ARCTIC MONKEYS REVEAL HUMBUG Since we last left you Cannibal Cheerleader faithful the word on the street was still pretty sketchy on the details of the newest Arctic Monkeys LP. My how the times have changed. Seems as if the boys from Sheffield have been busy, releasing everything from the album cover (the hazy, retro image you see up there), to the title (the aforementioned, classically understated, and undeniably British Humbug), to the tracklist (the terse ten-song list you see below).
“My Propeller”
“Crying Lightning”
“Dangerous Animals”
“Secret Door”
“Potion Approaching”
“Fire and the Thud”
“Cornerstone”
“Dance Little Liar”
“Pretty Visitors”
“The Jeweller’s Hands”
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader have been Arctic Monkeys fans since the beginning, ever since they let loose with their punkish snarls and street-wise rhymes on their debut LP. When Favourite Worst Nightmare dropped we were stunned at the art-rock direction the band had chosen for their sophomore release, which featured the fearsome foursome flowering into rock monstrosities, artful tunesters whose lyrical chops and wicked instrumentation were forces to be reckoned with. And now, all signs point to an even more ‘Cannibal Cheerleader’ approach to their third album – stoner jams, Black Sabbath influences, hell even Josh Homme is aboard. Sludge city. Check out this recent press photo featuring all the boys with classic slacker hair. Note the ‘molest-aches’ and Sabbath shirt. Now squirm on over to the news that Josh Homme of stoner-metal gods Queens of the Stone Age helped co-produce Humbug. Even track titles like “Fire and Thud” absolutely seethe with sludge-jam mentality. And frankly, that’s quite alright with us. Not only are we big stoner-jam fans to begin with, and Arctic Monkeys aficionados to boot, but we have an affinity for bands trying new things, broadening their horizons, and venturing outside their comfort zone. Here’s to Humbug coming through in spades.
Arctic Monkeys – “Take It Or Leave It (Strokes Cover)” ******************************************************************** JENNY LEWIS LIVE REVIEW Sweltering heat accompanies any Austin, Texas summer night, and June 22nd was no different just because the cooling breeze that is the voice of Miss Jenny Lewis was in town. Still, as the sun set on the Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre here in downtown Austin, any audience member there could have told you there was no other place worth being than bathed in the glow of the sonorous tunes by the fiery redhead. The evening started with Ohio-to-Austin transplants the Heartless Bastards churning away at their soulful rock-renditions, leaning heavily on the formidable strength of lead crooner Erika Wennerstrom’s inimitable voice. Burning through tracks from their newest LP The Mountain as well as old crowd favorites, the band felt tight and pulverizing, Wennerstrom’s rhythm section choreographing their movements in tune with the songs like consummate rock professionals. The sound was mixed at a very bass-high level, allowing for a bombastic volume level that rumbled out over the enthusiastic crowd. After an all-too-short set the band wrapped up to make way for the main course. Then, just as the sun set off in the distance Jenny Lewis trailed by boyfriend and co-writer of Acid Tongue Jonathan Rice and the rest of her ragtag traveling troupe took to the stage with force, leaping immediately into crowd favorite “See Fernando” before assaulting a bevy of old classics from her already formidable solo library. Whipping their way through track after track of instantaneously infectious indie-rock nuggets with equal parts country and rock twang, Jenny Lewis and company sounded wholly loose and carefree. While a Rilo Kiley performance, as awe-inspiring as they might be, come with at times an overabundance of gravitas, it became clear to the audience at Stubb’s that a Lewis solo performance was the exact opposite – an opportunity for the singer to delight in rock classicism and groove effortlessly without self-referencing. Still, perhaps the most achingly gorgeous performance of the night was the solo-acoustic rendition of Rilo Kiley classic “Silver Lining” that saw Lewis alone on the stage, strumming away through the basic chords of the love-lorn tune, made all the more powerful by the absence of Blake Sennett. The band wrapped up the night with a cavalier and ramshackle take on “The Next Messiah” followed by an encore that featured a brand new song (”Big Wave”, one of two new songs of the night, the other being “Just Like Zeus”, both being infectious and sounding more Rilo Kiley-esque than most of Lewis’ current repertoire), “Acid Tongue”, and the hot-and-sweaty closer “Born Secular”. Overall a fantastic display of confident musicianship that once again reasserts Miss Lewis reign as the queen of indie-rock. Check out this wonderful video below found on YouTube – recorded maybe with a digital camera but the vertical lines make me think I’m watching an old home movie and the sound quality is pretty spot-on. Enjoy!
Jenny Lewis – “Acid Tongue” Heartless Bastards – “Out At Sea” ******************************************************************** CRYSTAL CASTLES TUSSLE WITH SECURITY Word on the street is Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Crystal Castles are some troublesome youngsters. Always gallivanting about, canceling shows (to great dismay), and generally acting like good ol’ fashioned rockstars. Now it seems they’ve gotten into yet another scrape, this time with security at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona. Sources say that after an entire set of battling with agonizing sound issues, Alice Glass decided to trash the band’s drum kit after the set was finished. Apparently, festival security didn’t enjoy her rowdy behavior and in the video below one can see a security guard scooping her up and away from the drums. However, in the last few seconds of the vid one can see E. Kath dashing to his singer’s aid and just as it looks like he’s about to throw a haymaker the video cuts out. Reports are a small tussle took place but the only punches thrown were by the tiny fists of Glass to undoubtedly little damage. Check it out below.
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader, Crystal Castles historians we are, have long since known about Glass’ penchant for causing a ruckus. Check out some of the videos our friends from the Lymbyc Systym sent us (their drummer pulls double duties in both bands) showcasing some onstage destruction. Obviously skip to the last part of both the videos for the real action.
Yep, seems as if Glass and Kath are quite the rapscallions. We’re not one to pass judgment on such things really – we’re just huge fans of the music. Still, all the ruckus and holier-than-thou arguments about how dastardly the Crystal Castles duo behave remind us of how the Brits hemmed and hawed over the Sex Pistols’ Bill Grundy interview – and how twenty years later they all realized how silly they all were for caring so much. And hell, we appreciate it when rock stars act as such. Here’s to a few destroyed hotel rooms at the Crystal Castles suite.
Crystal Castles – “Death (White Lies Remix)” ******************************************************************** SPINNERETTE RELEASE SELF-TITLED DEBUT Coming off the heated anticipation following their Ghetto Love EP, Brody Dalle’s self-titled SpinneretteLP emerges, rising like some Garbage-influenced phoenix from the ashes of the Distillers. Never one to people please and not follow her own ambitions, Dalle here experiments with churning electronic loops and danceable rhythms recalling a solo-era Courtney Love with bigger chops and a greater sense of genuineness. And while the songs may at times seem cookie-cutter and over-produced, Dalle is nothing if not self-referential, taking an inherently shallow music medium and infusing it with hot sweat and malice, her trademark drawl and impassioned wails adding an air of desperation to the forlorn tracks and creating an undertone of experimentalism and depth that begs for multiple spins. The album has been receiving some flack from all sides, but the ultimate criticism that anyone can come up with is that Dalle is not delivering on the promise of Coral Fang Pt. 2. I’m sure she would say the album is her big middle finger to an industry that wishes to pigeonhole female artists into easily definable roles. This is Dalle’s Eagles of Death Metal and it kills.
Spinnerette – “All Babes Are Wolves” Spinnerette – “The Walking Dead” ******************************************************************** JIM JAMES IS EVERYWHERE The fact that My Morning Jacket has no release planned for this year hasn’t stopped lead crooner Jim James from remaining as prolific as ever. On top of releasing the excellent Celebración de la Ciudad Natal Record Store Day release featuring the Jacket performing live, James has also revealed that he will be releasing an EP of George Harrison covers under the pseudonym ‘Yim Yames‘ in tribute to the late Beatles guitarist. The release features recordings from Harrison’s days with the Beatles and his storied solo career.
In other Jim James related news, the Monsters of Folk album has been officially confirmed, and it combines the MMJ frontman with none other than M. Ward and Conor Oberst. The self-titled debut album is due out on Sept. 22nd and will feature fifteen barn-burning country-rockers. Tracklist below:
“Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)”
“Say Please”
“Whole Lotta Losin’”
“Temazcal”
“The Right Place”
“Baby Boomer”
“Man Named Truth”
“Goodway”
“Ahead of the Curve”
“Slow Down Jo”
“Losin Yo Head”
“Magic Marker”
“Map of the World”
“The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me”
“His Master’s Voice”
Yim Yames – “Behind That Locked Door” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: COMPLETE COLLAPSE Sometimes record store crawling can pay off in spades, as was the case when the Cannibal Cheerleader crew wandered into Trailer Space Records in East Austin to find female-fronted Atx hardcore group Complete Collapse spreading ruiniation between the indie and classic rock aisles. Despite having only been around since January the band is already gaining steam locally, and will be playing club shows and recording demos as the summer drags on. For our money however, the band, with their rip-snarl guitar attack and the guttural howl of lead singer Carrie, is one of the best hardcore punk groups representing Austin right now. Be sure and check their July 14th show at Red 7 and head over to their Myspace. Hail to the hardcore. ******************************************************************** JOIN JOY FORMIDABLE MAILING LIST Seems as if our pals in The Joy Formidable have been busy – crafting a stunning debut LP, releasing three singles and three respective videos already from said 9-song album, and all the while keeping up with their fans on a very intimate level. It seems the band would like everyone to know they should sign up for their email list at their new official website so we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are definitely obliging. Won’t you? Be sure and keep track of this trio over at their Myspace – word on the street is they’ll soon be huge.
Joy Formidable – “The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: LA ROUX Riding an electric storm across the Atlantic, fueled by infectious synth-beats and danceable harmonies, UK act La Roux are poised to storm the US and turn the Little Boots hysteria into ‘LaRoux-lite’. Sounding decidedly icy and unconcerned while maintaining enough crystalline tenderness and depth to really illuminate the fact that a great dance record when made well is also a great indie-rock record, the duo’s (producer Ben Langmaid and singer Emmy Jackson) self-titled debut swaggers with the confidence of a record deep into an artist’s career. With a tidal wave of British press behind the band and a Flock of Seagulls haircut that’s sure to be the focus of a million other articles on the highly coifed singer, La Roux are nonetheless the kind of understated dance act that’s sure to make a huge splash.
La Roux – “In For the Kill” La Roux – “Colourless Colour” ******************************************************************** VOTE ROLO TOMASSI One of our favorite acts of all time Rolo Tomassi is apparently in the running for the Kerrang! Magazine award for Best British Newcomer. To help the group claim this hefty title and wrestle it from those other poser bands you have to go to this website and vote immediately! Just put ‘ROLO TOMASSI’ in the text box and you’re all set. Let’s get Rolo Tomassi to the top where they belong!
As a quick aside it seems in all our Rolo Tomassi excitement we’ve somehow forgotten to introduce their excellent video for rawkus album opener “Oh, Hello Ghost”. Allow us to remedy that immediately and treat you to a string of hardcore infused Xmas lights and tiny wooden mannequin in a disturbing love triangle:
In other news it seems that Rolo Tomassi and one of our other favorite Holy Roar groups Throats will be releasing a special split 7″, with each band covering the other’s respective songs. Throats will be giving their own rendition of “I Love Turbulence” while the Spence’s and company will be delivering the goods on “Headclouds” and “Reign of Low”. Limited edition here folks, pre-order while you can. Here’s to these two awesome UK imports!
Rolo Tomassi – “Scabs” Throats – “Deathnaps” ******************************************************************** NEW TINY VIPERS ALBUM If any young artist this year were to deliver on the promise of their past work in the same way that Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers has done with her new incredible outing Life On Earth, a stunning achievement in minimalist acoustic-folk and a mind-altering journey that begs to explore deep, philosophical facets of one’s mind, then they can be said to have pull off the impossible. Tiny Vipers, perhaps best known for her silence-inducing, eye-opening live performances has crafted a stormy, flickering dark wave of an album, with a sound like a dark journey down the river Styx, casting away at a slow pitch towards a dark underworld of introspective thought where return is not guaranteed. Casting aside all traditional singer-songwriter structures and Cat Power-aping, Fortino here sounds completely unique and natural, alone in a cave with only her questions on life to comfort her. A truly masterful effort, Life On Earth may well have claimed the crown of the best acoustic record of the year only halfway through.
Tiny Vipers – “Life On Earth” Tiny Vipers – “Tiger Mountain” ******************************************************************** NEW BLOC PARTY SINGLE Never ones to rest on their laurels, Bloc Party are racing off again, this time with a new one-off single called “One More Chance”, released on BBC Radio last week. Featuring Kele Okereke’s trademark pained-croons about lost love and strained relationships, the single introduces a dancier rhythm and a disco-inflections that were only briefly explored on Intimacy. The song careens through several minutes of guitar-pedals and electronic washes before barreling to hushed close, altogether leaving us wanting more. Is this the new direction for another Bloc Party LP? Retro synths and lost love? Here’s hoping so! Enjoy at the Bloc Party site here!
Bloc Party – “Ion Square (Banjo Or Freakout Remix)” ******************************************************************** HALFWAY THERE: MID-YEAR BEST OF LIST We here at Cannibal Cheerleader don’t count ourselves as big fans of ‘rock lists’, the male-oriented activity of putting quantitative values to qualitative artistic endeavors. We’ve always made a point to try and not even review bands we dislike – art is subjective and to create is inherently a valued activity. That said, while we like a lot of things, we, like most, tend to like some things more than others, and that’s what our mid-year best of list is all about. We figured since this is a halfway-point in the year list we wouldn’t go into too much detail; instead we numbered our favorite singles and albums thus far, creating a comprehensive list of what has impressed us thus far. Check it:
1. “Black Eyes” – Gallows One listen to the terrifying wail that is Gallows‘ Frank Carter screaming “I know where you live!” instantly rockets this searing single up the list, and kudos to the crunching instrumentation and experimental aesthetic that pulls it out of the hardcore sameness muck and into first place. Perhaps the best thing Gallows have ever done – looking forward to checking them out on July 4th here in Austin!
BEST ALBUMS OF ‘09 THUS FAR
10. The Horrors – Primary Colours 9. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone 8. Peter Doherty – Grace/Wastelands 7. Tiny Vipers – Life On Earth 6. The Joy Formidable – A Balloon Called Moaning 5. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns 4. Fever Ray – Fever Ray 3. Kylesa – Static Tensions 2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
1. Lissy Trullie – Self-Taught Learner What can we say that we haven’t already about this blistering release? Lissy Trullie wraps up everything that’s cool about rock and roll into one six-song EP then dares us to find flaw. We here at Cannibal Cheerleader really can’t. Looking forward to some recording news in the near future and maybe another LT release by the end of the year. ******************************************************************** CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER LIVES So where have we been for the past few weeks? Whatever happened to ‘never gonna let you down now’? Well Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, we’ve been saving up the good stuff for one big release of course. As opposed to aping the other blogs who release every worthless tidbit they can scrape together or copy/pasting from PitchGum, we plan on releasing a massive weekly post that really showcases what music we find really worthwhile. The blog has been repeated ad infinitum. We didn’t devise Cannibal Cheerleader to get the most hits, to join the blogosphere proper. From now on CC is an online zine, appearing once a week featuring all the outsider writing you’ve come to know and love.
So what do we have in store for you? Well as the year progresses the site layout will be updated, showing off a little bit more of our videowork. Check out the video below to see a reel of our Cannibal Cheerleader work over the years – seems like we’ve been around the block more than once! That said we encourage anyone who wants the CC crew to make a video for their band to please contact us at cannibalcheerleader@gmail.com. We’d be happy to do it and frankly we’re not bad at what we do. Check it:
Lastly stay tuned for the fall edition of the Cannibal Cheerleader zine – that’s right volume 4 people! What’s that? You don’t have issues 1-3? Well they’re going fast so email us quick and we’ll shoot you a copy in exchange for something cool (be creative and music related!). And just to plant the demon seed in all you faithful’s brains, this Halloween be prepared for the Cannibal Cheerleader Horrowshow, a showcase of metal acts from around the world right here in Austin, Texas on Oct. 31st. You’ve been warned. Hail to the horror.
BACK IN ACTION Rising from the grave, it’s Cannibal Cheerleader, here to award the faithful and punish the nonbelievers! But seriously folks I’m back and ready to report. Grad school apps still stretch to the horizon but I miss my little corner of the internet to stay away any longer.
A few changes: 1. No more quick bites! If I only have one thing to post in a day (or just not enough time to flesh out a post) that’s just all you get people! Having too much of a workload drove me away in the first place, so try and keep me around this time – it’s supposed to be fun! 2. More original content! More videos, more new band cheers, more interviews, and less linking to Stereogum and Pitchfork. 3. Stop emailing me record labels! I appreciate your concern, but I usually just report on things I like, not the next big indie thing you’re trying to sell me. Take me off your list if I’m on there, I don’t want to read it! And no, the (insert indie band here) do not sound like the new Beatles.
ON WITH THE HORROWSHOW!!! ******************************************************************** CAT POWER IN AUSTIN Over the break the much-awaited do-over show by Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Cat Power finally landed in Austin and to those who missed it, you definitely skipped out on what may go down as the best live music performance in the capital city all year! No exaggerations here, Chan Marshall and her Dirty Delta Blues Band tore up the stage with soulful ballads of wounded hearts and dusty roads, a perfect mixture of rhythm and blues, country, and good old fashioned indie rock and roll. The setlist concentrated chiefly on tracks from this year’s criminally underrated Jukebox and the seminal The Greatest, though the brilliant opener, which really set the tone for the whole night, was a woeful and charismatic take on “I Don’t Blame You” from You Are Free. Marshall flitted across the stage with a sexy confidence that kept the crowd screaming even during slow, quiet renditions of tracks like “The Moon” and “Silver Stallion”. Her performance, once notoriously unsure and nervous now exudes a quiet confidence not unlike the downtrodden characters of her cover songs; they’ve both managed to see it all, reach the bottom, and come back out on the other side, tired and hurt and all the better for it. The backing band was excellent as well, with guitarist Teenie Hodges, who performed the intricate guitarwork on the Greatest, joining the group mid-set. Their playing was not-unlike a smokey-bar jam band, twisting in out and out of each song, mixing and changing things up as they went along. By the end of the night Marshall and crew had captured the hearts of every man and woman in attendance at Stubb’s that night. During “Angelitos Negros” she threw a bouqet of flowers in the crowd, as if spreading her new found happiness over everyone. Truly an unforgettable show and deserving of all its praise. Dust off those old Cat Power LPs if you’ve got them, it’s time to rediscover one of the best artists of our time. More pictures below: Cat Power – “Metal Heart” ******************************************************************** ACL REVIEW Due to extenuating circumstances I was only able to attend one day of this year’s ACL Festival, but it was a doozy! As usual, ACL was overcrowded, too dusty, miserable at times, and fantastic at others. I’m always iffy at the end of each fest if I’ll be back next year, and then inevitably, I’m there again.
This year’s highlights begin with Vampire Weekend, who have of course been getting a lot of blog backlash since they hit the big time with their self-titled debut. However, the Oxford crew seriously tore up the stage during their early afternoon set on Friday, debuting a few new songs and keeping the crowd dancing with the classics. Overall, I think even I underestimated the enjoyability of these tracks live, as I found myself twisting to “A-Punk” alongside hundreds of others. Definitely a treat. Next was Jenny Lewis (whose new album Acid Tongue is brilliant by the way) whom we were able to capture only from far away. While the pictures aren’t so good and the stage not really suitable for her new, big band sound, it’s probably impossible for this fiery frontwoman to flop, as she belted out classics like “Rise Up With Fists” and ripped through new barn-burners like “The Next Messiah” and “Jack Killed Mom”. Whether she was striking the keys behind her piano or strumming riffs on the guitar, Lewis was in fine form in front of a loving crowd. Definitely worth the price of admission. Lastly, there was the Mars Volta, who my friend insisted was the greatest band of all time. Perhaps loudest or most confusing might have been a better title, as the band blasted through most of the tracks from their newest LP the Bedlam in Goliath, with such abandon that it might have seemed like they didn’t care about the crowd at all. I’m not totally convince they did ever give a shit at any point but when the Volta are on they’re great, and when they fall into weird, prog, static territory they’re basically unlistenable. Overall, the show fell comfortably in the middle, leaving the crowd not satisfied or unsatisfied and instead mostly confused. Oh well.
See you next year ACL, if I’m still dumb enough to buy a ticket next year!
Jenny Lewis – “Acid Tongue” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: BEYOND GODS & EMPIRES The Austin metal scene, like most hard rock scenes in the South, is criminally underrated, and the fact that locals Beyond Gods & Empires aren’t opening for Pig Destroyer yet is a testament to that fact. This crushing four-piece combines a dual-vocal attack a-la the Red Chord with a doom-metal instrumental approach that’s equal parts High on Fire and Converge. Songs stretch to the dark horizon but the brutal assault continues throughout. Definitely a band to keep on your radar. Don’t believe me? Check out this Cannibal Cheerleader video below and see for yourself! Check the band out at their Myspace.
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: LUCKY SOUL Sifting through the CMJ overload that occurred in the past few weeks, I came upon this real gem of a band whose first string of US shows garnered them a lot of much deserved praise. Lucky Soul hail from Londontown but their sound is all New York-girl-group, with bouncy melodies crackling behind moody tales of heartbreak as sung by the smoky-voiced Ali Howard. Equal parts delicately poppy and brashly rock and roll, the music plays without a wink of irony, no great nod to the past, and sounds all the more genuine because of it. The group’s debut The Great Unwanted was well-received in their home country and the group is now working on teh followup. You can bet we’ll be first on the list to hear any new tracks!
THE ACTION DESIGN LIVE IN AUSTIN In what will probably go down as one of our favorite punk shows of the year, the Action Design, starring M formerly of one of our favorite bands of all time Tsunami Bomb, brought their powerful brand of pop-punk to an excited Red 7 audience who thrilled at seeing the gang in fine form. Whipping through a set that included four tracks from their Into a Sound EP and another seven from Never Say, the band rocketed between soul-wrenching classics like “Lounge in Formation” to balls-out rockers like “Landmines”. Dressed complete with her now famous elephant necklace and belting out tunes with all the fire we’ve come to expect, M and co. definitely recalled a time where punk meant more than askew haircuts, tight jeans, and a video on MTV. The Action Design is genuinely the real deal, punk at its finest in 2008, pop sensibility meshing wonderfully with fiery rock and roll. Definitely grab a ticket to the tour if they’re heading through your town, check out their Myspace for dates! More pictures below. The Action Design – “Empty Face” ******************************************************************** JENNY LEWIS FULL ALBUM STREAMING Over on our friend Jenny Lewis’ Myspace you can find the enirety of her new album Acid Tongue streaming right freaking now! Go now young son, and listen to the country-rock majesty of the Rilo Kiley frontwoman’s sophomore effort!
Jenny Lewis – “Acid Tongue” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS: THE ACTION DESIGN’S NEVER SAY Having just picked up the new CD from the Action Design that is coincidentally only available right now from their tour merch table, we decided we’d right up a little review of what’s promising to be one of our favorite releases of the year. Right from the get-go, M and her TAD cohorts jump in with the soaring choruses that utilizes the lead vocals and churning guitar parts to masterful effect. Seriously, it’s as if a band has finally caught up with Emily Whitehurst’s incredible vocal delivery after all these years, creating a band that works as a cohesive whole. Standout tracks include “Landmines”, “Empty Face”, and “Tokyo Train”, though the album flows so well, working carefully through more dynamics than Tsunami Bomb’s whole discography in a single song, that to call out single songs is quite pointless. Definitely pick this one up if you can (I believe it’s available from Interpunk right now if TAD’s not swinging through your town) and buy some old Tsunami Bomb stuff while you’re at it. Definitely makes the team, though it probably spends more time skateboarding than practicing any cheers.
The Action Design – “Landmines” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: THE BOXING LESSON If you’ve lived in Austin for any time at all you’ve probably at least heard of the Boxing Lesson, even if you haven’t heard their music directly. I moved here five years ago and in that time I’ve seen them all over the place, on every flyer on every bulletin board in town. Of course, this is not without just cause, as they’re one of the most exciting and innovative Austin acts that the capital city has to offer. With a sound that’s equal parts electronica-tinged atmospherics and chugging, psychedelic indie rock, the band has honed a unique sound over the years that coalesces perfectly on their new CD Wild Streaks & Windy Days. They’re playing tomorrow with Tokyo Police Club and the Whigs at Emo’s so be sure and check them out. We’ll be keeping track of these guys from now on!
M.I.A. GUESTS ON “RAIN DANCE” M.I.A. has been an enigmatic figure as of late. First off there’s the mystery of her retirement – has she truly discontinued making music after her meteoric rise to the top with two blazingly original now classic LPs? Also, her single “Paper Planes” continues to climb the pop charts since it was used in the film Pineapple Express.Some of us of course realized the power of “Paper Planes” and Kala way back when it was released last year, but given today’s political climate and her increased popularity, we’re all hoping for an M.I.A. comeback soon! That’s what makes today’s released of “Rain Dance”, a collaboration between Radioclit and Esau Mwamwaya featuring our favorite Sri Lankan rapper so exciting. Check the video below care of GvsB:
What’s more, here’s another track from Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit’s upcoming collab featuring not only M.I.A. but Santogold as well. Check it:
Here’s hoping M.I.A. pops up in even more substantial roles in the near future! ******************************************************************** JENNY LEWIS REVEALS “THE LAST MESSIAH” Continuing on her string of awkward YouTube’s featuring an equally awkward Ben Gibbard, Jenny Lewis has revealed a new tune called “The Next Messiah” off her sophomore LP Acid Tongue and you can hear it below.
Jenny Lewis – “Acid Tongue” ******************************************************************** ANNUALS REVEAL ALBUM ARTWORK Check out that bad boy! Looks pretty killer if we do say so ourselves, combining the grandeur of Annuals‘ sweeping pop sound with the kitschy playfulness of their rock antics. But maybe it’s just a mountain and we’re reading too far into this. Either way, here’s an Annuals track to tide you over for the weekend.
INTERVIEW WITH THE ACTION DESIGN So for a myriad of reasons, including but not limited to transportation issues and the Republican National Convention being cut short due to Hurricane Gustav, the Cannibal Cheerleader crew did not manage to make it up to Minnesota to film the protests. The good news however is this week will feature the same regular updates you all know and love, starting with an interview we were really honored to conduct with one of our favorite bands of the year the Action Design. TAD is of course helmed by none other than the infamous ‘M’, otherwise known as Agent M from the excellent and much-missed California punk group Tsunami Bomb, and she was kind enough to send us the answers to a few questions we had. Here’s a sample!
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” ******************************************************************** 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 Cutiefrontman Ben Gibbard. Check it out below. Where can we get a hold of some Acid Tongue balloons?
Jenny Lewis – “The Big Guns” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS: STARS’ SAD ROBOTS Over the weekend we received our copy of the tracks from the new EPSad 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” ******************************************************************** 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?!!”
EXCLUSIVE BE YOUR OWN PET PICS We still haven’t stopped crying about the untimely demise of one of our favorite bands Be Your Own Pet, the Nashville punk foursome that decided to call it quits only after two barn-burning, madness-inducing albums. Luckily we got to see them the final time they swung through Austin (unbeknownst to us) but sadly we’re not able to fly to the UK to see their last string of performances. However, friend and reader Myke was kind enough to take some pictures of the band at the Leeds Festival and while he apologizes for the poor quality, we’ve always been one to enjoy pictures with a lot of heart and heat over professional photography (we’re all film students here, go figure). Myke’s review of the show was not particularly glowing, and he says “I mean, you know its never going to be 100% when a lead singer’s first words on stage are “I threw up three times on the way here, I feel like shit, It was Gross”. They sounded good, her voice was fine and they were pretty tight, but they just gave off the impression they didn’t want to be there at all.” Seems as if our BYOP heroes are down for the count and more than ready to throw in the towel. The end of the world comes with a whimper right? Godspeed BYOPsters, hope to see you all soon! Be Your Own Pet – “Girls On TV” ******************************************************************** JENNY LEWIS STREAMS NEW SONG Oh NPR, how we love you. Not only do your plaintively-voiced emcees deliver indie-rock news in the most monotone of fatherly voices, but you always seem to get the best tracks by the best artists first, and today’s stream of “Acid Tongue”, the first song off the album of the same name by the one and only Jenny Lewis is no exception. Seems like Miss Lewis is up to her same ol’ tricks, spinning yarns of soulful endeavors and existential malaise under the guise of a traditional country-ballad. We wouldn’t have it any other way. You can listen to the song here (scroll down). Can’t wait for Acid Tongue, and by the way, here’s the artwork below. Artwork made to look like a sheet of LSD? Jenny Lewis is clearly taking a page from the Under the Blacklight line of thinking (not that we mind of course!).
Jenny Lewis – “The Big Guns” ******************************************************************** TV ON THE RADIO’S “DANCING CHOOSE” A good day for streaming songs as New York art-rockers TV on the Radio have also posted a new track from their forthcoming album, entitled Dear Science. Seems this one is called “Dancing Choose” and can be found over here. This ditty is quite a bit more frantic than “Golden Age” but delivers on the promise that Dear Science would focus more on Tunde Adebimpe’s soulful croon and increased classical instrumentation, i.e., more horns baby. Can’t wait for this album!
TV on the Radio – “Blues From Down Here” ******************************************************************** SOUTHERN DRAMA PLAY THIS SATURDAY Our favorite local burlesque-cum-Transylvania rockers Southern Drama are playing this Saturday at an art opening on the Eastside at 8:30pm sharp! It promises to be a good time because the ladies have assured us it will be Dia De Los Muertos themed show like the picture up above – spooky (and awesome) stuff! Check the band’s Myspace for more details and check out this little YouTube video they posted below. Southern Drama – “Sour is the Day”
FOLLOW THAT BIRD! AT BEAUTY BAR Sorry for not updating Wednesday guys – a combination of more moving difficulties and a slow news day meant no time for an update. However, today is a double update, beginning with a show review of one of the best local bands we’ve stumbled upon all year, the punk trioFollow That Bird!.
Stunning an elated Beauty Bar crowd with their massive set, these women pack a sound laden with furious feedback and chugging basslines under the magnificent croon of Corin Tucker incarnate lead singer Lauren Green, whose wail refused to be overpowered even by the crunching notes of her own guitar shredding. The trio stormed through a set comprised half of punk vignettes highlighting Green’s vocals and half of more melodic pieces which challenged with their improvisational fuzz-work and splintered in a million different directions before returning to a poppy whole. All the while bassist Rachel Badger provided a solid base for the action to take place on, whipping through intricate basslines and diving below the lead guitar all with a moment’s notice, and drummer Tiffanie Lanmon railed on her drums and whipped her head about like the most metal of moshpit fanatics. Overall, the band surprised with its larger than life sound that nonetheless managed to hold fast to a punk ethos that kept us engaged and enthralled. We can definitely say without question that this was one of the best shows we’ve been to all year and we hope to see more of these girls soon! Here are some more pictures and another YouTube we found.
******************************************************************** SOUTHERN DRAMA INTERVIEW ONLINE The special interview we did a few weeks ago with our friends inSouthern Dramais now up at the Soundcheck Magazinewebsite. Go check it out hereand be sure and swing by the ladies’Myspacewhen you get a chance as well.
Southern Drama – “Blood Red”
******************************************************************** CRYSTAL CASTLES HEADS CMJ LINEUP The NYC equivalent of Austin’s own SXSW madness theCMJ Music Marathonhasannouncedits lineup and up near the top of the list is Cannibal Cheerleader favoriteCrystal Castles, along with other favorites like the Virgins, the Cool Kids, A Place To Bury Strangers, etc. We’ll definitely be looking forward to what these cats pull when their massive music fest isn’t in a town where the weather seems perpetually beautiful and cooperative (most of the time, haha). In other CC news, the duo is currently in Europe on tour and pretty soon they’ll be swinging back into the US for a romp with none other than Trent Reznor and co. We’ll be keeping you up to date on those shows when they happen!
Crystal Castles – “Trash Hologram”
******************************************************************** THE NATIONAL REVEAL NEW TUNE Recently at a show in Copenhagen our favorite brooding indie-rockers the Nationalrevealed a new track entitled “A Thousand Black Cities” which you can view below. A bit jazzier and light than the title might suggest, the song starts slow but then really comes into its own and stands aside some of the band’s strongest work, with a soaring chorus and the same hopeless, inner-city existentialism we’ve come to expect. Maybe not the band to soundtrack your latest frat party, but it’ll do if you can’t find your copy of Unknown Pleasures (lord knows that gets the sorority sisters bouncing!).
******************************************************************** ACL AFTERSHOWS ANNOUNCED According to theAustinistthe lineup of ACL Fest aftershows has been officially released and along with cool Texas acts like Bill Callahan (aka Smog) and the Butthole Surfers, there’s a special show at La Zona Rosa on Sunday night featuring none other than Conor Oberstand special guestJenny Lewis. You know that we’ll be waiting in line all day for that one, screw waiting for Foo Fighters. List of shows below:
Stubb’s BBQ:Thursday Sep 25: (outdoors) An evening with Manu Chao Ticket: $35 adv/ $35 dos Doors 7pm, show 8pm.
Friday Sep 26: (outdoors) Gnarls Barkley w/ CSS
Ticket: $27 adv/ $30 dos
Doors 8pm, Show 9pm
Saturday Sep 27: (very special gospel brunch) Gospel Brunch w/ Mike Farris featuring the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Ticket: $30, $40 (Call for reservations 512-480-8341)
Doors at 11am, Brunch at 11:30am
Saturday Sep 27: (outdoors) Return of the Butthole Surfers w/ The Kills
Ticket: $30 adv/ $33 dos
Doors 7pm, Show 8pm.
Saturday Sep 27: (indoors) Mugison
Ticket: $15 adv/ $15 dos
Doors 11:30pm, show midnight
Sunday Sep 28: (outdoors) The Black Keys w/ The Black Angels & Jessica Lea Mayfield
Ticket: $25 adv/ $25 dos
Doors at 7pm, Show at 7:30pm
LaZona Rosa:
Friday Sep 26 G Love & Special Sauce
Ticket: $25 adv/ $27 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 11pm
Sunday Sep 28 Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band w/ Special Guests Jenny Lewis and M. Ward
Ticket: $30 adv/ $30 dos
Doors at 9pm, Show at 10pm The Parish:
Friday Sep 26 Jamie Lidell w/ Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears
Ticket: $20 adv/ $20 dos
Doors at 10pm, show at 11pm
Paramount Theater:
Thursday Sep 25 David Byrne on Tour – songs from David Byrne and Brian Eno
Ticket: $50, $55
Doors at 7:30pm, Show 8:30pm
Saturday Sep 27 The Swell Season w/ Bill Callahan
Ticket: $35, $42.50 (depends on where seat location is)
Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8:30pm
Emos:
Friday Sep 26 (outdoors) Drive-By Truckers w/ Shooter Jennings
Ticket: $20 adv/ $22 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 10:30pm
Friday Sep 26 (Emos Jr) Heartless Bastards w/ Dead Confederate & Wax Fang
Ticket: $15 adv/ $17 dos
Doors at 10pm, show at 10:30pm
Friday Sep 26 (Emos Lounge) Car Stereo Wars
Ticket: $8 adv/ $10 dos
Doors at 10pm, show 11pm.
Saturday Sep 27 Emos Outside Okkervil River w/ Man Man & Crooked Fingers
Ticket: $15 adv/ $17 dos
Doors at 10pm, show 10:30pm
Saturday Sep 27 (Emos jr) Jose Gonzalez w/ Neva Dinova & McCarthy Trenching
Ticket: $18 adv/ $20 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 10:30pm
Saturday Sep 27 (Emos Lounge) Car Stereo Wars
Ticket: $8 adv/ $10 dos
Doors at 10pm, show 11pm.
Antone’s:
Saturday Sep 27 Jakob Dylan and The Gold Mountain Rebels w/ Back Door Slam
Ticket: $23 adv, $25 dos
Doors at 10pm, Show at 10:30pm
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: KYLESA Make no mistake about our indier-than-thou, twee lovin’ credibility over here at Cannibal Cheerleader – heck, we’re a stones-throw from tight-jeans wearing hipsters – but we love ourselves some face-melting fuckin’ metal every once in a while. And while we hate the radio-ready rock of bands like the much maligned Disturbed, we can’t help but be intrigued every time we hear about a band that takes the dynamic elements of metal (it’s penchant for feedback-heavy riffs, it’s air of slow-burning experimentation, etc) and fuses them into a truly unique package. That band is Savannah, Georgia’sKylesa, a beast of a band combining swirly guitar-noodling, teeth-grinding riffs, and a brilliant vocal dichotomy between two lead vocalists, Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants. With a psychedelic tinge and a habit of making loud-quiet-loud seem like doom-hushed oblivion-doom, Kylesa take Southern metal and brand their mark of experimentalism and purebred fury into its dusty hide. Lucky for us Austinites the band will be swinging through on Sept. 20th supporting Pinback, and you know, as always, Cannibal Cheerleader will be there!
Jenny Lewis, frontwoman of our favorite alt-country-meets-indie-rock quartet Rilo Kiley, has announced the title and tracklist of her already impressive sounding second solo album. The LP will be titled Acid Tongue and will feature such esteemed guests as M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel, and Elvis Costello (check out more details here). Given the gorgeous Lucinda Williams’ nature of Lewis’ last record Rabbit Fur Coat we’re hoping from more of the same here at Cannibal Cheerleader. Lewis will undoubtably debut some of these new tracks at her upcoming performance at the ACL Music Festival here in Austin and on her upcoming tour with Conor Oberst. Tracklist for Acid Tongue below:
01 Black Sand 02 Pretty Bird 03 The Next Messiah 04 Bad Man’s World 05 Acid Tongue 06 See Fernando 07 Godspeed 08 Carpetbaggers 09 Trying My Best to Love You 10 Jack Killed Mom 11 Sing a Song for Them
We’ve had one or two posts before now about the Crystal Castles “Crystal Theft” Controversy (you know, the one where member of the ‘chiptune’ community have accused Ethan Cath and Alice Glass of stealing beats from chiptune artists’ songs and not giving proper credit to their original creators). Well it seems that music blog giant Pitchfork Media has also weighed in and posted an exclusive article featuring communication with members and management of Crystal Castles on this subject, the full text of which is below. Also, hey, thanks for mentioning Cannibal Cheerleader Pitchfork, looks like we’re getting noticed here in Austin!
From Pitchfork:
“Today, however, we present the case of Crystal Castles vs. Various Members of the 8bitpeoples Collective, a group of “chip music”-makers and software/hardware developers inspired by classic video game sounds.
Our story begins in 2004, when a fledging Crystal Castles were still honing their craft. At that time, according to the duo, they relied exclusively on samples, and a few of those samples from that period were lifted from chip music artists.
A bit of background: Like many in the chip music community, 8bitpeoples artists routinely post their music on the collective’s website for free download, with the stipulation that said music is protected under a Creative Commons License. The license provides for free copying, distribution, and transmission of the works in question, provided the person doing the copying/distributing/transmitting:
1. Properly attributes the work 2. Does not use the work for commercial purposes 3. Does not “alter, transform, or build upon” the work (aka create derivative works)
It’s also worth noting that any of these conditions can be waived given permission from the artist behind the work in question.
So, back to Crystal Castles. 8bitpeoples alleges that the duo “violated every term of the [Creative Commons] license” in its use of music created by one of the collective’s artists, a musician called Lo-Bat. They also claim Crystal Castles employed a drum beat from another chip music artist, Covox, “in no less than four…songs.”
Others in the chip music community have chimed in with accusations. A writeup on blog Gameboy Genius lists several more instances of perceived beat-jacking on the part of Crystal Castles, even going so far as to analyze a pair of audio tracks side by side.
But here’s the thing: First, as mentioned, Crystal Castles admit to the sampling. What’s more, according to them, none of the music that contains uncleared samples has been released.
As Crystal Castles member Ethan Kath wrote in an email to Pitchfork, “These infringing songs are early unreleased tracks which were never performed. They are the most awful tracks associated with the band and [vocalist] Alice [Glass] herself hasn’t heard most of these tracks. I put these tracks together myself and then discarded them because I thought they were too poor for release. Labels were interested in collecting these sample-based tracks but we did not want to release these tracks because we did not like the songs. And even if we did like the songs, there were too many samples to clear. Three of the tracks sample early Madonna, three of the tracks sample Joy Division, two of the tracks sample the Stooges, three of the tracks sample Lo-Bat, four of the tracks sample Covox.”
According to the band, the controversy stems from the appearance of several unreleased Crystal Castles tracks online. At least one– which is titled “Insecticon” (erroneously, apparently) and samples Lo-Bat– appeared on the MySpace page of Lies Records, the label to which CC originally licensed their self-titled debut album.
Explains Kath, “One of our earliest tracks is a noise-guitar track called ‘Insectica’. While teaching myself how to use a computer music sequencer program, I mashed it up with a Lo-Bat track. It somehow appeared online as ‘Insecticon’. I assume it was named for someone mishearing Alice sing the opening line ‘I, Insectica.’ Someone else posted the track as ‘Bitter Hearts’ after learning that we have an unreleased track called ‘Bitter Hearts’ and [assuming] they had found it. If I had put the song online myself I would have called it ‘Insectica (Crystal Castles vs. Lo-Bat version)’ but unfortunately I did not upload it. I do not regret this, the publicity we are receiving four years later is priceless.”
The song in question, though still titled “Insecticon”, is now credited to “CC vs. Lo-Bat” on the Lies Records MySpace. It now includes a Creative Commons License acknowledgement as well. Crystal Castles also insist that Lo-Bat has contacted their manager and expressed that he does not mind the sample and finds the controversy “ridiculous.”
In a statement to blog Cannibal Cheerleader, a Lies Records rep notes, “I myself wanted to release ‘Insecticon’ but I could not find Lo-bat to seek his permission.”
Furthermore, Kath writes, “The artists who have been sampled have agreed that the 8bit community is making too big a deal about this, plus they do not want publicity for this, they do not want to be known as the bands that Crystal Castles sampled. Instead, they want to be known for their own great music. We are trying to help with this, we are organizing a compilation of our favourite 8bit songs for release on Lies Records.”
So yes, Crystal Castles did create derivative works based on the music of chip music artists without proper attribution (though the attribution wasn’t the band’s doing)– two Creative Commons agreement no-no’s. But since they didn’t release or perform the works– and deny that they were responsible for disseminating them– it would be hard to mount a case for the third Creative Commons violation (”commercial gain”). And indeed, even the other two Creative Commons conditions wouldn’t apply to experiments that were intended to remain in the bedroom/studio.
We may never know how most of the early Crystal Castles material made it online, but since Kath and Glass insist it wasn’t their doing– and since they’ve made clear their intention to not release any of the sampled material without permission– we think it’s high time to call off the witch hunt.
In other news, Crystal Castles have loads of touring to attend to this summer, including a round of dates with Nine Inch Nails. They’ll release a new UK single for “Vanished” in 7″ and digital formats via Different Recordings on July 21. They also hope to issue a new EP and a collection of remixes in the fall. “
Once again, thanks for the shoutout Pitchfork! The article pretty much sums up the issue from inception to ‘Insecticon” and they’ve come to the same conclusion as us down here at Cannibal Cheerleader, that we need to end this senseless argument over what are essentially Ethan Kath’s home recordings. You can read the original Pitchfork post here.
Also, as you can read from this update, Crystal Castles hope to be releasing a new EP and a remix LP sometime this fall. Awesome news! I imagine there will be a lot of comments on this article so since you can’t post public comments over at the P4K, bring them here. What do people think about this one?
Crystal Castles – “Alice Practice (Future Cop Remix)” ******************************************************************** CONOR OBERST SOLO LP/TOUR WITH JENNY LEWIS According to Stereogum, Conor Oberst is revealing more and more about his upcoming Conor Oberst LP and his tour with the Mystic Valley Band. In fact you can head over to Mr. Oberst’s site http://www.conoroberst.com/album/ right now and check out two additional tracks from his upcoming release, “Souled Out” and “Danny Callahan”. Also, according to Pitchfork Conor Oberst will be touring with none other than Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley for some of his fall tour dates in support of his self-titled album. The tracks here sound more upbeat than Cassadaga but certainly don’t dissappoint with their creativity or spirtuality. As Stereogum said, “Nothing like some alien sightings to bring some joy back to the songwriting process”.
Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst will both be playing solo sets at this year’s Austin City Limits Fest so maybe we’ll get our first glimpse of the two together during one of their respective sets! Here’s another Conor Oberst track taken from a Mystic Valley Band live show that’s been circling the Internet for a while. Enjoy!
******************************************************************** THE ROLLER PLAYS THURSDAY @ RED 7 And you know we’ll be there to check it out, camera in hand! Just wanted to announce this as The Roller are fast becoming one of Austin’s preeminent metal acts, so catch ‘em now before they’re too big to catch!
The Roller – “Rattle of the Shaman” ******************************************************************** MAXMILLION DUNBAR AKA VULTURE V Seems that emcee Vulture V from Baltimore’s Food For Animals (http://www.myspace.com/thefoodforanimals) has a side project as a producer under the moniker Maxmillion Dunbar, and his first 7” featuring two new tracks just dropped via Future Times. Check out this first track “Outrageous Soulz” – quite a summer sizzler if we do say so ourselves!
Maxmillion Dunbar – “Outrageous Soulz” ******************************************************************** ACTION DESIGN DEBUT NEW TRACK ON MYSPACE Our favorite post-Tsunami Bomb female fronted pop-punk act the Action Design (yay for Agent M for getting back on her feet!) has a new track on their Myspace, a cover of grunge act Seaweed’s track “Kid Candy”, and believe us, it plays in the spirit of few punkers today. Action Design sound like what reading the Love and Rockets comic book feels like – the story of punks growing up, getting smarter, and looking inside for something deep amidst all that rage. Great stuff and it’s what made us include Action Design as one of our top ten new bands this year so far. Definitely check the band out at their Myspace and listen to “Kid Candy” – you won’t regret it!
Since we last left you Cannibal Cheerleader faithful the word on the street was still pretty sketchy on the details of the newest Arctic Monkeys LP. My how the times have changed. Seems as if the boys from Sheffield have been busy, releasing everything from the album cover (the hazy, retro image you see up there), to the title (the aforementioned, classically understated, and undeniably British Humbug), to the tracklist (the terse ten-song list you see below).
Check out this recent press photo featuring all the boys with classic slacker hair. Note the ‘molest-aches’ and Sabbath shirt. Now squirm on over to the news that Josh Homme of stoner-metal gods Queens of the Stone Age helped co-produce Humbug. Even track titles like “Fire and Thud” absolutely seethe with sludge-jam mentality. And frankly, that’s quite alright with us. Not only are we big stoner-jam fans to begin with, and Arctic Monkeys aficionados to boot, but we have an affinity for bands trying new things, broadening their horizons, and venturing outside their comfort zone. Here’s to Humbug coming through in spades.
Sweltering heat accompanies any Austin, Texas summer night, and June 22nd was no different just because the cooling breeze that is the voice of Miss Jenny Lewis was in town. Still, as the sun set on the Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre here in downtown Austin, any audience member there could have told you there was no other place worth being than bathed in the glow of the sonorous tunes by the fiery redhead.
The evening started with Ohio-to-Austin transplants the Heartless Bastards churning away at their soulful rock-renditions, leaning heavily on the formidable strength of lead crooner Erika Wennerstrom’s inimitable voice.
Burning through tracks from their newest LP The Mountain as well as old crowd favorites, the band felt tight and pulverizing, Wennerstrom’s rhythm section choreographing their movements in tune with the songs like consummate rock professionals. The sound was mixed at a very bass-high level, allowing for a bombastic volume level that rumbled out over the enthusiastic crowd. After an all-too-short set the band wrapped up to make way for the main course.
Then, just as the sun set off in the distance Jenny Lewis trailed by boyfriend and co-writer of Acid Tongue Jonathan Rice and the rest of her ragtag traveling troupe took to the stage with force, leaping immediately into crowd favorite “See Fernando” before assaulting a bevy of old classics from her already formidable solo library. Whipping their way through track after track of instantaneously infectious indie-rock nuggets with equal parts country and rock twang, Jenny Lewis and company sounded wholly loose and carefree. While a Rilo Kiley performance, as awe-inspiring as they might be, come with at times an overabundance of gravitas, it became clear to the audience at Stubb’s that a Lewis solo performance was the exact opposite – an opportunity for the singer to delight in rock classicism and groove effortlessly without self-referencing.
Still, perhaps the most achingly gorgeous performance of the night was the solo-acoustic rendition of Rilo Kiley classic “Silver Lining” that saw Lewis alone on the stage, strumming away through the basic chords of the love-lorn tune, made all the more powerful by the absence of Blake Sennett. The band wrapped up the night with a cavalier and ramshackle take on “The Next Messiah” followed by an encore that featured a brand new song (”Big Wave”, one of two new songs of the night, the other being “Just Like Zeus”, both being infectious and sounding more Rilo Kiley-esque than most of Lewis’ current repertoire), “Acid Tongue”, and the hot-and-sweaty closer “Born Secular”. Overall a fantastic display of confident musicianship that once again reasserts Miss Lewis reign as the queen of indie-rock. Check out this wonderful video below found on YouTube – recorded maybe with a digital camera but the vertical lines make me think I’m watching an old home movie and the sound quality is pretty spot-on. Enjoy!
Word on the street is Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Crystal Castles are some troublesome youngsters. Always gallivanting about, canceling shows (to great dismay), and generally acting like good ol’ fashioned rockstars. Now it seems they’ve gotten into yet another scrape, this time with security at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona. Sources say that after an entire set of battling with agonizing sound issues, Alice Glass decided to trash the band’s drum kit after the set was finished. Apparently, festival security didn’t enjoy her rowdy behavior and in the video below one can see a security guard scooping her up and away from the drums. However, in the last few seconds of the vid one can see E. Kath dashing to his singer’s aid and just as it looks like he’s about to throw a haymaker the video cuts out. Reports are a small tussle took place but the only punches thrown were by the tiny fists of Glass to undoubtedly little damage. Check it out below.
Coming off the heated anticipation following their Ghetto Love EP, Brody Dalle’s self-titled Spinnerette LP emerges, rising like some Garbage-influenced phoenix from the ashes of the Distillers. Never one to people please and not follow her own ambitions, Dalle here experiments with churning electronic loops and danceable rhythms recalling a solo-era Courtney Love with bigger chops and a greater sense of genuineness. And while the songs may at times seem cookie-cutter and over-produced, Dalle is nothing if not self-referential, taking an inherently shallow music medium and infusing it with hot sweat and malice, her trademark drawl and impassioned wails adding an air of desperation to the forlorn tracks and creating an undertone of experimentalism and depth that begs for multiple spins. The album has been receiving some flack from all sides, but the ultimate criticism that anyone can come up with is that Dalle is not delivering on the promise of Coral Fang Pt. 2. I’m sure she would say the album is her big middle finger to an industry that wishes to pigeonhole female artists into easily definable roles. This is Dalle’s Eagles of Death Metal and it kills.
The fact that My Morning Jacket has no release planned for this year hasn’t stopped lead crooner Jim James from remaining as prolific as ever. On top of releasing the excellent Celebración de la Ciudad Natal Record Store Day release featuring the Jacket performing live, James has also revealed that he will be releasing an EP of George Harrison covers under the pseudonym ‘Yim Yames‘ in tribute to the late Beatles guitarist. The release features recordings from Harrison’s days with the Beatles and his storied solo career.
Sometimes record store crawling can pay off in spades, as was the case when the Cannibal Cheerleader crew wandered into Trailer Space Records in East Austin to find female-fronted Atx hardcore group Complete Collapse spreading ruiniation between the indie and classic rock aisles. Despite having only been around since January the band is already gaining steam locally, and will be playing club shows and recording demos as the summer drags on. For our money however, the band, with their rip-snarl guitar attack and the guttural howl of lead singer Carrie, is one of the best hardcore punk groups representing Austin right now. Be sure and check their July 14th show at Red 7 and head over to their Myspace. Hail to the hardcore.
Seems as if our pals in The Joy Formidable have been busy – crafting a stunning debut LP, releasing three singles and three respective videos already from said 9-song album, and all the while keeping up with their fans on a very intimate level. It seems the band would like everyone to know they should sign up for their email list at their new official website so we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are definitely obliging. Won’t you? Be sure and keep track of this trio over at their Myspace – word on the street is they’ll soon be huge.
Riding an electric storm across the Atlantic, fueled by infectious synth-beats and danceable harmonies, UK act La Roux are poised to storm the US and turn the Little Boots hysteria into ‘LaRoux-lite’. Sounding decidedly icy and unconcerned while maintaining enough crystalline tenderness and depth to really illuminate the fact that a great dance record when made well is also a great indie-rock record, the duo’s (producer Ben Langmaid and singer Emmy Jackson) self-titled debut swaggers with the confidence of a record deep into an artist’s career. With a tidal wave of British press behind the band and a Flock of Seagulls haircut that’s sure to be the focus of a million other articles on the highly coifed singer, La Roux are nonetheless the kind of understated dance act that’s sure to make a huge splash.
One of our favorite acts of all time Rolo Tomassi is apparently in the running for the Kerrang! Magazine award for Best British Newcomer. To help the group claim this hefty title and wrestle it from those other poser bands you have to go to this website and vote immediately! Just put ‘ROLO TOMASSI’ in the text box and you’re all set. Let’s get Rolo Tomassi to the top where they belong!
If any young artist this year were to deliver on the promise of their past work in the same way that Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers has done with her new incredible outing Life On Earth, a stunning achievement in minimalist acoustic-folk and a mind-altering journey that begs to explore deep, philosophical facets of one’s mind, then they can be said to have pull off the impossible. Tiny Vipers, perhaps best known for her silence-inducing, eye-opening live performances has crafted a stormy, flickering dark wave of an album, with a sound like a dark journey down the river Styx, casting away at a slow pitch towards a dark underworld of introspective thought where return is not guaranteed. Casting aside all traditional singer-songwriter structures and Cat Power-aping, Fortino here sounds completely unique and natural, alone in a cave with only her questions on life to comfort her. A truly masterful effort, Life On Earth may well have claimed the crown of the best acoustic record of the year only halfway through.
Never ones to rest on their laurels, Bloc Party are racing off again, this time with a new one-off single called “One More Chance”, released on BBC Radio last week. Featuring Kele Okereke’s trademark pained-croons about lost love and strained relationships, the single introduces a dancier rhythm and a disco-inflections that were only briefly explored on Intimacy. The song careens through several minutes of guitar-pedals and electronic washes before barreling to hushed close, altogether leaving us wanting more. Is this the new direction for another Bloc Party LP? Retro synths and lost love? Here’s hoping so! Enjoy at the Bloc Party site here!
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader don’t count ourselves as big fans of ‘rock lists’, the male-oriented activity of putting quantitative values to qualitative artistic endeavors. We’ve always made a point to try and not even review bands we dislike – art is subjective and to create is inherently a valued activity. That said, while we like a lot of things, we, like most, tend to like some things more than others, and that’s what our mid-year best of list is all about. We figured since this is a halfway-point in the year list we wouldn’t go into too much detail; instead we numbered our favorite singles and albums thus far, creating a comprehensive list of what has impressed us thus far. Check it:
One listen to the terrifying wail that is Gallows‘ Frank Carter screaming “I know where you live!” instantly rockets this searing single up the list, and kudos to the crunching instrumentation and experimental aesthetic that pulls it out of the hardcore sameness muck and into first place. Perhaps the best thing Gallows have ever done – looking forward to checking them out on July 4th here in Austin!
What can we say that we haven’t already about this blistering release? Lissy Trullie wraps up everything that’s cool about rock and roll into one six-song EP then dares us to find flaw. We here at Cannibal Cheerleader really can’t. Looking forward to some recording news in the near future and maybe another LT release by the end of the year.
So where have we been for the past few weeks? Whatever happened to ‘never gonna let you down now’? Well Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, we’ve been saving up the good stuff for one big release of course. As opposed to aping the other blogs who release every worthless tidbit they can scrape together or copy/pasting from PitchGum, we plan on releasing a massive weekly post that really showcases what music we find really worthwhile. The blog has been repeated ad infinitum. We didn’t devise Cannibal Cheerleader to get the most hits, to join the blogosphere proper. From now on CC is an online zine, appearing once a week featuring all the outsider writing you’ve come to know and love.
