CRYSTAL CASTLES IN AUSTIN Bloodshed and mayhem in Austin, Texas as Cannibal Cheerleader faves Crystal Castles ripped and snarled their way through a brief but electric set at La Zona Rosa. Thrashing through new tracks such as “Baptism” and “Yes/No” with reckless abandon while adding a new level of live carnage to their classics such as “Crimewave” and “Black Panther”. For all the grinding, dancing, and pulsating of the mostly underage Austin (hipster?) crowd, the music raged like a punk slaughterhouse, flaming with intense rhythms that leaped to the ceiling with the rays of an amazing lightshow, coupled with Alice Glass’ ‘blood-filling-my-mouth’ shrieked vocals. With E. Kath manning the boards in his signature hunched-style and Glass pulling no punches with a bottle of vodka in one hand and the mic against her teeth in the other, Crystal Castles proved a brain-bashing performance that shows why they are years ahead of their electro contemporaries.La Zona Rosa didn’t allow Cannibal Cheerleader to bring in our cameras but we nonetheless managed to snag a few photos from Twitter and videos from YouTube that you can check out below. We can only hope they give you a sense of the sold-out mayhem of a 1500+ show, which featured Glass crowd-surfing and being dragged in by security in what has become a familiar sight at the Crystal Castles camp. It’s clear at this point that Glass and Kath are bonafiderockstars, entering the venue after dashing from a taxi straight to the stage door and exiting in similar fashion, flanked by a large posse. While the venue wasn’t exactly friendly to concert-goers, Crystal Castles put on an absolutely fantastic performance that shook the dancefloor to its core.
For all the talk of a shortened set, the band played for over an hour of intense and powerful punk-electro, well over your average punk show length. With their live show the band refuses to conform, employing ferocious hardcore shrieks over a maelstrom of electronic-thrash, transforming a slow-burner like “Black Panther” into a snarling behemoth. Cutting off songs in a show of punk ferocity, blowing speakers, and bounding offstage are all reflections of a band leaning towards an intense experience. That said, I had a great time at the show and I know the four winners of our ticket-giveaway had one as well! Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who reads the blog!
Crystal Castles – “Trash Hologram” ******************************************************************** NEW TV ON THE RADIO EP Following close on the heels of last year’s amazing Dear Science LP, TV on the Radio are releasing a three-song remix EP called Read Silence, featuring fantastic reinventions of the some of the deepest cuts of their latest album from the likes of Gang Gang Dance and other NYC art-rockers. Check out some tracks below and let us know what you think – personally we can’t get over the “Stork & Owl” track – like a magical explosion in our musical brains!
TV on the Radio – “Stork & Owl (Gang Gang Dance Remix)” ******************************************************************** UPDATE FROM JEMINA PEARL CAMP It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new songs from Jemina Pearl and the whole ex-Be Your Own Pet camp, but if you’ve been keeping up with her personal blog Puke Till You Punk you’d be more than up to date with the recording of her new solo LP, already in full swing and featuring guitar parts from none other than the likes of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. If you haven’t been keeping up, now’s the time to start some backreading – this album is going to slaughter the innocent.
We here at Cannibal Cheerleader make a point of not talking about things we dislike – what’s the point really? However, we can’t hold our tongue when we say that Austin club La Zona Rosa left a supremely bad taste in our mouth last night at the Crystal Castles show, so much so we had to say something. From the inept and rude security, to the slow as snails bar staff, to their policy of rifling through every bag, we haven’t had such a bad Austin club experience in quite some time. We’re thinking a lot of the negative connotation of the Crystal Castles show stems from the La Zona Rosa crew. Still, maybe it’s just a personal problem and didn’t affect anyone else. Either way, don’t think we’ll be scheduling any Cannibal Cheerleader shows there soon!
MARNIE STERN INTERVIEW We here at Cannibal Cheerleader were among some of the most ardent fans of Marnie Stern’s sophomore release This is It… and we proclaimed it as one of our top albums of 2008. Now, before she heads down to Austin for SXSW 08, Marnie Stern has granted us an interview about her life, that whole kissing-booth affair, and what makes the indie-shredder so rock and roll.
CC: Describe your sound to the uninitiated. What is Marnie Stern all about? Introduce yourself, your music, and how it all came together in the beginning.
MS: It took a really long time for my music to come together… A lot of years of trying to find my own voice. I guess my sound is a mash up of a bunch of different musical tastes I like, along with some ideas and questions I’ve had about life thrown in there for good measure.
CC: What are some of your biggest influences? What bands do you like to listen to? Do you find yourself emulating other artists or mostly doing your own thing?
MS: I try not to emulate other artists. I never learned people’s songs when I was learning to play the guitar. I think often times when you do that, you end up trying to get into the mind set of someone else and really that’s impossible to do, so you have a harder time of expressing yourself on the intsrument. It’s different for everybody though. If I really like something I will try and absorb the essense of it and incorporate my own style into what I’m doing. There haven’t been many bands that I have gotten into over the past few years. I’ve been dissapointed by that because I like feeling a healthy competitiveness where I hear a band and it challenges me to do better work. I do like Ponytail very much.
Whaddya know? We love Ponytail too! Great minds think alike! Read more excerpts from the interview below and stay tuned for the complete version in our third issue of Cannibal Cheerleader Magazine, out during SXSW 09!
Marnie Stern – “The Crippled Jazzer” ******************************************************************** TV ON THE RADIO RETURN TO AUSTIN By some misfortune we managed to miss out on catching TV on the Radio’s last jaunt through the Lone Star State, but we’re in luck as the band will make their triumphant return to Stubb’s on May 15th. Get ready all and check this awesome TVOTR video below!
TV on the Radio – “Love Dog” ******************************************************************** MARNIE STERN INTERVIEW (CONT’D) CC: Your last album garnered a lot of attention and positive praise, even more so than your debut. What was it like being thrust into the limelight like that? Was there a sense of relief or added pressure?
MS: Is that what happened? How exciting if it was!! To me it felt like an extension of what happened when I released my debut. There were positive reviews and I went on tour, but I couldn’t really tell a big difference from the release of the first to the second. I guess when you are in the middle of it, you can’t really tell.
CC: Starting with influential online outlets like Pitchfork Media and Stereogum and trickling all down the blogosphere you’ve been given a lot of attention over the past year from this new form of music journalism – what do you feel about the online music community and how has it affected you?
MS: I love it!!!! It’s been very positive, so what’s not to like? Ha! Seriously though, the online music blogs are the only place I go to read about reviews and what’s going on. I never look at rolling stone or other music magazines, so I couldn’t be happier about that. Of course when you open yourself up to a blog, you are always left with the negative comments that people make, but I guess all press is good press and you just have to ignore the nasty things people say.
CC: Do you feel like the rampant torrent usage of these sites negates their positive influence? I’ve heard you were particularly unhappy when your album leaked, can you describe that situation to us?
MS: Well it is a very very tough situation. It’s great that so many people get to hear it, but from a business angle (or rather the angle of trying to make a living) it’s really bad. An album that sold 5,000 copies this year would have sold 15,000 copies 10 years ago and that’s a huge difference. I think prople have this misinterpretation that if you are getting attention, that you are making money..and that just isnt the case. I’m 30,000 dollars in debt from subsidising tours etc, and it’s really scary. On the otehr hand, I am doing what I love to do, so I really shouldn’t be complaining. A shift is going to come at some point in the music industry, but it might take 5 or 10 years and that is probably the span of my career, so more likely than not I missed the boat on money.
CC: The kissing booth clearly started as a joke and became an online sensation, but do you feel it detracts from the music or simply gets more people interested in your shows? Do you have plans to retire or continue the smooch-a-thons? Have any particularly smelly fans been denied a kiss?
MS: That really did start out as a joke and I had no intention of making it such a big deal, but It was fun and like you said, if it gets people more interested in shows, then great! Never say never, but I think the smooch-a-thons are retired. No one was denied a kiss, but honestly there weren’t many takers.
CC: Describe to aspiring guitarists your playing style and how you’ve managed to become one of the genre’s most celebrated shredders? Talk about your unique style and how you come up with your riffs. What’s it like being the greatest indie-rock guitarist of all time (and if you’re not it, who is)?
MS: Well there are so many people who are much better players than I am. My favorites are Spencer Seim and Mick Barr. There are thousands though. I think it’s more important to have your own style, then to play well. I would like to think that people like my music more for the way I put together the guitar parts, than for the shredding aspect. I’ve had a hard time with the ‘virtuoso’ title, because I don’t think I am that, and really it puts you in a position where you have nowhere to go but down. A lot of people say that I get attention because I am a female playing guitar. I had never really thought about gender before. I had always just thought about artists I liked and wanted to be as good as. In the end, I just have to keep on playing and trying to grow as a player.CC: What is it for an artist to ‘make it’ in the music industry today? Have you ‘made it’ as an artist or are you still striving for more? Can you finally say you support yourself playing music or do you have a day job?
MS: I think I answered that in one of the other questions. I don’t have a day job because my schedule is so strange and I have to leave to go on tour so often. I have applied for a lot of waitress positions but no one calls me back. In terms of making it, I think I made it when I got to release my first record. That was my goal and everything since has been icing on the cake. Though it is true that once you feel you’ve conquered one step, you want to try and keep going. It’s human nature.
Comments? Any huge Marnie Stern fans out there like ourselves?
This coming Monday we’re going to be making a huge Cannibal Cheerleader announcement. Here are some hints – it involves SXSW 09 and it rhymes with ‘ARTY’. Rock out this weekend folks, seeya Monday!
Not sure if this leak was intentional or some fortunate coincidence, but the new single from New York art-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Zero”, from their forthcoming third LP It’s Blitz!, has taken the blogosphere by storm. Featuring vintage synths care of Nick Zinner, an infectious dancey groove reminiscient of TV on the Radio, and the signature Karen O croon (equal parts hot whispered murmurings and fierce spiked shrieks) it’s definitely enough to spark our interest in the upcoming LP (you know how we like our dance-rock here at Cannibal Cheerleader). Give it a listen down below, and ignore the haters who are dissing this track – classic Show Your Bones meets Is Is EP right here.
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 TREASURE MAMMAL 7” Fresh from our mailbox to your computer screen comes the newest release from Phoenix-based rapper/experimental artist/motivational speaker Treasure Mammal, and boy it’s a doozy. The EP is a split with Whitman but it’s our friend T. Mammal who steals the show, especially with his excellent rendition of “Ain’t No Shame in My Game”. Seriously, Abe’s flow is becoming a serious force to be reckoned with, his scattershot metaphors mixing seamlessly with his vocal delivery, which dances between righteously spastic and smoothly droll. It’s a one-two punch from the mammal-master, so hook yourself up and buy one now. While you’re at it, buy your friends one too so you all can have a proper dance party, Treasure Mammal style.
Treasure Mammal – “Let’s Get Naked” ******************************************************************** NEW TEGAN AND SARA VIDEO Tegan and Sara are still making videos it seems for last year’s excellent The Con, but we here at Cannibal Cheerleader don’t mind one bit! Check out the vid for “Call It Off” below.
Balmorhea – “San Solomon” ******************************************************************** NEW TV ON THE RADIO VIDEO CC faves TV on the Radio have released the video for “Golden Age”, the first single from their new and most excellent LP Dear Science. Check it below!
INTERVIEW WITH HEARTSREVOLUTION Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, sorry about not updating yesterday, I was busy putting the finishing touches on Issue #2 of the CC zine, the cover of which you can see below! However, on to today’s business, which is a double update to make up for yesterday beginning with an exclusive interview with Lo, Ben, and Kate of Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Heartsrevolution. Here’s a sample:
CC: Tell us about the Heartsrevolution universe. How did it come to be?What’s the Heartschallenger? Lo: heartschallenger is about taking on the things that challenge you. i hated my job..so, i decided to build an ice cream truck because i had dreamt of doing that since i was 15 but everyone told me it would never work.then i realized everyone i knew was stupid and decided to prove everyone wrong. it worked. so, fuck everyone if they are reading this!Ben: Lo made an ice cream truck and I made the music for the truck. We wanted to continue to work together and made music and called it Heartsrevolution. Heartschallenger is the name of our company. The company is a representation of a generation of kids who are creating their own path. There are ice cream trucks that are a part of this world, but they are not called “the heartschallenger”
The rest of the interview can be read below. Heartsrevolution will be playing this thursday at Beauty Bar so make sure you’re there – free copies of the new CC zine will be waiting for you!
Heartsrevolution – “Switchblade” ******************************************************************** M.I.A. SPEAKS ON TERRORIST ACCUSATIONS Having taken several courses on world terrorism in college (and being a music pirate myself, haha) I’m quite familiar with the LTTE, i.e., the Tamil Tigers, a terrorist organization calling for independence in Sri Lanka. While much could be argued to the validity of their claims, the group is most notorious for civilian kidnappings and burning down schools, etc. So what does this have to do with CC fave M.I.A.? Well the London-based Sri-Lankan raised rapper has roots in the LTTE movement, her father being a founder of an off-shoot student-led Tamil organization (his code name was Arular, thus the title of M.I.A.’s first album). Recently, our favorite rapper has come under harsh criticism for being a supporter of the Tamil Tiger a blog to her Myspace. Check it below:
I HAVE JUST ORERED IT SO I HAVENT SEEN IT YET , BUT WITH SO MANY ONE SIDED VIEWS IN THIS WORLD IT IS ONLY FAIR WE STAY EDUCATED AND EXPOSE OURSELVES TO ALL OPINIONS. I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE 1. NO ONE HAS EVER ACCESSED THE AREAS THIS FILM WAS MADE IN, AND I ACTUALLY DONT KNOW HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE.
2. ANY EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE ACCESSED THIS AREA , WHO INVESTIGATED THE TRUTH, HAVE BEEN SHOT DEAD BY THE GOVERNMENT, IN A BID TO KEEP THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE ONE SIDED .
3. I FOUND THIS STORY http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/12934…
READING THE COMMENTS MADE ME WANT TO SPEAK OUT. BUT I WAS DENIED ACESS TO MAKE COMMENTS, ONLY THE WELL CONNECTED INSIDERS ARE ALLOWED TO COMMENT AND THIS IS THE CASE WITH SO MANY OF THESE BLOGS TALKING SHIT ABOUT ME. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO TELL THE TRUTH, AND SET THE FACTS STRAIGHT. SO HERE IS THE COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE!
THE TRUTH TO WHY I LEFT TO SRILANKA WAS … A. I COULD , I WAS BORN IN LONDON.
B. EVERY TOWN AND VILLAGE MY MOTHER TOOK US TO WOULD GET BURNED DOWN BY THE ARMY. IN THE END EVEN THE TAMILS WOULDN’T LET US STAY THERE AND AFTER MY SCHOOL WAS SET ON FIRE BY THE ARMY, I HAD NOTHING TO DO THERE, AND WAS REALLY FUCKING BOARD.
C. FUCK YOU TO ALL THESE EVIL PEOPLE TWISTING THE TRUTH. YOU DONT SPEAK FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN SPEAK FOR MY SELF.
D.WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A TAMIL OR A LTTE SUPPORTER TO KNOW THAT BURNING DOWN A SCHOOL WITH 800 KIDS IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM IS NOT COOL. I AM NOT A LTTE SUPPORTER. I WAS JUST AN 8 YEAR OLD THAT DIDNT GET KILLED ON THAT DAY, THATS ALL. I’M A MUSICIAN WHO DOESNT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IN THE MUSIC PRESS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HEARING THIS
EVERYTHING IN ME WAS KILLED BUT MY ART IS NOT DEAD!
i love you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx m.i.a”
Brush off them haters M.I.A.! Also, start making new material, please!
M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS – TV ON THE RADIO’S DEAR SCIENCE If Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio’s sophomore LP Return to Cookie Mountain was their experimental take on the modern rock album, Dear Science is their response to modern soul, which this album has in spades. Of course, being a TV on the Radio album one shouldn’t expect any straight-up funk jams or R&B hits, but beneath swirly whirlwinds of David Sitek’s studio trickery lies some of the most naked and heartfelt tunes of the band’s career. While RTCM was a firestorm of bombast and furty, DS is a delicate and hushed wind-swept evening, the perfect soundtrack to biking down a poorly-lit city street at night. Recalling the layered production work of Anywhere I Lay My Head, Sitek’s pet project released earlier this year with Scarlett Johansson, the album swims languidly through sensitive and careful tracks like “Crying” and album standout “Lovedog”. Still, TVOTR do occassionally bring the bounce, albeit with a tender touch, like on excellent opener “Halfway Home” and brilliant single “Golden Age”. The album flows seamlessly and despite early reviews that the record suffered from sameness compared to their older LPs Dear Science stands as a unique and rewarding experience. Definitely makes the team though it may be the nerdy kid who can’t execute a single move but does all the other cheerleaders homework for them.
TV on the Radio – “Halfway Home” TV on the Radio – “Love Dog” ******************************************************************** NEW BLOC PARTY TUNE – “TALONS” Straight off the release of their rushed-to-the-street third album , Bloc Party has released another one-off single from the Intimacy sessions, this one entitled “Talons” and it features all the makings of a great Bloc Party tune. Ingredients include, driving guitars, the requesite Kele Okereke whisper-verse, pummeling Matt Tong drums, and the new electronic soaked underworkings that have come to define the band as of late. Check the single out on their Myspace and buy Intimacy while you’re at it.
Bloc Party – “Halo” ******************************************************************** NEW VIVIAN GIRLS B-SIDE SURFACES
Over at Gorilla Vs. Bear we found a rare b-side for the Vivian Girls that needs to be checked out now. Download it below and make sure and buy these girls’ self-titled debut when it becomes available. More info at their website here.
The Vivian Girls – “My Baby Wants Me Dead” ******************************************************************** FREE RAVEONETTES EP Apparently if you head on over to the Vice Records site you can download a free three-song EP from the Raveonettes which remixes three songs (”Dead Sound”, “Aly, Walk With Me”, and “Lust”) and somehow manages to make these excellent tunes awesome in a different way. Head over there now!
From our office to your hands, from the computer screen to your subway car, the Cannibal Cheerleader zine Issue #2 is out, and it features complete interview with the Vivian Girls, Heartsrevolution, the Action Design, Ponytail, Treasure Mammal, Fight Bite, and more! Pick up yours today here in Austin at locations around town (Waterloo Records, Sound On Sound Records, MonkeyWrench Books to name a few) or just email me if you’d like a copy! We’ll of course have to do an exchange of some sort, so offer me something good, like a cool band recommendation or pictures from an upcoming show. You’ll get your hand on one of these bad boys if you do! Email me at cannibalcheerleader@gmail.com. ******************************************************************** HEARTSREVOLUTION INTERVIEW CONT’D Here’s the remainder of our exclusive Heartsrevolution interview. Bonus questions will only be available in the form of our Cannibal Cheerleader zine, so pick one up to get the whole interview!
CC:How would you describe your music? An amalgamation of electro and rock? Techno? Undefined?Ben:We have a bunch of songs that I think sound pretty different, but they are electronic, pop, punk.Lo: i hate the word electro..and i am pretty sure i don’t like electro music.i hate the word techno..it makes me think of kids who are sucking on pacifiers w/ those weird kanye west shadesCC: How important is the visual aspect to the Heartsrevolution world? Should fans consider their experience incomplete unless they see you live? Ben: It’s super important. The visual aspect of heartschallenger plays a big role here and this actually preceded the music. Sometimes it’s frustrating to not have the means to make the visual aspect known. We have so many specific ideas whether it’s videos, live show, etc. Like, we don’t know how to use photoshop. Luckily we have some close friends that are involved though and help us get things done. Lo: god is in the details.it is important to me to create things that are a reflection of the things that make me want to wake up in the morning.. CC: What’s your live show like for the uninitiated?Ben: A technicolor light up disco floor w/ mosh pit. Or at least it will be!Kate: The live show is where I come into the band, I joined after working with the band on the first record. It seemed right, I wanted to start working in moving image and to push the idea of a visual representation for the music to another level completely. I think a fully considered performance is what the viewers and listeners deserve. People don’t just come to hear the music, they want to see and absorb everything, and we strive to improve and make that the most exciting experience possible.CC: You recently had a split EP with Crystal Castles and it would seem that your two groups are at the forefront of a new musical movement. Do you feel your music is innovative in this way? Lo: cc make great music which is why i wanted to do something with them in the first place.. a friend that worked at vice magazine in the uk told me about them and suggested we do a split. but they are liars and i would love to have it out with them..i am sure that day isn’t far away. our paths will cross and it will come down to a blind folded knife fight…because i am an unforgiving scorpio. other than the fact that “alice” and i both have vaginas…and ben and “ethan” both have penises there isn’t really much else we have in common.CC: Do you identify with Crystal Castles and how has their success affected you?Lo: i love and believe in a lot of what “alice” says. she is a great writer. most people that ask me about them don’t even understand what she is saying..i think that is funny. and their most popular song bugs the fuck out of me…i don’t like crimewave at all. i can still remember 2 years ago “ethan” singing it at cmj /fort fader party…i guess it’s much better having her lip sing it.CC: What bands most influence you? Lo: sonic youth, nirvana…a bunch of the riot grrrl bands i listened to growing up..like bikini kill, comet gain, huggy bear.i used to work at an all age club called jabberjaw when i was 14 and would put on shows..that place was magical and i got to experience this tiny glitch in time that i probably wouldn’t have if i was still in school and going to bed by 9pm.Ben: Everything that I’ve listened to does. It could be bowie or the strokes or daft punk or the beatles or young mc or so many others.CC: What acts are you listening to right now? Lo: i don’t really like most music.one of our songs…called teenage teardrops, we are doing the vocals this week and i have had it on repeat.when i need a break i listen to the sads. they are brilliant and are a good place to go to clear my head.CC: Favorite songs (both ones you listen to and ones you’ve done)?Lo: smells like teen spirit.Ben: Stop in the name of love, the sound of silence, today was a good day, private eyes, she said she said, let the good times roll, young americans, liquid swordsCC: What does the future hold for Heartsrevolution?Lo: collaborations and touring the world in the ice cream trucks so that kids everywhere experience this thing we have built.CC: Can we expect a full-length soon? More EPs?Lo: Yes, both! Full length early 2009.. Switchblade Ep out on iheartcomix Oct 21st. Switchblade remix single on iheartcomix…release date: TBA but i think in Nov.http://www.myspace.com/iheartcomixWe have one of our tracks. “ultraviolence” out on the next Kitsune comp in Oct.http://www.myspace.com/maisonkitsune, split 7″ symbolonehttp://www.myspace.com/symbolonethe split w/ symbolone is going to be limited edition and self released but it is top secret!you will have to check our myspace for detailshttp://www.myspace.com/heartsrevolutionKate: Much more to come, total world domination!!!
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”
EXCLUSIVE CRYSTAL CASTLES REMIX Given that Crystal Castles seems to be partaking in a never-ending tour around the world, one might think it hard to bang out new material in the meantime. Not so according to Andy of Lies Records who just shot us over this exclusive remix by Crystal Castles’ Ethan Kath, the first of its kind from the CC spinster in over 15 months. The song is a reworking of the White Lies‘ single “Death” and it captures all that song’s intensity with a heaping helping of the old Crystal Castles ultraviolence to boot. Word to the wise, White Lies is a UK band that opened for Crystal Castles when they headlined the NME tour. Listen to the remix below.
In other CC news, the band’s next single will be a Crimewave 12” featuring Sinden and the L.A. Riots as well. Lastly, the band will be taking two weeks off of their never-ending tour in September to record demos for the followup to their self-titled debut. This next album will include current live favorite “Yes NO” which we have a video of here.
All of this comes straight from Andy of Lies Records himself, so we know it’s all legit. Serious Crystal Castles developments here, what does everyone think? ******************************************************************** TV ON THE RADIO REVEAL “GOLDEN AGE” It may not be a Sea Change for TV on the Radio, but “Golden Age”, the first single from the band’s upcoming third LP Dear Science, exemplifies what the Brooklyn natives do best – weird, experimental jam sessions that challenge and intrigue with reckless abandon. Here the quintet channel funk and blues with more than a nod to some classic soul. You can hear it over at their official site (takes a moment to load, just wait a second impatient blogsters!). We absolutely cannot wait for this album to drop! ******************************************************************** FUN FUN FUN FEST LINEUP ANNOUNCED Our friends over at the Austinist have been so kind today as to release this year’s lineup for Austin’s own Fun Fun Fun Fest, the little central Texas festival that could. Seriously, F3 always manages to garner huge acts (like last year’s Cat Power and the Murder City Devils, and the year before with the Circle Jerks and Spoon) and this year is no different. Hip hop fans will jam to the likes of Atmosphere and Clipse, hardcore fans will mosh to the sounds of Flipper and the Adolescents, and indie-rock hipsters will nod coolly to the songs of the National and Annuals. No word on a specific time schedule but you can bet just like the last two years we’ll be at this fest.
THE HIVES INVADE AUSTIN According to this Pitchfork report, after a string of European festivals the infamously insane Hives will be invading our shores with an American tour that thankfully dips south into Austin. Looks like they’ll be playing Sept. 16th at Stubb’s so mark your calendars now people. This is all of course to support the release of last year’s terrific Black and White Album which you should pick up immediately (here’s a track from it!).
The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom” ******************************************************************** NEW M83 VIDEO – “KIM AND JESSIE” Our favorite spacey, 80s-referencing, lovelorn dream-poppers in M83 (which is of course really just Anthony Gonzalez) have released a video for their single “Kim and Jessie”, one of the best tracks off their now seminal Saturdays=Youth. This albums stands beside some of the band’s best work and if the haunting vocals and transcendent tunes don’t convince you, maybe the awesome roller-skating in this very John Hughes-y video will! M83 – Kim & Jessie
M83 – “Kim and Jessie” ******************************************************************** TV ON THE RADIO REVEAL LP3 TRACKLIST Art-punkstersTV on the Radio have been releasing a flood of information lately. First the news that they are indeed done with their new album Dear Science, which is due out Sept. 23rd. And now, according to this report the album. now has a tracklist. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to hearing what “Love Dog” sounds like. Here’s hoping this one’s even half as good as Return to Cookie Mountain. Here’s the list:
01 Halfway Home 02 Crying 03 Dancing Choose 04 Stork & Owl 05 Golden Age 06 Family Tree 07 Red Dress 08 Love Dog 09 Shout Me Out 10 DLZ 11 Lover’s Day
Also, it looks like the band has added an Austin date to their upcoming tour, playing Oct. 30th at Stubb’s. Here’s hoping the set is appropriately Halloween-y!
SOUTHERN DRAMA IN AUSTIN Performing at Austin’s own Beauty Bar last night, Southern Drama managed surpass all our expectations and capture a refreshing slice of retro-country rock with a subversive edge that proved both genuine and engaging. There exists a level of underlying difficulty when playing any version of country music – the danger of the tunes seeming kitsch or even worse, too poppy is ever-present. However, Southern Drama plowed through such criticisms with instrumental virtuosity, care of their brilliant violinist Naomi Cherie, and with the captivating howl of lead singer Clarissa Ysel. With a voice more reminiscent of a riot grrrl act than a gypsy-country band, Ysel brings a level of emotion to songs steeped in evocative imagery, pulling the listener into the band’s complicated world. Worth mentioning is of course the care the band seems to take with their presentation, dressing up in psycho-carnival wares, instantly inviting and absurd all at once, proving to us here at Cannibal Cheerleader that Southern Drama is not only deserving of our close attention for their music but for their whole visual and performance formula. We’ll definitely be keeping up with these ladies, check in for more details this week! Southern Drama – “French Song” ******************************************************************** KAREN O PLAYS NATIVE KOREAN ROCK IN NYC Here’s a little show review by our friends over at the Music Slut in NYC who were lucky enough to be able to attend the debut of Karen O’s side project Native Korean Rock Monday night.
“I was simply ecstatic when word spread last week that Karen O would be debuting her new side project, Native Korean Rock, at one of Brooklyn’s most beloved & miniscule venues. For just about a half hour, she showcased a collection of love songs on par with the latter tracks from Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Show Your Bones (most notably ‘Warrior’ & ‘Sweets’), backed by a quintet comprised of strings, drums & guitars. While we all know and love Karen for her gravelly howls and mighty stage persona, it’s sometimes easy to forget that her demure side is just as impressive & captivating. The stage was adorned quite eloquently with a Korean flag, ample blue cellophane & a partial ship bow (which read ‘Seoul’). Key elements of Karen’s outfit included roses, fringes & a spectacularly detailed navy blue cap. All in all, an immensely beautiful & touching evening.”
Here’s the setlist and encore:
Setlist Ooo. Body. Visits. Beast. Rapt. Sunset Sun. Comes The Night. Day Go By.
Encore Indian Summer. Day Go By [Reprise]
******************************************************************** TV ON THE RADIO REVEAL LP3 DETAILS That’s right, hot on the heels on one of our favorite records of yesteryear, Return to Cookie Mountain, art-punkers TV on the Radio will be releasing their third LP Dear Science, on Sept 23rd according to Pitchfork. Further details such as a tracklist and cover will obviously be forthcoming so stay tuned for further details!
TV on the Radio – “Blues From Down Here” ******************************************************************** BLOC PARTY VS. SEX PISTOLS?? Looks like the battle between post-punk and punk ‘77 is on as Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon became involved in a heated confrontation with Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke over the weekend at the Summercase Festival in Barcelona. You can read all of the details here but apparently things got nasty when Okereke asked the Rotten one if his other former band, Public Image Ltd., would ever get back together, prompting Lydon to apparently go on a racist tirade. Both parties were separated by their respective entourages but details are still blurry as to what was said or inferred by either party. Still, to say that Johnny Rotten isn’t crazy is pretty much a guarantee that you’ll be on the wrong side of the argument, at least, that’s our two cents. Any more news and you’ll be sure to hear about it from us!
Bloodshed and mayhem in Austin, Texas as Cannibal Cheerleader faves Crystal Castles ripped and snarled their way through a brief but electric set at La Zona Rosa. Thrashing through new tracks such as “Baptism” and “Yes/No” with reckless abandon while adding a new level of live carnage to their classics such as “Crimewave” and “Black Panther”. For all the grinding, dancing, and pulsating of the mostly underage Austin (hipster?) crowd, the music raged like a punk slaughterhouse, flaming with intense rhythms that leaped to the ceiling with the rays of an amazing lightshow, coupled with Alice Glass’ ‘blood-filling-my-mouth’ shrieked vocals. With E. Kath manning the boards in his signature hunched-style and Glass pulling no punches with a bottle of vodka in one hand and the mic against her teeth in the other, Crystal Castles proved a brain-bashing performance that shows why they are years ahead of their electro contemporaries.
La Zona Rosa didn’t allow Cannibal Cheerleader to bring in our cameras but we nonetheless managed to snag a few photos from Twitter and videos from YouTube that you can check out below. We can only hope they give you a sense of the sold-out mayhem of a 1500+ show, which featured Glass crowd-surfing and being dragged in by security in what has become a familiar sight at the Crystal Castles camp. It’s clear at this point that Glass and Kath are bona fide rockstars, entering the venue after dashing from a taxi straight to the stage door and exiting in similar fashion, flanked by a large posse. While the venue wasn’t exactly friendly to concert-goers, Crystal Castles put on an absolutely fantastic performance that shook the dancefloor to its core.
That said, I had a great time at the show and I know the four winners of our ticket-giveaway had one as well! Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who reads the blog!
Following close on the heels of last year’s amazing Dear Science LP, TV on the Radio are releasing a three-song remix EP called Read Silence, featuring fantastic reinventions of the some of the deepest cuts of their latest album from the likes of Gang Gang Dance and other NYC art-rockers. Check out some tracks below and let us know what you think – personally we can’t get over the “Stork & Owl” track – like a magical explosion in our musical brains!
It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new songs from Jemina Pearl and the whole ex-Be Your Own Pet camp, but if you’ve been keeping up with her personal blog Puke Till You Punk you’d be more than up to date with the recording of her new solo LP, already in full swing and featuring guitar parts from none other than the likes of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. If you haven’t been keeping up, now’s the time to start some backreading – this album is going to slaughter the innocent.
