listen and let us know what you think!
Fleeting Joys – “You Are the Darkness” ******************************************************************** LOST CRYSTAL CASTLES VIDEO While this may not be news to some of you since this video leaked back in January, it’s a big deal for us here at Cannibal Cheerleader who somehow just stumbled across Crystal Castles‘ “Air War”. So, for the sake of loving all things Crystal Castles we’ll repost the video here. Supposedly this video was scrapped way back in 2006 around the time of the Alice Practice EP but found its way onto the internet regardless and now it’s here for you to partake in. If it’s new to us right? Enjoy!
Jenny Lewis, frontwoman of our favorite alt-country-meets-indie-rock quartet Rilo Kiley, has announced the title and tracklist of her already impressive sounding second solo album. The LP will be titled Acid Tongue and will feature such esteemed guests as M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel, and Elvis Costello (check out more details here). Given the gorgeous Lucinda Williams’ nature of Lewis’ last record Rabbit Fur Coat we’re hoping from more of the same here at Cannibal Cheerleader. Lewis will undoubtably debut some of these new tracks at her upcoming performance at the ACL Music Festival here in Austin and on her upcoming tour with Conor Oberst. Tracklist for Acid Tongue below:
01 Black Sand 02 Pretty Bird 03 The Next Messiah 04 Bad Man’s World 05 Acid Tongue 06 See Fernando 07 Godspeed 08 Carpetbaggers 09 Trying My Best to Love You 10 Jack Killed Mom 11 Sing a Song for Them
