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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Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman, the frontman for the multi-platinum band, Switchfoot is returning to his indie-scene roots by releasing four solo EPs over the coming months. These EPs, individually titled Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer, evoke vivid images of each season, making the collection a likely soundtrack to the year ahead. All four EPs will be released prior to the upcoming Switchfoot release in late 2008.

“Because of the autobiographical nature of these songs, they became a self portrait that was far too personal for a band to release,” says Foreman. “Tim, Chad and the rest of the band have been pushing me to get these types of songs out there for years. So I decided to let them go.”

According to Foreman the songwriting and production of these EPs were creatively intertwined. “Most of these songs were written and recorded the same night,” said Foreman. “I would sing and play my guitar late at night until I got a take that captured what the song meant to me. From there I would add instruments to the vocal to see what would be appropriate. It was a very therapeutic, lonely, cleansing process.”

The Fall and Winter EPs stir up just this sort of sentiment — its stripped-down arrangements put Jon’s earnest voice and raw lyrics at the forefront of this personal set of songs.

The frequent solo sets Jon has recently been performing in many ways inspired these solo EPs. “For the past few tours we've done as a band, I've made a habit of playing a set after the show. Many of these ‘after shows’ have been incredible experiences, a chance for spontaneous acoustic music that is completely juxtaposed to the rock band environment: no booking agent, no light show, no amps or guitar techs – just Dylan covers, some sing-a-longs, and honest stories,” said Foreman. “These projects are an attempt to create a musical conversation that mirrors that experience.”

Spring was released in all digital music stores on March 25th, and both Spring and Summer will be available digitally and physically on May 27th. Now on tour with Switchfoot, lucky fans will see Jon Foreman perform select tunes from the seasonally-themed EPs at each show! Recommended!

Jon Foreman - Your Love Is Strong (from Spring EP)
Jon Foreman - The Cure For Pain (from Fall EP)
Jon Foreman @ MySpace


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New album release... The Little Ones

The Little Ones is an indie pop band based in Los Angeles, California. They are currently signed to Astralwerks Records, and have released one EP on that record, titled Sing Song. In 2006, Matt Costa invited them to open for him at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, which has brought them in a rise to fame.

The Little Ones' indie pop tunes, which feature tambourines and handclaps, have garnered them comparisons to 1960s pop bands such as The Beach Boys, The Zombies, The Kinks, modern-day pop group The Shins, and the Elephant Six collective.

The Little Ones released new EP entitled, Terry Tales & Fallen Gates on their Branches Recording collective label on April 8th. Also, their full-length, Morning Tide, is finished and will find a Summer release in its future. The band is currently touring with Ra Ra Riots. Recommended!

The Little Ones - Boracay
The Little Ones @ MySpace


The Little Ones - Lovers Who Uncover



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Lemuria

Lemuria is guitarist/vocalist Sheena Ozzella, bassist Jason Draper, and drummer/vocalist Alex Kerns. The band formed in 2004 and, in true DIY fashion, self-released several EPs and 7”s over the past few years. In 2006, they released a split LP with Kind of Like Spitting, which was released on Art of the Underground, a record label/distro run by drummer Alex. They’ve also done a 5-week tour of Europe and generally tour around the States 4-5 months out of the year. This April they are doing a mini tour of Puerto Rico. Seriously…the band has been keeping busy.

Get Better consists of tight melodic punk songs, led by vocals provided from each member, though mostly from Sheena. Their sound has been compared to Superchunk, Discount, and Jawbreaker, while their list of influences includes the Lemonheads and Husker Du. Bust magazine reports that Get Better is "oh so satisfying" while Skyscraper predicts that "these D.I.Y. darlings will be on the tip of a lot of people's tongues in the coming year."

The Buffalo-based indie pop/punk trio Lemuria is releasing their first full length LP, Get Better, on Asian Man Records. Recommended!

Lemuria - Dog/Dogs
Lemuria - Pants
Lemuria @ MySpace


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Teitur

Teitur (tie'tor) is a singular name for a singular man. Hailing from the Faroe Islands, Teitur is an artist whose songs remind you what music can do for the soul. Teitur first came to the attention of the world with the release of his 2003 debut album "Poetry & Aeroplanes", which won him rave reviews.

Thousands of fans who were captivated by his inspiring melodies and gentle but finely observed, often wry and quirkily observant lyrics. Since the release of his debut album, he has toured non-stop. Initially playing intimate acoustic shows, he slowly won over bigger and bigger audiences, fleshing out his live performances with a band and sometimes string quartet. Extensive touring included support slots for celebrity fans including Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann and John Mayer.

Teitur's latest relase "The Singer" is released in Scandinavia on the 11th February 2008 and the rest of the world will se the release in March/April 2008. "The Singer" will be available for digital download on 8th April. The CD will be available in stores on 13th May. The CD will also be available at US and Canada shows prior to the release. Pre-order "The Singer" here. Highly Recommended!

Teitur - We Still Drink the Same Water
Teitur - Catherine The Waitress
Teitur @ MySpace


Teitur - You Are The Ocean (Live)



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Sarah White

A haunting voice, subtle lyrics, and an independent style define the music of Virginia singer-songwriter SARAH WHITE. Her sound crosses the traditional genres of rock and country, inviting comparisons to a broad spectrum of artists including Hazel Dickens and Patti Smith. With an air of ambivalence and naked truth, White crafts songs that demand attention without pretension or trickery, pulling you in so deftly that you don't feel the rope. Recently, Sarah's talent for songwriting received national accolades at the 2007 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest where she won Best Song for "Sweetheart", the title track from her most recent EP. Her unique sound has caught the ear of bandleader Dave Matthews:

"Sarah's music kills me; beautifully from the ground up, no plastic. I got stuck behind a logging truck today. I was listening to Sarah. It was great."

White performs most frequently in duo format with acoustic/electric guitarist Ted Pitney, with whom she recorded the EP, and has shared the stage with a variety of acts such as Hall & Oates, Ben Folds Five, Loudon Wainwright III, Lilys, King Wilkie, Justin Jones, Shannon Worrell and the Hackensaw Boys. Recommended!

Sarah White - Sweetheart
Sarah White - Apple In B Major
Sarah White - White Light
Sarah White - We Have A Song
Sarah White - My Brother
Sarah White - I Can't Wait
Sarah White @ MySpace


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