INTERVIEW WITH THE ACTION DESIGN

CC: What is the Action Design all about? Why did you choose to continue to make music after your last band [Tsunami Bomb] broke up?

M: The Action Design is about having fun, just like all bands should be. After Tsunami Bomb broke up, I wanted to keep making music because otherwise there would have been a huge void in my life — it’s really a part of me now. Also, after ending a band, you have somewhat of a clean slate to work with; a little more freedom to do what you want.

Read more at the bottom of this update and stay tuned when the entire interview gets published next week as the cover story for the Cannibal Cheerleader zine issue #2.

The Action Design – “Landmines”
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NEW JENNY LEWIS ACID TONGUE VIDEOOver the weekend we stumbled across a video of our Rilo Kiley favorite Jenny Lewis showing off a tune from her newest LP Acid Tongue to Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. Check it out below. Where can we get a hold of some Acid Tongue balloons?

Jenny Lewis – “The Big Guns”
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TRYOUTS: STARS’ SAD ROBOTS
Over the weekend we received our copy of the tracks from the new EP Sad Robots by Canadian indie-poppers Stars and to say that the songs represent a real return to form, with soft tender instrumentation and whispered vocals on alienation and loss, couldn’t be more correct. Of course we loved last year’s In Our Bedroom After the War, but we can’t help but dig up our old Nightsongs LP when we spin songs like “Undertow” and “14 Forever” through our headphones. It’s no coincidence it seems that Stars paired a live version of Nightsongs‘ standout “Going, Going, Gone” with these new miniature masterpieces, and it seems fitting that the band return to their more minimalist roots in the form of an EP of tiny vignettes. This EP definitely makes the Cannibal Cheerleader team though it will probably develop an impossible-to-fulfill crush on the head quarterback and write tender love notes to stick in his locker all year.

Stars – “A Threat Cut With A Carving Knife”
Stars – “Undertow”
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THE ACTION DESIGN INTERVIEW CONT’DHere’s the rest of that Action Design interview! Be sure and catch the band when they swing through Austin on Sept. 10th at Red 7 and come pick up new issues of the Cannibal Cheerleader Zine #2 available at the show!

CC: In contrast to some of Tsunami Bomb’s tracks, the Action Design employs a greater range of musical influences, including dance-rock, and utilizes your vocal range more. Why the change in style and what are your influences for this exciting new brand of punk rock? Does maturity play a factor?

M: The change in style is mainly because, given the chance to start a new band, the music may as well be more open and versatile. It’s nice to have the opportunity to make music in a different way than I’m used to. As for maturity, I’m not sure how much of a factor it is. I guess my own musical taste may have matured, although the basis of everything we write is simple and straightforward in the same way Tsunami Bomb was. I still love catchy melodies!

CC: Explain to us your songwriting process in the Action Design. Where do you draw your lyrics from? Personal experience, life on the road, the punk rock lifestyle? Where does it all come from?

M: Usually, we each write our own parts but we also write all together — one person will come to practice with a simple idea for a part. We’ll all work on that part together, adding more to it as a group. Then, when the body of the music is written, I’ll take it home and work out lyrics and melody to it. We usually adjust it a few more times after that, until everyone is confident with the song. Most all of my lyrics are drawn from personal experience. I have written lyrics from someone else’s perspective, but it’s always easier to write about what I know. A lot of times I end up writing about people I know; the ones who make me feel any certain emotion (aside from love… I’m not too much of a romantic poet).

CC: Over the years what have you noticed about your fanbase that interests you the most? Has it changed significantly from Tsunami Bomb to the Action Design? Has it stayed generally consistent? More girls or boys? Are you gaining a larger base now as tAD? How have things like Myspace and the Internet changed how you talk with your fans?

M: Well, right now it’s still difficult to categorize the fanbase for the Action Design. We haven’t played enough repeat shows around the country yet to get a good grasp on who they are. My assumption is that a lot of the people at our shows are Tsunami Bomb fans as well, only because we haven’t had an overwhelming amount of press or ads for the Action Design yet. We don’t have as many fans as Tsunami Bomb did — we have only done a handful of tours, so we’ve still got groundwork to do before we reach that level. I’d like to say our fanbase contains an equal amount of girls and boys, but I think the girls may be tipping the scale a little. Myspace has been great for us — it’s such an easy way to connect to fans. I really enjoy communicating directly with them, as opposed to a manager or someone else maintaining our site.

CC: You’ve been in the business of making punk music for over a decade now, what are some of the trials and tribulations of that life? If you could go back would you do it all again? Is it ultimately rewarding and do you feel your message gets out there? What is the message? You’ve seen bands come and go, why have you stuck around?

M: The touring life is not for everyone. I think ultimately that’s what breaks up a lot of bands. Everyone has to be extremely tolerant of everyone else’s personalities if it’s going to work. It’s tiring, can be lonely, you’re broke a lot… that’s the trials and tribulations side. Of course, if you’re the right kind of person, touring is one of the most fun experiences ever. Aside from touring, there’s a lot of crap that goes on behind the scenes which can make things stressful, difficult and depressing. Money runs everything, and there’s pretty much no way around it. But yes, in the end it IS rewarding in many ways. Music is one thing that makes people happy, and it’s very addicting to be part of that. I would definitely do it all again. I may do some things a little differently, but I would do it again! I wouldn’t give up my experiences for anything. That’s why I’ve stuck around as a musician. I want to fill my life with great experiences, and this is one way that I know how to do so.

CC: Big question – what happened to Tsunami Bomb? Was it the pressure of the music business? Inner tension? So many bands break up for so many reasons and I understand it can be hard to talk about, but can you fill us in on whatever details you’re comfortable with? Do you feel like the band is well-respected now only because you’ve broken up?

M: Tsunami Bomb broke up for many small reasons. Most of them are business-related, the details of which are pretty boring. Basically, things were not going as we had planned, so we sat down and discussed the band from a completely business standpoint. We resolved that our unhappiness caused by the business side of things outweighed our happiness of playing music in Tsunami Bomb. We also had no way of changing course. Therefore, it was pointless for us to keep playing. I don’t feel like the band was ever very well-respected from the standpoint of the music community, but that’s probably because I try my best to not pay attention to what people think. I don’t feel like we were disrespected either — I feel more like we weren’t really part of the “scene” in general.

CC: Tell us the process behind Into A Sound and Never Say. What are some of your favorite songs and what do these releases mean to you? What are their respective themes and what goes into committing a set of songs to tape?

M: Into a Sound feels like a weird pre-album collection to me — we kinda threw all the first songs we’d written together and called it an ep. It was a little scary, starting a new band, not being completely confident, never having played a show together. My favorite songs off of the ep are “Connect/Disconnect”, “City Committee”, and “Scissor Game”. It’s kind of a mish-mash of songs, written by various members, recorded by various engineers. The theme of the ep is probably “is this going to work??” When it came time to record Never Say, we knew ourselves a lot better musically as a group. We felt confident in our song writing and our decisions on which songs to include on the record. The process for that one was that we just wrote, rewrote and rewrote again. We kept going with the songs until we felt they were complete. My favorite songs are probably “Pale Horizon”, “Tokyo Train”, “Could Not Should”, “Lounge in Formation”… it’s tough to decide with the new songs because they’re all still pretty new. The theme for Never Say (at least lyrically) is probably “Do what you’ve always dreamed of doing… because who knows when the world is going to blow up?!!”

The Action Design – “Half A World”

Comments?

Crystal Castles – “Death (White Lies Remix)”

In other CC news, the band’s next single will be a Crimewave 12” featuring Sinden and the L.A. Riots as well. Lastly, the band will be taking two weeks off of their never-ending tour in September to record demos for the followup to their self-titled debut. This next album will include current live favorite “Yes NO” which we have a video of here.

All of this comes straight from Andy of Lies Records himself, so we know it’s all legit. Serious Crystal Castles developments here, what does everyone think?
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TV ON THE RADIO REVEAL “GOLDEN AGE”
It may not be a Sea Change for TV on the Radio, but “Golden Age”, the first single from the band’s upcoming third LP Dear Science, exemplifies what the Brooklyn natives do best – weird, experimental jam sessions that challenge and intrigue with reckless abandon. Here the quintet channel funk and blues with more than a nod to some classic soul. You can hear it over at their official site (takes a moment to load, just wait a second impatient blogsters!). We absolutely cannot wait for this album to drop!
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FUN FUN FUN FEST LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Our friends over at the Austinist have been so kind today as to release this year’s lineup for Austin’s own Fun Fun Fun Fest, the little central Texas festival that could. Seriously, F3 always manages to garner huge acts (like last year’s Cat Power and the Murder City Devils, and the year before with the Circle Jerks and Spoon) and this year is no different. Hip hop fans will jam to the likes of Atmosphere and Clipse, hardcore fans will mosh to the sounds of Flipper and the Adolescents, and indie-rock hipsters will nod coolly to the songs of the National and Annuals. No word on a specific time schedule but you can bet just like the last two years we’ll be at this fest.

Comments?

Death Cab for Cutie – “Cath…”
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JIM JAMES/CONOR OBERST/M. WARD MAKING RECORD?

It would seem that according to this Pitchfork story, our favorite Kentucky troubadour, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, is collaborating with none other than Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame and M. Ward (the Monsters of Folk anyone?) to release a record of original work. Sweetness! Also noteworthy is James’ mention of releasing a solo record under the pseudonym Sec Walkin’, a nod to the title of one of the tracks off MMJ’s new record Evil Urges. Could this news be any cooler really? Read the whole story here and stay tuned for further developments on what promises to be a truly groundbreaking country record.

My Morning Jacket – “White Rabbit”
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NEW BAND CHEER – THE CARROTS

When all-female Austin punk group Finally Punk went on indefinite hiatus (though they promised they hadn’t broken up…) this central Texas town truly lost one of its greatest rock and roll acts. However, from the ashes of the riot grrrl wreckage comes the Carrots, a doo-wop group recalling 50’s all-girl acts such as the Ronettes and the Shangri-La’s, featuring several members from Finally Punk. Austin’s answer to the undeniably catchy sounds of bands like the Pipettes, the Carrots spin a wonderful pop sound but retain the subversiveness of the former punk act with a kitschy wink to their audience on tracks like “Beverly” and “Secret Since ‘99″. Definitely worthy of attention, even outside of the Austin area, so go check them out immediately. No mp3s floating around of these gals but here’s a rad video of them playing “Beverly”.

Any comments?

Riverboat Gamblers – “Alexandria”

Riverboat Gamblers – “Black Nothing Of A Cat”

Riverboat Gamblers – “Rattle Me Bones”

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CRYSTAL CASTLES UPDATE

CC favorites Crystal Castles recently responded to a request for a statement regarding the ‘crystal theft controversy‘, which is a series of accusations leveled at the band that decry them as thieves of samples from the works of ‘chiptune’ artists on some of their tracks. Here’s what Andy from their Toronto label Lies Records had to say:

“In 2004 CC was 100% samples. They stopped using samples in 2005 and started using their own sounds. The band became popular 2 years later thanks to their remixes for Klaxons, GoodBooks, and Bloc Party. Their success has nothing to do with these early obscure sample-based tracks. These songs have not been heard by many people until now.

I myself wanted to release Insecticon but I could not find Lo-bat to seek his permission. There is no contact for him on his website. Ethan Kath in an interview dated June 2007 says Insecticon will remain unreleased because no one can find Lo-bat to ask permission.

Lo-bat himself has talked to the band’s manager on the phone and said that he himself thinks the controversy is ridiculous. It is clear that the band has never profitted or performed these ancient tracks.

The track Insecticon is actually a mash-up which uses the vocal track from the CC guitar track “Insectica” and mashes it with Lo-bat’s “My Droid” for fun, not profit.”

For my money this statement, along with the other Crystal Castles facts uncovered in the comments section of the previous post on the subject, clears up the controversy as we know it. However, I feel that this will not be an end to the argument so I am, as always, interested to hear comments from readers.

In other news Crystal Castles will soon be trekking through North America (but missing Texas, grr!) and then it’s on to the UK in late summer. Swing by Austin again you two!

Crystal Castles Vs. Bloc Party – “Hunting For Witches (remix)”

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YEAH YEAH YEAHS STUDIO UPDATE – LP3 ON THE WAY


Here at Cannibal Cheerleader we always swell with excitement whenever we hear any tidbit of news from one of our favorite bands the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Today’s update concerns a recent post by the band on their Myspace that reads as follows:

“Smells Like Record 3…

COOKING IN THE KITCHEN

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been hopscotching down the road less traveled- from a barn in the Northeast to a ranch in the Southwest on our journey for the next sound. Why go RURAL? We’re not yet sure ourselves, but one thing the city don’t have that the country got is SPACE and there has been plenty of spacing out in the studio as of late.

KITTEN FACTOR

Fuzzy soft muses aka kittens have played a major role in the writing process of YYYs current and past records. Show Your Bones was written in Sam Spiegel’s home studio amidst the birth of a litter of kittens, little gold lions scrambling around. Amazingly therapeutic, nothing turns a frown upside down (there are many frowns in the record writing process) as a purring kitten in your lap. Alas our favorite kitten of all beloved SQUEAKER arrived just in time for record three! Abandoned by his mother, we’ve watched him grow before our very eyes from a blind and helpless little thing into a frisky and fierce little beauty- much like the tunes we’re writing. Go figure.”

The post is then followed by this picture:

Sounds like Karen O., Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase are going for a spaced-out, country feel on this record? However it sounds you can be Cannibal Cheerleader will be first in line to give that sucker a listen.

PS. We want a cat named Squeaker!! Here’s a spaced-out YYY song to quench your thirst for the time being.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Gold Lion (Solo Acoustic – Karen O. Version)

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ACL SCHEDULE POSTED

Thanks to our friends over at Soundcheck Magazine for letting us know that the Austin City Limits Festival has put up their official schedule for the three days of the event. Check it out here.

From what we can tell (besides the fact that ACL seems to have slimmer and slimmer pickings each year), is that Jenny Lewis is running into N.E.R.D., we’re going to have to run between Conor Oberst, the Black Keys, then back to Beck, and Sunday might just be the best day of the fest (what with Stars, Tegan and Sara, Neko Case, the Raconteurs, Band of Horses, and Gnarls Barkley all packed in). Whine as we might, you know that we’ll be there, rain or shine@
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DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE REVIEW

A quick note: my review for Death Cab for Cutie’s Narrow Stairs is up on the Soundcheck Magazine website. Check it out over there and I’ll copy/paste it down below. Comment if you like it!

“Death Cab for Cutie
Narrow Stairs
Atlantic

It’s lonely at the top. That seems to be the message of Narrow Stairs, the newest offering from rock’s unlikeliest of superstars, Death Cab For Cutie. For better or for worse, it is undeniable that indie has crowned Ben Gibbard and company as the kings of a tender flock. There seems to be something remarkably Cobain-esque about the meteoric rise of Death Cab for Cutie, though, while Nirvana was an outward explosion of punk nihilism, Gibbard’s experience feels more like an emotional implosion, a fiery inner carnage that replaces distorted guitars with heart-searing poetics. With a legion of lonely boys and girls hanging themselves on every lyric, Death Cab can clearly feel the strain of fame on their newest LP. This pressure comes across in the form of their bleakest, their most terrifying, and, surprisingly, one of their most engaging works to date.

Ben Gibbard’s overwrought, angst-ridden lyrics – though they may strike some as naïve – nonetheless come across to modern listeners as more genuine in their devices than most modernist poetry. His pathos clearly strikes a chord in the hearts of the music community: uncertainty and despair are no longer the flavors of the day but staples of our modern lives. Death Cab for Cutie evoke images both creative and familiar on brilliant standout tracks like “Grapevine Fires” and “Your New Twin Sized Bed”. Gibbard’s continued flights with heavy-handedness nonetheless ring as distinctly frank and authentic, and he is no more honest than on Narrow Stairs. As opposed to viewing the flecks of white in a world of black as Death Cab did on 2005’s Plans, the new record remarks pointedly on society in shades of gray. Fundamentally, it must be understood that Gibbard plays the part of a poet, not the esteemed indie-rocker delivering kitschy hits about the most sensitive of subjects. He channels the former slightly in the track “Soul Meets Body”, but soon morphs into a Kerouac-like scribe reminiscing about “the place where your soul had died” in “Bixby Canyon Bridge”.

It is over this canvas of loneliness that producer and guitarist Chris Walla attempts to erect a sound, and the results recall a garage-band strumming away in an empty, abandoned house. Acoustics bounce off empty walls, and the music provides an air of claustrophobia that furnishes a feeling of closeness to the listener. However, this closeness is not the warmth of past Death Cab releases, but an unnerving proximity that magnifies scars of weariness and age that Gibbard and company now wear. It imparts an almost voyeuristic view of a band at their most vulnerable and engaging. The group has expanded their sonic palette not with expansive soundscapes but with instrumental virtuosity, as slinky guitar parts quiver over tracks like “The Ice Is Getting Thinner” and “Pity and Fear”, and swirling keyboard parts give way to a return to crunchy guitars on songs such as “Long Division”.

To describe Narrow Stairs as “frightening” would not be wholly inaccurate. The creepiness of the five-minute intro to first single “I Will Possess Your Heart” represents the lengths Death Cab for Cutie have stretched in crafting this record. The slow build of the instruments to a plaintive tale of stalkers and obsession invokes dark and graphic images. This track paired with “Cath…”, the story of a withered and abused woman alone in the prison of outward appearances, place Narrow Stairs as the coronet on the canon of the Death Cab discography. These somber sagas of all-too-familiar characters stick like barbs into the listener, slowly seeping their meaning and effectiveness into them, making the record a grower and a headphone masterpiece. To this end, Narrow Stairs is, in many ways, the group’s crowning achievement. This is a crown of thorns: delicate and difficult, weaving and at times off-putting, but, for Death Cab for Cutie, ultimately bloody and beautiful.

-John B.”

SO, we have finally secured a rehearsal space to call our own. now we can get down to business. we are currently planning our next release, which as of the moment looks like it will be another e.p. released on vinyl and download. the release for this will be determined as soon as we are done recording it! i am also beginning pre- production on our next self made music video…im thinking sweet girl but i also fancy making one for down on you…maybe i should let you decide. We are playing our next show June 3rd at Emo’s with the great SWERVEDRIVER….so come get launched into outerspace with us! thanks for being our #1 fans!(we will play in your area this fall)
-elliott

Ringo Deathstarr and shoegaze greats Swervedriver sharing the same stage? Awesomeness! You’ll know we’ll be attending this June 3rd show and hopefully we’ll have a camera in tow!
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MY MORNING JACKET PERFORMED ON SNL


My Morning Jacket’s first Saturday Night Live appearance apparently happened over the weekend, much to my dismay as I had not planned to record it. More details will obviously be forthcoming (what songs, hopefully a video, etc) but until then, here’s a taste of some live action MMJ has done on TV shows in the past!

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SLOW WEEKEND – I ADDED ADSENSE


So yeah, slow weekend on the music news front but hey, let it be known I added AdSense so click on the ads a few times over there on the right margin. Also, look what Yahoo are apparently selling!

Cannibal
Huge selection of Cannibal items.
Yahoo.com

That’s right, if you’re looking to buy a Cannibal or cannibal related items, Yahoo is the place to go!

That said, this week I’ll start posting some longer reviews/articles I’ve done recently for the viewing public. Look for reviews (that I’ll actually be submitting to magazines and such) for My Morning Jacket, Death Cab for Cutie, Converge, and the Last Shadow Puppets (who do indeed rock). See everyone tomorrow!s

you should see the stereogum.com enjoyed player here if you have flash

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NEW INTERPOL FAN VIDEO


In what is apparently a more and more regular occurence, a fan-made video for a band has received the act’s approval, as is this case with this fan-made, Interpol-approved clip. Featuring “Rest My Chemistry” from last year’s underrated Our Love to Admire, the video of swirling lights seems incredibly fitting. Here’s hoping they do “Pace Is The Trick” next.

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POSTER SALE IN AUSTIN


Here are some rock posters readers of CC might be interested in! They are from Bryan Keplesky’s (of Misprint fame) personal collection and they include such CC faves as Death Cab and the Wrens. Apparently Bryan will deliver them to your house if you order so call him up and get some!

We here at Cannibal Cheerleader are greatly looking forward to Narrow Stairs, the new release from DCFC. The first single “I Will Possess Your Heart”, with its four-minute instrumental intro, is definitely bound to be this year’s creepy stalker anthem, but if you’re looking for indie-heartbreak look no further than “Cath”, performed here by Gibbard on solo acoustic. Enjoy!

Death Cab For Cutie (Ben Gibbard solo acoustic) – ”Cath”

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CRYSTAL CASTLES OPENING FOR NIN


That’s right, according to this here Pitchfork story, Crystal Castles will be opening for Nine Inch Nails on what appears to be the Northwest trek of the latter’s tour in July. Also, CC plans to announce some US tour dates for June in the near future. At the moment Alice Glass and Ethan Kath are kicking it in the UK. Have fun kids!
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FOOD FOR ANIMALS MUSIC VIDEO


While the video for Food For Animals‘ latest single “Tween My Lips” from the Belly LP (featured above) is just about the most NSFW thing I’ve ever posted on this blog, it’s also pretty rad in a fat man plus nudity kind of way. Check it out here but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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TACKS, THE BOY DISASTER VIDEO


To end an indie-licious update, here’s a video I shot of Austin indie-rockers Tacks, the Boy Disaster at their Parish show on Tuesday night. Hope you enjoy!

Any comments?