NEW WHISPERTOWN VIDEO. Haven’t been keeping up with our friends in the Whispertown 2000 lately, but rest assured Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, the LA-based quartet is alive and kicking. In fact, the band are just about to begin their first UK tour ever – hopefully they blog it in their overly addicting Tour Tumblr. The band’s sophomore LP Swim was one of our favorites of last year and “From the Start” was a real standout track – check out the video for it below, directed by none other than Morgan Nagler’s brother! Check it folks (we may be late on this one, but haven’t really seen it ’round the blogosphere yet!).
The Whispertown 2000 – “Atlantis” ******************************************************************** ROLO TOMASSI TOURING WITH GALLOWS. Just a quick update for those Cannibal Cheerleader fans not living in the UK (though apparently we have a lot of fans from across the pond, hmmm), two of our favorite acts right now London’s Gallows (whose Grey Britain is bloody ferocious) and Sheffield’s Rolo Tomassi (long time CC faves, headliners of our SXSW party, and punk rock masters of tomorrow) are tearing up the British Isles with a one-two rip-and-snarl of punk rock mastery. If there was ever a reason to make a trip from Austin to Portsmouth, now’s the time.
Gallows – “I Dread The Night” Rolo Tomassi – “Beatrotter” ******************************************************************** SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS TOUR DIARY. One of our favorite psych-rocking Brooklyn-based trios (and we know there’s probably a bunch of ‘em) School of Seven Bells have a really cool Tour Diary that you can access via their homepage. Definitely worth checking out if only for the cool tour pictures and trippy site design. Here’s hoping this group releases more material soon! They’ll be playing here in Austin on June 2nd at Mohawk and you know we’ll be first in line for that one.
School of Seven Bells – “Chain” ******************************************************************** GRAND OLE PARTY TO TOUR WITH YYYS. It’s official today – all of our favorite bands are hooking up! This time it’s the inimitable Yeah Yeah Yeahs with the fantastic San Diego trio and old-school Cannibal Cheerleader fave Grand Ole Party. Check out the dates on the GOP myspace (the only GOP this Austinite could ever get behind!).
Grand Ole Party – “Look Out Young Son” Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Hysteric (Acoustic Version)” ******************************************************************** NEW KILLERS VIDEO. We leave you fiends today with the Killers’ excellent rendition of their newest single “Dustland Fairytale” from their Day & Age LP – guitar-rock gods this quartet, gods we say! And Letterman appears to think so too.
The Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath recap continues with the Whispertown 2000, who put on an absolutely electric show last Wednesday at the Peacock in Downtown Austin. One of several stops on the band’s SXSW day party roundup, Morgan Nagler and company still managed to bring down the house with songs old and new, including several excellent cuts from their latest LP Swim.
Speaking to Morgan at the bar before the band played, she revealed the band was operating on so little sleep that they were feeling a little delirious, albeit the good kind of delirious. After a whirlwind jaunt down to Texas that saw them renting motel rooms for all of three hours before hitting the road again, the group dashed into Austin and immediately began playing shows, fueled only by a passion for playing and a good deal of free alcohol. Here’s to you W2K, our favorite traveling troubadours!
SXSW LIVE REVIEW: SVIIB, POBPAH (yay abbreviations!)
Friday was definitely a day of rest from SXSW proper, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t head down to Emo’s to check out some buzz-worthy bands, including the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and School of Seven Bells. Pains of course sounded heavenly, churning through now classic cuts from their self-titled debut, but it was SVIIB that really took the stage by storm, churning out fierce guitar-lines care of their ex-Secret Machines guitarist and screaming psychadelic with trippy dual-female vocal stylings. The Cannibal Cheerleader crew was definitely mesmerized by this one! One of the best bills of the whole weekend, quite the show.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from any of these bands comes Virginia-based doom metal outfit Salome (named after the woman who sentenced John the Baptist to death – how metal is that?) who on their four-track, near 45-minute self-titled debut LP mange to create enough carnage to beckon any apocalypse down on our heads. Seriously, this trio, helmed by Kat on wild-eyed, satan-worshipping vocals, R. Moore on stoner-jam, fever-dream guitar riffs, and Deal on pummeling, madness-inducing drums, has created one of the best metal records we’ve heard all year, on par with Crack the Skye and Static Tensions. If you haven’t heard of these guys yet, check them out immediately, they are truly a cannibalistic feast for the ears. Check it:
Lastly today here’s the cover of the new Intimacy: Remixed record from Bloc Party who have now posted the remixes of “One Month Off”, “Mercury”, “Talons”, and “Ares” on their Myspace (plus you can find the “Better Than Heaven” remix here). Looks like they kept the blacklit scheme from Silent Alarm:Remixed and all the better really, as Bloc Party album covers are always the best. Can’t wait to hear “Halo”!
Also check out this awesome video from Letterman! Watch for trippiness at 2:44.
…and we love it. Definitely having a great time here at SXSW, Rolo Tomassi melted our faces off at their first US show ever at the Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath, Lissy Trullie left us starry-eyed at Red 7, the Hold Steady played their first ever dual-header with Lucero, M. Ward and the Cold War Kids burned up Auditorium Shores, and that’s of course just the tip of the iceberg.
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader don’t profess to have the biggest staff that can cover an entire festival – however, the one thing we definitely do better than anyone else is videography and we’ve got killer video for Rolo, The Whispertown 2000, The Action Design, and more from our day show, all of which we’ll roll out next week. We plan on giving a massive update on Monday where we’ll talk about every little experience from the weekend and our day show. Stay tuned until then and enjoy your SXSW experience!
PS. Check out this indie video from NME of the Rolo Tomassi bassist Joseph Thorpe coming THIS close to smashing his bass all over the Peacock.
Comments? For the record, the guys in Rolo Tomassi are the nicest, most thoughtful, and humblest band we’ve ever come across that can turn around and shred the shit out of a venue in a 30-minute set. A class act through and through.
CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER BLOOD BATH SET TIMES That’s right folks, the Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath, SXSW Day Party is approaching quickly and if you’re not going to be at the Peacock, 515 Pedernales in Austin, Texas this Wednesday March 18th, 12-6pm, you can rest assured you will be torn apart mercilessly. Above you’ll see our sign for the day show and below you’ll find the set times and the top ten reasons to attend the Blood Bath.
PS. It has come to our attention that the Peacock is now allowing everyone 18+ to attend the event, so if you’re over 18 but under 21 you can attend but not drink. Spread the word!
Top ten reasons to go to the Cannibal Cheerleader Blood Bath:
10. Vermillion Lies leaves to go support Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls after SXSW – Don’t you want to tell your friends you got in before they were big??
9. Treasure Mammal is a hip-hop/experimental artist and motivational speaker and in a live setting that’s every bit as cool as it sounds.
8. Agent Ribbons play Victorian punk – they didn’t even have punk back then but it would’ve been as badass as this, no doubt.
7. Prey For Sleep are following an indie punk band, so we hope a few clueless hipsters will get their faces literally ripped off for cool effect.
6. Action Design = former members of Tsunami Bomb, need we say more?
5. Whispertown 2000, the only folk-rock band with enough cajones to play the same stage as metal acts – seriously bloody indie rock.
4. First ever Rolo Tomassi performance in the United States! FIRST EVER!!
3. Issue #3 of the Cannibal Cheerleader zine available at our merch table, along with CC stickers and possible a Marnie-Stern-style kissing booth!
2. Meet your friendly Cannibal Cheerleader staff, who are way cooler than your average Austinites and can show you a better time in the ATX than 90% of these outside blogs/parties.
1. BLOOD, GUTS, AND GORE. LOTS OF IT. SERIOUSLY, FOUNTAINS.
Be there people, or be torn apart mercilessly. Rolo Tomassi – “Fofteen” ******************************************************************** NEW MF DOOM ALBUM All past transgressions are hereby forgiven, all the rumors, the poorly received live performances, it’s all in the past now that Atlanta emcee MF Doom (now apparently called DOOM, all caps son) has released BORN LIKE THIS. Seriously folks, this may just be the most consistently enjoyable Doom record since Madvillainy, and it features many of the same attributes, that is, short songs with atypical song structures and incredibly clever (not to mention extremely ill) wordplay and rhyming skills. MF Doom is back in fine form, rapping about the state of the hip-hop community, politics, and comic book characters, all in his trademark mush-mouthed, stream-of-conciousness flow. This, plus the sickest J-Dilla and MetalFingers beats this side of the Mississippi, combining bizarre instrumentation with fierce bass beats. Seriously, best hip-hop release of the year so far, no doubt at all. Definitely worth picking up and enough to put all the ’sucka emcees’ in their place, as Doom would say. Sometimes, the king of the world is also the biggest villain, check out some tracks below:
(deleted by request) ******************************************************************** BLOC PARTY ANNOUNCE REMIX ALBUM According to this Stereogum post, Bloc Party will be releasing an Intimacy remix album (Intimacy Remixed) in May, mirroring their lauded Silent Alarm Remixed from back in the day. They’ve got some seriously heavy-weight remix artists contributing such as Mogwai and Phones so we’ll be looking forward to this one with great anticipation. Here is the (terrifyingly awesome and fittingly Cannibal Cheerleader) video for first single, the remix of standout track “Signs”. Definitely worth checking out, though to correct the Stereogum album that said there were no ancillary releases to A Weekend in the City – did you never get the b-side compilation album Another Weekend in the City? You’re missing out if you’ve never heard “Once and Future King”! Check it y’all:
The Cannibal Cheerleader lineup for this year’s SXSW 09 Blood Bath keeps getting better with the introduction of the Whispertown 2000 to the lineup. We’re also partnering with OverUnder Records to bring you several New York acts including Howlies! Should be a rocking time, so be sure and be at the Peacock (515 Pedernales) on Wed. Mar. 18th at noon!
With the opening riffs of Kylesa’s latest effort Static Tensions the band clearly has chosen to expand their horizons, dwelling on intense buildups, frighteningly intricate drumwork, and searing guitar lines, all as the songs dip, wrap around, go soft, explode and re-explode, all within ten tremendous tracks. Gone is the sameness of past Kylesa records which, while excellent, suffered at times from an unvaried metal formula – no longer! Utilizing Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants’ voices equally and featuring their dueling guitarwork to maximum effect, Static Tensions is a giant leap forward, a slow-burning metal monster that shows off the group’s development and maturity earned from years of touring. Truly the best metal release of 2009 so far, a blazing record and one not to be missed. Check out a few tracks below!
One of our favorite folksy American bands The Whispertown 2000 have released a video for their song “Old Times” off their new album Swim. Check it below, sepia-tinged tones over a sepia-tinged youth football game! Fits the song perfectly.
Today’s announcement of the rush release of Fever Ray’s self-titled debut tomorrow comes hot on the heels of the album’s leak to multiple torrent sites, where the heated anticipation for Karen Dreijer’s (of the Knife) solo effort flooded clients all day. The hype is not without merit, as Fever Ray maintains the cold, eerie electronica and vibrant tribal instrumentation as promised by the first single “If I Had A Heart”. Underlying the creepiness however is an expansiveness heretofore undiscovered in the music of Dreijer’s other act, with cool swaths of electronics washing over the listener as the sharp bark of the Swedish songstresses voice propels each song along. With drumming like the yelping of wild dogs and wild experimentalist rhythms reminiscient of a High Places b-side, Fever Ray sounds surprisingly loose and firey under the crisp melodies. A highly recommended album, one of the best of 2009. First of the gang to make the team.
The tastemakers of at Kitsune have clearly been reading a lot of Cannibal Cheerleader, as they’ve come to discover how awesome Brooklyn thrash-electronica artists Heartsrevolution and are releasing “Ultraviolence” as a single on their label. Definitely pick up a copy if only for an awesome Spank Rock remix.
Squeaking in at the last second care of the newest incarnation of ex-Distiller Brody Dalle, Spinnerette, “Ghetto Love” combines spidery guitar riffs and wailing female vocals to make a part-industrial, part-punk masterpiece that rivals the tunes from such seminal works as Coral Fang. Highly recommended for fans of old school LA punk with a 2008 twist.
Tender as a broken heart and bloody as a gaping wound, “The Twist” by Frightened Rabbit combines a lovelorn tale of self-loathing with a minimalist piano line that nonetheless sounds more true to life than the majority of romantic ballads on the radio today. Combining real-world experience with careful, quiet riffs makes this tune one of the finest love songs of the year.
Morgan Nagler’s voice remains fragile as a icy lake but on “Atlantis” from the Whispertown 2000’s latest effort Swim her lyrics are focused on under the water, escaping into the hidden city deep below, away from sin. A testament to the quiet, serene songwriting of the Whispertown quartet, this tune is one of the most haunting of the year.
The tale of a suicidal goth girl might not be construed as one of the most whimsical and heartwarming songs of the year, but under the sweeping electronic orchestra of M83, “Graveyard Girl” is an equal parts kitschy ode to John Hughes narratives and a shoe-gazing spin through layers of haunting vocals. Slightly out-edges “Kim and Jessie” just due to our morbid fascination here at Cannibal Cheerleader.
With the year’s release of her sophomore album Jenny Lewis went from sultry songstress to road-weary troubadour, winding tales of a life hard-lived, and none harder than the lovelorn ballad as told in “Acid Tongue”. With a sense of the weight-of-the-world on your shoulders held up only by one’s own hope, Jenny Lewis spins a tale of drug abuse and loneliness that’s a road song for the 2008 generation.
2008 has been a good year for My Morning Jacket, cementing them in their rightful place as one of America’s premiere rock bands. Perhaps no better testament to this exists than in the wild experimentalism displayed on their newest album and on the song “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2″, which features bizarre instrumentation combined with the signature Jim James vocal stylings to create a haunting a captivating song that remains one of MMJ’s best ever.
Slinking in on a tide of electronic clicks and swishes “Courtship Dating” is easily the most radio-ready and immediately catching track off the Crystal Castles’ debut LP. With a fiery chorus and a dance-worthy groove “Courtship Dancing” is easily the top electronic track of the year.
This year saw the release of the Hold Steady’s Stay Positive, yet another release of bar-ready rock jams that weaved tales of lost Americana in a country that’s lost in innocence but still clings to undying dreams and hopes. Nothing better captures this attitude that “Constructive Summer”, the first song off the album and one of the best straight up rock tracks the Hold Steady have ever composed.
As the final track off Bloc Party’s newest LP Intimacy, “Ion Square” needed to encapsulate the message of the entire piece, an instantly politcal and romantic tune, all awash in electronics and guitar pedals. The song succeeds with ease, capturing the zeitgeist of the band’s current incarnation and pummeling the listener with equal parts poetry and passion, forming one of the best tracks of the year.
This was the year of Be Your Own Pet, and just in time as the band imploded near the end anyway in a decidedly rock and roll move. Still, the group left us with a string of punk rock revivalist tunes that screamed of Buzzcocks and hellfire, with all the fury and passion that first made the world fall in love with youthful rage. Perhaps none of these tracks is better or more definitive of the band’s delightfully sordid career than “Becky”, a tune banned in the US and full of high-school politics, figurative and literal backstabbings, and all the blazing guitarwork and shrieked Jemina Pearl vocals that have made the group so endearing. While their entire discography deserves a thorough examination by indie rock lovers everywhere, this is a good song to start with and the best song of 2008.
TOP TEN ALBUMS OF ‘08
10. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
Every few years America needs a reminder that they’re musical legacy is carried on the back of a quintet from Kentucky, hefting the burden of Southern-rock and fuzing it with massive degrees of guitar heroics and rampant experimentalism to rival the likes of Radiohead. This year’s reminder is Evil Urges by that same quintet, My Morning Jacket, and it’s packed full of such a wide range of incredible tracks to be considered one of their most far-reaching and fantastic releases to date.
9. The Action Design – Never Say
Resisting the urge to rework tracks from their Tsunami Bomb repertoire, Agent M and her new band the Action Design have constructed an entirely new sound, combining heartfelt punk ethos with elements of dance-rock and electronic. The formula works fantastically, displayed best on their album Never Say, an album of surprising depth and meaning during a time when Warped Tour bands are becoming more and more vapid. One of the best punk releases of the year.
8. Ponytail – Ice Cream Spiritual
With wild experimentalism and frenetic energy rivaling any indie rock band this year, Ponytail have a chokehold on the mad-crazy progressive meets jazz fusion rock and roll market. Their newest release Ice Cream Spiritual describes their sound perfectly in the name alone – a combination of childish delight and wild religious fanaticism. Capture that image in your mind, turn it into a move, and Ponytail is the perfect soundtrack.
7. Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head
With a subversive edge totally unexpected in a covers album, Scarlett Johansson’sAnywhere I Lay My Head, a collection of Tom Waits’ songs, surprises and delights with its inventive renditions, creating a new set of standards for actresses turned singers. With David Sitek of TV on the Radio behind the boards, and a patented ‘Tinkerbell on cough syrup’ sound, tracks like “Falling Down” and “Green Grass” take on a new and incredible life of their own. Deservedly one of the best of the year, both for its music and for the gutsiness of its creation.
6. Bloc Party – Intimacy
On Bloc Party’s last album A Weekend in the City, the politics of everyday London living became very personal, hitting home with every subsequent sweeping song. On their newest album Intimacy, the quartet have managed to switch gears, making the most personal of moments become full of political meaning. On tracks like “Trojan Horse” a lover’s betrayal is akin to the fall of Troy and on “Talons” the group details the terrible (and deadly) consequences of romantic dishonesty. An emotional album fighting against an ‘emo’ world, Intimacy finds a band in rare form, taking the lessons of the past and moving their sound forward with rewarding results.
5. Marnie Stern – This is It…
On the lengthily titled This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That, supreme shredder and songwriter Marnie Stern has managed to deliver on the promises of her early albums by taking her prestigiousness behind a six-string and combining it with excellent songcraft and a Karen O. wail to make one of the best albums of the year. Singles “Shea Stadium” and “Transformer” confirm the album’s pop sensibilities and deep cuts like “The Crippled Jazzer” delight with their destructive riffs and dizzying imagination. The best release from one of the best indie rock guitarists ever.
4. M83 – Saturdays=Youth
Capturing the spirit of youthfulness couldn’t be a harder task for a young songwriter. How to describe all the nervous fumblings, the magnificent discoveries, the awesome highs and terrible lows of approaching adulthood? If you’re M83, the solution is to let the music do the talking, sweeping maximalist riffs over John Hughes-style cinematics, creating an aura of energetic passion with all the ignorant bliss of a lonely teenage dreamer. Saturdays=Youth is perfect soundtrack to your years in high school, that is, if you were a nervous indie rock kid like myself. The best release from the already formidable M83 so far.
3. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
Following up on an album like TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain might be seen as some to be an impossible task. To surpass its rip-roaring fury one would have to turn inward and redefine what made the band so remarkable to begin with, and that is just what TVoTR have accomplished on Dear Science, a remarkably careful and sensitive record with no less of the force of the former but more secure in its songcraft and enriching in its tunes than ever before. Sounding more like a soul-session band with a rock edge than an indie band hiding behind laptops, the group careens through dizzying tunes of power and depth with equal parts dark sorrow and unimaginable hope, crafting one of the best records of the year.
2. Be Your Own Pet – Get Awkward
The kids will never be alright if Be Your Own Pet has their way. From violent zombie fights to rampant drug usage, Get Awkward is a violent adolescent wet-dream come nightmarishly true, an over-exaggerated version of High School the Musical with a horrific injection of bloody reality. Though it turned out to be the band’s swan song, what a collection to go out on, combining a matured punk rock sound with endearingly clumsy lyrics and the trademark Jemina Pearl snarl carrying the whole crew along. This album should be the definitive soundtrack to every awkward youth, every wanna-be punk rocker, every indie-kid ready to cast off scene politics and relearn the magic of rock in pure, unfettered form.
1. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
What is punk rock? A daunting question to be sure, but demanding of an answer in an era of strict genre definitions and blogosphere gossip dominating true music journalism. Is it fast and loud music? Politically charged songs? Here at Cannibal Cheerleader we’ve come to believe that punk rock is a passion for change, a forward-thinking musicality that underlies a band’s music, an adventurous spirit and a talent for creating new and different sounds. With this in mind, we can say with no reservation that Crystal Castles perfectly epitomizes punk rock in 2008 to us. Braving criticism and legal woes all year, the band nonetheless released a fiersome collection of sixteen magnificent tracks that race back and forth from soothing electronic noodling as in “Air War” to blood-splattered rockers like “xxzxcuzx me”. In a year that saw the world change wildly it seems only fitting to have a band that did the same in between every song on their album top the list of our bloody best of 2008. Crystal Castles, a true Cannibal Cheerleader original.
Surely someone has some opinions on this one – comments?
NEW GLASS CANDY RARITIES RECORD According to the Italians Do It Better blog, Cannibal Cheerleader favorites Glass Candy just released a new rarities collection as a surprise for a party in Portland. It’s called Deep Gems and here’s what IDIB has to say about it:
“Also at the party we will be giving away a new Glass Candy cd called DEEP GEMS, which is a collection of singles, b sides, and rarities. in between touring like crazy, glass candy has been in the studio every possible moment working on a new lp for 2009. in the meantime, “deep gems” is a collection of rare tracks recorded between march 2006 and october 2008. featuring 10 unreleased songs plus the remix of “miss broadway” they’ve been playing live, and the 12″ version of “geto boys”. here’s the tracklisting of DEEP GEMS:
1 > INTRODUCTION 2 > FEELING WITHOUT TOUCHING 3 > ANIMAL IMAGINATION 4 > THE BEAT’S ALIVE 5 > SOMETHING STIRRING IN SPACE 6 > THEME FROM DEEP GEMS 7 > MORNING MIST 8 > GETO BOYS 9 > MS. BROADWAY REMIX 10 > SOFT BOUNDARIES 11 > STARS & HOUSES 12 > SILVER FOUNTAIN”
Sounds like an awesome LP, anyone got a copy yet? Send us one!
Glass Candy – “Nite Nurses” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS – THE WHISPERTOWN 2000’s SWIM Morgan Nagler is credited on Rilo Kiley’s Under the Blacklight for helping pen the smoldering “Dreamworld”, a whistful smoky lullaby about misfits, dreams, and unfulfilled passions. While Blake Sennett and company covered the song with syrupy synths, the song’s storyteller edge shone forth, as do the tunes on Nagler’s new effort Swim with her band the Whispertown 2000. With a spareness that feels like a country-rock confessional mixed beautifully with Nagler’s plaintative lonely vocals, Swim speaks of the same passion and dreams of the band’s Blacklight contribution but does so with a Southern charm that produces remarkable genuineness. This is indie-rock at its most convincing, scratchy vinyl in the back of the record shop, hidden gems at the deep end of the CD bin. Nagler and her swaggering cohorts have spun a record of infectious country-indie-rock in classic form. Definitely makes the team but may have trouble doing cheerleading moves in those cowboy boots.
INTERVIEW WITH PONYTAIL Recently, Cannibal Cheerleader had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Ken Seeno of Baltimore’s own Ponytail, a fantastic band whose new album Ice Cream Spiritual is fast becoming one of our favorites of the year. The band’s penchant for wildly inventive riffs, 7-minute strong structures, and legendary live performances has garnered them international acclaim, and now Ken answers a few questions about what ties the Ponytail together.
CC: Describe to us the story of Ponytail, what makes you tick and how you came to be. How did you meet and how did you come up with your band dynamic?
Ken: Well it should be noted that we were put together randomly without having known each other. We all by chance took a class 4 years ago entitled “Parapainting” at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The professor, Jeremy Sigler, is a poet from New York City. It was his concept that everyone in the class should be formed into bands in order to create art groups that would practice alongside the art world. By the second class we had been put together based on first impressions. At the end of the semester we played 1 show and when it was over, we kept going!
Our candid and interesting interview continues at the end of this post. Be sure to check out Ponytail at their Myspace in the meantime!
We are proud to announce that our new album, “Swim”, will be released on Acony records on the 21st of October!!!!
The greatest.
One new song, “Pushing Oars”, has been posted for your listening enjoyment. Unless, of course, you don’t enjoy it, in which case it’s been posted to bum you out.
We have a few upcoming dates posted with Jenny Lewis, and also a Nashville date, the home of our new label! Come visit us, and we’ll post more dates soon..
How are you?
What are you doing?
with love, your friend, morgan xo”
“Pushing Oars” sounds like a lovely, stripped down indie-rock crooner with a country tinge and rainy Northwestern sadness. Definitely a great track and makes our mouths water for Swim in full. Can’t wait until Oct. 21st! Here’s a Whispertown oldie to keep you occupied in the meantime!
Whispertown 2000 – “Intentions” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS: BLOC PARTY’S INTIMACY Vocoders, electronics, synthesizers, vocal effects. Not necessarily musical terms associated with U.K. powerhouse Bloc Party but definitive additions to their newest LP Intimacy, which dropped last night after only a three-day lead time. It would seem we hardly had time to brace ourselves, to wrap ourselves around the band’s newest incarnation, a Chemical Brothers-referencing byproduct of the Manchester scene. And yet, upon initial examination, Bloc Party have managed to construct an organic world of genuineness and heartfelt emotion from the clicks and whistles of their new electronic front. Beginning track “Ares” is initially off-putting and we’ve all heard “Mercury” a few hundred times up until now, so the album really seems to begin with incredible standout “Halo”, which sounds like the older, wiser cousin of “Helicopter”. The album stays high from there, dipping into a softer territory with “Biko”, reminiscing on a Weekend in the City with “Zepherus”, and forging into new, beautiful territory with “Better Than Heaven”. Overall, Intimacy is an excellent record, though one that requires multiple listens to truly understand its theme of alienation, loss, and loneliness. Definitely makes the team and will probably be that one kid that surprises during competition with a rocking routine despite sitting out all the practices to write in her diary.
Bloc Party – “Halo” Bloc Party – “Better Than Heaven” ******************************************************************** INTERVIEW WITH PONYTAIL (CONT’D) Here’s the rest of our interview with Ken of one of our favorite bands of the year Ponytail. Enjoy!
CC: How would you describe the Ponytail sound? What inspired you to take this really adventurous route with your music? How did you come up with this style?
Ken: It came very organically and naturally stemming back to everyone expressing themselves individually while working together to create “songs” and this is sort of how things just are for us!
CC: What are some of your influences? What bands are you listening to right now? What are some of your favorite songs (both songs you’ve written and songs by other artists)?
Ken: I think our influences come from many genres, like classic rock, punk, electronic music and ambient music. This list of bands could stretch for a very long scroll, so I will spare getting too specific, but I must say that between the 4 of us we have many different influences. Right now I’m listening to a lot of Bill Frisell, Skinhead Ska (mainly this awesome band called Symarip), and Green Day.
CC: What inspired the use of vocals like Molly Siegel’s as an additional instrument rather than a traditional vocal delivery? Why do you sing this way and how in the world did this style come about?
Ken: I of course can’t answer for Molly, but I think it started as a noise that was clustered together with our ex-keyboard players style. Later, when he quit, the guitars and the drums emerged as a platform for experimentation and this is where we are today!
CC: Describe to us your artistic process. How do songs get written in the band, is it the music first, a theme, a riff, vocals?
Ken: I think we take pride in starting with a clean slate. Song writing, for us, can start in many different ways, whether an idea, or just picking a riff out of the air! Ideally, all 4 of us have input and we tailor our parts to specific to our personalities and very fun and challenging to each of us musically. It’s very frustrating and time consuming to write music, but so rewarding!
CC: For the uninitiated, what is your live show like? We’ve all heard unending praise for your performances, how would you describe them to someone who has never had a chance to see you? What goes through your mind when you’re performing?
Ken: We try to always give 100%. It’s very loud, and bouncy, and usually just hope we don’t make too many mistakes! It can be hard to keep it all together, but I really honestly feel that if the world is just right for that half hour we can channel some serious shit!!
CC: What’s it like receiving all this new attention from blogs like Pitchfork? Have you seen your fanbase increase and how do you deal with all the press and notoriety?
Ken: It’s exciting and it creates a lot of work for us! We have so much for to deal with now that we have never experienced. We are learning as we go. I don’t want to complain, so I will say that we are pursuing a dream and it’s hard to believe!
CC: Have you as a band ‘made it’ yet? What is it to ‘make it’ as a band and how can bands achieve the level of success that your band has?
Ken: This is only the second time I’ve been asked this question so I don’t know if I can really answer it adequately. My theory is, if we are in this same place in a year, we’re not progressing. That definition of “same place” is constantly shifting. I don’t want to plateau and I think we have so many goals and opportunities coming up, maybe we have “made it.” But its very subjective and I worry that corruption can occur when things become overblown. I really can’t answer this one! We just do our best and that’s all we can do!
CC: How much improvisation goes into your songs? Does the music flow out naturally or do the tunes take multiple takes and are carefully crafted? Describe to us the recording of Ice Cream Spiritual.
Ken: I never thought about improvisation with this band until people starting asking about it after the record came out. I used to be in a “Jam Band” and we didn’t even practice for shows, haha! So I think, with Ponytail, we do actually do a lot of editing and practicing, but we love to keep elements of uncertainty and ambiguity. I think we are a live band, the sounds you hear are being created live on stage, and that’s how music for is exists and it’s how we record. It seems very basic and traditional to me, haha!
CC: How would you classify yourselves genre-wise? Are you punk? Prog rock? Plain old indie? What genre do you identify with the most?
Ken: I think we used elements of so many genres in a way that can only be called “Pop,” to be honest.
Bonus question: Does it get annoying when people ask if Baltimore really is as tough as it seems on the Wire when you tell people you’re from there?
Ken: Haha, only because I haven’t watched the Wire enough to tell if they are serious orscrewing with us!
Comments? I’m especially eager to hear what people think of the new Bloc Party album! Also a big thanks to Ponytail – come to Austin guys!
BE YOUR OWN PET CANCEL WARPED TOUR DATESOn a recent posting on the Be Your Own Pet website, the band states:
“We regret to inform our fans that we will not be participating in this year’s Warped Tour. We have been going non-stop for the past 6 months and didn’t realize how much the intense schedule would take out of us. Something had to give and sadly it’s this tour.”
Seeing their last live show here in Austin definitely makes it easy for us to understand how the band might be a little tired after all this non-stop touring. Also, as we’ve mentioned before, Jemina Pearl was none too happy to be participating in the poseur-filled Warped Tour, so looks like this might be a win-win. Get some rest guys! ******************************************************************** WHISPERTOWN2000 CHANGE NAME, PLOT TOUR Whispertown2000 (remember, no space!), or now The Whispertown 2000 have begun mapping out their new tour via their Myspace and here’s what their most recent bulletin had to say:
“Hello, fine people.
So, it looks as if our preposed tour should happen in September. Please respond if you or someone you know books at a college or venue. We would love to support or open up for someone in your town!!!
P.S. New Record to be released early October!!
P.S. We’re changing our name to The Whispertown 2000 ..
P.S. Website and Merch Store soon to come
P.S. Pushing Oars… P.S. xo”
So you’ve got a new Whispertown 2000 LP, a new tour (please swing through Austin!), a new website, and a new name! And who wants to bet me ‘Pushing Oars’ might just be the name of this their sophomore release? Only time will tell, stay tuned for more from these guys… ******************************************************************** TREASURE MAMMAL TOUR BEGINSOur favorite motivational speaker/experimental hip-hop artist Treasure Mammal is about to embark on his US tour! He’s going to be swinging through Austin this coming Sunday, and you know that Cannibal Cheerleader will be there with bells on to capture the whole event. If you’re on his itinerary (check out the Myspace!) then be sure and see this guy: the experience is life-altering. ******************************************************************** KANYE WEST RESPONDS TO BONNAROO INCIDENT The blogosphere has erupted over the past week over an incident at Bonnaroo where Kanye West’s late night set, scheduled to begin at 2:45am was delayed until 4:45am for (before today) unknown reasons. What could have been a simple controversy about disgruntled fans quickly turned into racist tirades against proud black artists who don’t display the humility that privileged young hippies feel they should. It of course goes without saying that the backlash against any African-American artist who doesn’t meet the fickle Internet’s standards will be far stronger than a Caucasian performer and the comments section on the likes of Stereogum are proof enough of that. Commentators claim that a mere apology would have sufficed, though given the fact that they were already throwing things on Kanye’s stage, perhaps it was their turn to apologize to him. Obviously I have strong feelings on the issue, however not so much as our friend Mr. West who comments on his blog (copied here in its brutally honest entirety, thanks Pitchfork):
“I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall… Why???? I understand if people don’t like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I’ve ever had in my life. This is the most offended I’ve ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be. I’m typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want…. arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of…. BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON’T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I’M FLYING! I’M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, “KANYE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE.” CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN’T LET’S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES… WE’D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY’D SAY OK… THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN’T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN’T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE … I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT’S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN’T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE’RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, ” IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!” I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 “THROUGH THE WIRE” I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN’T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT’S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I’VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT’S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN’T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT’S GREATEST FORM… BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I’M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN’T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I’M SORRY… SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE… I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT… HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF… CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!!!”
Spoken like a true artist Kanye. Here at Cannibal Cheerleader we realize when a performer on the level of Michael Jackson with a political slant reminiscent of Dylan reaches the top of the heap. Shame to see so many people trying to pull him down. This is actually a good segue into my next section… ******************************************************************** CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER – PRINT EDITION!As that last section may have made readers realize, I’m an opinionated person. However, Cannibal Cheerleader is more about the music than the politics but that’s going to change when we release the Cannibal Cheerleader Zine here in Austin, Texas. It will be available free in various locations around the city and will feature artist profiles, artwork, politics, music essays, and Austin-centric articles, all based around the theme of brave, creative music journalism with no commercial ties holding us down. Be prepared to be shocked (not that the idea of a Cannibal Cheerleader isn’t shocking enough, haha). Coming in mid-to-late July, look for it then.
PS. MP3’s will hopefully be back next week everyone!
Haven’t been keeping up with our friends in the Whispertown 2000 lately, but rest assured Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, the LA-based quartet is alive and kicking. In fact, the band are just about to begin their first UK tour ever – hopefully they blog it in their overly addicting Tour Tumblr. The band’s sophomore LP Swim was one of our favorites of last year and “From the Start” was a real standout track – check out the video for it below, directed by none other than Morgan Nagler’s brother! Check it folks (we may be late on this one, but haven’t really seen it ’round the blogosphere yet!).
Just a quick update for those Cannibal Cheerleader fans not living in the UK (though apparently we have a lot of fans from across the pond, hmmm), two of our favorite acts right now London’s Gallows (whose Grey Britain is bloody ferocious) and Sheffield’s Rolo Tomassi (long time CC faves, headliners of our SXSW party, and punk rock masters of tomorrow) are tearing up the British Isles with a one-two rip-and-snarl of punk rock mastery. If there was ever a reason to make a trip from Austin to Portsmouth, now’s the time.
One of our favorite psych-rocking Brooklyn-based trios (and we know there’s probably a bunch of ‘em) School of Seven Bells have a really cool Tour Diary that you can access via their homepage. Definitely worth checking out if only for the cool tour pictures and trippy site design. Here’s hoping this group releases more material soon! They’ll be playing here in Austin on June 2nd at Mohawk and you know we’ll be first in line for that one.
It’s official today – all of our favorite bands are hooking up! This time it’s the inimitable Yeah Yeah Yeahs with the fantastic San Diego trio and old-school Cannibal Cheerleader fave Grand Ole Party. Check out the dates on the GOP myspace (the only GOP this Austinite could ever get behind!).
We leave you fiends today with the Killers’ excellent rendition of their newest single “Dustland Fairytale” from their Day & Age LP – guitar-rock gods this quartet, gods we say! And Letterman appears to think so too.
