When we picked up the debut album Fur and Gold from British singer and multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan AKA Bat For Lashes we were incredibly impressed at its intriguing take on the Cat Power chanteuse formula, with whispered vocals and ethereal instrumentation. However, with her new album Two Suns Bat For Lashes has outdone herself completely, combining dancey pop sensibilities with celestial, airy instrumentations and Khan’s trademark vocal stylings. This is definitely one of our favorite releases of the year so far, check it out below! Hope to hear more from Bat For Lashes soon – come visit us in Austin! Bat For Lashes – “Glass” Bat For Lashes – “Sleep Alone”
As a bonus, check out one of our favorite videos from all time, Bat For Lashes’ “What’s A Girl To Do” and some bonus mp3s including “The Big Sleep”, the track Scott Walker guests on from Two Suns.
While I’ve seen next to nothing on the subject of Blink-182’s return to the studio on like-minded, indie-oriented blogs, let it be known that we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are infamous pop-punk apologists and couldn’t be more excited at the news of an upcoming release from this titanically talented trio. Far be it from us to say we weren’t raised on this band’s scorching anthems of teenage angst and juvenille deliquency (so sue us, we grew up in small town Texas), but the subversive aspects of a large stretch of the group’s later works, including their seminal self-titled final LP, serve as a testament to the intelligence and versatile songwriting skills behind the group’s simple melodies. Here’s what the band had to say on their website: Sounds like exciting stuff – we expect to hear some new material by May guys! Leak it to us old time fans first, we’re not indier-than-thou yet!
The Riverboat Gamblers have just uploaded a new song called “Victory Lap” to their Myspace. As you’re hopefully well aware the Austin-based punk legends are releasing their new album Underneath the Owl on March 10th, and it’s definitely the group’s most well-defined and intelligent work to date. Check out this live version of “Alexandria” and a few tracks from UTO and be sure and give “Victory Lap” a listen here.
NEW RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS SONGS/VIDEOS Today’s recurrent theme seems to be bands that one can devote their entire lives to, starting of course with Austin punk giants the Riverboat Gamblers, who just played their first show in Austin in six months this past Saturday at Red 7. Of course Cannibal Cheerleader was there camera in hand and once again the Gamblers put on a fantastic set fitting of the greatest live punk act this reporter has ever seen. Lofty praise maybe but it only seems fitting for a band whose boundless energy outlives rocky lineup changes and a music industry constantly on the verge of collapse. The Gamblers showcased some new tracks from their as-of-yet-untitled fourth LP, including “Alexandria” as shown below. Check out these videos and tell us what you think!
Riverboat Gamblers – “Alexandria”
Riverboat Gamblers – “Black Nothing Of A Cat”
Riverboat Gamblers – “Rattle Me Bones”
******************************************************************** CRYSTAL CASTLES UPDATE CC favorites Crystal Castles recently responded to a request for a statement regarding the ‘crystal theft controversy‘, which is a series of accusations leveled at the band that decry them as thieves of samples from the works of ‘chiptune’ artists on some of their tracks. Here’s what Andy from their Toronto label Lies Records had to say:
“In 2004 CC was 100% samples. They stopped using samples in 2005 and started using their own sounds. The band became popular 2 years later thanks to their remixes for Klaxons, GoodBooks, and Bloc Party. Their success has nothing to do with these early obscure sample-based tracks. These songs have not been heard by many people until now.
I myself wanted to release Insecticon but I could not find Lo-bat to seek his permission. There is no contact for him on his website. Ethan Kath in an interview dated June 2007 says Insecticon will remain unreleased because no one can find Lo-bat to ask permission.
Lo-bat himself has talked to the band’s manager on the phone and said that he himself thinks the controversy is ridiculous. It is clear that the band has never profitted or performed these ancient tracks.
The track Insecticon is actually a mash-up which uses the vocal track from the CC guitar track “Insectica” and mashes it with Lo-bat’s “My Droid” for fun, not profit.”
For my money this statement, along with the other Crystal Castles facts uncovered in the comments section of the previous post on the subject, clears up the controversy as we know it. However, I feel that this will not be an end to the argument so I am, as always, interested to hear comments from readers.
In other news Crystal Castles will soon be trekking through North America (but missing Texas, grr!) and then it’s on to the UK in late summer. Swing by Austin again you two!
******************************************************************** YEAH YEAH YEAHS STUDIO UPDATE – LP3 ON THE WAY
Here at Cannibal Cheerleader we always swell with excitement whenever we hear any tidbit of news from one of our favorite bands the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Today’s update concerns a recent post by the band on their Myspace that reads as follows:
“Smells Like Record 3…
COOKING IN THE KITCHEN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been hopscotching down the road less traveled- from a barn in the Northeast to a ranch in the Southwest on our journey for the next sound. Why go RURAL? We’re not yet sure ourselves, but one thing the city don’t have that the country got is SPACE and there has been plenty of spacing out in the studio as of late.
KITTEN FACTOR
Fuzzy soft muses aka kittens have played a major role in the writing process of YYYs current and past records. Show Your Bones was written in Sam Spiegel’s home studio amidst the birth of a litter of kittens, little gold lions scrambling around. Amazingly therapeutic, nothing turns a frown upside down (there are many frowns in the record writing process) as a purring kitten in your lap. Alas our favorite kitten of all beloved SQUEAKER arrived just in time for record three! Abandoned by his mother, we’ve watched him grow before our very eyes from a blind and helpless little thing into a frisky and fierce little beauty- much like the tunes we’re writing. Go figure.”
The post is then followed by this picture: Sounds like Karen O., Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase are going for a spaced-out, country feel on this record? However it sounds you can be Cannibal Cheerleader will be first in line to give that sucker a listen.
PS. We want a cat named Squeaker!! Here’s a spaced-out YYY song to quench your thirst for the time being.
******************************************************************** ACL SCHEDULE POSTED Thanks to our friends over at Soundcheck Magazine for letting us know that the Austin City Limits Festival has put up their official schedule for the three days of the event. Check it out here.
From what we can tell (besides the fact that ACL seems to have slimmer and slimmer pickings each year), is that Jenny Lewis is running into N.E.R.D., we’re going to have to run between Conor Oberst, the Black Keys, then back to Beck, and Sunday might just be the best day of the fest (what with Stars, Tegan and Sara, Neko Case, the Raconteurs, Band of Horses, and Gnarls Barkley all packed in). Whine as we might, you know that we’ll be there, rain or shine@ ******************************************************************** DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE REVIEW A quick note: my review for Death Cab for Cutie’s Narrow Stairs is up on the Soundcheck Magazine website. Check it out over there and I’ll copy/paste it down below. Comment if you like it!
“Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs Atlantic
It’s lonely at the top. That seems to be the message of Narrow Stairs, the newest offering from rock’s unlikeliest of superstars, Death Cab For Cutie. For better or for worse, it is undeniable that indie has crowned Ben Gibbard and company as the kings of a tender flock. There seems to be something remarkably Cobain-esque about the meteoric rise of Death Cab for Cutie, though, while Nirvana was an outward explosion of punk nihilism, Gibbard’s experience feels more like an emotional implosion, a fiery inner carnage that replaces distorted guitars with heart-searing poetics. With a legion of lonely boys and girls hanging themselves on every lyric, Death Cab can clearly feel the strain of fame on their newest LP. This pressure comes across in the form of their bleakest, their most terrifying, and, surprisingly, one of their most engaging works to date.
Ben Gibbard’s overwrought, angst-ridden lyrics – though they may strike some as naïve – nonetheless come across to modern listeners as more genuine in their devices than most modernist poetry. His pathos clearly strikes a chord in the hearts of the music community: uncertainty and despair are no longer the flavors of the day but staples of our modern lives. Death Cab for Cutie evoke images both creative and familiar on brilliant standout tracks like “Grapevine Fires” and “Your New Twin Sized Bed”. Gibbard’s continued flights with heavy-handedness nonetheless ring as distinctly frank and authentic, and he is no more honest than on Narrow Stairs. As opposed to viewing the flecks of white in a world of black as Death Cab did on 2005’s Plans, the new record remarks pointedly on society in shades of gray. Fundamentally, it must be understood that Gibbard plays the part of a poet, not the esteemed indie-rocker delivering kitschy hits about the most sensitive of subjects. He channels the former slightly in the track “Soul Meets Body”, but soon morphs into a Kerouac-like scribe reminiscing about “the place where your soul had died” in “Bixby Canyon Bridge”.
It is over this canvas of loneliness that producer and guitarist Chris Walla attempts to erect a sound, and the results recall a garage-band strumming away in an empty, abandoned house. Acoustics bounce off empty walls, and the music provides an air of claustrophobia that furnishes a feeling of closeness to the listener. However, this closeness is not the warmth of past Death Cab releases, but an unnerving proximity that magnifies scars of weariness and age that Gibbard and company now wear. It imparts an almost voyeuristic view of a band at their most vulnerable and engaging. The group has expanded their sonic palette not with expansive soundscapes but with instrumental virtuosity, as slinky guitar parts quiver over tracks like “The Ice Is Getting Thinner” and “Pity and Fear”, and swirling keyboard parts give way to a return to crunchy guitars on songs such as “Long Division”.
To describe Narrow Stairs as “frightening” would not be wholly inaccurate. The creepiness of the five-minute intro to first single “I Will Possess Your Heart” represents the lengths Death Cab for Cutie have stretched in crafting this record. The slow build of the instruments to a plaintive tale of stalkers and obsession invokes dark and graphic images. This track paired with “Cath…”, the story of a withered and abused woman alone in the prison of outward appearances, place Narrow Stairs as the coronet on the canon of the Death Cab discography. These somber sagas of all-too-familiar characters stick like barbs into the listener, slowly seeping their meaning and effectiveness into them, making the record a grower and a headphone masterpiece. To this end, Narrow Stairs is, in many ways, the group’s crowning achievement. This is a crown of thorns: delicate and difficult, weaving and at times off-putting, but, for Death Cab for Cutie, ultimately bloody and beautiful.
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.
(that picture above is the Submarines, this picture below is Headlights) Add 6/13 to our summer tour list because Cannibal Cheerleader definitely wants to attend the double-header of Headlights and the Submarines at Emo’s that day. An indie-pop love-fest the likes of which may never be seen again (seriously, go to this show and you’ll experience a spiritual Nirvana), this show promises to be fantastic. Hit up each band’s Myspace up there and check these tracks:
Hi, we’re going to work on our myspace less (because myspace sucks) and focus more on this new FFA BLOG. It’s a mix of FoodForAnimals projects, other music-videos-etc, DJ mixes, writings on whatever-we’re-into-today, etc.
Check it out, its up already!
Ricky”
So hey, if you dig these guys as much as we do, swing by their new blog, you know we will!
******************************************************************** AUSTINIST PREVIEWS RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS SHOW
The Austinist posted a little the Riverboat Gamblers so give that one a read. I’d also like to take this time to announce we will be filming the Gamblers this Saturday at Red 7, so definitely be there for what promises to be a great show! ******************************************************************** CONVERGE ARTICLE FROM WAFFLES
It’s come to my attention that many of you cannot read the article by yours truly that was up on the front page of Waffles.fm this week because it’s a members-only site. Well here I have it reprinted for your enjoyment, please read and comment! To those for whom the word ‘converge’ is usually preceded by the words ‘mother-fucking!’ and shouted from breathless lungs as a furious pit swirls dangerously around them, the Webster’s definition of the term which reads “to come together from different directions so as to meet”, seems, at best, deficient. The denotation implies some form of unity; some advanced knowledge or foresight, not the urgent fiery carnage and whip-crack wailings that is the ferocious Converge; a fabled hardcore act originally from Salem, Massachusetts. “Circle pit right now!” screams bassist Nate Newton at an Austin, Texas Converge show at the Red 7 nightclub in April. The already battered hardcore kids happily oblige as lead singer Jacob Bannon wrenches a monitor from the front of the stage mid-verse and heaves it up onto his shoulder before thrusting it into the pit with utter abandon. Shrieking in blood-curdling alto, spit and bile stream down his face and onto the front of his captive audience, all awash in glorious fury, eyes alight as in a fever-dream. To an outsider, the scene couldn’t seem farther from a ‘coming together’, though perhaps when the world does end (it won’t look much different from this) the singleness of destruction at hand will suggest some unity. However, from a more academic standpoint, the band Converge represent a welcome trend in a hardcore community become too far removed from its artistic origins. The menacing cries and technical guitar-work expose a degree of thought that suggests a band ahead of its time while still heavily entrenched in the hardcore scene. As modern hardcore bands attempt to recapture the energy of the past by dumbing-down their music to rudimentary levels, it’s comforting to know that bands like Converge still bring ingenuity to the sound of hardcore. Guitarist Kurt Ballou stands solo on stage, apparently tuning his guitar and correcting the volume on the monitors. What starts as rudimentary noodling with his strings slowly segues into the opening riff of a No Heroes standout tune “Plagues” and the audience comes to the slow realization that they are no longer experiencing the sound check. As lead singer Jacob Bannon would state later in the night, “I’ve been in this band since I was thirteen years old! I’m 31 now. The numbers have reversed! It’s an anagram!” He’s not kidding either — Converge formed in 1990 and graduated to live shows in 1991 after some home-recorded demos. Converge has been a staple of the hardcore scene for approximately two decades now. With a sound derived from hardcore acts like Born Against and proto-metalcore like the astounding Starkweather, Converge’s blend of polyrhythmic drumming, intricate and distorted guitar-work, and the token Jacob Bannon shriek have given the band amorphous sound qualities which have “converged” multiple genres together. Mixing the noise-rock elements of bands like New York’s Rorschach, the hardcore tendencies of Detroit’s Negative Approach, and even the no-wave experiments of bands like New York’s Swans, Converge’s musical influences are as disparate as the band’s music. “You’re at a hardcore show, you’re surrounded by friends!” barks Bannon mid-set in Texas, answering all questions as to where the band feels they fit into the musical spectrum. The air fills with stage divers as the band launches into “Eagles Become Vultures” from the experimentally-tinged You Fail Me. To define the band as merely ‘hardcore’ however almost cheapens the technical skill and virtuosity that each band member displays. While Bannon’s declaration of adherence to the hardcore scene represents his affinity with its unity, the progressive lengths Converge’s writing has taken remains leaps and bounds above simple three-chord punk acts. Since their first release, the underrated Halo in a Haystack, Jacob Bannon has exemplified the role an artist plays in hard rock music. Many of the greatest icons of rock and roll were art students, from John Lennon, to Mick Jagger, and finally, to punk legend John Lydon (otherwise known as Johnny Rotten). Since the origin of punk, some the best minds were art-school students turned musicians, thus it comes as no surprise to discover Jacob Bannon’s alternate life as an accomplished visual artist whose work is highly respected among art communities. All of Bannon’s work is done by hand and much of it has been displayed as part of the Converge canon in the form of cover art, T-shirts, or other items. The designs selling at the merch table in Austin looked to be the work of a mad graffiti artist rather than a proper screen-printer. His unique work could be seen on the sweat-stained clothing of moshing hardcore fans throughout the show “Look at that!” screams Newton as he points to Ben Koller, the drummer who seems to be delivering blast beats at one-hundred miles per hour throughout the Converge rarity “Locust Reign” from their Deeper the Wound split EP with Hellchild. The technicality of the band on this song is reminiscent of early Converge recordings like Caring and Killing and Petitioning the Empty Sky. Of course, while the band was gaining notoriety in the underground, their brand of hardcore first became more known to the general public with the release of their album When Forever Comes Crashing and their concept album Jane Doe. The latter, a story of a devastating romantic breakup, instills a great sense despair and fury. Some consider the album to be the band’s defining work. However, the band burst back into the hardcore scene with their follow-ups to Jane Doe, You Fail Me and a throwback hardcore album No Heroes. The latter, their most political and confrontational album to date, was lauded by metal giants such as Mastodon and Isis as being one of the best hardcore albums in years. “This song is from Jane Doe”, spits Bannon, heaving with exhaustion at the end of the show. “And this song…” he says before pausing for emphasis and to allow the shouts of the crowd to die down “…is also called “Jane Doe”.
The band ends their set with their 12-minute epic, a testament to their technicality and rage all in one. Even as Bannon curls up into a ball in the middle of the stage, pulling his microphone close to his chest and writhing and shrieking like a dying animal, the crowd does not move but watches instead in awe. The guitar riffs, perhaps more at place in a shoegaze outfit, blend atypical guitar strumming and drum clicking for truly engaged experience. With the final shouts, Bannon lets his microphone drop to the ground and walks off stage, aloof, leaving his band mates to shake hands with the hardcore kids who rush the stage to congratulate the foursome on a fantastic show. While much of music criticism seems focused on the popular aspects of modern music, the more ferocious and technical work of bands such as Converge deserve respect as well. There is a hidden thoughtfulness both in their lyrics and song structure despite the aggressive nature of their music, and while some may think the band sacrifices mass-appeal for speed or scene politics, Converge continues to produce exactly what they know they are good at. They may not be easy to approach for the average listener, but they most certainly push the limits and continue to define a particular hardcore sound that is distinctly their own.
Sorry for the late update guys – slept in too late. Oh well, any comments today (especially on the article)?
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!
The phrase ‘this band could be your life’ is weighty to say the least. To have a band you could so devote yourself to as to become a permanent fan of all their work is almost impossible in this modern age, with consumers so inundated with a million bands, each sounding basically the same as the next. However, in the case of both Dynamite Boy and Cruiserweight, both of these bands could be your life. These bands make you remember what it was like to first fall in love with punk rock, to spin ‘Dookie’ sitting alone on your bed, wasting the hours away.
It’s lucky that the band’s have so much to do with each other, else one might find oneself having to choose between the two. Needless to say during their respective sets at Emo’s this past Saturday both bands traded off singing duties with the other band. Sean from DB and Stella from CW8 played in each other’s sets, both of which seriously ruled, with enough moshing, stage diving, and antics as could be had. If you missed this show you definitely missed out
What’s great however is your intrepid Cannibal Cheerleader crew recorded the show and we’ll be posting videos at the end of the week and throughout the month. The video looks great and the audio sounds beautiful so definitely get excited when we premier some videos this Friday on CC! ******************************************************************** HEARTSREVOLUTION VIDEO – C.Y.O.A.
Here’s a new video from Heartsrevolution showing just how strange this band really is. This song is from their Crystal Castles split EP and is probably my favorite by them, but don’t forget their awesome Switchblade EP is out now. Check it.
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER – FOOD FOR ANIMALS
Here’s a band I’ve just heard about that really deserves some attention. Whether you’re into the underground hip-hop scene or not, one can appreciate Food For Animals, a band that changes the template and fuses different elements into one unique genre. Experimental music creator/DJ ‘Ricky Rabbit’ has hooked up with some DC emcees and created a group that combines classic hip-hop flows with distortion-heavy beats and wicked, bizarre loops to create a package of dissonances and danceability. Ultimately Food For Animals fits into what has become Cannibal Cheerleader’s favorite new musical genre, as created initially by our heroes Crystal Castles: Thrash. Thrash, as it refers to extremely chaotic electronic music (Crystal Castles, Heartsrevolution, etc), is the reformation of a basic computer model into a machine of boundless ferocity, chaos, and energy. FfA definitely fall into the Thrash category and their page is definitely worth checking out. ******************************************************************** COOL SHOWS THIS WEEK
And guess just who will be filming this Tacks show! That’s right! Stay tuned for Tacks footage as well! Readers of CC are getting the benefit of my portfolio-building without having to pay a cent – amazing!
Any comments guys on the goings on of CC over the weekend?
As if Evil Urges wasn’t already setting itself up to be my most anticipated album of the year, Rolling Stone goes and writes a Best of Rock 2008 article and proclaims My Morning Jacket 08’s Best Breakthrough. And here I was thinking these country-rockers from Louisville had long since made it. Oh well, it’s definitely refreshing to see these guys get some awesome publicity and with this article the band’s newest LP has just been bumped up to my ‘most anticipated album of 2008′. ******************************************************************** RYAN ADAMS COMES CLEAN
In what must be some sort of court-ordered public confession, the now sober Ryan Adams has posted some of his dark secrets on his personal blog. Apparently he DIDN’T kick a guy out of a concert for requesting Bryan Adams and he hates country music. Very surprising and definitely worth a read. ******************************************************************** SNEAK PEAK AT NEW FRANZ FERDINAND MATERIAL?
I you’re like me you find UK band Franz Ferdinand infectious (and if you’re also like me you much prefer their second album to their first). Here’s a sneak peak of some whip-crack guitar work that’s sure to be the focus of the band’s third LP, due out this year. Check it out.
******************************************************************** RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS VIDEO
According to their Myspace, this is the Riverboat Gamblers on Fuse TV a year ago? Oh well it’s still fresh to me and since they posted it today so will I! Check out this rad live video from one of my favorite local Austin bands.
******************************************************************** NEW BALMORHEA VIDEO It’s definitely a video day here at CC and one of our personal faves, Balmorhea is getting special treatment. Here’s a video I did of the group performing “San Solomon (Reprise)” at their CD release show. Comment folks and see you Friday!
When we picked up the debut album Fur and Gold from British singer and multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan AKA Bat For Lashes we were incredibly impressed at its intriguing take on the Cat Power chanteuse formula, with whispered vocals and ethereal instrumentation. However, with her new album Two Suns Bat For Lashes has outdone herself completely, combining dancey pop sensibilities with celestial, airy instrumentations and Khan’s trademark vocal stylings. This is definitely one of our favorite releases of the year so far, check it out below! Hope to hear more from Bat For Lashes soon – come visit us in Austin!
Bat For Lashes – “Glass”
While I’ve seen next to nothing on the subject of Blink-182’s return to the studio on like-minded, indie-oriented blogs, let it be known that we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are infamous pop-punk apologists and couldn’t be more excited at the news of an upcoming release from this titanically talented trio. Far be it from us to say we weren’t raised on this band’s scorching anthems of teenage angst and juvenille deliquency (so sue us, we grew up in small town Texas), but the subversive aspects of a large stretch of the group’s later works, including their seminal self-titled final LP, serve as a testament to the intelligence and versatile songwriting skills behind the group’s simple melodies. Here’s what the band had to say on their website:
Sounds like exciting stuff – we expect to hear some new material by May guys! Leak it to us old time fans first, we’re not indier-than-thou yet!
The Riverboat Gamblers have just uploaded a new song called “Victory Lap” to their Myspace. As you’re hopefully well aware the Austin-based punk legends are releasing their new album Underneath the Owl on March 10th, and it’s definitely the group’s most well-defined and intelligent work to date. Check out this live version of “Alexandria” and a few tracks from UTO and be sure and give “Victory Lap” a listen here.
