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.
SPOON ANNOUNCE X3 FEST AT STUBBS Sorry about the lack of posts this week Cannibal Cheerleader faithful (busy times here in the Atx) but we’re extremely excited to announce that Austin’s favorite indie-rockers Spoon will be headlining their own three-day fest from July at Stubb’s here in the capital city called Spoonx3. The band will be headlining all three days with different opening bands each day, including Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Low opening for them on Friday.
NEW BLOC PARTY REMIX ALBUM The new Bloc Party album features the choicest cuts from remixes from the band’s catalogue to date. While Silent Alarm Remixed, while awesome, may have suffered from some fluff, the feeling that immediately arises from Intimacy Remixed is judiciousness, a carefully selected assortment of tracks featuring the best collage of dub, club bangers, dream-pop, and the signature Bloc Party spidery indie-rock. One of our favorite releases so far this year, check it.
NEW GOD HELP THE GIRL ALBUM With rumors abound that Glasgow indie-poppers Belle & Sebastian may be down for the count, it came as a great relief to learn about God Help The Girl, a storyline-driven twee-opera side project from wunderkind B&S frontman Stuart Murdoch. Featuring lilting indie classics like “Come Monday Night” and mixing in slow-burning rockers like “I Just Want Your Jeans” (featuring Asya from Smoosh, who we love by the way), God Help the Girl seems a natural progression from the more progressive-pop of the Life Pursuit. Here’s hoping it’s not the band’s swan song!
NEW MARS VOLTA ALBUM NEWS AND COVER ART Check that bad boy out! Word on the street is (very early, blogosphere speculative word that is) that this wonderful monstrosity is indeed the face of Octahedron, the newest release from Texas’ own The Mars Volta, one of our favorite bands of all time. Lots of speculation and rumor surrounding this release so let’s lay down a few things we do know, starting with the tracklist:
“Since We’ve Been Wrong”
“Teflon”
“Halo of Nembutals”
“With Twilight as My Guide”
“Cotopaxi”
“Desperate Graves”
“Copernicus”
“Luciforms”
Also notable is the suggestion that this album will be a more subdued and listenable approach to TMV’s sound, an experience Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has dubbed “acoustic”, though it’s anyone’s guess as to what acoustic can mean for this band. Still, a step towards listenability may just be an approach to greater rockness, though there’s hardly any chance this album could conquer the behemoth (no pun intended) that was the Bedlam in Goliath. Still, here’s hope “Since We’ve Been Wrong” is a Kelly Clarkson cover (it IS the first single after all).
Another interesting tidbit – check out this photo below, which is the background of Hello Merch’s Mars Volta page. Below that you’ll see the mountain the picture was based on, called “Cotopaxi”. Coincidence? We think not! Maybe another piece of the art puzzle, look out for more clues folks! Lastly here’s a live bootleg version of “Since We’ve Been Wrong” from their New Year’s Eve show this past December. Get excited.
The Mars Volta – “Cavalettas” ******************************************************************** NEW BALMORHEA VIDEO Here’s Austin’s own Balmorhea’s newest video for “Remembrance” off their excellent third LP All Is Wild, All Is Silent. Enjoy!
Balmorhea – “Settler” ******************************************************************** THE ARM TO REUNITE IN AUSTIN Back in the day, back when things were real different here in Austin, there used to be this rather electric dance-punk group whose combination of Interpol-esque pathos merged seamlessly with their industrial, Bloc Party beats to create a local powerhouse of Gang of Four-style indie rock – that group was called the Arm and they broke up YEARS ago it seems. Well imagine our surprise when we found out the group would be reforming for one night only at a headling show at Emo’s on May 9th. You know we’ll be there! Check out the group’s Myspace for more details!
The Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath recap continues with the Whispertown 2000, who put on an absolutely electric show last Wednesday at the Peacock in Downtown Austin. One of several stops on the band’s SXSW day party roundup, Morgan Nagler and company still managed to bring down the house with songs old and new, including several excellent cuts from their latest LP Swim.
Speaking to Morgan at the bar before the band played, she revealed the band was operating on so little sleep that they were feeling a little delirious, albeit the good kind of delirious. After a whirlwind jaunt down to Texas that saw them renting motel rooms for all of three hours before hitting the road again, the group dashed into Austin and immediately began playing shows, fueled only by a passion for playing and a good deal of free alcohol. Here’s to you W2K, our favorite traveling troubadours!
SXSW LIVE REVIEW: SVIIB, POBPAH (yay abbreviations!)
Friday was definitely a day of rest from SXSW proper, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t head down to Emo’s to check out some buzz-worthy bands, including the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and School of Seven Bells. Pains of course sounded heavenly, churning through now classic cuts from their self-titled debut, but it was SVIIB that really took the stage by storm, churning out fierce guitar-lines care of their ex-Secret Machines guitarist and screaming psychadelic with trippy dual-female vocal stylings. The Cannibal Cheerleader crew was definitely mesmerized by this one! One of the best bills of the whole weekend, quite the show.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from any of these bands comes Virginia-based doom metal outfit Salome (named after the woman who sentenced John the Baptist to death – how metal is that?) who on their four-track, near 45-minute self-titled debut LP mange to create enough carnage to beckon any apocalypse down on our heads. Seriously, this trio, helmed by Kat on wild-eyed, satan-worshipping vocals, R. Moore on stoner-jam, fever-dream guitar riffs, and Deal on pummeling, madness-inducing drums, has created one of the best metal records we’ve heard all year, on par with Crack the Skye and Static Tensions. If you haven’t heard of these guys yet, check them out immediately, they are truly a cannibalistic feast for the ears. Check it:
Lastly today here’s the cover of the new Intimacy: Remixed record from Bloc Party who have now posted the remixes of “One Month Off”, “Mercury”, “Talons”, and “Ares” on their Myspace (plus you can find the “Better Than Heaven” remix here). Looks like they kept the blacklit scheme from Silent Alarm:Remixed and all the better really, as Bloc Party album covers are always the best. Can’t wait to hear “Halo”!
Also check out this awesome video from Letterman! Watch for trippiness at 2:44.
CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER BLOOD BATH SET TIMES That’s right folks, the Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath, SXSW Day Party is approaching quickly and if you’re not going to be at the Peacock, 515 Pedernales in Austin, Texas this Wednesday March 18th, 12-6pm, you can rest assured you will be torn apart mercilessly. Above you’ll see our sign for the day show and below you’ll find the set times and the top ten reasons to attend the Blood Bath.
PS. It has come to our attention that the Peacock is now allowing everyone 18+ to attend the event, so if you’re over 18 but under 21 you can attend but not drink. Spread the word!
Top ten reasons to go to the Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath:
10. Vermillion Lies leaves to go support Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls after SXSW – Don’t you want to tell your friends you got in before they were big??
9. Treasure Mammal is a hip-hop/experimental artist and motivational speaker and in a live setting that’s every bit as cool as it sounds.
8. Agent Ribbons play Victorian punk – they didn’t even have punk back then but it would’ve been as badass as this, no doubt.
7. Prey For Sleep are following an indie punk band, so we hope a few clueless hipsters will get their faces literally ripped off for cool effect.
6. Action Design = former members of Tsunami Bomb, need we say more?
5. Whispertown 2000, the only folk-rock band with enough cajones to play the same stage as metal acts – seriously bloody indie rock.
4. First ever Rolo Tomassi performance in the United States! FIRST EVER!!
3. Issue #3 of the Cannibal Cheerleader zine available at our merch table, along with CC stickers and possible a Marnie-Stern-style kissing booth!
2. Meet your friendly Cannibal Cheerleader staff, who are way cooler than your average Austinites and can show you a better time in the ATX than 90% of these outside blogs/parties.
1. BLOOD, GUTS, AND GORE. LOTS OF IT. SERIOUSLY, FOUNTAINS.
Be there people, or be torn apart mercilessly. Rolo Tomassi – “Fofteen” ******************************************************************** NEW MF DOOM ALBUM All past transgressions are hereby forgiven, all the rumors, the poorly received live performances, it’s all in the past now that Atlanta emcee MF Doom (now apparently called DOOM, all caps son) has released BORN LIKE THIS. Seriously folks, this may just be the most consistently enjoyable Doom record since Madvillainy, and it features many of the same attributes, that is, short songs with atypical song structures and incredibly clever (not to mention extremely ill) wordplay and rhyming skills. MF Doom is back in fine form, rapping about the state of the hip-hop community, politics, and comic book characters, all in his trademark mush-mouthed, stream-of-conciousness flow. This, plus the sickest J-Dilla and MetalFingers beats this side of the Mississippi, combining bizarre instrumentation with fierce bass beats. Seriously, best hip-hop release of the year so far, no doubt at all. Definitely worth picking up and enough to put all the ’sucka emcees’ in their place, as Doom would say. Sometimes, the king of the world is also the biggest villain, check out some tracks below:
(deleted by request) ******************************************************************** BLOC PARTY ANNOUNCE REMIX ALBUM According to this Stereogum post, Bloc Party will be releasing an Intimacy remix album (Intimacy Remixed) in May, mirroring their lauded Silent Alarm Remixed from back in the day. They’ve got some seriously heavy-weight remix artists contributing such as Mogwai and Phones so we’ll be looking forward to this one with great anticipation. Here is the (terrifyingly awesome and fittingly Cannibal Cheerleader) video for first single, the remix of standout track “Signs”. Definitely worth checking out, though to correct the Stereogum album that said there were no ancillary releases to A Weekend in the City – did you never get the b-side compilation album Another Weekend in the City? You’re missing out if you’ve never heard “Once and Future King”! Check it y’all:
While it’s not news about the new Yeah Yeahs Yeahs record we’ve been hoping for, a Christmas tune will do just fine. Check out KO and the gang’s take on “All I Want for Christmas” on the band’s Myspace, it’s chock full of holiday cheer and plenty of warm fuzzies (guitars that is).
Check out the video below for Bloc Party’s newest single off of Intimacy, “One Month Off”. We’ve been saying this song is one of the best rockers off the band’s third LP and it seems like they listened!
Squeaking in at the last second care of the newest incarnation of ex-Distiller Brody Dalle, Spinnerette, “Ghetto Love” combines spidery guitar riffs and wailing female vocals to make a part-industrial, part-punk masterpiece that rivals the tunes from such seminal works as Coral Fang. Highly recommended for fans of old school LA punk with a 2008 twist.
Tender as a broken heart and bloody as a gaping wound, “The Twist” by Frightened Rabbit combines a lovelorn tale of self-loathing with a minimalist piano line that nonetheless sounds more true to life than the majority of romantic ballads on the radio today. Combining real-world experience with careful, quiet riffs makes this tune one of the finest love songs of the year.
Morgan Nagler’s voice remains fragile as a icy lake but on “Atlantis” from the Whispertown 2000’s latest effort Swim her lyrics are focused on under the water, escaping into the hidden city deep below, away from sin. A testament to the quiet, serene songwriting of the Whispertown quartet, this tune is one of the most haunting of the year.
The tale of a suicidal goth girl might not be construed as one of the most whimsical and heartwarming songs of the year, but under the sweeping electronic orchestra of M83, “Graveyard Girl” is an equal parts kitschy ode to John Hughes narratives and a shoe-gazing spin through layers of haunting vocals. Slightly out-edges “Kim and Jessie” just due to our morbid fascination here at Cannibal Cheerleader.
With the year’s release of her sophomore album Jenny Lewis went from sultry songstress to road-weary troubadour, winding tales of a life hard-lived, and none harder than the lovelorn ballad as told in “Acid Tongue”. With a sense of the weight-of-the-world on your shoulders held up only by one’s own hope, Jenny Lewis spins a tale of drug abuse and loneliness that’s a road song for the 2008 generation.
2008 has been a good year for My Morning Jacket, cementing them in their rightful place as one of America’s premiere rock bands. Perhaps no better testament to this exists than in the wild experimentalism displayed on their newest album and on the song “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2″, which features bizarre instrumentation combined with the signature Jim James vocal stylings to create a haunting a captivating song that remains one of MMJ’s best ever.
Slinking in on a tide of electronic clicks and swishes “Courtship Dating” is easily the most radio-ready and immediately catching track off the Crystal Castles’ debut LP. With a fiery chorus and a dance-worthy groove “Courtship Dancing” is easily the top electronic track of the year.
This year saw the release of the Hold Steady’s Stay Positive, yet another release of bar-ready rock jams that weaved tales of lost Americana in a country that’s lost in innocence but still clings to undying dreams and hopes. Nothing better captures this attitude that “Constructive Summer”, the first song off the album and one of the best straight up rock tracks the Hold Steady have ever composed.
As the final track off Bloc Party’s newest LP Intimacy, “Ion Square” needed to encapsulate the message of the entire piece, an instantly politcal and romantic tune, all awash in electronics and guitar pedals. The song succeeds with ease, capturing the zeitgeist of the band’s current incarnation and pummeling the listener with equal parts poetry and passion, forming one of the best tracks of the year.
This was the year of Be Your Own Pet, and just in time as the band imploded near the end anyway in a decidedly rock and roll move. Still, the group left us with a string of punk rock revivalist tunes that screamed of Buzzcocks and hellfire, with all the fury and passion that first made the world fall in love with youthful rage. Perhaps none of these tracks is better or more definitive of the band’s delightfully sordid career than “Becky”, a tune banned in the US and full of high-school politics, figurative and literal backstabbings, and all the blazing guitarwork and shrieked Jemina Pearl vocals that have made the group so endearing. While their entire discography deserves a thorough examination by indie rock lovers everywhere, this is a good song to start with and the best song of 2008.
TOP TEN ALBUMS OF ‘08
10. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
Every few years America needs a reminder that they’re musical legacy is carried on the back of a quintet from Kentucky, hefting the burden of Southern-rock and fuzing it with massive degrees of guitar heroics and rampant experimentalism to rival the likes of Radiohead. This year’s reminder is Evil Urges by that same quintet, My Morning Jacket, and it’s packed full of such a wide range of incredible tracks to be considered one of their most far-reaching and fantastic releases to date.
9. The Action Design – Never Say
Resisting the urge to rework tracks from their Tsunami Bomb repertoire, Agent M and her new band the Action Design have constructed an entirely new sound, combining heartfelt punk ethos with elements of dance-rock and electronic. The formula works fantastically, displayed best on their album Never Say, an album of surprising depth and meaning during a time when Warped Tour bands are becoming more and more vapid. One of the best punk releases of the year.
8. Ponytail – Ice Cream Spiritual
With wild experimentalism and frenetic energy rivaling any indie rock band this year, Ponytail have a chokehold on the mad-crazy progressive meets jazz fusion rock and roll market. Their newest release Ice Cream Spiritual describes their sound perfectly in the name alone – a combination of childish delight and wild religious fanaticism. Capture that image in your mind, turn it into a move, and Ponytail is the perfect soundtrack.
7. Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head
With a subversive edge totally unexpected in a covers album, Scarlett Johansson’sAnywhere I Lay My Head, a collection of Tom Waits’ songs, surprises and delights with its inventive renditions, creating a new set of standards for actresses turned singers. With David Sitek of TV on the Radio behind the boards, and a patented ‘Tinkerbell on cough syrup’ sound, tracks like “Falling Down” and “Green Grass” take on a new and incredible life of their own. Deservedly one of the best of the year, both for its music and for the gutsiness of its creation.
6. Bloc Party – Intimacy
On Bloc Party’s last album A Weekend in the City, the politics of everyday London living became very personal, hitting home with every subsequent sweeping song. On their newest album Intimacy, the quartet have managed to switch gears, making the most personal of moments become full of political meaning. On tracks like “Trojan Horse” a lover’s betrayal is akin to the fall of Troy and on “Talons” the group details the terrible (and deadly) consequences of romantic dishonesty. An emotional album fighting against an ‘emo’ world, Intimacy finds a band in rare form, taking the lessons of the past and moving their sound forward with rewarding results.
5. Marnie Stern – This is It…
On the lengthily titled This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That, supreme shredder and songwriter Marnie Stern has managed to deliver on the promises of her early albums by taking her prestigiousness behind a six-string and combining it with excellent songcraft and a Karen O. wail to make one of the best albums of the year. Singles “Shea Stadium” and “Transformer” confirm the album’s pop sensibilities and deep cuts like “The Crippled Jazzer” delight with their destructive riffs and dizzying imagination. The best release from one of the best indie rock guitarists ever.
4. M83 – Saturdays=Youth
Capturing the spirit of youthfulness couldn’t be a harder task for a young songwriter. How to describe all the nervous fumblings, the magnificent discoveries, the awesome highs and terrible lows of approaching adulthood? If you’re M83, the solution is to let the music do the talking, sweeping maximalist riffs over John Hughes-style cinematics, creating an aura of energetic passion with all the ignorant bliss of a lonely teenage dreamer. Saturdays=Youth is perfect soundtrack to your years in high school, that is, if you were a nervous indie rock kid like myself. The best release from the already formidable M83 so far.
3. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
Following up on an album like TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain might be seen as some to be an impossible task. To surpass its rip-roaring fury one would have to turn inward and redefine what made the band so remarkable to begin with, and that is just what TVoTR have accomplished on Dear Science, a remarkably careful and sensitive record with no less of the force of the former but more secure in its songcraft and enriching in its tunes than ever before. Sounding more like a soul-session band with a rock edge than an indie band hiding behind laptops, the group careens through dizzying tunes of power and depth with equal parts dark sorrow and unimaginable hope, crafting one of the best records of the year.
2. Be Your Own Pet – Get Awkward
The kids will never be alright if Be Your Own Pet has their way. From violent zombie fights to rampant drug usage, Get Awkward is a violent adolescent wet-dream come nightmarishly true, an over-exaggerated version of High School the Musical with a horrific injection of bloody reality. Though it turned out to be the band’s swan song, what a collection to go out on, combining a matured punk rock sound with endearingly clumsy lyrics and the trademark Jemina Pearl snarl carrying the whole crew along. This album should be the definitive soundtrack to every awkward youth, every wanna-be punk rocker, every indie-kid ready to cast off scene politics and relearn the magic of rock in pure, unfettered form.
1. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
What is punk rock? A daunting question to be sure, but demanding of an answer in an era of strict genre definitions and blogosphere gossip dominating true music journalism. Is it fast and loud music? Politically charged songs? Here at Cannibal Cheerleader we’ve come to believe that punk rock is a passion for change, a forward-thinking musicality that underlies a band’s music, an adventurous spirit and a talent for creating new and different sounds. With this in mind, we can say with no reservation that Crystal Castles perfectly epitomizes punk rock in 2008 to us. Braving criticism and legal woes all year, the band nonetheless released a fiersome collection of sixteen magnificent tracks that race back and forth from soothing electronic noodling as in “Air War” to blood-splattered rockers like “xxzxcuzx me”. In a year that saw the world change wildly it seems only fitting to have a band that did the same in between every song on their album top the list of our bloody best of 2008. Crystal Castles, a true Cannibal Cheerleader original.
Surely someone has some opinions on this one – comments?
INTERVIEW WITH HEARTSREVOLUTION Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, sorry about not updating yesterday, I was busy putting the finishing touches on Issue #2 of the CC zine, the cover of which you can see below! However, on to today’s business, which is a double update to make up for yesterday beginning with an exclusive interview with Lo, Ben, and Kate of Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Heartsrevolution. Here’s a sample:
CC: Tell us about the Heartsrevolution universe. How did it come to be?What’s the Heartschallenger? Lo: heartschallenger is about taking on the things that challenge you. i hated my job..so, i decided to build an ice cream truck because i had dreamt of doing that since i was 15 but everyone told me it would never work.then i realized everyone i knew was stupid and decided to prove everyone wrong. it worked. so, fuck everyone if they are reading this!Ben: Lo made an ice cream truck and I made the music for the truck. We wanted to continue to work together and made music and called it Heartsrevolution. Heartschallenger is the name of our company. The company is a representation of a generation of kids who are creating their own path. There are ice cream trucks that are a part of this world, but they are not called “the heartschallenger”
The rest of the interview can be read below. Heartsrevolution will be playing this thursday at Beauty Bar so make sure you’re there – free copies of the new CC zine will be waiting for you!
Heartsrevolution – “Switchblade” ******************************************************************** M.I.A. SPEAKS ON TERRORIST ACCUSATIONS Having taken several courses on world terrorism in college (and being a music pirate myself, haha) I’m quite familiar with the LTTE, i.e., the Tamil Tigers, a terrorist organization calling for independence in Sri Lanka. While much could be argued to the validity of their claims, the group is most notorious for civilian kidnappings and burning down schools, etc. So what does this have to do with CC fave M.I.A.? Well the London-based Sri-Lankan raised rapper has roots in the LTTE movement, her father being a founder of an off-shoot student-led Tamil organization (his code name was Arular, thus the title of M.I.A.’s first album). Recently, our favorite rapper has come under harsh criticism for being a supporter of the Tamil Tiger a blog to her Myspace. Check it below:
I HAVE JUST ORERED IT SO I HAVENT SEEN IT YET , BUT WITH SO MANY ONE SIDED VIEWS IN THIS WORLD IT IS ONLY FAIR WE STAY EDUCATED AND EXPOSE OURSELVES TO ALL OPINIONS. I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE 1. NO ONE HAS EVER ACCESSED THE AREAS THIS FILM WAS MADE IN, AND I ACTUALLY DONT KNOW HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE.
2. ANY EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE ACCESSED THIS AREA , WHO INVESTIGATED THE TRUTH, HAVE BEEN SHOT DEAD BY THE GOVERNMENT, IN A BID TO KEEP THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE ONE SIDED .
3. I FOUND THIS STORY http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/12934…
READING THE COMMENTS MADE ME WANT TO SPEAK OUT. BUT I WAS DENIED ACESS TO MAKE COMMENTS, ONLY THE WELL CONNECTED INSIDERS ARE ALLOWED TO COMMENT AND THIS IS THE CASE WITH SO MANY OF THESE BLOGS TALKING SHIT ABOUT ME. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO TELL THE TRUTH, AND SET THE FACTS STRAIGHT. SO HERE IS THE COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE!
THE TRUTH TO WHY I LEFT TO SRILANKA WAS … A. I COULD , I WAS BORN IN LONDON.
B. EVERY TOWN AND VILLAGE MY MOTHER TOOK US TO WOULD GET BURNED DOWN BY THE ARMY. IN THE END EVEN THE TAMILS WOULDN’T LET US STAY THERE AND AFTER MY SCHOOL WAS SET ON FIRE BY THE ARMY, I HAD NOTHING TO DO THERE, AND WAS REALLY FUCKING BOARD.
C. FUCK YOU TO ALL THESE EVIL PEOPLE TWISTING THE TRUTH. YOU DONT SPEAK FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN SPEAK FOR MY SELF.
D.WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A TAMIL OR A LTTE SUPPORTER TO KNOW THAT BURNING DOWN A SCHOOL WITH 800 KIDS IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM IS NOT COOL. I AM NOT A LTTE SUPPORTER. I WAS JUST AN 8 YEAR OLD THAT DIDNT GET KILLED ON THAT DAY, THATS ALL. I’M A MUSICIAN WHO DOESNT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IN THE MUSIC PRESS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HEARING THIS
EVERYTHING IN ME WAS KILLED BUT MY ART IS NOT DEAD!
i love you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx m.i.a”
Brush off them haters M.I.A.! Also, start making new material, please!
M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS – TV ON THE RADIO’S DEAR SCIENCE If Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio’s sophomore LP Return to Cookie Mountain was their experimental take on the modern rock album, Dear Science is their response to modern soul, which this album has in spades. Of course, being a TV on the Radio album one shouldn’t expect any straight-up funk jams or R&B hits, but beneath swirly whirlwinds of David Sitek’s studio trickery lies some of the most naked and heartfelt tunes of the band’s career. While RTCM was a firestorm of bombast and furty, DS is a delicate and hushed wind-swept evening, the perfect soundtrack to biking down a poorly-lit city street at night. Recalling the layered production work of Anywhere I Lay My Head, Sitek’s pet project released earlier this year with Scarlett Johansson, the album swims languidly through sensitive and careful tracks like “Crying” and album standout “Lovedog”. Still, TVOTR do occassionally bring the bounce, albeit with a tender touch, like on excellent opener “Halfway Home” and brilliant single “Golden Age”. The album flows seamlessly and despite early reviews that the record suffered from sameness compared to their older LPs Dear Science stands as a unique and rewarding experience. Definitely makes the team though it may be the nerdy kid who can’t execute a single move but does all the other cheerleaders homework for them.
TV on the Radio – “Halfway Home” TV on the Radio – “Love Dog” ******************************************************************** NEW BLOC PARTY TUNE – “TALONS” Straight off the release of their rushed-to-the-street third album , Bloc Party has released another one-off single from the Intimacy sessions, this one entitled “Talons” and it features all the makings of a great Bloc Party tune. Ingredients include, driving guitars, the requesite Kele Okereke whisper-verse, pummeling Matt Tong drums, and the new electronic soaked underworkings that have come to define the band as of late. Check the single out on their Myspace and buy Intimacy while you’re at it.
Bloc Party – “Halo” ******************************************************************** NEW VIVIAN GIRLS B-SIDE SURFACES
Over at Gorilla Vs. Bear we found a rare b-side for the Vivian Girls that needs to be checked out now. Download it below and make sure and buy these girls’ self-titled debut when it becomes available. More info at their website here.
The Vivian Girls – “My Baby Wants Me Dead” ******************************************************************** FREE RAVEONETTES EP Apparently if you head on over to the Vice Records site you can download a free three-song EP from the Raveonettes which remixes three songs (”Dead Sound”, “Aly, Walk With Me”, and “Lust”) and somehow manages to make these excellent tunes awesome in a different way. Head over there now!
From our office to your hands, from the computer screen to your subway car, the Cannibal Cheerleader zine Issue #2 is out, and it features complete interview with the Vivian Girls, Heartsrevolution, the Action Design, Ponytail, Treasure Mammal, Fight Bite, and more! Pick up yours today here in Austin at locations around town (Waterloo Records, Sound On Sound Records, MonkeyWrench Books to name a few) or just email me if you’d like a copy! We’ll of course have to do an exchange of some sort, so offer me something good, like a cool band recommendation or pictures from an upcoming show. You’ll get your hand on one of these bad boys if you do! Email me at cannibalcheerleader@gmail.com. ******************************************************************** HEARTSREVOLUTION INTERVIEW CONT’D Here’s the remainder of our exclusive Heartsrevolution interview. Bonus questions will only be available in the form of our Cannibal Cheerleader zine, so pick one up to get the whole interview!
CC:How would you describe your music? An amalgamation of electro and rock? Techno? Undefined?Ben:We have a bunch of songs that I think sound pretty different, but they are electronic, pop, punk.Lo: i hate the word electro..and i am pretty sure i don’t like electro music.i hate the word techno..it makes me think of kids who are sucking on pacifiers w/ those weird kanye west shadesCC: How important is the visual aspect to the Heartsrevolution world? Should fans consider their experience incomplete unless they see you live? Ben: It’s super important. The visual aspect of heartschallenger plays a big role here and this actually preceded the music. Sometimes it’s frustrating to not have the means to make the visual aspect known. We have so many specific ideas whether it’s videos, live show, etc. Like, we don’t know how to use photoshop. Luckily we have some close friends that are involved though and help us get things done. Lo: god is in the details.it is important to me to create things that are a reflection of the things that make me want to wake up in the morning.. CC: What’s your live show like for the uninitiated?Ben: A technicolor light up disco floor w/ mosh pit. Or at least it will be!Kate: The live show is where I come into the band, I joined after working with the band on the first record. It seemed right, I wanted to start working in moving image and to push the idea of a visual representation for the music to another level completely. I think a fully considered performance is what the viewers and listeners deserve. People don’t just come to hear the music, they want to see and absorb everything, and we strive to improve and make that the most exciting experience possible.CC: You recently had a split EP with Crystal Castles and it would seem that your two groups are at the forefront of a new musical movement. Do you feel your music is innovative in this way? Lo: cc make great music which is why i wanted to do something with them in the first place.. a friend that worked at vice magazine in the uk told me about them and suggested we do a split. but they are liars and i would love to have it out with them..i am sure that day isn’t far away. our paths will cross and it will come down to a blind folded knife fight…because i am an unforgiving scorpio. other than the fact that “alice” and i both have vaginas…and ben and “ethan” both have penises there isn’t really much else we have in common.CC: Do you identify with Crystal Castles and how has their success affected you?Lo: i love and believe in a lot of what “alice” says. she is a great writer. most people that ask me about them don’t even understand what she is saying..i think that is funny. and their most popular song bugs the fuck out of me…i don’t like crimewave at all. i can still remember 2 years ago “ethan” singing it at cmj /fort fader party…i guess it’s much better having her lip sing it.CC: What bands most influence you? Lo: sonic youth, nirvana…a bunch of the riot grrrl bands i listened to growing up..like bikini kill, comet gain, huggy bear.i used to work at an all age club called jabberjaw when i was 14 and would put on shows..that place was magical and i got to experience this tiny glitch in time that i probably wouldn’t have if i was still in school and going to bed by 9pm.Ben: Everything that I’ve listened to does. It could be bowie or the strokes or daft punk or the beatles or young mc or so many others.CC: What acts are you listening to right now? Lo: i don’t really like most music.one of our songs…called teenage teardrops, we are doing the vocals this week and i have had it on repeat.when i need a break i listen to the sads. they are brilliant and are a good place to go to clear my head.CC: Favorite songs (both ones you listen to and ones you’ve done)?Lo: smells like teen spirit.Ben: Stop in the name of love, the sound of silence, today was a good day, private eyes, she said she said, let the good times roll, young americans, liquid swordsCC: What does the future hold for Heartsrevolution?Lo: collaborations and touring the world in the ice cream trucks so that kids everywhere experience this thing we have built.CC: Can we expect a full-length soon? More EPs?Lo: Yes, both! Full length early 2009.. Switchblade Ep out on iheartcomix Oct 21st. Switchblade remix single on iheartcomix…release date: TBA but i think in Nov.http://www.myspace.com/iheartcomixWe have one of our tracks. “ultraviolence” out on the next Kitsune comp in Oct.http://www.myspace.com/maisonkitsune, split 7″ symbolonehttp://www.myspace.com/symbolonethe split w/ symbolone is going to be limited edition and self released but it is top secret!you will have to check our myspace for detailshttp://www.myspace.com/heartsrevolutionKate: Much more to come, total world domination!!!
INTERVIEW WITH PONYTAIL Recently, Cannibal Cheerleader had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Ken Seeno of Baltimore’s own Ponytail, a fantastic band whose new album Ice Cream Spiritual is fast becoming one of our favorites of the year. The band’s penchant for wildly inventive riffs, 7-minute strong structures, and legendary live performances has garnered them international acclaim, and now Ken answers a few questions about what ties the Ponytail together.
CC: Describe to us the story of Ponytail, what makes you tick and how you came to be. How did you meet and how did you come up with your band dynamic?
Ken: Well it should be noted that we were put together randomly without having known each other. We all by chance took a class 4 years ago entitled “Parapainting” at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The professor, Jeremy Sigler, is a poet from New York City. It was his concept that everyone in the class should be formed into bands in order to create art groups that would practice alongside the art world. By the second class we had been put together based on first impressions. At the end of the semester we played 1 show and when it was over, we kept going!
Our candid and interesting interview continues at the end of this post. Be sure to check out Ponytail at their Myspace in the meantime!
We are proud to announce that our new album, “Swim”, will be released on Acony records on the 21st of October!!!!
The greatest.
One new song, “Pushing Oars”, has been posted for your listening enjoyment. Unless, of course, you don’t enjoy it, in which case it’s been posted to bum you out.
We have a few upcoming dates posted with Jenny Lewis, and also a Nashville date, the home of our new label! Come visit us, and we’ll post more dates soon..
How are you?
What are you doing?
with love, your friend, morgan xo”
“Pushing Oars” sounds like a lovely, stripped down indie-rock crooner with a country tinge and rainy Northwestern sadness. Definitely a great track and makes our mouths water for Swim in full. Can’t wait until Oct. 21st! Here’s a Whispertown oldie to keep you occupied in the meantime!
Whispertown 2000 – “Intentions” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS: BLOC PARTY’S INTIMACY Vocoders, electronics, synthesizers, vocal effects. Not necessarily musical terms associated with U.K. powerhouse Bloc Party but definitive additions to their newest LP Intimacy, which dropped last night after only a three-day lead time. It would seem we hardly had time to brace ourselves, to wrap ourselves around the band’s newest incarnation, a Chemical Brothers-referencing byproduct of the Manchester scene. And yet, upon initial examination, Bloc Party have managed to construct an organic world of genuineness and heartfelt emotion from the clicks and whistles of their new electronic front. Beginning track “Ares” is initially off-putting and we’ve all heard “Mercury” a few hundred times up until now, so the album really seems to begin with incredible standout “Halo”, which sounds like the older, wiser cousin of “Helicopter”. The album stays high from there, dipping into a softer territory with “Biko”, reminiscing on a Weekend in the City with “Zepherus”, and forging into new, beautiful territory with “Better Than Heaven”. Overall, Intimacy is an excellent record, though one that requires multiple listens to truly understand its theme of alienation, loss, and loneliness. Definitely makes the team and will probably be that one kid that surprises during competition with a rocking routine despite sitting out all the practices to write in her diary.
Bloc Party – “Halo” Bloc Party – “Better Than Heaven” ******************************************************************** INTERVIEW WITH PONYTAIL (CONT’D) Here’s the rest of our interview with Ken of one of our favorite bands of the year Ponytail. Enjoy!
CC: How would you describe the Ponytail sound? What inspired you to take this really adventurous route with your music? How did you come up with this style?
Ken: It came very organically and naturally stemming back to everyone expressing themselves individually while working together to create “songs” and this is sort of how things just are for us!
CC: What are some of your influences? What bands are you listening to right now? What are some of your favorite songs (both songs you’ve written and songs by other artists)?
Ken: I think our influences come from many genres, like classic rock, punk, electronic music and ambient music. This list of bands could stretch for a very long scroll, so I will spare getting too specific, but I must say that between the 4 of us we have many different influences. Right now I’m listening to a lot of Bill Frisell, Skinhead Ska (mainly this awesome band called Symarip), and Green Day.
CC: What inspired the use of vocals like Molly Siegel’s as an additional instrument rather than a traditional vocal delivery? Why do you sing this way and how in the world did this style come about?
Ken: I of course can’t answer for Molly, but I think it started as a noise that was clustered together with our ex-keyboard players style. Later, when he quit, the guitars and the drums emerged as a platform for experimentation and this is where we are today!
CC: Describe to us your artistic process. How do songs get written in the band, is it the music first, a theme, a riff, vocals?
Ken: I think we take pride in starting with a clean slate. Song writing, for us, can start in many different ways, whether an idea, or just picking a riff out of the air! Ideally, all 4 of us have input and we tailor our parts to specific to our personalities and very fun and challenging to each of us musically. It’s very frustrating and time consuming to write music, but so rewarding!
CC: For the uninitiated, what is your live show like? We’ve all heard unending praise for your performances, how would you describe them to someone who has never had a chance to see you? What goes through your mind when you’re performing?
Ken: We try to always give 100%. It’s very loud, and bouncy, and usually just hope we don’t make too many mistakes! It can be hard to keep it all together, but I really honestly feel that if the world is just right for that half hour we can channel some serious shit!!
CC: What’s it like receiving all this new attention from blogs like Pitchfork? Have you seen your fanbase increase and how do you deal with all the press and notoriety?
Ken: It’s exciting and it creates a lot of work for us! We have so much for to deal with now that we have never experienced. We are learning as we go. I don’t want to complain, so I will say that we are pursuing a dream and it’s hard to believe!
CC: Have you as a band ‘made it’ yet? What is it to ‘make it’ as a band and how can bands achieve the level of success that your band has?
Ken: This is only the second time I’ve been asked this question so I don’t know if I can really answer it adequately. My theory is, if we are in this same place in a year, we’re not progressing. That definition of “same place” is constantly shifting. I don’t want to plateau and I think we have so many goals and opportunities coming up, maybe we have “made it.” But its very subjective and I worry that corruption can occur when things become overblown. I really can’t answer this one! We just do our best and that’s all we can do!
CC: How much improvisation goes into your songs? Does the music flow out naturally or do the tunes take multiple takes and are carefully crafted? Describe to us the recording of Ice Cream Spiritual.
Ken: I never thought about improvisation with this band until people starting asking about it after the record came out. I used to be in a “Jam Band” and we didn’t even practice for shows, haha! So I think, with Ponytail, we do actually do a lot of editing and practicing, but we love to keep elements of uncertainty and ambiguity. I think we are a live band, the sounds you hear are being created live on stage, and that’s how music for is exists and it’s how we record. It seems very basic and traditional to me, haha!
CC: How would you classify yourselves genre-wise? Are you punk? Prog rock? Plain old indie? What genre do you identify with the most?
Ken: I think we used elements of so many genres in a way that can only be called “Pop,” to be honest.
Bonus question: Does it get annoying when people ask if Baltimore really is as tough as it seems on the Wire when you tell people you’re from there?
Ken: Haha, only because I haven’t watched the Wire enough to tell if they are serious orscrewing with us!
Comments? I’m especially eager to hear what people think of the new Bloc Party album! Also a big thanks to Ponytail – come to Austin guys!
BLOC PARTY GET INTIMATE In an announcement that dropped jaws and got hips shaking worldwide, London’s own Bloc Party has revealed that their third LP, entitled Intimacy, will drop digitally this very Thursday and be available physically as soon as October. This move, reminiscent of the rush-to-the-streets strategies of the likes of Gnarls Barkley, Radiohead, and the Raconteurs, comes as a supposed result of the ridiculously early leak of the band’s last LP A Weekend in the City (which we hear at Cannibal Cheerleader had at least six months in advance). Here’s the tracklist:
01.Ares 02.Mercury 03.Halo 04.Biko 05.Trojan Horse 06.Signs 07.One Month Off 08.Zephyrus 09.Better Than Heaven 10.Ion Square
Of course we’ve all heard the inimitable “Mercury” and it’s Manchester-scene, vocoder heavy riffing, but in a separate announcement the band placed the as-of-yet unheard “Trojan Horse” on their Myspace today. Care to give a listen? We think it sounds like a more experimental “Prayer”, what do you think?
Bloc Party – “Trojan Horse” ******************************************************************** NEW MY MORNING JACKET VIDEO We here at Cannibal Cheerleader are waiting with bated breath for the August 24th My Morning Jacket here in Austin at Stubb’s, but until then, we’ll be satisfied with a new MMJ video for Evil Urges standout “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream, Pt. 2″. Check it below and stay tuned for pictures and a show review for what promises to be one of the top shows of the year next Sunday! My Morning Jacket – “White Rabbit” ******************************************************************** ANNUALS DROP NEW SINGLE Unsure about all this Sunfold side-project business? Just wish Annuals would get back to the bombast and rapture that characterized their wild, folk-tinged earlier work? Look no further young ones, as the band has revealed their new album Such Fun and it comes out Oct. 7th. Take a listen to first single “Confessor” and tell us the band isn’t back in fine, whimsical, volcanic form. Check it.
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.
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”
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.
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.
