CRYSTAL CASTLES IN AUSTIN Bloodshed and mayhem in Austin, Texas as Cannibal Cheerleader faves Crystal Castles ripped and snarled their way through a brief but electric set at La Zona Rosa. Thrashing through new tracks such as “Baptism” and “Yes/No” with reckless abandon while adding a new level of live carnage to their classics such as “Crimewave” and “Black Panther”. For all the grinding, dancing, and pulsating of the mostly underage Austin (hipster?) crowd, the music raged like a punk slaughterhouse, flaming with intense rhythms that leaped to the ceiling with the rays of an amazing lightshow, coupled with Alice Glass’ ‘blood-filling-my-mouth’ shrieked vocals. With E. Kath manning the boards in his signature hunched-style and Glass pulling no punches with a bottle of vodka in one hand and the mic against her teeth in the other, Crystal Castles proved a brain-bashing performance that shows why they are years ahead of their electro contemporaries.La Zona Rosa didn’t allow Cannibal Cheerleader to bring in our cameras but we nonetheless managed to snag a few photos from Twitter and videos from YouTube that you can check out below. We can only hope they give you a sense of the sold-out mayhem of a 1500+ show, which featured Glass crowd-surfing and being dragged in by security in what has become a familiar sight at the Crystal Castles camp. It’s clear at this point that Glass and Kath are bonafiderockstars, entering the venue after dashing from a taxi straight to the stage door and exiting in similar fashion, flanked by a large posse. While the venue wasn’t exactly friendly to concert-goers, Crystal Castles put on an absolutely fantastic performance that shook the dancefloor to its core.
For all the talk of a shortened set, the band played for over an hour of intense and powerful punk-electro, well over your average punk show length. With their live show the band refuses to conform, employing ferocious hardcore shrieks over a maelstrom of electronic-thrash, transforming a slow-burner like “Black Panther” into a snarling behemoth. Cutting off songs in a show of punk ferocity, blowing speakers, and bounding offstage are all reflections of a band leaning towards an intense experience. That said, I had a great time at the show and I know the four winners of our ticket-giveaway had one as well! Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who reads the blog!
Crystal Castles – “Trash Hologram” ******************************************************************** NEW TV ON THE RADIO EP Following close on the heels of last year’s amazing Dear Science LP, TV on the Radio are releasing a three-song remix EP called Read Silence, featuring fantastic reinventions of the some of the deepest cuts of their latest album from the likes of Gang Gang Dance and other NYC art-rockers. Check out some tracks below and let us know what you think – personally we can’t get over the “Stork & Owl” track – like a magical explosion in our musical brains!
TV on the Radio – “Stork & Owl (Gang Gang Dance Remix)” ******************************************************************** UPDATE FROM JEMINA PEARL CAMP It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new songs from Jemina Pearl and the whole ex-Be Your Own Pet camp, but if you’ve been keeping up with her personal blog Puke Till You Punk you’d be more than up to date with the recording of her new solo LP, already in full swing and featuring guitar parts from none other than the likes of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. If you haven’t been keeping up, now’s the time to start some backreading – this album is going to slaughter the innocent.
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader make a point of not talking about things we dislike – what’s the point really? However, we can’t hold our tongue when we say that Austin club La Zona Rosa left a supremely bad taste in our mouth last night at the Crystal Castles show, so much so we had to say something. From the inept and rude security, to the slow as snails bar staff, to their policy of rifling through every bag, we haven’t had such a bad Austin club experience in quite some time. We’re thinking a lot of the negative connotation of the Crystal Castles show stems from the La Zona Rosa crew. Still, maybe it’s just a personal problem and didn’t affect anyone else. Either way, don’t think we’ll be scheduling any Cannibal Cheerleader shows there soon!
Delivering a pummeling performance that rivaled hardcore shoegaze stalwarts, Austin’s own Ume celebrated Emo’s free week by brining their searing brand of experimental punk rock to a packed inside stage. Showcasing tracks from their new Sunshower EP, the trio blazed through fiery anthems that soared with guitar heroics one moment and seethed with hushed, noodly undertones the next. With the driving rhythms of drummer Jeff Barrera and Eric Larson creating a captivating underlying layer, lead shredder Lauren Larson snarled through songs old and new, whipping the guitar back and forth, over and her head and down to the stage with incredible virtuosity. Sounding like a lo-fi Sonic Youth, Ume have captured a new, electric sound that’s as fuzz-filled and shimmering as it is bloody and sharp. Pictures below:
Picking up the new UmeSunshower EP at their show last night, we spent the last 18 hours playing the five blazing tracks on repeat. With trembling, hushed vocals giving way to carnage-inducing guitar lines, Sunshowers reveals the incredible power behind the three members local band. Standout tracks include “Sunshower”, “The Means”, and “The Conductor”. Highly recommended, pick it up at the band’s EP release show Saturday Jan. 24th at the Mohawk. Check it out.
One of Cannibal Cheerleader’s favorite metal acts Kylesa have a new album entitled Static Tensions being released this year (March 17th) that promises to deliver the same fiery antics that we’ve come to expect from the Atlanta metal scene over the past few years. Brooklyn Vegan has an excellent story about the album, including the cover art (above), and a link to Laura Pleasants’ Flickr page (which shows some truly classic pictures of new artwork, bonding time with Mastodon, and other metal goodies). Can’t wait for this one!
CAT POWER AT LOLLAPALOOZA Sorry to everyone for the late and increasingly smaller updates (I’m in the process of moving and getting the zine together) and apologies to everyone for not being able to cover Lollapalooza for the Austin crowd. Frankly, the thing about the biggest concert festival in the US this year is that it’s way too expensive for the likes of me. So instead of showing my own concert reviews, I’d figure I’d highlight a few reviews of one of our favorite artists here at Cannibal Cheerleader, the one and only Chan Marshall of Cat Power who apparently killed at her set at Lolla.
MARNIE STERN REVEALS NEW ALBUM DETAILS Just when it seems that’s the world’s indie-rock guitarists, content with swirly rhythms and rudimentary string-plucking, Marnie Stern is back to teach these kids how to shred. That’s right, the greatest guitarist of modern indie rock is back with her second album called (bear with me now) 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 and it’s out Oct. 7th on Kill Rock Stars. If this album’s anything like her last effort, In Advance of the Broken Arm, listeners are in for a real tour-de-force of intricate guitarwork, but according to this Pitchfork article Stern’s prodigious instrumental mastery will be worked more fluidly into her song structures, creating perhaps a more pop-oriented album. Fine with us, can’t wait to hear some tracks! Here’s the tracklist:
01 Prime 02 Transformer 03 Shea Stadium 04 Ruler 05 The Crippled Jazzer 06 Steely 07 The Package Is Wrapped 08 Simon Says 09 Vault 10 Clone Cycle 11 Roads? Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Roads 12 The Devil’s in the Details
Marnie Stern – “Precious Metal” ******************************************************************** NEW MODEST MOUSE SONG – “SATELLITE SKIN” Apparently the Modest Mouse crew have been shopping this song called “Satellite Skin” around for a while. Heck, supposedly it’s even going to be on their upcoming as of yet untitled EP. Still, sounds like a real crowd-pleaser and rocks with the same inspired poetry MM is famous for. Check it below.
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: VIVIAN GIRLS We’ve been hearing about these girls for a while, from Brooklyn Vegan to Gorilla Vs. Bear and back again, but at Cannibal Cheerleader we usually reserve judgment until we’ve heard a full-length from a band and give them the opportunity to expand a unique sound into a whole album. Well color us impressed because the Vivian Girls more than deliver on their self-titled debut, ripping through ten lo-fi classics that scream equal parts indie rock sing-a-long, wall-of-sound guitarwork, and spacey, surfy atmospherics all around. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes the Girls have a knack for succinctness and directness, never overstaying their welcome but bringing the goods to each and every track. We’ll be watching these ladies closely and hope to have them swing back through the ATX soon!
Vivian Girls – “All The Time” ******************************************************************** WHY? TOUR SWINGS THROUGH AUSTIN An act that’s receiving as much acclaim in my close circle of friends as it is on the blogosphere, WHY? will be swinging back down through Austin on their latest tour. Watch for them on Sept. 8th at Mohawk playing in support of their excellent new LP Alopecia. This is one band that’s definitely going places.
WHY? – “The Hollows” ******************************************************************** BODIES OF WATER HAPPENINGS Bodies of Water just posted a massive Myspace bulletin that explains all the current goings-on of the band. I’ll post the full text below but to summarize: original drummer Jessie Conklin is quitting and will be replaced by two Texans, the band is selling their new LP A Certain Feeling on CD and vinyl, they’re about to begin a continent-covering tour, they’re making a music video, and hey look, free posters! Yikes! That’s a lot to digest, so read the following at your leisure. Let the good times roll you BoW workaholics!
“Hey guys – We recently sent this update out to our email list, but many of you may not be on it. If you’d like to be, send an email to mail@bodiesofwater.net and say that you’d like to be and then you will be.
This is what has been happening to us, and what is about to happen.
There are six things:
1. We have made a record called ‘A Certain Feeling’ that will be available to the public on July 22nd. The Secretly Canadian company is putting it out, and they are offering to sell it to you in advance of the release. They have CDs and vinyl records, and if you buy the vinyl you get a download code so that you can put it on your computer or some other little music playing machine. ALSO, they send you a poster if you buy something. Here is where you go to do it: http://www. scdistribution. com/cat/scd_catalog. php?usersearch=Bodies%20Of%20Water&pagerequest=
2. We are celebrating the release of this record by playing a show at the Echo on Thursday July 17th. Seasons and the Henry Clay People will be joining us that night. It costs 8 dollars, but if you want to only pay 5 dollars, tell us in an email and you will be added to a cheap list.
3. This show on the 17th will, sadly, be the last one that our beloved Jessie will play with us. Why? Because she decided a little while ago that the rock and roll lifestyle was not the kind she wanted to devote herself to. It can be an arduous one, and is certainly not for everyone! We’re, naturally, very sad about this. Her singing, drumming, and personal charms will be sorely missed. Her too-large shoes will be filled for now by two pairs of our friends’ feet; Jamie Pitts will drum to our songs, and Julie Carpenter will sing and play the guitar and violin. They are both from Texas.
4. In a month we are leaving to travel around the nation (and Canada) playing music in certain cities. There is a little map attached to this that shows you where and when we’ll be in those certain cities. We will try to put on a good show in all of them – it is important to us that people feel that they get their money’s worth. I am serious about this.
5. If you live in Los Angeles, it will be fun for you to look at the current issue of the L.A. Record magazine. There is a large poster in it depicting us pretending to be the Talking Heads. Have you seen the record ‘More Songs About Building & Food?’ We imitated it. I attached a picture of the poster to this bulletin so that you can look at how it is. The real poster is more monumental – it is 2 ft x 3 ft. The guy from L.A. Record took photos of us, and David collaged them together. There is an interview and some other pictures of us in there, too. It is free, so you WILL get your money’s worth if you seek this thing out.
6. We are in the midst of making a music video. I don’t know why I’m even telling you about this. It won’t be done for a while – You’ll see it when you see it. Anyhow, we will be cramming it through that tiny “pipeline” into your home or place of business via youtube and stuff. The themes of this video are: violence, dogs, nature, supernature, architecture, and lye. I know you are thinking “Great, another lye-themed video. Why do they even bother?” And I know what you mean; sometimes I ask myself the same thing.
EXTRA – We’re probably going to play in England, Germany, and France in October. We will pass along more details as we learn them.
Bloodshed and mayhem in Austin, Texas as Cannibal Cheerleader faves Crystal Castles ripped and snarled their way through a brief but electric set at La Zona Rosa. Thrashing through new tracks such as “Baptism” and “Yes/No” with reckless abandon while adding a new level of live carnage to their classics such as “Crimewave” and “Black Panther”. For all the grinding, dancing, and pulsating of the mostly underage Austin (hipster?) crowd, the music raged like a punk slaughterhouse, flaming with intense rhythms that leaped to the ceiling with the rays of an amazing lightshow, coupled with Alice Glass’ ‘blood-filling-my-mouth’ shrieked vocals. With E. Kath manning the boards in his signature hunched-style and Glass pulling no punches with a bottle of vodka in one hand and the mic against her teeth in the other, Crystal Castles proved a brain-bashing performance that shows why they are years ahead of their electro contemporaries.
La Zona Rosa didn’t allow Cannibal Cheerleader to bring in our cameras but we nonetheless managed to snag a few photos from Twitter and videos from YouTube that you can check out below. We can only hope they give you a sense of the sold-out mayhem of a 1500+ show, which featured Glass crowd-surfing and being dragged in by security in what has become a familiar sight at the Crystal Castles camp. It’s clear at this point that Glass and Kath are bona fide rockstars, entering the venue after dashing from a taxi straight to the stage door and exiting in similar fashion, flanked by a large posse. While the venue wasn’t exactly friendly to concert-goers, Crystal Castles put on an absolutely fantastic performance that shook the dancefloor to its core.
That said, I had a great time at the show and I know the four winners of our ticket-giveaway had one as well! Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who reads the blog!
Following close on the heels of last year’s amazing Dear Science LP, TV on the Radio are releasing a three-song remix EP called Read Silence, featuring fantastic reinventions of the some of the deepest cuts of their latest album from the likes of Gang Gang Dance and other NYC art-rockers. Check out some tracks below and let us know what you think – personally we can’t get over the “Stork & Owl” track – like a magical explosion in our musical brains!
It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new songs from Jemina Pearl and the whole ex-Be Your Own Pet camp, but if you’ve been keeping up with her personal blog Puke Till You Punk you’d be more than up to date with the recording of her new solo LP, already in full swing and featuring guitar parts from none other than the likes of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. If you haven’t been keeping up, now’s the time to start some backreading – this album is going to slaughter the innocent.
