It’s finally here Cannibal Cheerleaders, the new SpinneretteGhetto Love EP has arrived and none too soon for our ears. It seems that ex-Distiller Brody Dalle has been reincarnated as a nightmarish punk burlesque dancer, wrapped in layers of electronic decadence while still maintaining the poignant and fierce lyricism on which she’s built a name. Dead romance, blood mixing with tears, makeup running down one’s face, all wrapped in pleather in a smoky, shady bar corner, that is Spinnerette (our kind of band!). Check the video for “Ghetto Love” below and head here to purchase the new EP (only five bucks people, quite the deal we’d say).
Today we begin our ‘end-of-year’ wrap-ups, mercifully soon so we can get back to the real business of music journalism! Seems like every blog does their “best of’s” around this time so we figured we’d hop onboard, with a few Cannibal Cheerleader touches of course. Our first category…
TOP FIVE LOCAL AUSTIN BANDS
SOUTHERN DRAMA
Whether you interpret this local all-female trio as a wildly imaginative Vaudevillian act or a indie-pop folk band wrapped in old-time mystique one thing’s for certain, Southern Drama is easily the most original and creative act currently playing in Austin and one of our favorites of the year.
With the release of their stellar sophormore LP Pardon Me, Are Those Your Claws in My Back, the Faceless Werewolves have cornered the Austin market on furious blues-rock and garage-punk, cementing themselves as one of the Capital City’s most treasured acts.
Soaring in on a wave of delicated strings and hushed arrangement, Balmorhea has made good use of one short year, finding themselves poised to be the next big thing in neo-classicist cum indie-rock and making it easily onto our 2008 best local band list.
With a fiery carnage matched only by the band’s steadfast determination, Prey For Sleep have brought the brutality back to the Austin metal scene, whipping the small but vengeful community into a fury behind their debut LP and carving a spot into our end of the year list.
Swirling down on a wave of guitar squalls, Ringo Deathstarr single-handedly have revitalized the flagging shoegaze scene in Austin with an MBV-referencing sound and a distinction for being lost in a vortex of white noise, though they managed to find their way onto our top local band list with ease.
With girl-group vocals and shoe-gaze guitars all combined into a surf-rock playing style, the Vivian Girls have proven themselves as a formidable new act through relentless touring, capturing a sound long thought dead and revitalizing a genre with the ease of a reverb pedal.
With a level of delicate instrumentation and unique percussion almost unheard in indie rock, High Places have taken lilting pop ballads into the realm of wild experimentalism and are on the crest of a wave of musicians combining creativity with indelible songwriting abilities.
With a torrent of positive press flying their way after the release of their sophomore LP, the Gaslight Anthem have gone from celebrated underground Jersey punks to acclaimed rock and roll stars all in the course of one short year, due to their combination of lovelorn Springsteen-referencing lyrics and Social Distortion riffs.
Blazing onto the scene on the backs of several fiery singles and EPs, Heartsrevolution took punk-electro to new heights, combining dance-rhythms and electronic whirlings with shrieking vocals and violent imagery, making them one of the most original and exciting acts of the year.
Equal blues rock and female fronted indie-pop, Grand Ole Party deliver fiery vocals and spidery guitar lines in a fierce package of minimalistic garage punk that heralds this trio as an act to watch for years to come.
BALMORHEA IN SHORT FILM According to Balmorhea’s Myspace their haunting, etheral music was recently used in an equally haunting and moving short film by Jared Hogan of the Savannah School of Art and Design. I’m a film student first and a music critic second, so this post is perfect for Cannibal Cheerleader! Watch the film here and comment on what you think. That picture of there is of the real Balmorhea, Texas skyline and fits the band’s music pretty closely as well. ******************************************************************** NEW FACELESS WEREWOLVES VIDEOThough this particular piece isn’t Cannibal Cheerleader produced, we’d nonetheless like to show it to everyone, as it features some solid live action from our favorite local garage-rock act the Faceless Werewolves. Check this out!
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER – THAO NGUYENThao Nguyen, more commonly known as Thao with The Get Down Stay Down (the name of her backing band) is a Kill Rock Stars signee with a smokey croon that recalls CC fave Cat Power and a Southern rock vibe that’s equal parts joyous bounce and terrific pathos, all rolled into one. We here at Cannibal Cheerleader saw her perform live opening for Rilo Kiley and we’ve been in love with her new LP We Brave Bee Stings and All ever since. Definitely check this one out if you like acoustic-y southern songstresses as much as we do (and we like ‘em A LOT). ******************************************************************** THE HORROR, THE HORROR – THE HAPPENING I went into The Happening this weekend not expecting much, as the critical reception of M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film had been lukewarm at best. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what was a taut, well-formed thriller, with plenty of guts and gore to offset the the dreamy dread that has become one of the director’s trademarks. First however, I have to contextualize my feelings on Mr. Shyamalan, whose films I’ve always unabashedly adored. While the current zeitgeist in horror filmmaking might be leaning towards horror-porn and increased shock-value (not that I don’t like that stuff mind you), this director has chosen to approach the genre from a different direction, employing his own vision that I’ve dubbed ‘horror slowcore’, a steady stream of dread mixed in with intense introspection, religious questioning, and philosophical and political undertones. Excellent films like the Village (my personal favorite of his) come across as so divergent from the horror norm that many fans of the genre fail to engage themselves into the world of the film as they would with another scare-flick. Still, Shyamalan crafts layers upon layers of meaning into his worlds and is one of the only directors evolving the genre beyond its slasher roots (for better or for worse). That said, the Happening isn’t the Village or the Sixth Sense, but it does have its share of great kills (death by lawnmower and suicidal construction workers for the win) and truly beautiful moments (Mark Walhberg’s and Zooey Deschanel’s final attempt to be together at what seems like their last moment is stirring and genuine). However the film’s evil force and its tendency to make people kill themselves sometimes comes off as absurd and the acting beyond the leads was spotty at best. Still, more than worth the price of admission and deserving of three out of four bloody pon-poms. Go see it folks.
Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, we’re halfway through the year so I figured it was about time to announce the albums, acts, songs, and shows that I feel are the best of the year SO FAR. Below are some tentative lists with the entries in no particular order and I’m not going to comment on these choices because frankly, they could change tomorrow! But I think what follows will be a good template of where we stand here in the middle of June and I believe a good deal of these may join us again in December. So, without further ado, the Halfway There Cannibal Cheerleader lists:
The Faceless Werewolves performed at Emo’s last Thursday and who was there but your trusty Cannibal Cheerleader, camera in tow. Here are a few videos from the night that confirm what astute listeners already know: when it comes to garage-rock in Austin, the Faceless Werewolves are the head of the pack.
The Faceless Werewolves – “Couldn’t Believe It Blues”
The Faceless Werewolves – “My Weakness”
******************************************************************** MY MORNING JACKET – BLACK CAB SESSION
What’s even more awesome than being in My Morning Jacket? Being in a cab with My Morning Jacket of course, or at least that’s the theme behind this web series the Black Cab Sessions. They’ve done such CC faves as Death Cab and Scout Niblett and now they’ve got Jim James and Carl Broemel performing “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. II” on their site. Check it out here.
Awesome stuff. Here’s an MMJ b-side to complete your daily recommended dosage of Jim James and co.
******************************************************************** NEW FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE VIDEO
Last time we heard from Florence and the Machine, the feisty UK songstress hailing from across the sea, she was just releasing her excellent single “Kiss With A Fist”. Now we have the video, a fun quaint piece that belies the bloody, furious lyrics of the song. Definitely worth checking out below.
******************************************************************** CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES IN ROLLING STONE
It seems like just yesterday we were standing amongst a scant few onlookers watching Charlotte Sometimes play as the first act onstage at the Alternative Press Magazine SXSW 08 party. Now she’s being featured in Rolling Stone and has received some heavy rotation on MTV and VH1. Frankly, more power to her! We at Cannibal Cheerleader want more people to hear the rock-cum-pop sound of Jersey’s finest female singer-songwriter export! Here’s a CS tune to celebrate!
Thanks to the Austinist for hitting up the Shearwater show at the Parish last Thursday, as we here at Cannibal Cheerleader found ourselves recording the Faceless Werewolves at Emo’s (video of the FW and the Riverboat Gamblers from their Saturday show at Red 7 will be up this week!). Nonetheless it appears the Austinist has given once again excellent coverage to an excellent band whose sophomore LP Rook will be out tomorrow. Check out a track from the album below. Shearwater – “Lost Boys”
The new album Microcastle from Psychedelia revivalists Deerhunter has leaked a full six months before its official release date. Obviously this will make the DH camp none to happy, though they have no reason to be. From just a cursory listen this album will undoubtedly top many year-end charts and remind us all why we fell in love with Deerhunter in the first place. Give a listen and comment what you think.
******************************************************************** THE STRANGERS
For you horror junkies out there (such as yours truly), there might be no better way to spend your horror-movie money this week (except for maybe that Sex and the City horrorfest) than The Strangers, a genuinely suspenseful flick that combines those all-too-fun ‘jump out moments’ with a heavy, palpable sense of dread throughout the film. Definitely reminiscent of a more classic horror-movie take on Funny Games, so don’t be on the lookout for happy endings, just be prepared to get scared shitless by the enormous amount of terror ahead of you. Four out of five bloody pon-poms.
According to the Giant Drag website, Annie Hardy of our favorite My Bloody Valentine-referencing, shoegazey, post-punk solo/duo band will be recording a new, as of yet untitled EP. The tracklist will include live favorites such as “Swan Song” and “White Baby” as well as tracks “Heart Carl” and “Stuff to Live For”. This is a welcome change for Hardy who was unceremoniously dropped from Interscope following her first awesome LP Hearts and Unicorns. Hardy and other GD contributors are hard at work slamming out a new record but in the meantime visit her Ebay Store so you can donate to the cause of saving Giant Drag from obscurity. Seriously, this is one of my favorite bands in recent memory and definitely deserves to get the opportunity to make more music, so check it out. Also, here’s a sample of “Swan Song” taken live from a Giant Drag show in Paris.
******************************************************************** PREY FOR SLEEP TOUR CANCELLED!
“Due to issues with our booking agent we’ve been forced to cancel our upcoming nationwide summer tour”, says lead singer Hunter Townsend of awesome Austin metal act Prey For Sleep. Apparently the booking agent was unable (or too lazy!) to secure spots for PFS and the band was forced to call it off due to monetary issues. In the meantime though Hunter and the boys would like to know what Austinites or any of their fans want from the band now. Their latest Myspace bulletin reads:
“Here’s a thought.
What do you want from Prey for Sleep in the next few months?
T-Shirts? Lighters? Hoodies? DVDs? Lunch boxes?
Let us know what you need to spread the word.”
So there you have it, let Prey For Sleep know what you need from them by contacting them at their Myspace. A PFS lunchbox sounds pretty rad to me that’s for sure.
The band will be heading up to Cleveland in August to record an as of yet untitled EP, then plans to attempt a nationwide tour in January. Good luck guys! ******************************************************************** SUMMER SHOWS IN AUSTIN – CC CALENDAR
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming shows in Austin that Cannibal Cheerleader will definitely be attending:
Hey to all of the readers/users of Waffles.fm, the best replacement ever for Oink.cd in my opinion. Thanks for swinging by the blog and reading the ‘Converge’ piece posted on the front page of Waffles. If you don’t know what Waffles is you should read this article about file-sharing and see if the Oink/Waffles movement is right for you. Until next time, comment people!
Sorry about taking a break for Memorial Day guys, hope this monster post makes up for it! See you tomorrow!
Quickie here, some absolutely awesome Austin bands (Faceless Werewolves, the Black, and Toko-Ri Get High amongst others) will be playing a late-night set at Spiderhouse from apparently 2am Sunday to 2pm. Check that shit out!
While I don’t mean to ask such a heavy question it seems appropriate given the fact that I haven’t updated in over a month. Where was your faithful narrator? Did he himself lose the Faith? The answer is no, I was off on a venture called Geronimo Live, but unfortunately the people I worked with were too unprofessional so I’m returning to doing my own thing, and that includes updating CC religiously. So how does one begin updating again after so long off? Well, I suppose I’ll start today by doing a rundown of my favorite things so far in 2008.
TOP LOCAL BANDS 2008
BALMORHEA This folksy post-rock band recalls Sigur Ros if they were, like, actually good (sorry, just never been an SR fan). Their new album Rivers Arms simply blows the roof off any instrumental album you’ve heard all year. With a sound like a faded Polaroid and a roster of challenging musicians, Balmorhea would do well to stay in the scene and continue making awesome music.
This metal-cum-punk firestorm of a band seems to be on the cusp of a major breakthrough. With the intricate instrumentation and frank brutality that seems to be the zeitgeist of the ever-elitist metal community right now, combined with the punk politics and self-releasing ideology of the Maximum Rock ‘n Roll crowd, PFS refuses to copy old metal standards, instead creating a style all their own.
Could it be possible that one of the coolest, most interesting bands in Austin has actually outdone itself on their sophomore release? The excellent Pardon Me, Are Those Your Claws in My Back? definitely is in my top ten for the year, and it’s no wonder considering the band has perfected its manic, self-referential Monkees-cum-punk sound. Three vocalists, all with virtuoso performances on their respective instruments, this trio, with their equal parts bluesy and rock sound definitely keep Austin proud.
RINGO DEATHSTARR Here’s a band that namedrops old-school Dandy Warhols, fuses shoegaze and wall-of-sound ethos with a rock attitude, and sports a live show that frequently features destroyed drum kits and guitarists falling all over each other. Need I say more?
TOP ALBUMS THAT I WAS ANTICIPATING AND LUCKILY WERE AWESOME
CRYSTAL CASTLES Cannibal Cheerleader favorites Crystal Castles definitely delivered when their debut LP dropped this March. Keeping the best tracks from their respective EPs (”Alice Practice”, “xxzxcuzx me”, “Love and Caring”) and dropping new awesome tracks like the fantastic “Black Panther”, “Knights”, and “Through the Hosiery”. These guys remain some of my favorites for 2008 and their SXSW show, while short due to an injury by lead singer Alice Glass, was nonetheless a freaking blast. Keep an eye on these guys and see where this album takes them.
This foursome’s sophomore release Get Awkward was everything I could’ve wanted from a followup. It retains the breakneck speed and silliness of their self-titled debut but rewards with deeper lyrics, more refined melodies, and sharper hooks that show a band that’s definitely maturing. The unfortunate part of this album’s release was Universal’s refusal to release three of the album’s best tracks (”Becky”, “Blow Your Mind”, and “Black Hole”). Sucks for purchasers of their US release *cough* but somehow people might manage to find these tracks… Black Hole Blow Your Mind Becky
THE RAVEONETTES Lust Lust Lust is the soundtrack to all your woozy, colorful nightmares. The visions of spiraling down into a hazey ether are pretty heavily captured in the shoegazey goodness that is this duo’s fourth release. Highly recommended for shoegaze and aspiring rock critics alike.
GNARLS BARKLEY While The Odd Couple is definitely a weirder LP than this power duo’s debut, the underground hip-hop vibe comes across stronger here and I’d wager to say first single “Run” is a better single than “Crazy” anyway.
TOP ARTISTS THAT I DISCOVERED OUT OF THE BLUE
FRIGHTENED RABBIT Found these guys by picking a random review to do for Soundcheck Magazine the other day and they’re definitely the bee’s knees when it comes to tender indie-rock. A foursome from Glasgow they remind me of a more sincere Shins, with a knack for melody and harmony but with a singer-songwriter confessional edge that, while sounding naive and young, is all the better for it in its conviction and depth. Definitely worth a look if you’re into the high drama of Arcade Fire but the simple instrumentation of early Death Cab.
DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS Saw these dudes on a chick’s purse and thought it was the coolest name for a band ever. Went to the myspace and really was astounded by their musicianship and ultra-tight hooks. Definitely check out the single “Sweet Talk” and you’ll be instantly converted. They’re on tour now with Paramore and Jimmy Eat World, and they definitely recall the latter’s early albums so hear them now before they get big.
CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES Saw this girl at the Alternative Press Showcase at SXSW and her set was pretty phenomenal. Just a girl on guitar and a guy on a keyboard, CS is poised to really come into her own this year, just based off the strength of the songs I saw her play at her 30 minute show. Confused as to how Charlotte fits into the Warped Tour community (she’ll be a staple artist for the whole tour) and having picked up her eponymous three-song EP it’s easy to see how she straddles the line between singer-songwriter chic and punk rocker with songs like “Sweet Valium High”. Definitely worth checking out and definitely pick up the new album when it drops.
GRAND OLE PARTY I have a thing for female vocalists and short of Erica from the Faceless Werewolves, the best drummer/singer in rock is>> from Grand Ole Party, who remind of early White Stripes, with its minimalist edge and bluesy-vocals. Check out “Look Out Young Son” for a fantastic sample of what their debut album Humanimals has to offer.
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM Coming off as a working class Against Me!, Gaslight Anthem hail from Jersey and they like to make it known. Tracks like “I’da Called You Woody, Joe”, which they absolutely tore through at their show at SXSW will convert you to this band’s sound quicker than a Bush can sink an economy.
TOP LIVE SHOWS FROM SXSW ‘08
MY MORNING JACKET This band tore it up both at the Parish and at the Austin Music Hall during SXSW, and the new tracks from their upcoming Evil Urges sound like it could be their best album yet. Definitely an experience.
CRYSTAL CASTLES After having waited over a year to see these guys since they skipped out on a performance at SXSW ‘07, I finally got a five-song performance from the beaten and bruised (due to a car crash) Crystal Castles. Ripping through “Alice Practice” I understood how this band gets kids dancing and moshing all at once, and for some reason, it still makes sense.
ALL TIME LOW While it’s easy to write All Time Low off as a scene band, one has to admit that the band has got some great hooks and their renditions of “Coffee Shop Soundtrack” and “Let It Roll” at their AP Showcase performance rank among the best by any band at the festival this year. Definitely a great band.
CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES Tired of singer-songwriter babes? This girl’s breaking the mold and her new album’s going to break rock if it features some of the songs from this AP showcase performance.
TOP THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2008
CAT POWER @ STUBB’S APRIL 20TH I’ve been unable to satiate my love for live Chan Marshall with just the online download of her Black Session bootleg. Her show at Stubb’s has been on my calendar ever since I first heard of it.
THE NEW MY MORNING JACKET ALBUM EVIL URGES I mean jeez, wouldya just look at that awesome cover?! Keep rock Evil I say. Keep an eye out for awesome tracks like “Highly Suspicious” and “
CONVERGE @ RED 7 APRIL 22ND I’m completely ready and willing to be torn to shreds in a punk rock frenzy worthy of the history books.
BE YOUR OWN PET @ STUBB’S Missed these guys at SXSW so I’m ready to make up for it. Too bad though that they’re playing with lame as shit band She Wants Revenge, but what can you do.
RILO KILEY @ STUBB’S The final stop of this their Under the Blacklight Tour is right here in Austin in June and my friends and I have definitely already bought tickets.
THE NEW CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES ALBUM WAVES AND THE BOTH OF US Again, awesome cover! Hey, maybe I’m a stickler but I think of an album cover as a piece of pop-art so bands today should know you can’t skimp on that stuff. Actually, I think the real cover has Charlotte up as a marionette and not a suicidal emo girl but both really work for me. Plus, I’m really looking forward to hearing studio versions of some of her awesome live tracks.
WEEZER – THE RED ALBUM New Weezer album? Rad! Return to old, nerd-rock anthems? Hells yeah! A return to another eponymous, color-coated album? My life is complete. June release for this bad boy, it’s going to be epic. Stay tuned for all the big Weezer/Cuomo news as it comes out in the next few weeks here at Cannibal Cheerleader.
And hey, if you read this, do be so kind as to leave a comment so I know there are people out there who enjoy my stuff! This is the post for Monday April 7th so I’m posting a day early just to give everyone time to check it out! Thanks all!
