Tin Cup Prophette

Getting her name from the tip cup dangling from her fiddle case, Amanda Kapousouz (aka The Tin Cup Prophette) is no stranger to the stage. Once hailing from New York City, this "busker extraordinaire" entertained thousands of commuters daily on subway platforms for small change. Working her way above ground, Amanda began to play with various bands in the city ranging in style from traditional Irish and heavy metal bluegrass to jazz, dixieland, and rock-n-roll. She has also composed music for modern dance, arranged music for film, and has toured extensively in the Irish music circuit.

Currently, Tin Cup Prophette’s debut album of original songs, Liar and the Thief, is receiving much praise and was nominated for Album of the Year in this year’s Flagpole Music Awards. She has also earned a four star review in Paste Magazine. Tin Cup Prophette has also just recorded a second traditional Irish album entitled Calling the Oceans By Name while touring for Liar and the Thief, and has recently returned to Kansas City to perform at their Irish Festival where she remains a favorite among the locals. Tin Cup Prophette has also garnered attention by being included on REM’s fanclub single last year. The single features her rendition of REM’s “Tongue“. She will focus on writing more songs for the remainder of this year with some touring thrown in. Check It Out!

Tin Cup Prophette - Going Numb
Tin Cup Prophette - Speak Or Spill Down
Tin Cup Prophette @ MySpace


Bonus:
The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (2006) !!!
The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine (2006) !!!
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna Are You Destroyer? (2007) !!!
Yo La Tengo - I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (2006) !!!
+ Aesop Rock, Pulp, Dismemberment Plan, Company Flow, Girl Talk, Scott Walker,
The Orb, Tom Waits, The Pogues, The Replacements, The Flaming Lips, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yogp9p
Earlimart - Treble & Tremble !!!
Grandaddy - Sumday + The Sophtware Slump + Under The Western Freeway !!!
Steriogram - Schmack!
+ Modest Mouse, Head Automatica, The Arcade Fire, Pixies, Radiohead, The Hives, The Flaming Lips,
The Postal Service, The Strokes, The Killers, The White Stripes, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Cake,
Hot Hot Heat, Keane, Muse, Gorillaz, My Chemical Romance, The Darkness, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2abpc8
Albert Hammond Jr - Yours To Keep (2006) !!!
Eberg - Voff Voff (2006) !!!
Silver Rocket - Unhappy Songs !!!
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Guillemots - From The Cliffs [EP]
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/27n7o5
Mogwai - Rock Action
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
The Books - Lost And Safe + The Lemon Of Pink + Thought For Food
Clint Mansell ft. Kronos Quartet & Mogwai - The Fountain OST
Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman + Love In The Time Of Science
Deep Forest - Boheme
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/25g9hj
Snow Patrol, Frou Frou, Nujabes, Hellogoodbye
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yqww36
Velvet Revolver, Rage Against The Machine, Aerosmith, Tower Of Power
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2zovoy

Dragonette

Described as a rock band who write pop songs, Dragonette are hot new stars with a twist! How can they possibly be different, I hear you cry? They’re a married couple for starters. Who gets married anymore? So old fashioned!

Dragonette consists of Martina Sorbara and Dan Kurtz. They met at a festival...

Martina: "I was the only chick on the bill, and I was singing what we affectionately call ‘tampon music’… You know, singer-songwriter, Ani DiFranco, Lilith Fair, Jewel-type music… tamponics! I didn’t wanna be strumming my fucking guitar for ever. I was so bored of that scene."

Dan: "I was in an improvisational, experimental, drum & bass and breakbeat trio. We were from pretty disparate musical areas, the two opposite ends of this Nickelback moment that was happening on the eastern coast of Canada..."

Martina: "and then we screwed."

Dan: "And then I left my girlfriend."

They currently reside in London and share a house with their drummer Joel.

They’re a duo, but kinda not at the same time. The remaining Dragonette outfit are drummer Joel Stouffer and guitarist Will Stapleton. A melting pot of sexual energy and 80’s synthpop. They are perfectly happy making music that isn’t introspective, indie or overly emotional. Oh yeah, and random fact of the day - Martina’s stylist is best friends with Anamatronic from the Scissor Sisters.

If you think you recognize Martina, it’s probably because you do – she’s the lovely lady who sings on the song Basement Jaxx – Take Me Back To Your House.

Martina’s wild, wonderfully outspoken and sings on stage in her knickers. Think Lily Allen, but with more balls, less of an attitude problem and better looking! What more could you want?

Dragonette - I Get Around
Dragonette - Van She Remix
Dragonette @ MySpace

Dragonette - I Get Around



Bonus:
Bright Eyes - Four Winds [EP] (2007) !!!
Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly Angry Mob (2007) !!!
Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future (2007) !!!
LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver (2007) !!!
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (2007) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ys4gzy
Rob Crow - Living Well (2007) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yttsa3
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (2007) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ywwwcn
Heavens - Patent Pending (2006) !!!
Sound Team - Movie Monster (2006) !!!
Mute Math - Mute Math (2006)
A Wilhelm Scream - Mute Print + Ruiner + Diver (7")
Billy Talent - Billy Talent II
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
+ Alexisonfire, All That Remains, Muse, Charon, Trivium, The Human Abstract, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/25vur5
Alternative/Rock
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2zbe4j
Mozez - So Still
Noze - How To Dance
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yru6r9

The New Rags

The New Rags results from the collaboration of Tom Merrigan, a Scott Joplin (father of ragtime piano playing) devotee, and Andrew Pierce, a modern day disciple of Brian Wilson. Tom Merrigan and Andrew Pierce bring their distinctive musical talents to a band that sounds like no other—stride piano playing, agile drumming, and enduring pop melodies. The New Rags have astounded crowds at such New York hotspots as Piano’s and Sin-e, while making instant fans of bands they have opened for---The Dansettes (which feature Pierce on drums), Locksley, and God As My Co-pilot.

The New Rags’ first EP, Take Jennie to Brooklyn, re-releasing on Silent Stereo Records, captures all the manic pop energy of Tom and Andrew’s music. This six song musical joyride starts off with The New Rags signature crowd pleaser, “Your Room,” blasts through the gritty East Coast surf sound of “Surf the Seven Seas,” and closes with the rich sound-scape of “Love of My Life.” Listen to The New Rags and experience something truly different and new in pop music. Recommended!

The New Rags - Your Room
The New Rags @ MySpace

Bonus:
The Rakes - Ten New Messages (2007) + Capture/Release + All Too Human !!!
Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures (2007) + A Certain Trigger + Missing Songs !!!
Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly Angry Mob (2007) + Employment !!!
Cheeseburger - Cheeseburger (2007) !!!
Eleni Mandell - Miracle Of Five (2007) + albums !!!
Cold War Kids - Robbers And Cowards (2006) !!!
Chad VanGaalen - Infiniheart (2006) !!!
+ Barnaked Ladies, Spoon, We Are Scientists, The Zutons, The Living End, Alabama 3, As Fast As, K-OS,
The Guess Who, The Classic Crime, Tenacious D, Subways, Paolo Nutini, Poets Of The Fall, The Shins,
Modest Mouse, Jonny Lang, Evergreen Terrace, Augustana, Bloc Party, Big 10-4, The Vanity Project, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2wnv93
Indie Albums: Stars, The Blow, The Books, Ratatat, Regina Spektor, Beirut, Aimee Mann,
Camera Obscura, Magnetic Fields, Erland Oye, Fantastic Plastic Machine, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2jmzqd
Lilly Allen - Alright Still
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3ynjou
Evanescence - Open Door
Switchfoot - 3 Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/38qxq5
Sister Rain - Ride + Wild Flowers Grow
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2psqvk

1984

1984 is a one man band coming from Ivrea, Italy. 1984 music is influenced by too many bands. 1984 solo project started in mid 2004. Too many songs have been stored in memory before begin the recordings and lots of them have been lost in memory. So the band decided first to start recording and then to searching for musicians interested in playing such a kind of music. 1984's first release on Urban Sprawl Rrecords 'Ritorno A Casa In Un Pomeriggio Estivo' is available on the web archive.

In february 2005, 'Flaming Gamberoni Session' appears in 'Just Be Yourself: an Urban Sprawl compilation' on Urban Sprawl Records and then he started working on the next album. 1984's second release 'Matite Spuntate' with its 11 jams is available on Muertepop Records. "I've been always in love with improvisation. Most of the arrangements of my music is made by improvisation. That's why I'm searching for musicians and play somewhere around. I like the kind of magic that you can feel when the band is playing together. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this record" - he says - "if you are either nearby or far away and you'd like to collaborate, drop an email". 1984 home town is in the Canavese area, Piedmont.

I must admit I was quite impressed listening to the new release from 1984. The album is a collection of eleven very original lo-fi tunes. The acoustic arrangements are of decent quality, as well as the singing. The songs on the album are named in italian but sung in english. The italian accent is recognizable, what gives this album some more flavor. The complete album is available for free, thanks to Muertepop Records. I hope you'll enjoy it. Recommended!

1984 - Matite Spuntate (2007) (album download)

Bonus:
Sam Prekop - Who's Your New Professor !!!
Sons And Daughters - The Repulsion Box !!!
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Love Their Country (2006) !!!
The Black Angels - Passover + Live !!!
The King Khan & BBQ Show - What's For Dinner? !!!
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
P.O.S - Audition
+ Charlie Hunter Trio, Hank Williams III, Nostalgia 77 Octet, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2u6lw9
The Sea And The Cake - The Biz !!!
+ The Definite Articles, That Dog, Headphones, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2m822x
Jackson And His Computer Band - Smash !!!
LFO - Advance
+ The Flashbulb, Steve Reich, Ravi Shankar, Muslimgauze, Merzbow, Squarepusher, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3aq98c
RJD2 - Third Hand (2007)
Ratatat - Classics (2006)
The Strokes - First Impression Of Earth
VA - Ministry Of Sound - Cream Anthems (2007)
+ Muse, Coldcut, Girl Talk, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Oakenfold, Pendulum,
Soul Position, Thievery Corporation, DJ Shadow, Aceyalone, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/35g6w6
Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYo (2006)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/37n55p
Carl Craig - Landcruising
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/38jbyq
Cat Power - The Greatest
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/32xalx

Freer

In a time where too many bands fall prey to the self-inflicted fatality that is trying to be different, FREER effortlessly breaks the mold. The difference between those bands and these musicians is just that, they are musicians with a natural ability to create music with both substance and mass appeal that is unlike anything else. FREER was formed by brothers Jeremy and Jeffery Freer in an effort to explore the vast swath of genres that have shaped their creative voice. This avant-garde creative attitude has given way to music that is not only artfully meaningful but fun to listen to as well.

Jeremy (keyboard/vocals), Jeffery (bass/guitar), Mike (guitar/bass), and Nick (drums) have managed to put together an incredibly varied album with songs spanning many styles. For example, “Secret Chorus”, an impressive epic that is powerful and riddled with brooding allusive lyrics, contrasts nicely with “Taking Me Over”, a more upbeat tune with adept pop sensibilities. Citing influences that are as diverse as The Clash, Jeff Buckley, Miles Davis, and Radiohead, this all-encompassing sound has already attracted a strong fan base. It is surprising to learn that even though its founders have had previous projects, FREER was formed as recently as August of 2005. They have played to packed venues in places such as Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Detroit and have received radio play at several notable stations. It seems that people are inherently attracted to the polished and unique sound of FREER.

Secret Chorus, the first album released from this quartet, is an outstanding collection of songs that you can't help but tap your feet to. The lyrics are clever and meaningful; a combination that is in short supply amid the sea of albums that permeate the market today. FREER is proving one venue at a time that audiences really do crave depth and melody in their music. With Secret Chorus those audiences are finally getting what they want. This is an album that will never be thought of as a guilty pleasure, but rather as a great album that listeners will feel privileged to have in their collection.

Secret Chorus has been released at March 20th, under Jumberlack Media. Check It Out!

Freer - Secret Chorus
Freer - Taking Me Over
Freer @ MySpace

Bonus:
Brett Anderson - Brett Anderson (2007) !!!
Muse - Black Holes And Revelations
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2dkb4z
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (2007) !!!
Air - Pocket Symphony (2007) !!!
Fridge - Happiness !!!
+ I'm From Barcelona, Sigur Ros, Venetian Snares
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/224xn5
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007) !!!
The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Welcome To The Infant Freebase + Origin Vol.1
Girlsmen - Girlsmen
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/23tcf7
Brand New - The Devil And The God Are Raging Inside Of Me
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yu8hsg
Emery, Explosions In The Sky, Kill Hannah, Taking Back Sunday
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2fjwkc
Live Indie Concerts
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2a9ub6
Pop/Rock Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2hcbce
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2gg5gd

Brett Anderson

When Suede released their self-titled debut album in 1993, vocalist Brett Anderson endeared himself to U.K. critics longing for another David Bowie or Morrissey. Born in Haywards Heath, England, on September 29, 1967, Anderson was named after the character Lord Brett Sinclair from the TV series The Persuaders. Anderson spent much of his childhood playing sports but fantasized about becoming a rock star. In his teens, Anderson played guitar for garage bands such as the Pigs and Geoff, the latter featuring future Suede bassist Mat Osman. Anderson then formed Suede with Osman and guitarists Bernard Butler and Justine Frischmann, Anderson's girlfriend. Drummer Simon Gilbert joined Suede in 1991, but Frischmann quit the group a year later to front the band Elastica. Even before Suede's first album appeared in stores, Anderson's vague confessions about his sexuality stirred controversy in the British press. In 1993, Suede hit number one on the U.K. charts. Combining Morrissey's homoerotic posturing with Bowie's glam theatrics, Anderson achieved instant fame in England. America, however, was still spellbound by the grunge revolution and Anderson's melancholy, over-the-top vocals clashed with the raw anger of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Although the departure of songwriting partner Butler in 1994 led many to fear Suede's eventual demise, the band continued to release critically and commercially successful albums in the U.K.

On his own, Anderson collaborated with Stina Nordenstam, and his guest vocals can be heard on the album This Is Stina Nordenstam and has made a duet with Jane Birkin in 1995 which exists in 1998 Birkin's Best Of album. He also sang the lyric "You're going to reap just what you sow" in the Children In Need charity single Perfect Day.

In 2004, after resolving their differences, Anderson and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler formed the band The Tears, who released a critically acclaimed debut album Here Come The Tears. It was produced by Bernard Butler and largely recorded at home, and featured the singles Refugees and Lovers.

In May 2006, Anderson announced details of a forthcoming solo album consisting of 11 tracks, which is set for release on 26th March 2007. He told NME that the title will be 'Brett Anderson' since "...that's my name, you see." The accompanying video for Anderson's first single Love is Dead debuted on UK television in February 2007. Recommended!

Brett Anderson - Love Is Dead
Brett Anderson - To The Winter
Brett Anderson @ MySpace

Brett Anderson - Love Is Dead



Bonus:
CocoRosie - La Maison De Mon Reve (2004) !!!
I Am From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends !!!
Beth Gibbons - Out Of Season
+ Babyshambles, The Arcade Fire, Cat Power, !!!, Air, Aphex Twin, Damien Rice, Blur,
Shellac, Sharko, Philippe Katerine, Modeselektor, Superlux, Architecture In Helsinki,
Pretty Girls Make Graves, Vitalic, Raymondo, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2hjbsn
Blonde Redhead - 23 (2007) !!!
Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara (2007) !!!
!!! - Myth Takes (2007) !!!
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity (2007) !!!
Arthur Russel - Another Thought (2006) !!!
Midlake - Bamnam And Silvercork !!!
+ Ellen Allien, Arcade Fire, Final Fantasy, Grizzly Bear, Bightblack Morning Light, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2zfhoo
The Mounatin Goats - Get Lonely
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yjoq9p
Pink Floyd - Meddle
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yrlxfg
The Arcade Fire - Funeral + Neon Bible (2007)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2b25ks
VA - Veronica Mars OST (The Dandy Warhols, Tegan & Sara, Delays, The Format, etc.)
Sugarcult - Lights Out
+ The Tea Party, Houston Calls, The Pixies, Foo Fighters, Anberlin, AFI, 30 Seconds To Mars, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2c9mml
Indie/Alternative/Rock Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2o9u7x
Piana - Ephermal
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ywq4u7
+44 - Live
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/29h3jz

Introducing... La Blogotheque's Take-Away Shows

Check this out:
You meet a band. You take them outside, in the streets, and ask them to play there, shoot the movie in one unique shot, whatever happens. Those are the Take-Away Shows, the weekly Video podcast from french weblog La Blogothèque.

The Take Away Shows are a Video Podcast produced by the french weblog La Blogothèque. Every week, La Blogothèque gives away a session, shot with a band, in an unusual, urban environment.

Sessions are always filmed as a unique shot, without any cut, recorded live. There's usually no much time to record them, so the groups have to be spontaneous, to improvise, play with what they have with them, and with their environment, whether there’s a public or not.

The Take Away Shows are produced by La Blogothèque, based on an original idea by Chryde and Vincent Moon. They are directed by Vincent Moon, and supported by Kidam, who lends the cameras and shot some of the sessions. They are partners from Daytrotter.

The number of released sessions came up to 40. Among the featured bands are Islands, Okkervil River, The Kooks, The Divine Comedy, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Grizzly Bear, Jens Lekman, Tapes N' Tapes, Au Revoire Simone, Guillemots, I'm From Barcelona, Cold War Kids, Herman Düne, The Spinto Band, etc. In the next week, you'll be privileged to see the Arcade Fire.

Even though that the footages are taken in a single shot, thanks to the improvisation of the artists themselves and the way the camera is managed, there's much of artistic in them. You must see it. Highly Recommended!

Some shows:
Essie Jain - Take-Away Show #39
The Hidden Cameras - Take-Away Show #22
Dean & Britta - Take-Away Show #19
Lapin Machin - Take-Away Show #26


Bonus:
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007) !!!
Weezer - The Green Album
+44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2wd2wj
The Divine Comedy - Regeneration !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/348zr8
Abandoned Pools - Armed To The Teeth !!!
Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/32g726
Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper
Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants And Jacket
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2t9vtw
VA - Hotel Costes Vol.9 by Stephane Pompougnac
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2oarne
Muse, Linkin Park, System Of A Down, Stabbing Westward, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2lma2b
Ben Folds - Live & Demos
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2nx2ct

Art Of Fighting

Emphasizing a pop of relaxed melodies and complex structure is the trademark sound of Sydney's Art of Fighting. Debuting in 1995 with the collaboration of Ollie Browne (guitar/vocals), Peggy Frew (bass/vocals) and Cameron Grant (drums), the band would spend the next three years gigging throughout Southeastern Australia as a three piece. After contributing to the Au-Go-Go Records compilation Wonder From A Quarter Acre, Half-A-Cow Records debuted their first mini-album The Very Strange Year in 1998. Guitarist/ trumpeter Miles Brown soon joined the Art of Fighting after the release of their second mini-album Empty Nights in 1999.

“Second Storey”, the band’s first UK release, was the follow-up to their 2001 debut album, “Wires”. Hailed as an instant classic, the band shifted from indie hopefuls to being one of Australia’s most talked-about bands, receiving regular radio and media attention and touring extensively with the likes of Stephen Malkmus, Mogwai, Cat Power and Josh Rouse.

Moving on from their delicately controlled sophomore album Second Storey, Melbourne quartet Art of Fighting return with their beautifully intuitive third, Runaways. Described by the band’s front man, Ollie Browne, as “open and relaxed”, the songs captured on Runaways are a mix of introspective [‘Sycamore & Sand’], playful, romantic, [‘Less than an Instant’] insightful [‘Distance as Virtue’] and brutally honest [‘Mysteries’]. “Second Storey was a very considered album,” Ollie recently told music website and magazine ‘Mess & Noise’. “We spent a lot of time arranging the parts and adding lots of textural overdubs and little extras.” “As a response we wanted this one to be far more impulsive, almost as if the songs were controlling us and not the other way ‘round.” Recommended!

Art Of Fighting - Eastbound
Art Of Fighting - Free You
Art Of Fighting @ MySpace


Bonus:
Supercar - Three Out Change!! !!!
Rovo - Sai (2006) !!!
Hauschka - Room To Expand (2007)
Panda Bear - Person Pitch (2007)
Cornelius - Sensuous (2006)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3dftjp
Electrelane - Axes
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3668lo
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (Demo)
Rob Zombie - Educated Horses
Weezer - Make Believe
Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
+ Metallica, Nirvana, Nickelback, Foo Fighters, The Hazies, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/38uhzo
The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3b4fpa
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Muse - Black Holes And Revelations
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/335ssy
65daysofstatic - Bootlegs
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3dqxdd
Plus 44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating (2006)
Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/394r9g

Malcolm Middleton

Born and raised in Falkirk, Scotland, Malcolm Middleton found fame as the member of Arab Strap commonly credited with ‘most things musical’. While Arab Strap are known for their uncomfortably intimate lyrics, Middleton’s solo career, which ran in tandem with the band until they split in 2006, has provided an outlet for Middleton’s more personal and, at times, more harrowing songs.

It began with 2003’s 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine, Middleton’s first solo effort. Flushed with depression at the time of writing, it finds Malcolm in a bleak place, but comes across as darkly humorous and poignantly beautiful.

Its follow-up, 2005’s critically acclaimed Into The Woods, found a ‘fuck you’ spirit in hard times, and spawned the irresistible single Loneliness Shines. Featuring a host of Glasgow scenesters including Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and Barry Burns, members of The Delgados, The Reindeer Section and fellow Strapper Aidan Moffat, the record was rightly named one of Mojo magazine’s ten albums of the year.

As Arab Strap drew to an amicable close with the bookend compilation Ten Years Of Tears, Malcolm worked on his next defining statement, A Brighter Beat, due for release in February 2007 on his new label Full Time Hobby. Recorded once more with various Glaswegian luminaries, it’s Malcolm’s most bombastic record to date, bursting with strings, big productions and an infectious, beaty number called We’re All Going To Die.

A Brighter Beat has confirmed Middleton as one of the true originals of our time, affirming his place in the same lineage of passionate, pained songwriters as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and Elliott Smith. Like them, his songs are deeply cathartic, often depressing, but always able to inject humour and dry wit into the darkest facets of the human experience. But Malcolm’s is a fragile gift. His lyrics frequently vent his frustrations with his own songwriting, and his self-doubt is the recurring thread in his work.

The new album from Malcolm finds himself in a perfect mood. It's an excellent album, a true candidate for the best of 2007. For all the fans of Arab Strap and singer/songwriter tunes. Highly Recommended!

Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat
Malcolm Middleton - F*ck It, I Love You
Malcolm Middleton - A Moaning Shite (Break My Heart B-Side)
Malcolm Middleton - Party Eyes (from 5:14 Fluoxytine)
Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat (vid)
Malcolm Middleton @ MySpace

Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat


Bonus:
Brazilian Girls - Talk To La Bomb (2006) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2zkgxx
Brazilian Girls - Brazilian Girls
Editors - The Back Room
Ambulance Ltd - Ambulance Ltd
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yt9o9g
Kasabian - Kasabian
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2kzxx8
Seu Jorge - David Bowie Covers
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2clhzz
The White Stripes - De Stijl
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/23qop8
Fall Out Boy - From Under The Cork tree
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2bpbmh
Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Tool - 10000 Days
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2fcqfz
Dead Can Dance, Manu Katche, Agoria, Agalloch, etc.
[CODE]http://giw03.free.fr/root/music/

Radio America

To their credit, Radio America has made it clear from the beginning that they were in it for the good fight, the slow boil, the long haul. When they show up at the door of your club bearing guitars and singing show tunes you’ve got to let ‘em in. When they drink all your roommate’s beer after your birthday party is already over, you’ve got to forgive them. Why? Because they write beautiful tunes full of, yeah, sentiment and melody; because they can rhapsodize about geopolitics and Sanskrit texts without sounding like Chris Martin or Anderson Cooper; and because they can play rock and roll as ferociously and as joyously as anyone this side of 1977 ever has.

2006 release 'Raise High' is the follower to their 2003 debut 'This Is Radio America'. Raise High is a punk rock epic poem. It is a collection of 9 songs inhabited by the pathetic ballads of hepcat boys who roam backlit, boozed streets of New York, London, and Boston cheating death, storming windmills, scaling bridges, smoking cigarettes and wooing riot grrls, all while talking to God. Singers Tom Stuart and Jesse Reno trade lines and choruses over guitar amps as loud as Sherman tanks while drummer Robby VanSaders plays the fuck right out of the Keith-Fucking-Moon school of percussion.

In fact, ‘Raise High’ would sound like ‘Who’s Next’ if Pete Townshend had soul...or maybe, ‘Up the Bracket’ if Carl Barat owned a Marshall amp and Pete Doherty could see straight…or maybe, ‘Nevermind’ if Kurt Cobain wanted to live…or maybe, ‘American Idiot’ if it had been produced by Tom Verlaine. Point is, quite simply, it’s an American classic, better yet, a Trans-Continental classic. It’s music that begs you to not go quietly. It’s songwriting that laughs in the face of despair. It’s the sound of young men running themselves into the ground for art. It’s pure fucking magic is what it is. ~ official bio

Radio America - Aim High In Steering
Radio America - Mahabharata
Radio America @ MySpace


Bonus:
Paolo Nutini - These Streets (2006)
John Mayer - Continuum (2006)
Goo Goo Dolls - Let Love In (2006)
Audioslave - Revelations
Daft Punk - Discovery
DJ Shadow - Entroducing + The Private Press
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yotjon
The Kooks - Inside In, Inside Out
Razorlight - Razorlight
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2bbh3c
KT Tunstall - Eye To The Telescope
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2dzf9v
The Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yogcel
Ben Folds, Jack Johnson, Jeff Hanson, Gotan Project, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yq8o6n
Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam (2006)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/oe4lw
Bob Sinclair - Western Dream (2006)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/256l2k
VA - Man Ray Vol.3
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2fqpkw

Minmae

Portland, OR based indie rock band, Minmae, began as a side project for frontman Sean Brooks. In 1998, Brooks founded Minmae when he found himself with some left-over studio time that his then band, Thee Psychic Hearts, couldn't use. Brooks' efforts resulted in a 7" entitled Poltergeist Over England. In 2000, Brooks released his first full-length disc for Minmae, Lucy in the Sky with DNA Helixes, which featured bandmates Arabella Makalani on drums and Danny Powers on bass. By 2002, the band finally settled on a consistent line-up with Brooks, Josh Kempa on bass and Chris Calvert on drums. The band quickly becomes known as "prolific," releasing eight full-length CDs in as many years, as well as a dozen 7" singles and a 12" split with erstwhile Scottish duo, Electroscope. 2005 saw Minmae's first release with Greyday Records, entitled 'I'd be scared, were you still burning.' 2006 brought 'Le Grande Essor de la Maison du Monstre' (The Great Flight of the Monster Haus), also on Greyday.


Minmae's most recent effort, 835, is their ninth full-length album and offers a new line-up featuring Andy Price on drums, Ian Watts on guitar and Ryan Mullen on bass. The album is to be released on Greyday Records. Recommended!

Minmae - Let My Friends In (from 835)
Minmae - Recommend Me Someone (from 835)
Minmae - Your Band Controls The Weather (from 835)
Minmae - Capitols And Caliphs (from 835)
Minmae @ MySpace

Minmae - My Parts Will Not Rust



Bonus:
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (2007) !!!
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007) !!!
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Ok Go - Oh No
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/328qyg
Daphne Loves Derby - Good Night, Witness Light (2007) !!!
Madina Lake - From Them Through Us To YOu (2007)
Kaddisfly - Set Sail The Prairie (2007)
Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/334vuh
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
The Presidents Of The USA - The Presidents Of The USA
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - So Far
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/35j6rs
Radiohead - KROQ Acoustic Sessions
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2ukjuj
Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/phxdy
The Beatles - Let It Be
Tool - Lateralus
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2wcvml
Sniper - Trait Pour Trait
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/348eha
Live Concerts: Keller Williams, Sublime, Talking Heads, etc.
[CODE]http://mp3.tyedye.com/index.html

Keller Williams

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Keller Williams is literally a one-man jam band. His fascinating live shows feature him solo on-stage with a Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro looping unit, and he creates his backing loops in the moment, building and improvising as he goes on his custom-made ten-string guitar, and thanks to his equally as quirky, upbeat, and semi-surreal songs (which he frequently weaves into extended, half-improvised medleys) and his warm, friendly tenor singing voice, Williams is an utterly unique performer whose musical eccentricities don't keep him from being immediately accessible. A native of Virginia, Williams received his first guitar at the age of three, although he admits he didn't really learn to play it until he was in his early teens. He attended high school in his hometown of Fredericksburg, and began playing solo gigs when he was 17. He discovered the new age guitar genius of Michael Hedges a year or so later, and Hedges has been a lifelong influence on Williams' approach to the guitar. Following a stint at college (he attended Virginia Wesleyan College in Virginia Beach from 1988 to 1991, majoring in theater) and frequent gigs in his hometown region, he self-released a debut album, Freek, in 1994. Williams relocated to Colorado the following year, and it was there where he met the members of the progressive bluegrass band String Cheese Incident at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Williams ended up touring with the group as an opening act in 1997 and again in 1998, even filling in for a time as their bass player. A second solo album, Buzz, was released in 1996. Williams eventually signed to String Cheese Incident's label, SCI Fidelity, and released Spun in 1998. Incredibly prolific, Williams has released nearly an album a year ever since on SCI, all with one word titles. Breathe appeared in 1999, Loop in 2001, Laugh in 2002, Dance and Home in 2003, Stage in 2004, Sight in 2005 and Grass in 2006.

2007 saw new release from Keller Williams, Dreams. The album is just that, his dream album, featuring collaborations with a long list of his favorite artists and influences. The complete list of collaborators is incredible: Bela Fleck, Bobby Read, Bob Weir, Charlie Hunter, Derrek Phillips, Fareed Haque, Fleming McWilliams, Jeff Sipe, John Molo, John Scofield, Martin Sexton, Michael Franti, Modereko, Samir Chatterjee, Sanjay Mishra, Steve Kimock, The String Cheese Incident, and Victor Wooten are all featured on 'Dream.'

Endlessly creative, innovative, and fun, Williams is a fascinating artist, and his somewhat wacky take on the world, coupled with his amazing and eccentric guitar talents, makes him a refreshing performer. Highly Recommended!

Keller Williams - Cadillac (from Dreams)
Keller Williams - Goofballs (from Grass)
Keller Williams - Best Dreaming (from Sight)
Keller Williams - Dreams (album) - listen & buy @ Indie Surfer Hoooka
Keller Williams @ MySpace

Keller Williams - Play This



Bonus:
Raining Jane - Diamond Lane !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3yub56
Katie Melua - Call For The Search + Piece BY Piece
Lemon Jelly - LemonJelly.KY
Evanscence - Fallen
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/y8px3r
Jack Johnson - Live At KCRW 2003-08-05
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3383fo
Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
Portable - Version
M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/33twlx
Indie/Alternative/Rock
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/32j7af
Garbage - Bleed Like Me
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2vaqf4
Electronica: Scateman John, Vive La Fete, Conjure One, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2muk3b

Amestory - New EP

Amestory’s latest offering is their third for Portia and the follow up to 2006’s self-titled full length. They Can Sing Underwater finds the band departing from their light, heart-felt chamber pop to a bolder, more unrestrained recording of songs which echoes the disdain in current events. Do not be mistaken though; this is not a record of protest. Mike Russell (vocals, guitar) simply documents a wide array of conversations had and attitudes expressed in the past year, as well as his experiences on a cross-country Grey Hound trek which brought him directly in touch with Americana and culminated in tracks like “The March, The Parade,” a glaring critique of isolated suburbia.

Produced entirely in his own studio, Russell, along with JD Knotts (drums), Doug Prior (piano) and Derek Coburn (bass, vocals), has managed to capture the live presence of the band perfectly. With these four songs finally on record, the band will be hitting the road this summer and fall. Recommended!

Amestory - The March, The Parade
Amestory - They Can Sing Underwater (album stream)
Amestory @ MySpace

Bonus:
Air - Pocket Symphony (2007) !!!
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
Damien Rice - 9
Bonobo - Days To Come
+ Flunk, Fat Freddy'S Project, Tosca, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/29zgrg
Ryan Adams - 48 Hours !!!
The Cansecos - The Cansecos !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2zd9kq
Deerhof - Friend Opportunity (2007) !!!
Eric Burdon & The Animals - The Twain Shall Meet
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yoh329
Maria Mena - Apparently Unaffected
Dreamgirls - OST
Vittorio Grigolo - In The Hands Of Love
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2evacj
Ghostface Killah, Wu Tang Clan, Sublime, RJD2, Shy Fx & T Power, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/237n7e
The Crystal Method - Legions Of Boom
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/zkw42

The Twang

The Twang are an baggy-influenced indie rock band from Birmingham, England. The band garnered national acclaim when the influential NME magazine produced an article on music acts (which also featured fellow Midlanders Ripchord and The Enemy) in the West Midlands, and has led to band coming second in the BBC News website's Sound of 2007 poll.

The band was formed in Quinton, Birmingham by Phil Etheridge and Jon Watkin. They are signed to the B-Unique label, home to Kaiser Chiefs, The Automatic and The Ordinary Boys. The band won the Phillip Hall Radar Award at the 2007 NME Awards.

The band's debut single, "Wide Awake", will be released March 19, 2007, with an album set to follow later this year. The album is being produced by long term collaborator Gavin Monaghan, at The Magic Garden studio, Wolverhampton, assisted by Gazz Rogers. Highly Recommended!

The Twang - Wide Awake
The Twang - Love It Like This
The Twang @ MySpace


The Twang - Wide Awake



Bonus:
Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (2007) !!!
Dustin Kensrue - Please Come Home (2007) !!!
From Monument To Masses - Impossible Leap in 100 Simple Steps !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/325h5o
Ani Di Franco - Dilate + Educated Guess !!!
The Joe Beats Experiment - Indie Rock Blues !!!
Belle And Sebastian - Late Night Tales (2006) + Dear Catastrophy Waitress !!!
John Lennon - Working Class Hero !!!
VA - Verve Remixed Vol 3 !!!
VA - The Big Chill 2006 !!!
+ Mates Of State, Arrested Development, King Britt, Fatboy Slim, RJD2,
Röyksopp, DJ Shadow, Cornelius, Fiona Apple, etc.
[CODE]http://cmang.be/mp3/
RJD2 - The Third Hand (2007)
Tayo - Fabriclive.32 (2007)
Kid Koala - Your Mom's Favorite DJ
Zero db - Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
The Roots - Game Theory
Stanton Warriors - Fabriclive.30
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2nm6ob
Joanna Newsom - Ys
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/3btfs2
Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2sw9xh
Deerhoof - Milkman
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/zzpcd

Richard Swift

Singer/songwriter Richard Swift's lo-fi, sepia-tone style harks back to the Tin Pan Alley age. Born in 1977, the California native spent his youth locked in his room with a four-track recorder, a device that -- along with a computer -- the artist continues to utilize to this day. Influenced by everyone from Bob Dylan to early-'70s dub acts like the Congos and Lee Perry, he has provided keyboards for shoegazers Starflyer 59 and released two records of his own, Walking Without Effort and The Novelist, both of which were reissued on Secretly Canadian as a double album in 2005. Kisses for the Misses arrived two years later.

Richard Swift's new album, "Dressed Up For The Letdown", came out at February 20, 2007, and is receiving praise from critics world-wide. For a taste of Swift's sweet and tart music, the new video for first single, "Kisses For The Misses", has a deliberate Vampyros Lesbost-meets-Murder, She Wrote feel. Directed by the team known as ulysses///onasis (aka Richard Swift and long time co-conspirator Lance Troxel), the video stars Mr. Swift himself in a comical-yet-mysterious role. Currently, Richard Swift is touring UK, together with David Vandervelde. Richard Swift and David Vandervelde will be returning to the States just in time for SXSW, and beginning in April will embark on a national tour together. Recommended!

Richard Swift - Paisley Park
Richard Swift - Kisses For The Misses (video)
Richard Swift @ MySpace


Richard Swift - Kisses For The Misses



Bonus:
Deerhof - Friend Opportunity (2007) !!!
Colin Newman - A-Z + Provisinally Entitled the Singing Fish/Not To !!!
John Cale - Paris 1919 !!!
Frank Zappa - Sleep Dirt
Matthew Sheehan - Sung
+ The Big Lebowski (OST), Escape From New York (OST), etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yssts6
Cansei De Ser Sexy - CSS (2006) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/26hdzx
Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time (2006) !!!
Devics - Push The Heart (2006) !!!
Carissa's Wierd - Songs About Leaving + I Before E + Scrap Book !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/223h4s
Paolo Nutini - These Streets
The Fratellis - Costello Music
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/27djey
VNV Nation - Praise The Fallen
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ytqesm
Jap Indie Pop/Electro: M-Flo, Fayray, Shazna, Shiina Ringo, Inugami Circus Dan, Heartsdales, Jhett, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2zxnwd
Jap Rock/Metal: The Yellow Monkeys, Nightmare, Gazette, Dir En Grey, etc.
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2c928n

Tokyo Police Club

Tokyo Police Club started by accident one day in the ordinary suburb of Newmarket when Greg, Josh, Dave, and Graham decided that they missed playing music together, their previous band having broken up several months before. The four gathered in Josh's basement, plugging in instruments and making up songs almost at random, with no goal but to recapture the magic that they felt making music together. By the time summer came, TPC had began quietly to play shows in the Toronto area, shows at which the very few people in attendance seemed impressed by what they saw. The band seemed likely to end here, with the various members preparing to go their separate ways in the fall, when fate intervened in the form of an invitation to play the Pop Montreal festival. Packing their instruments and girlfriends into a tiny university residence room, TPC spent a week immersed in music, spending days lazily wandering the streets of Montreal and nights rehearsing loudly in the tiniest of spaces, and topping it off in style with a sold out show that saw the band play for the first time to an audience that was actually interested. A few weeks later, all four had agreed that it was time to break their mother's hearts and pursue that most elusive of pipe dreams: a career in the music business.

The boys got straight to business, playing a series of Toronto shows, and earning a reputation for live shows that were exuberant, lively, and unrestrained. In January, the very day that Dave returned for good from university, Tokyo Police Club signed up with esteemed Toronto label Paperbag Records to release their debut EP in Canada.

In April, A Lesson in Crime was released, and the band has spent the months since on the road, bringing their optimistic brand of wide-eyed post-pop to audiences across Canada and the U.S., and making many new friends along the way.

Tokyo Police Club makes truly amazing tunes. It's indie rock at it's best. I hope they'll deliver us soon a full release. Until then enjoy their EP. It's Highly Recommended!

Tokyo Police Club - Citizens Of Tomorrow (Space Ballad)
Tokyo Police Club - The Nature Of The Experiment
Tokyo Police Club - Daytrotter Sessions
Tokyo Police Club @ MySpace

Tokyo Police Club - The Nature Of The Experiment


Bonus:
Panda Bear - Person Pitch (2007) !!!
Wheat - Per Second Per Second Per Second... Every Second !!!
Leaves - Breathe !!!
Eef Barzelay - Bitter Honey !!!
Horse Feathers - Words Are Dead !!!
The Folk Implossion - Dare To be Surprised !!!
Eluvium - Talk Amongst The Trees !!!
Efterklang - Tripper !!!
Faultline - Closer Colder !!!
+ Copeland, Editors, Counting Crows, Feist, Hard-Fi, Hem, Laika, Laura Veirs, Keane,
Vashti Bunyan, The Sea And Cake, The Jayhawks, Alexi Murdoch, Unbunny, Idlewild,
Imogen Heap, Klee, Low, Mark Eitzel, Psapp, Smoosh, Sondre Lerche, Starsailor, Train, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/294syc
Amon Tobin - The Foley Room (2007) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2hwkrm
Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2br286
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2233zs
The Fratellis - Costello Music
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2c8lmn

Leopold And His Fiction

Leopold and his Fiction is the honest and transcendent San Francisco area Rock n Roll band escalating into the west coast music scene. Their sound acquires a moody pop frame derived from distant genres and unwavering imagination in an attempt to reinvent what each member feels has dissipated from the greater measure of music. Leopold and his Fiction is the balanced reincarnate of a sultry era of western darkness underneath big city lights and country back roads leading to the morning shore of a transpiring musical horizon.--- Essentially a rock duo, Leopold and his Fiction also implement other musicians and instruments as needed.--- Both individuals contribute to a very diverse sound through personal interests.--- Ben hails all the way out from country Kentucky with a healthy obsession for jazz. Formulating beats through reason and tobacco tinged dialects, he radiates a calm versatility and explosive composure behind his drum set.--- Daniel provides a Detroit filth encapsulated in boogaloo blues, a homeless train ride blinded by distance. Guitar oriented and rasped vocals soar to a grave reflection, a sweet relief of seasons bask in their familiarity.--- Together they offer a morbid cohesion of California and a gentle open plains reminiscence stimulating a reason and energy for people to listen closely. They are taking SF through a tempest of a new new vision in music and thought with an alternate take to the repetition of a-sides with their own traditional sounds and elaborations.

Leopold And His Fiction's music is a mixture of garage rock, blues and the Strokes-like sound. The self-titled debut album is released in 2006 and can be ordered via their homepage. Check It Out!

Leopold & His Fiction - She Ain't Got Time
Leopold & His Fiction - Shakey Mama
Leopold & His Fiction - Be Still
Leopold & His Fiction - Go On Have My Way
Leopold & His Fiction @ MySpace


Bonus:
Dinosaur Jr - Beyond (2007) !!! + BBC Sessions
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Liars - Drum's Not Dead
Asobi Seksu - Citrus
+ My Bloody Valentine, Tv On The Radio, Fripp & Eno, Nine Inch Nails,
The Rapture, 65daysofstatic, Clutch, Incubus, Pink Floyd, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ymanaz
The Fratellis - Costello Music
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2n8w8f
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2rpjuh
Project Pat - Crooked By Da Book: The Fed Story
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2t3c82
Kero One - Windmills Of The Soul
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2pbcx6
Injected - The Truth About You
Army Of Anyone - Live
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2wdqye

The Lisps

The Lisps are a NYC/Bronx-based band that has been spreading its gospel of brutal honesty and consistent deception around New York City since October of 2005 .

The Lisps tend to write songs about important ideas such as piety, forgiveness, destiny, reality, twins, documents, growing old, time, loving, and babies. They play songs that make you laugh and want to have sex and punch someone in the face, and be quiet sometimes. Currently they are performing an original Rock n' Roll Oratorio whenever they get the chance.

The Lisps sometimes plug in and sometimes don't. They have at least one thing in common with these bands: the moldy peaches, the b52s, simon and garfunkel, cheese on bread, sonny and cher, led zeppelin, performers at New York's Palace Theater (pre 1932), Karlheinz Stockhausen, Augustus Pablo ...

They have played all over Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx and just comlpeted a tour of the Southeast. In August, 2006 The Lisps independently released their debut EP, "The Vain, The Modest, and The Dead"

This is what Time Out NY said about the EP:
"Local coed pop group the Lisps gives quirky indie rock a real good name. Its debut self-released EP, The Vain, the Modest, and the Dead, is smart-assed and danceable, but with an affecting core of been-around-the-block melancholy."

The Lisps are male, except for the girl, who, although she has a boy�s name, is female. Two members go to graduate school together, and you know what that means. Two members, although from the same hometown, met each other three years ago and fell in love, friendship-wise. Two members, although they went to college together and maybe had a few conversations then, fell in love years later, romance-wise. At any given time, at least one member is in love with at least two other members.

Their influences vary widely. Their parents are big ones, though. All of The Lisps are Caucasian and American (one is "Latino") and two of them actually have lisps, though slight. One of the Lisps is Jewish and feels very strongly about raising his/her kids to be well aware of their religious/cultural heritage. The other Lisps totally respect that impulse.

The Lisps are an assemblage of 21st century post-rock n' vaudeville auteurs. They write songs about science and love and sometimes perform in costumes, with tap shoes and without microphones. The Lisps are the public/performative version of all the relationships you're struggling with. In 2006, the Lisps released their debut EP titled 'The Vain, The Modest, and The Dead'. The album is availabla via iTunes. For the fans of the Dresden Dolls, the Moldy Peaches, etc. Check It Out!

The Lisps - Pepper Spray
The Lisps - The Winter That I Missed
The Lisps - Chaos
The Lisps - Documents (Live)
The Lisps @ MySpace


Bonus:
Heartless Bastards - All This Time (2006) !!!
Joss Stone - Mind, Body And Soul
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/37r4p6
Paddy Milner - Walking On Eggshels
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2u7x6r
Katie Malua - Piece By Piece
Massive Attack - Collected
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/p2ctn
The Smashing Pumpkins - Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2vwbvt
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2kgyhg
Sigur Ros - Takk
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2rzfzo

The Bentleys

The Bentleys are Ron (guitar, vocals), Dennis (guitar, vocals), Andrew (bass) and Chris (drums). For over 5 years the San Fernando Valley quartet has made it their artistic mission to write the best possible songs and convert people around the world to their brand of sharp, memorable pop hooks and endless musical experimentation. Through years of playing shows, the innovative promotional resources of Internet websites such as Myspace.com, and their knack for crafting great songs, the Bentleys have created a growing national fan base. The band is the product of a life-long friendship sparked by guitarist and vocalist Dennis Ibon, bass player Andrew Gonzalez, and guitarist and vocalist Ronald Suazo, all of whom met in elementary school. Over the course of their time together the band's principal songwriters Ibon and Suazo amassed albums worth of songs, some of them with ideas so ambitious they're impossible to replicate in a live setting.

Although the Bentleys served as a revolving door for numerous drummers, their resolve has never been stronger! New drummer, the very experienced singer-songwriter John Wolf, joined the trio and brought new insight into improving their musical craft. The result: a new set of songs that eclipses everything the Bentleys have composed before. Each song touches upon the classic sensibilities of Lennon/McCartney and explore more current sounds in pop music.

In 2006 the band released their sophomore effort, "Mid-Flight Rock" EP. It was recorded over the course of 3 years. Immediately after the band's debut demo was released the band immersed itself in a new batch of songs, which are now on the new disc. After months of preparation the band was ready to record at Loyola Marymount University in Santa Monica, CA (FUN FACT: the same studio where Weezer recorded their B-side "Jaime")with producer Jason Krane. In 2004 and 2005 the band slowly worked on overdubs and re-did many guitar and drum parts for 4 songs. Last summer the band, completed 3 more songs with the guidance of LA Mission College record engineering professor Alexey Mohr. Check It Out!

The Bentleys - B Sharp
The Bentleys - T Rex
The Bentleys - Avelaine (vid)
The Bentleys @ MySpace


Bonus:
Macromantics - Moments In Movement (2007) !!!
The Snake The Cross The Crown - The Cotton Teeth (2007) !!!
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder (2007) !!!
The Postmarks - The Postmarks (2007) !!!
Mountaineer - When The Air Is Bright They Shine (2006) !!!
Rose Melberg - Cast Away The Clouds (2006) !!!
Go Sailor - Go Sailor !!!
fbcfabric & Reindeer - It's Not Who You Know, It's Whom You Know !!!
Unashamed - Silence + Reflections
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/259fzn
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You Destroyer? + Icons, Abstract Thee [EP] (2007) !!!
Menomena - Under An Hour: Hot Air !!!
Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yptw89
!!! - Myth Takes (2007) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2ajhrt
The Stooges - Weirdness (2007) !!!
Bitcrush - In Distance (2006) !!!
My Bloody Valentine - LPs + EPs !!!
+ The Hives, Soungarden, Placebo, Outkast
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2fzmye
Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
+ The Black Dahlia Murder, Phoenix Mourning, All That Remains, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2d82fw
Modest Mouse - Live Concerts
Neutral Milk Hotel - Live In SF
Elliot Smith - Basement II Demos
Panic! At The Disco - Rare & B-Sides
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/22kuuk

The Stooges: New Album

Iggy and the Stooges are ready to rock a new generation's ears off. The band's The Weirdness hits stores March 20 from Virgin Records. The effort's the band's first studio effort since 1973's Raw Power, and was recorded this fall with original members singer Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton and drummer Scott Asheton, while calling up Minutemen bassist Mike Watt to round out the lineup.

The disc will feature 16 songs and some of the titles include "Trollin'," "ATM," "You Can't Have Friends," "My Idea Of Fun," "Greedy Awful People" and "Free And Freaky." The latter features a guest appearance from Raconteurs co-frontman Brendan Benson.

"At times, [the songs have] a lot going for the fences," Pop cryptically told Billboard.com. "But there's a great deal of structure and attention to detail. We were very prepared, and we always have been any time we stepped into a studio. Even the song 'L.A. Blues,' the last cut on Fun House, was pretty much exactly what you would have heard if you'd seen us live the week before we recorded it."

The band will tour this spring and are making an appearance at the increasingly ubiquitous South By Southwest in March.

The Stooges - Idea Of Fun
The Stooges @ MySpace

Bonus:
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007) !!!
[CODE]http://www.nd.edu/~bvincent/
We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor
Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yp97uw
Sonic Youth - Sister
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/e8o8h
VA - Promo Only Mainstream Radio March-2007
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/24lo8d
D'Angelo - Voodoo
Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang
J Rawls - Essence Of Soul Vol 1
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ynmbno
Rammstein - Herzeleid
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2y9g93
Alex Gopher - Alex Gopher (2007)
Air - Sexy Boy [Maxi]
Jamiroquai - Runaway [Maxi]
Muse - B-Sides
The Postal Service - Give Up + 2 EPs
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2gb6qb