Meho Plaza

After gaining a devoted underground following due to the success of their sold-out, limited-edition EPs, Meho Plaza is set to bring their experimental, herky-jerky, synth-driven pop to Better Looking Records (The Electric Soft Parade, Tristeza, The Jealous Sound, etc). With hypnotic, angular guitar riffs competing against fuzzy, warm casios, their first self-titled full-length album is often simultaneously reminiscent of Brainiac and early Sonic Youth.

Meho Plaza consists of keyboardist, Jennifer Hwang, singer/guitarist Mike Thrasher and drummer James Connelly. Their stripped down live performance has earned them significant critical praise; The Los Angeles Times has called the experience a "rush" and further described their unique sound as an "energetic yet oddly dreamy approach to synthesized minimalism.

The Los Angeles CityBeat aptly called "The Beach," a song initially included on the band's EP, "quirkily specific without being pointlessly obscure," demonstrating the band's off-the-beaten path approach to combining raw edges with smooth lyrics and melodies. Pitchfork included the track on the Infinite Mixtape Series (now known as the Forkast), the popular music site's compilation of "only the very best of [their] favorite new tracks."

Additionally, the new album features highlights "Let's Play Police" and "I Sold My Organs," tracks which LA-Underground promises "will have you reliving your days of Daydream Nation with all their angular psych-pop bliss." Recommended!

Meho Plaza - I Sold My Organs
Meho Plaza - The Beach
Meho Plaza - 106 Beats That (Wire Cover)
Meho Plaza @ MySpace

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New album release... Bound Stems

Chicago quintet Bound Stems are set to release their sophomore full-length, The Family Afloat, September 9th on Flameshovel. Bound Stems struck a distinctive chord with their ’05 debut ep, The Logic of Building the Body Plan, quickly garnering attention from the media and following with the expansive, eclectic, ’06 full-length, Appreciation Night, that received laurels from Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Alternative Press, URB, Chicago Tribune and Reader. The album incorporated elements of the band’s home town, found sounds helping to shape the feel and texture of the songs, that were explosive pop celebrations, swept off into the bustling city. With The Family Afloat Bobby Gallivan, Janie Porche, Dan Fleury, Evan Sult and Dan Radzicki continue to explore the idea of the home and family, further refining their skills and proving themselves worth every accolade that has thus far come there way, and deserving much more ahead.

The Family Afloat proves well worth the wait. While Bound Stems quit their day-jobs to tour relentlessly throughout 2006 in support of Appreciation Night, the band returned home ready for new challenges, and made the communal decision to return to the more stable life of work weeks and strong roots; Gallivan’s job as a history teacher is particularly influential in his lyrics and topics. Meanwhile the band continued to play the odd show, including Lollapalooza last August, write songs and began work last fall on a new record.

The Family Afloat includes the track, “Happens To Us All Otherwise”, filled with punchy rhythms and an unforgettable chorus, available for download now. Bound Stems will take to the road this summer showcasing the new material and will offer for sale, exclusively, The Family Afloat, on 12” vinyl. July 11th in Chicago at Schuba’s, will celebrate the first availability of the record. Highly Recommended!

Bound Stems - Happens To Us All Otherwise (from The Family Afloat)
Bound Stems - Andover (from Appreciation Night)
Bound Stems - Western Biographic (from Appreciation Night)
Bound Stems - Wake Up, Ma And Pa Are Gone (from The Logic Of Building The Body Plan)
Bound Stems - My Kingdom For A Trundle Bed (from The Logic Of Building The Body Plan)
Bound Stems @ MySpace

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The Impossible Shapes

From corner to corner of their dew spritzered discography, now five full-lengths deep, The Impossible Shapes of Indiana have electrically projected what stands as a direct and feverish summoning on the late 60s sugar-sandoz-lick of the pop-folk format. Whilst 2005's critically pumped Horus initiated escalation into a milkwood tapestry of a man vs. earth vs. spirit conceptual acorn, Tum, the 300 edition LP issued just months before is their most thoroughly realized confirmation of man as freedom as seed. Principal songwriters Chris Barth & Aaron Deer nefariously split that nut into mighty gush, fattening this garage cum psyche-chamber session enough to peel back grooves from the cornerstones of Shirley Collins' Folkways side False True Lovers to Bobb Trimble's Harvest of Dreams.

Formed in 1998 the Shapes -- Barth (guitar, vocalist), Deer (organ, bass) Jason Groth (guitar) and Mark Rice (drums) -- have kept a profoundly articulate sense of classic song/dream structure whether they are billowing in drenched multi-tacked gauze like Indianapolis forefathers Zerfas or snarled in amp-buzz annihilation of power-quartet stage performances.

The title of The Impossible Shapes seventh proper full length is a sigil. A sigil is often used in magic and can take an aural form. This particular sigil is a potent symbol of desire, but, this sigil is unpronounceable - so you can call the album "The Impossible Shapes". The Impossible Shapes have been merrily musickmaking for a decade now. With this release the band has recorded songs which were flushed out over many live performances over many tours all across the globe. Although the individual songs vary quite a bit, this is perhaps the band's most cohesive album to date. This album is their pinnacle song mound that could have been issued by Zapple, if times had been different. At the root, these four long-hairs are a pop band -- kinda like how Byrds became a meta group -- who've been strained through British folk as well as the whole post/beat/mystic literate gob.

The Impossible Shapes are a band that Charles Aaron of SPIN Magazine describes as "Indie rockers who trip nervously like Love and muse enigmatically like Pavement. Few bands daydream and flake out with such a mature sense of purpose". This self titled album is perhaps the Bloomington, Indiana band's best manifestation of this sentiment. And The Impossible Shapes want to show you. Highly Recommended!


The Impossible Shapes - Hey!
The Impossible Shapes - Let The People Build What They Will (mov)
The Impossible Shapes - Free Tracks @ eMusic
The Impossible Shapes - Daytrotter Sessions
The Impossible Shapes @ MySpace


The Impossible Shapes - Let The People Build What They Will



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The Sweet Serenades

"Martin and Mathias found each other for the first time in May 1991. They were both wearing the same CCCP-cap (a hip thing among pre teens in northern Sweden at the time) and riding similar BMX-bicycles. Ever since then they've been inseparable.

The Sweet Serenades was officially formed in Stockholm, Sweden 2002. The sound is mainly influenced by great songs, broken hearts, sexual frustration and musical acts as Tom Waits, Clap your hands say yeah, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, ACDC, Eddie Meduza, ABBA, The Technicolors, The Perishers, The Shins and many more. We call it Jungle Rock. Or testosterone Pop.

So far the band has performed around 50 shows and recorded 2 EPs.

The band is at the moment working on the debut album to be released in 2008 on Leon Records. Highly Recommended!

The Sweet Serenades - Coming Closer
The Sweet Serenades - I Can Never Die
The Sweet Serenades - First Taste Of Trouble
The Sweet Serenades @ MySpace

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Vacation Time

Hi Folks!

In the next days I'll be off for my vacation and will not be able to update the blog. You may expect me back in the second week of May. Until then I wish you a very nice time, sunny weather and don't forget to buy some good music and to visit some interesting concerts. Stay safe!


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The Last Shadow Puppets

The Last Shadow Puppets are Alex Turner (from Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (from The Rascals). Firm friends ever since Arctic Monkeys toured with Kane’s previous group, The Little Flames, the pair were so inspired by listening to the likes of Scott Walker, early Bowie and David Axelrod, that they hatched a plan.

The result, The Age Of The Understatement, is an album of 12 full-blooded songs, bold and brassy, full of drama, wit and melody, that source the past but avoid falling into pastiche. Both Miles and Alex are 22, and this is a youthful record, full of life and the sheer pleasure of music making.

The Last Shadow Puppets recorded the songs at Black Box studios near Nantes, France in two weeks during the summer of 2007, with producer and drummer James Ford. The band then approached Owen Pallett to arrange and conduct the orchestration of the tracks, which were recorded by the 22 piece London Metropolitan Orchestra at British Grove studios in London over Christmas.

The album will be preceded by a single (7” and Digital), also titled “The Age Of The Understatement”, released Tuesday, April 15th. The Age Of The Understatement album will be available on CD, vinyl & digital download. Recommended!

The last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets - In The Heat Of The Morning
The Last Shadow Puppets @ MySpace


The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of Understatement



The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made For You



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The Dodos

Originally formed in 2006 as Dodobird by multi-instrumentalist Meric Long, unpredictable San Francisco indie rock duo the Dodos acquired their new moniker with the arrival of Logan Kroeber, a fellow West Coast artist whose penchant for experimental drumming and progressive metal melded perfectly with Long's interest in West African Ewe drumming and country blues fingerpicking.

Shortly afterward, band member Meric Long released an EP entitled “Dodo Bird.” In support of this EP Long and Kroeber toured intermittently from July through September 2006, after which they released their first album, entitled “Beware of the Maniacs.” In 2007, the band signed to the Frenchkiss record label. In 2008, the band released a second album entitled “Visiter” and begin a 17-venue springtime national tour. Highly Recommended!

The Dodos - Walking
The Dodos - Red And Purple
The Dodos @ MySpace


The Dodos - Fools



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