Quick Update

A few notes for you:

One, I updated the calendar. It's got new shows (in the distant future) listed as School of Seven Bells in October at the Pearl Street Clubroom and, in the less distant future, you can look forward to shows like Man Man at Daniel Street in Milford, Conn. this Wednesday and Cotton Jones at the Space on Thursday in Hamden, Conn. More dates on the way soon. 

Two, I'm going to start reviewing some more albums. Got any suggestions? Or, at least, are there any records you're anticipating?

Three, I'm going to be messing with the RSS feeds by Feedburner. Watch out.

Apparently, Tonight Is Your Night, Bro

"It's On Them"

Hartford Party Starters Union is putting on a little shindig tonight at Europa in Hartford, Conn., starting at 9 p.m. There will be $1.50 Pabst, so you know it'll be classy, with free pizza and give-aways. DJ Rizzla, PK Partytime and Dirty D. will be there to get things going.

The Facebook page looks quite impressive, and the event will be even more so if the trio can pull off packing 79 + people into this place.

Anyways:
It's On Us
@ Europa (438 Franklin Avenue)
Hartford, Conn.
FREE / 9 p.m.
18+

Let us know how it goes, OK?

Update on VW's New Album

Vampire Weekend just posted a little blog post on their MySpace indicating that Rostam Batmanglij's Discovery LP is out. You can get it legally, now.

And, they are working on the final stages of their new album, name TBA. It's expected to be released in the fall. There are rumors that songs "White Sky" and "Arrows" will make the cut. Add to that "Boston," maybe. Regardless of what the critics say, "White Sky" has potential. I'll admit it's underwhelming at first, yes, but it grows on you past two or three listens. Ezra Koenig's vocals around the chorus are a little painful to listen to (high-pitched yelps of "Ooo-oo-wah-hooo") and maybe the song isn't exactly a fantastic departure from the VW catalogue, but it works. And I think they're planning on messing with it and amping it up, anyways.

We can expect more news on the album soon.

For now, the band's booked for All Points West, July 31 in Jersey City, N.J. and Lollapalooza in Chicago, Ill. on Aug. 9.

'Rewild' a High-Scoring Debut

Amazing Baby

Rewild

June 23, 2009

Shangri-La Music

Although the dramatic feel of '80s guitar is returning in full force and is becoming quite common among indie acts today, Amazing Baby's debut Rewild easily adds a new flavor and vivacity. Pains of Being Pure at Heart captured the emotion, but Amazing Baby manages to push beyond and add variety and thrill to the sound in an impressive debut.

The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based band recently rolled out the record without too much hype, except for the references to friend Ben Goldwasser of MGMT. It's fair to draw comparisons between the two bands – neo-psychedelic acts are beginning to sound alike– and they both carry on with experimental rock while producing mainstream appeal. Amazing Baby, however, draws their style from a different place. Think of the soundtrack for an '80s teenager flick plus hints of Pink Floyd.

Some highlights:

What seemed like the beginning of great elevator musak blended into a Vampire Weekend-ish tune in “Roverfrenz.” I wouldn't say it's exactly reggae or Afro-infuenced, but the drums come through in that easy, effortless style above muted, winding keyboard notes. You know that once the chorus hits, with ethereal echoed vocals and a something that sounds like faded reggae drumming, it's going to be memorable. It cruises along around that upbeat level for sometime until the 4-minute mark hits, then escalates into a quick peak of electric guitar, in volume and strength.

If you don't listen to anything else on the album, take a dive into the first track, “Bayonets.” It's energetic, though not exactly danceable. That said, this would easily make it onto the end of a party playlist; “Bayonets”  but this is the type of song that fits in after a good amount of beers, just before you're about to collapse of exhaustion, but you've got the will for one last anthem. Backing strings really amplify the effect of each chorus and fit in surprisingly well with the tambourine-driven percussion. The guitar and drum pair buildups leading into sections of the song also keep the energy high and the sound familiar.

The record keeps it going two tracks away with “Kankra,” which is similar in pep and style. It's got a dreamy arranagement of choral vocals. I'm not saying the lead singer emulates that of Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, because he's certainly more serious, less flambuoyant but they sound similar. 

Rewild is streaming at the band's MySpace in full here.

and free download of "Bayonets" at their Web site: theamazingbaby.com

This Saturday at Artspace

It's all on the poster - The Hush Now, with If Jesus Had Machine Guns and The Cavemen Go are performing at Artspace Undergound this Saturday, June 27 by Tweefort: Music and Art. $5 to get in, and there's normally a DJ set around 8 p.m and the liver performances begin at 9:30 p.m. Also, they have art there by local artists.

Artspace
50 Orange Street
New Haven, Conn

Wild Light & The Wallflowers to Stop in CT in August

Wild Light.

Just all kinds of nostalgia this summer. I didn't even know The Wallflowers were still together.

Wild Light and The Wallflowers are embarking on a 3-date mini tour in August, and they're stopping last at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Conn. Apparently VIP passes are available to attend the pre-show cocktail party and meet and greet with the artists.

They play Aug. 16, 8 p.m. and tickets are $65.

Indie-pop band Wild Light released debut album Adult Nights not that long ago and they've been touring for most of 2009, supporting The Killers more recently and touring with Tapes 'n Tapes back in January.

Discovery: 4 Tracks Streaming

While they already have "Osaka Loop Line" and "Orange Shirt" on their MySpace, Rostam Batmanglij and Wes Miles' Discovery has "So Insane" and "Swing Tree" posted at dscvry.net. Go there.

Beck Starts a Record Club

Something that sounds like a pretty awesome record club.

As part of his Web site's renovations, Beck has decided to add a new feature to it, his Record Club. The idea is, he's going to invite other musicians and producers, such as already chosen Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, Brian Lebarton, Bram Inscore, Yo, Giovanni Ribisi, Chris Holmes and Thorunn Magnusdottir, to come and cover one whole album with him in one day. His note on the Web site says that nothing is going to be rehearsed and the album will be re-interpreted. One track from these sessions is going to be posted to the Web site each week.

He added:

For this first edition, after lengthy deliberation and coming close to covering Digital Underground's Sex Packets, all present voted in favor of the 'other' Underground's The Velvet Underground & Nico.

No time frame was given as to when this would be happening, but I'll post as soon as I find out.

New Dates on the Calendar

Check out The Decemberists @ Mountain Park in Holyoke, Mass. The $30 ticket is kind of steep, but I heard their performance of new material off The Hazards of Love is pretty good. The show is August 16 at 7 p.m.

Also, Manic Productions managed to pull ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead out here and into Daniel Street. Tickets are $14. Kind of makes me want to go re-download So Divided.

Discovery's First LP Surfaces

Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles have been in collaboration for about a year now to produce this self-titled LP. It is scheduled for release on July 7, 2009 on XL Recordings. With their separate bands, these two are pretty amazing; combined, they're sure to please (EDIT: I can totally see a few of these tracks making it onto a Mark Rowan mixtape in the near future). This album is pretty catchy, but then again, I consider who put this together and am not surprised.

Initial reactions to Discovery so far are very positive. The remakes of both "Can You Tell" by Ra Ra Riot (now "Can You Discover?") and "I Want You Back" by Jackson 5 are impressive to say the least. These tracks are ethereal and bring in pieces of other genres; for example, the former sounds like this could easily drop into a reggae tune and the latter sounds like it was reproduced by Crystal Castles with its video game quality.

I think it's fair to say that there's a larger VW influence in this LP. "Swing Tree" and "Slang Tang" follow some of the patterns set by the band -their trademark bridges and such could have easily fit into the VW record, though with a lot more synth. I think their kwassa kwassa is showing.

1. Orange Shirt
2. Osaka Loop Line
3. Can You Discover?
4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend [ft. Angel Deradoorian]
5. So Insane
6. Swing Tree
7. Carby [ft. Ezra Koenig]
8. I Want You Back
9. It's Not My Fault (It's My Fault)
10. Slang Tang

... Will it live up to your expectations?

P.S. I also totally agree with this visual representation of feelings as the LP progresses.

Deer Tick Venue Change

The July 23 Deer Tick show originally meant for the Wallingford American Legion in Wallingford is now being moved to The Space in Hamden, Conn. Show still starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $10.

Dawes is also performing along with 1 TBA band.

WITTR Show Tonight Cancelled

Repost  from Manic Productions:

I'm sad to deliver this news:

Due to van troubles WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM have CANCELLED. A STORM OF LIGHT will not be playing the show either. Tickets can be refunded from point of purchase. If you have an advanced ticket and still want to come to the show your ticket will be worth entry for 2 people. Sorry and we hope to have WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM back soon.

The show is still happening with Krallice & Ipsissimus at DANIEL STREET. Here is the info


Monday, May 25 2009

Krallice
Krallice is a New York-based black metal project featuring the guitar work of notorious progressive/experimental metal musicians Colin Marston (Behold… the Arctopus, Byla, Dysrhythmia and others) and Mick Barr (Orthrelm, Crom-Tech, Octis and others), along with Nick McMaster and Lev Weinstein of death metal band Astomatous.
Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/krallice

Ipsissimus
CT black metal. Ex-members of Catalyst. Hot Air Press will have a limited edition 12" of Ipsissimus' album "The Three Secrets of Fatima" available tonight at the show. Come and pick one up.
Mp3s: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =181252101

@ Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford CT

$5 - 7:00PM - 21+ (drink specials from 7-9pm)

More Calendar Dates

Dear Turkey readers,

We just want to let you know we posted some more dates on the calendar and will continue to do at least that for the next three months.

If you haven't already noticed, our posts have been on the decline and as 2/3 of the blog contributors will be out of the state for the summer, we expect to be on hiatus unfortunately. We may post, but probably not consistently or very frequently. For other CT entertainment and music news, see manicproductions.org for Manic's listings or the CT Indie blog. If we find some more useful sites or listings, we'll post them here. 

-Melissa

Two Great Shows Tomorrow (Monday)

As I mentioned yesterday, the afternoon Papercuts show is tomorrow at noon, but what I didn't mention is the rather amazing show scheduled for Monday evening. Liechtenstein, Pants Yell! and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names are playing together at Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge, Mass.

Liechtenstein are from Sweden and just played at NYC Popfest AND are releasing a great (I've heard) album in May 26th titled Survival Strategies In A Modern World. I assume they will be playing plenty of material off that, so here's your chance to hear it early.

Pants Yell! also played NYC Popfest and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names I don't know, but are also from Sweden.

Download:
Liechtenstein - Roses In the Park (off the upcoming album)

These Are Powers Tomorrow at BAR!

Somehow this was missing on our calendar (MELISSA!!), but I also somehow remembered it. These Are Powers, who are in the May issue of SPIN (see below), are playing at BAR in New Haven on Sunday.

I've seen these guys a couple times in Brooklyn and if you're into this type of music (noisy, rock, fun, whatever) then you should definitely check out this FREE show in New Haven. Starts at 9 p.m. and Los Debutantes are opening.

Download
These Are Powers - Easy Answers

Wolves in the Throne Room Venue Change

Manic Productions recently had to change the venue for the upcoming Wolves in the Throne Room show.

Due to reasons beyond our control we are forced to move this show to a different venue. This show is now 21+. If you have purchased a ticket and are under 21 please email us so we can figure something out.

The May 25th show has been moved to Daniel Street in Milford.


Manic's next show is this Monday at noon. Papercuts will be playing for FREE at the Space at this odd time. So if you don't have a job or you're recently out of school, head on over there for a pretty sweet afternoon show. Papercuts just came through New York with a couple dates and are definitely picking up some healthy buzz.

Wye Oak and Pomegranates Tonight at Cafe Nine

And hopefully we'll be there (now that I've got $400 in singles to blow). Say hi if you se us. 

Manic presents Wye Oak and Pomegranates are performing tonight at 9 p.m. with an $8 cover at Cafe Nine in New Haven. Also, Cafe Nine's got drink specials by request via Twitter - suggest something.

New White Rabbits Album Spoon-influenced

White Rabbits are preparing to drop It's Frightening, their sophomore album for May 19. When I first stumbled across the listing for this record somewhere on the Internet, I noticed that whoever posted about it said that White Rabbits enlisted the help of Britt Daniel of Spoon as producer. That explains a lot.

At first the two bands produced relatively original and different sounds, but were tied by their use of rock piano and similar vocal parts. By all means I think Daniel is part of the superior band (they have the advantage of a good group of albums in their repertoire ), but the Spoon influence is too obvious. And beyond that, "Lionesse" is a huge rip-off over every dramatic 007 theme song remake.

The vocals sound even more alike, the drumwork too similar, but White Rabbits to manage to pull out an original track here or there.

Stand-out track (single): "Percussion Gun"

New Calendar Dates

We threw some more up there - sidebar to the right. 

Thanks, Manic.

New Pains of Being Pure at Heart Video

"Young Adult Friction" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Aside from the fact that this video probably took $50 to make and it's filled with creepy/ religious bits, I don't think it's that bad. The fuzzy darkness seems cliché at this point, however. 

A Great Big Pile of Leaves Shows Coming Up!

We actually missed this, but A Great Big Pile of Leaves played a show in Manchester (I think) last weekend. This weekend though they are going to be in Brooklyn at a not-so-secret house party to kickoff a new diy venue me and a couple friends put together. It's mainly a friends and friends of friends of friends event, but if for some reason you're around just rsvp.

For those not in Brooklyn, A Great Big Pile of Leaves will be in at The Space in Hamden, Conn. next Wednesday, April 29th. And then back in NYC at the Lit Lounge at the end of May. As we've said before, check out their MySpace if you want to download the two EPs they released last year (for free!). 

Events: Now Through Saturday

First of all, I just want to mention that central Conn. or the area surrounding it is looking pretty good over the next few days. And with that, props to the Hartford Party Starters Union - they've got some parties planned that I am fully prepared to promote at least if not attend. (READ UP)

Tonight (Tuesday) we have 1) Tim Palmieri (vocals, lead guitar) of The Breakfast at The Space in Hamden, Conn. The Breakfast are a jam band...? Doors at 6 p.m., tickets are $8.

2) Manic is also putting on a show tonight at Cafe Nine in New Haven, Conn. with Tim Barry of Avail - doors at 8 p.m., $8 21+

For Wednesday, we've got a couple of options: 1) If you bought tickets to Vampire Weekend at Smith College, I'm assuming it's on the top of people's lists for a Wednesday night. According to Northampton Box Office, the show's not sold out yet. Even if it is come 7 or 8 p.m. the night of, there will most likely be scalpers. I'm not trying to call them out - I love the self-titled debut - but maybe they'll have new material by now?

2) We also have The Honors, along with a bunch of other names on the supporting bands list at The Space. The Honors are from Boston, Mass., have been touring the are for a while and will continue to do so well into the summer. They're an indie rock, alt band who The Space says sound like The Killers. Their frontmen even share the same name. Doors at 7 p.m., $10

Thursday will bring Kiss Kiss back to the area, hip-hop to CCSU and local VRSA into Cafe Nine.

1) WFCS 107.7 is hosting a hip-hop concert in Alumni Hall in the student center at CCSU at 11 p.m. - it's free! And they want you to know they have free food! Names like Milo Sheff, Kamoflauge, Grown Tone and QP as well as few CCSU student rappers are lined up for Thursday's show. Also, local DJs Wayne DeRoy and Earle Nelson will be spinning.

2) Kiss Kiss is always a good time. I've seen them once, but went with 2 people who have seen the band a few times before and keep coming back. More recently, they released their new record The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth. Plus, Kiss Kiss admittedly loves The Space and its crowd, so it looks to be good night. Doors at 7 p.m., $10

3) VRSA will be playing Cafe Nine with the Cloud Professors. Die Hipster Productions are putting on the show. Show at 9 p.m.

For Friday we have the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - I've been listening to their debut record for about 2 months and I've come to the conclusion that this show is probably too good to pass up for only $8. It's at the Wallingford American Legion - good times there, I hear. If you miss this show, however, the PoBPaH are playing the Iron Horse Music Hall on April 26 with Ponytail. 

2) Speaking of, Ponytail will be performing a free show at Wesleyan's Eclectic Society, a frat house-turned-venue. The shows always start way later, but the Web site says 9 p.m.

On Saturday, one of the Turkey's favs Bear Hands is making an appearance at Meriden's Daffodil Festival with Bottle Up and Go. 

2) Lastly, the Hartford Party Starters are putting on a show in Hartford, Conn. (yeah, Hartford) on Saturday with electronic/experimental band TheDeathSet and Ninjasonik.

The Wooden Birds (ex-American Analog Set) Tomorrow in New Haven

It looks like we forgot about Shaki Presents. They did a ton of great shit last summer. You may remember they did White Williams a little while back. Regardless, they are putting on a great show (and plenty of other great shows coming up) on Sunday at BAR in New Haven, Conn.

The Wooden Birds look to be headlining. They signed to one of my favorite labels, Barsuk (home of Mates of State, Ra Ra Riot, Say Hi), earlier this year and are set to release their first album, titled magnolia, sometime this spring. Pretty much if you liked the American Analog Set, you'll like this.

If you're going, make sure you don't miss the openers. Brooklyn's La Strada is making a ton of noise in BK (see: Earfarm's Top 10 Brooklyn Bands You Need Hear Now or what seems to be last year's L Magazine's 8 Bands You Need to Watch feature--this year's edition out the 29th, I believe). They have an EP out now on Ernest Jenning and are prepping an LP now. Believe the hype.

I may go to this since I missed them at Union Hall last night and I'll actually be in CT this weekend (2nd Easter!). Maybe I'll see you there?

Music Video for La Strada's "The Sun Song"

Wale to Stop by Pearl Street In May

Adding information to the calendar now - god I need to update that thing more often.

D.C. rapper Wale, who put out his Mixtape About Nothing about a year ago, is on his Attention Deficit Tour with UCB and Colin Munroe. He's making appearances in Boston and New york, but also the Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton, Mass. on May 10.

Show starts at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are $10.... sounds worth it!

NBC Premieres Two Shows Last Night

For those The Office and 30 Rock fans out there, you may have accidently caught the new comedy Parks and Recreation or stayed for the new crime drama Southland. I've been quietly anticipating Parks and Recreation since I first got word that the people behind The Office we're putting together a new show around Amy Poehler. It seemed like it was destined for good laughs, but early reviews are harsh.

(Trailer)

I'm not going to be quite as harsh, though I definitely left disappointed. I don't get the criticism of it being "too much like The Office" as I thought that was the selling point. It's shot in the same style, the humor is very similar, but hopefully Poehler and her pretty decent supporting cast (Aziz Ansari, Human Giant and Rashida Jones, I Love You, Man and former cast member of The Office, swoon) can make it their own. Either way, while I'm not going to go out of my way to catch any episodes I'll definitely check back in if it makes it to a second season. The Office took off to a slow start too and look at it now.

Southland, on the other hand, was much more impressive out of the gate. Pretty much if you're a fan of CSI or Law & Order you'll enjoy this as it falls right in line with other cop dramas. However, there's a bit more personality here. The story didn't go from point A (crime committed) to point B (crime solved). There was a lot of background on the characters and on their lives outside of the job. I know shows like CSI do this sometimes, but it always comes off as filler and rarely matters when it comes to understanding what's going on episode to episode. I hope this wasn't done to get to know the characters in the first episode and is something visited in every episode.



The main character is played by Benjamin McKenzie aka Ryan from The O.C. and it's created by John Wells of ER fame. So there's a good mix of sitcom star power and resume to grab viewers and keep them. Oh and they used a song off one of my favorite albums of 2007, The National's Boxer.

Better Zooey Deschanel Romantic Comedy This Year?

Look out Tina Fey, Zooey Deschanel may be taking over the spot in my heart for celebrity crushes. Just coming off Yes Man (isn't Jim Carrey a little old for her?), Deschanel looks to own the upcoming season with two romantic comedies.

First, Gigantic, which is already out in a limited release. It's sitting at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a shame because it stars John Goodman and the trailer looks pretty good.



Yes, there's plenty of cliches, but what romantic comedy doesn't have their fair share of them? The Daily News said, "Indie directors are still making painfully twee, self-conscious romances all these years after Sundance birthed so many quirky cliches?" Zooey stars opposite Paul Dano aka the awkward kid from Little Miss Sunshine.

Second there's (500) Days of Summer, which is getting a bit more positive buzz and is set for limited release July 15th. Here she stars opposite of Joseph Gordon-Levitt aka the awkward kid from 3rd Rock From the Sun, and also in the new G.I. Joe movie as Cobra Command (wtf?).



For all the talk of Gigantic being cliche does the opening of this trailer not smell like Garden State 2? You sort of have to roll your eyes at his mind being blown by the fact that a girl loves The Smiths. They are the Smiths. A lot of people love the Smiths. I'm trying to think of a more less mainstream, high indie cred band that could fit there (and still be recognized by most/all of the audience), but I'm at a loss. Nice cardigan though.

Beyond the opening, it looks just as promising. Maybe even more so if we're going to compare early reviews too. And can you ever go wrong with a Hall & Oates song in a trailer? The answer is no, you can't.

Which looks better to you? Is Zooey Deschanel officially the new Natalie Portman? And maybe more importantly, which movie will have the best soundtrack?

CCSU to Host Hip-Hop Concert

Hartford, Conn.'s Miloh Sheff and a few other locals acts yet to be named will be playing at Central Connecticut State University for a hip-hop concert by the school radio station, 107.7 WFCS. 

As of now, the date is set for April 23 and the show will most likely be held in Alumni Hall in the student center. Free for CCSU students. More info on tickets for the public and times later.  

Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Pearl Street Tonight

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is stopping by Northampton, Mass. tonight at the Pearl Street Nightclub. Tickets are $20 and doors open at 9 p.m.

The band is on a tour that seems to be winding its way down the East coast and west through Texas and ultimately ending at Coachella. They last came out with a mini album in 2005 named We Are the Radio.

Say hi if you see us - we're going to try to make it out there (depending on what the press situation and tickets are like)

Artspace Underground Plans for April 11

We've kind of become big fans of Artpsace's underground parties and shows. They're a bit of a drive to New Haven (or, more accurately, a bit of a drive home), but are generally fun, full of people and usually good live music and DJs. And they have cheap, strong drinks.

Kid Ginseng is performing. He produces kind of crazy, electronic beats with some funk thrown in and it's definitely danceable. He's the child of two Talking Heads bandmates and husband-and-wife duo Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth (Tom Tom Band), so you know he's good. I may even go so far as to liken a few tracks of Kid Ginseng's to those of Grubby Paws.

Eula has been around the New Haven, Conn. scene for a bit - they opened up for Kiss Kiss two months ago and will continue to frequent the are for the next month or two.

Artspace 

50 Orange Street
New Haven, Conn. 06510

$5 / 8-11 p.m.

More Dates for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

They look exactly the way their music forces you to imagine them. That's a good thing, in this case.

The youthful and buoyant The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are extending a spring tour well into the summer, with a date in Connecticut as well (see April 24 on the calendar) at the Wallingford American Legion and one in Northampton, Mass. After a welcome reception and success of their self-titled freshman studio album (Slumberland, February 2009), Pains will be playing some dates in Pennsylvania at the end of May and are heading to Europe, starting with the U.K. for the first half of June. 

According to ForceField, Pains are pushing into July with an appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Ill. and have some dates on the West Coast.

Album Review: Doves' 'Kingdom of Rust'

For a band with bigger name in the Brit alt rock scene, and one slightly better than the rest with a few albums under their belt, their fourth studio album sounds as though it’s their awkward debut.

Doves’ Kingdom of Rust has the right direction, but somewhat mediocre execution and lackluster. There is an air of predictability and the tired feel of familiar chords.

Admittedly, you have to give the band credit, or at least whoever produced the track listing for Kingdom of Rust, for sprinkling the more attractive and listenable songs throughout. With that said, it now logically follows that this will be an album of ups and downs and a pretty good amount of twisting in the middle

Title track “Kingdom of Rust”, though placed at track number two really sets the mood for the record and slightly melancholy and dark framing of each song. Where the verses are plain and tinged with southern guitar, the choruses breathe with an uplifting orchestral backing and some sort of muddled string instrument for a melody.

Unlike Doves’ 2005 release Some Cities, namely their track “Black and White Town”, the rest of Kingdom of Rust is largely forgettable or a little too familiar to be outstanding.

More appropriately, tracks such as “Spellbound” and “Compulsion” would blend quite nicely into a movie soundtrack; the latter has an extremely catchy baseline and a sexy Pink Floyd brand of brooding for an otherwise boring track. Unfortunately, Doves decide to spice up the track far too late unto the song (3 minutes in) with a piano breakdown.

The track lengths also run a bit long, sometimes reaching past 4:30 to 5 minutes, and it doesn’t exactly help the record. At 4:27, the closing song “Lifelines” moves through an ominous stretch of guitar and into an anticlimactic solitary guitar solo, if you can call it that. The entire song is utterly depressing, despite Doves’ attempts to infuse it with bits of life and anthem-like choruses.

It’s not so hard to expect something better from Doves. They’ve proven that they can produce a great album or two, but this record seems more or less like something they pulled together to get another album released.

Hopefully the band is gearing up for future emphatic and upbeat songs – something they are genuinely good at – so fans can more easily forget Kingdom of Rust.

... As seen in The Recorder, CCSU's student newspaper. 

Dinosaur Jr. Stops in at Daniel Street in Milford

New England’s own Dinosaur Jr. recently embarked on a national tour in late March, kicking it off with a gig at Austin’s South by South West and are passing through Milford,
Conn. tomorrow (Wednesday).

As they prepare to release an album in summer, the alt-rock band will be playing shows into May and are making their second tour stop at Daniel Street in Milford.

Dinosaur Jr., hailing from Amherst, Mass., will be joined by Awesome Color, a psychedelic punk rock group of out Brooklyn and are teaming up for the next two weeks of tour
dates.

Dinosaur Jr.’s ninth studio album since their formation in1983, to be named Farm, contains tracks the band is testing out on the road in the upcoming months, according to their Web site. 

The plans to release a new album come with their recent signing with the indie label Jagjaguwar.

The two bands have shared a tour before, while Awesome Color supported Dinosaur Jr. and their 2008 release Electric Aborigines. For the tonight’s performance, Dinosaur Jr. is giving away a limited edition, tour-only 7” or a digital download code with every ticket.

The a-side will hold their new single “I Don’t Want to Go There”, while the b-side is “Tarpit”
off the band’s 1987 release You’re Living All Over Me. Tickets are $20 pre-ordered and $20
the day-of.

Mates of State Playing in CT TONIGHT

Hey everybody,
We just got an e-mail from BLiNDxREAPER386 (thanks dude) saying that Mates of State drummer Jason Hammell just tweeted saying "Mates of State is playing a just announced warm-up show tomorrow night in Milford, CT. @ Daniel St Cafe. 21 Daniel Street. 10pm sharp."

Unfortunately, none of us will probably make it down to Milford tonight to see the show, but we would appreciate any show review or photos from the show and we'll put it up as a post.

Some More Dates on the Calendar

I updated the calendar (sidebar to the right) with at least 20 new shows in the Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts area. Most are shared between The Space in Hamden, Conn. and Cafe Nine in New Haven, but look out for a few gems in Wallingford and Milford.

Some highlights this weekend include Naomi Sommers at Cafe Nine tomorrow night (Thursday) and Cotton Jones at The Space on Sunday. The  latter looks like a great show.

If we missed anything, shoot us an email at morelikeasixfootturkey@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Black Stool's Manic Mike Benefit Show

Black Stool is playing  a reunion/last show tonight (March 20) at Cherry Street Station in Wallingford, Conn. The show is in tribute to Manic Mike McDonald who passed away last November. 

Also playing tonight are Murdervan, Pistol Resistance, The Cargo Cult Revival and Archaic Decapitator.

The show is hosted by WFCS 107.7 (CCSU's radio station) and their nightly metal show Gateway to Oblivion.

Gala Event April 4 at Artspace

Artspace in New Haven is holding a gala event on April 4 - more info at their Web site. 

Album Review: Handsome Furs' 'Face Control'

After this album has been out for about a week (though leaked much earlier) and I've given it a good couple of listens, it seems more and more apparent that my feelings towards it are simply stuck at ambivalent.

Handsome Furs' Face Control has a very basic and clever appeal to it from track to track and the listener should be able to appreciate how simple it all is. The husband and wife duo from Montreal offer something above your basic drum machine, guitar, synth combination, but while the sound is certainly enjoyable, the band draws on already accepted terms for pursuing a rock edge in the indie-alt genre.

At first, tracks like "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues" seem generic and that the band may be heading down the well-trodden path. They have a standard and repetitive sound that really doesn't push or expand on anything that came before it. "Talking Hotel" specifically embodies a sort of Ramones-era feel with simple chord progressions, but then takes a twist to blend this original sound with whining guitar melody and a more serious tone. The track takes inspiration from songs we already know and probably like and drops it gently behind the lyrics.

I'd also like to point out that even though there are many differences between these frontmen, Handsome Furs' Dan Boeckner can't help but come across as an imitation of TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe. Boeckner's delivery, style and pacing sound so similar to TVOTR's vocals that I almost believed that some of the latter's tracks were accidentally placed into my Face Control playlist on iTunes. Pronunciation in tracks like "Legal Tender" - especially for the title lyrics -  is characterized by stretching syllables, stresses and annunciation that mimic Adebimpe's style perfectly.

Though the weaknesses stand out far more readily than the record's qualities, Face Control requires a closer look and possibly a warmer approach than assuming it is a rehash of what came before. Maybe I will give it just that upon 2, 3 or 4 more listens if I make it that far.

New Dates Added to the Calendar

Hey all. I just added a bunch of new dates to the calendar (sidebar to the right) extending into May. More are on the way as I've got to sort through probably 2 weeks worth of neglected emails from press people and label newsletters.

VW Show Announced for April

Vampire Weekend are scheduled to play the John M. Greene Hall at Smith College
in Northampton, Mass. on April 22, 8 p.m.

Tickets go on sale Monday, March 16 at 10 a.m. for $29 (let's hope for presale codes).

There is also a special guest to be announced. IHEG's newsletter told me this. 

Underground Performances @ Artspace Tonight

 Some details: 

Saturday, 3.14, 8-11 p.m.

$5 Admission at the door. All ages welcome.

Hipster dance party starts @ 8 p.m.
Live performances begin @ 9:30.

Performances by:

Clinical Trials
-electro-grunge from Brooklyn 

Mizz Monica
-will dazzle you and leave you in stitches
with her post-op transsexual comedy show! 

SPECIAL GUEST DJ
-Jason Hammel
from Mates of State
spinning from 8 to 9:30

$6 Drinks by 116 Crown
plus a special coupon for a free drink
at 116 Crown after the Underground 

See you there. 

Artspace

50 Orange Street

New Haven, Conn. 06510

Other Great Albums Out Today That Aren't M.Ward

No offense to M.Ward, but there's plenty of other (better?) albums out today. Actually the month of February has been rather fantastic as far as releases go and it looks to only get better as we head into the first half of March.

Releases I've personally been digging are:

Iran - Dissolver

Listened to this album non-stop for a week (I was reviewing it) and it got better and better with each listen. If you're an old Iran fan then you may be a bit disappointed. It's a lot less noisy and a lot more pop. It's still fuzzy as hell. If you like Kyp Malone's other band (TV on the Radio) you should give this a shot. Try "I Already Know You're Wrong" on their MySpace. Sold out the Mercury Lounge on March 6th with the Handsome Furs (also a great new album coming), but look out for more dates around there, at least in New York.

Beirut - March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland EPs

How did Melissa miss this one? This band is right under Beck on the "Melissa talks about all the time" scale. (Mostly kidding). At 11 songs, this is pretty much a full-length, but it's split into two discs. The first is with help from a small-town Mexican band and with that comes the obvious horns and whatnot. The second (titled Realpeople Holland) is more bedroom pop. Both are great. Can't figure out which one I like more, actually. Somehow no tracks off the album are available on their MySpace, but Stereogum has their first video off Zapotec. You just missed the band if you were looking to see them. They played a ton of shows throughout NYC about a week ago. I caught the one in Greenpoint about a block from my apartment at this tiny bar. 

N.A.S.A. - Spirit of the Apollo

A pretty anticipated album for me ever since I saw the guest list (David Byrne, Method Man, Tom Waits, RZA, KRS-One, Karen O, ODB, Kool Keith, Santogold, Kanye West, M.I.A., Del -- just to name...12). Most of the album does not disappoint despite the high expectations from such great artists. "N.A.S.A. Music" (which you may have heard remixed by LA Riots already), "Way Down" and "Samba Soul" are all highlights for me. It looks like the whole thing is streaming on their MySpace now. You can catch them (and pray 1/4 of the artists involved drop by) at Harper's Ferry in Boston on March 11th or Le Poisson Rouge in NYC on the 12th.

The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha

Not Brooklyn Fest headliners followup 2006's Peregrine. I gave this a handful of listens through (a bit less than the one's above) and...I'm not blown away, but I like. I also liked Peregrine, so maybe my opinion of Appleseed Cast is completely skewed here. Either way, if you're looking for an album to sit down and relax to (especially in the evening, in your bed) then you can't really go wrong. Three songs off the album are streaming now.

Some others I like, but have yet to fully listen to:

These Are the Powers - All Aboard Future

Morrissey - Years of Refusal

Various Artists - Dark Was the Night

Asobi Seksu - Hush

New Album from M. Ward

Out on 4AD today, M. Ward is releasing his new album Hold Time. 

Tracks:

1. "For Beginners"

2. "Never Had Nobody Like You"

3. "Jailbird"

4. "Hold Time"

5. "Rave On"

6. "To Save Me"

7. "One Hundred Million Years"

8. "Stars of Leo"

9. "Fisher of Men"

10. "Oh Lonesome Me"

11. "Epistemology"

12. "Blake's View"

13. "Shangri-La"

14. "Outro"

He is also playing a show on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in Somerville Mass. 

We Were There: A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Saturday night was A Great Big Pile of Leaves' first show ever...even after releasing two successful EPs in the past 15 months. Pete, Tyler and Tucker put on an amazing first set and drew a big crowd to ArtSpace in New Haven (which proved to be a solid venue that we are looking forward to future shows.) Melissa will add more later about her thoughts on the night.

The show was relatively good. Some thoughts:+ Acoustics were done right+ Opening band was crazy/ attracted crazy people to dance+ Alcohol was cheap, plus they had free snacks+ Crowd was relatively tame and genuinely interested in bands
- Lack of foresight in beer supply (+ luckily, we got the last 3)
-Melissa

New Dates on the Calendar

Notice this super long list of shows that is our right sidebar.

Some highlights include Deer Tick at Cafe Nine tomorrow night (Feb. 15). We were exposed to them back in the day, well it was actually at the Not Brooklyn Fest by Manic Productions. They're playing the Iron Horse Music Hall tonight with Marissa Nadler in Northampton, Mass. Wesleyan's Bottle Up and Go is also on the ticket. We may stop in on this one, depending on how Sunday goes. 

M. Ward is coming to the Somerville Theatre in Massachusetts. His tour, in support of his new album Hold Time (Feb, 2009), will end with Coachella in April. He's playing in Somerville on Wednesday, Feb. 18 for $20 per ticket. 

Although this one's a bit of a drive, Ontario's Tokyo Police Club is playing at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, R.I. on Feb. 24. Advance is $9.95 per ticket. 

More shows to be posted for February when possible. This is also a call for any show information that we may have missed. Send us your band's, your friends' band's or your promotion info that you think we should post at morelikeasixfootturkey@gmail.com. Thanks!

AGPOL, Hipster Dance Party Saturday @ ArtSpace

See you there.

Photos from Passion Pit @ Iron Horse

Also, Cale Parks and Paper Route. Enjoy:

Passion Pit @ Iron Horse Music Hall

Here's a photo from the Toad's place show - Girl Talk and Passion Pit - that we actually went to! I'm one of those nondescript indie kids in the back, far right enjoying themselves. 

Sorry this is a really last-minute post, but my hope is that since the show is late enough, some of you will actually make it out there. The bands certainly warrant some last-minute plan shifting for tonight. 

Passion Pit is playing the Iron Horse Music Hall tonight in Northampton, Mass. at 10 p.m. Nashville, Tenn.'s Paper Route and Greenpoint, Brooklyn's Cale Parks are opening. 

Remember Passion Pit's Chunk of Change EP? It was great, right? CMJ thought so, too and the band were giving away some free music (well, Mark was as well with his monthly mixes). The show is only $13 tonight and the supporting bands sounds pretty good.

Say hi if you see us. I'll probably have a camera with me that is twice my size. 

Yellow Sweater @ the Zen Bar

My friends Jason's band is playing a show tonight at the Zen Bar in Farmington, Conn. - Yellow Sweater, along with the Bad Young Men. Facebook event info here. Show starts at 9 p.m. and it might be free?

Once you get past the cheesy splash page and '90s rock, the Zen Bar's Web site has a calendar up with a list of locals acts and such. We'll probably be there, because, honestly, we don't have anything better to do tonight. 

Battle of the Bands @ The Space

REPOST:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The year has rounded a corner and we saw a new year dawn as well as
history made in The White House. Yay!

So that means it is time for...

The 5th annual,
Original
Space Battle of the Bands!

We are taking CT band submissions from now until Feb 10th.
The Battle will run through March, April and May 2009.

From those submissions, 40 Connecticut bands will be selected to
compete for two grand prizes--one based on the judges' pick and one based on best draw.

The prize package includes:

- Cash prize from The Space
- Studio time at Adorea Studio upstairs @ The Space
- A professional photo shoot with David Apuzzo Photography
- Consideration for an opening slot for a national act @ The Space
- Half price pass for you and your band to any show @ The Space for one year
- Air time on WPLR
- And anything else we can think up that would be cool or is provided by sponsors
- Prize package value equals over $1000!

Included in this email text, and attached, is The 5th Annual,
Original Space Battle of the Bands application.
You must submit the application by mail, email or in person by
Feb 10
to be considered for one of the 40 spots.

There is really only one basic requirement. Your band must hail from CT.


THE QUALIFICATIONS

- This competition is for Connecticut bands only. You (or a majority of the band) must currently live in the state or be attending school here.

- You or your group must play original music. No covers. This goes double if you're selected as a competing performer. Playing a cover song immediately disqualifies you. Sorry, Zep.

- You need to send us a filled out application form, either in the mail or through email to be eligible. (email is preferred)

- There is a $10 administrative submission fee to be paid in cash if your band is accepted to participate, prior to your qualifying round performance. This money goes to cover the costs of prizes as well feeding the judges

- Past winners of our Battle of the Bands aren't eligible. Everyone else? Go nuts. Playing here in any other shows aside from the Battles does not disqualify you.

- Even though this is a Battle of the Bands, The Space's general all-ages club rules remain in effect. No alcohol or drugs on the premises. This includes the parking lot.

HOW THE WINNERS ARE PICKED

There will be two separate factors that decide who makes it to the semifinals and finals and ultimately, who wins the Battle. They are

- Your draw. How many people you can get to come out to support you will be tallied at the door for every show, so rustle up those long-lost friends and family!

- A panel of local judges. A group of local judges (music writers, radio DJ's, promoters, musicians, etc) with a mixed bag of personal musical likes and dislikes will be judging all the performers on their presence, power, originality, etc.

One finalist will be chosen by draw alone, the other will be chosen by the panel of judges, resulting in two winners from each round. The door tally is not revealed to the judges, so there is the possibility that the judges may choose the highest drawing group as their own pick, in which case there will be only one performer/band advancing to the final round.

Ultimately there will be a maximum of sixteen performers and bands that go on to the semifinal rounds and six to the final round.

- The two winners of the final round are decided by the same qualifiers that the previous rounds are.

This is probably the fourth of fifth email I've seen from them starting with Obama love.

A Great Big Pile of Leaves @ Artspace

Brooklyn's A Great Big Pile of Leaves has a date set for Valentine's Day, Saturday Feb. 14 at Artspace in New Haven.

I'm pretty sure some new info on the next edition of Artspace Underground is supposed to be up there, but if not - the whole thing starts at 8 p.m. and includes performances by AGBPOL, The Simple Pleasure and a live painting exhibition by Richard Falco. The shows go on a 9:30, following a dance party starting at 8. It looks as though it ay be 21+, but more info on that when it becomes available.

And the best part is, while MySpace pages are great, you can get a taste of A Great Big Pile of Leaves' material on their Web site for free. The band has two EPs out - The Fiery Works I and II and both are up for download.

Shortcut: 

DL: The Fiery Works

DL: The Fiery Works II

@ Artspace
50 Orange Street
New Haven, Conn. 06510

What's Going on Tonight?

We're heading out to New Haven, Conn. tonight for the Kiss Kiss, with The Gay Blades show at Cafe Nine. Yeah we just saw them two weeks ago - so what? Local New Haven band Eula is opening up for them. Cover is $8, show is 21 plus. A nice little Q&A write up will appear in The Recorder on Wednesday. 

The Space is hosting Mission Hill with Villanova Junction and others tonight - doors are at 7 p.m., $10. It's going to be a mix of alt/indie rock with some reggae and latin-rock. 

Toad's Place in New Haven is hosting a white-out dance party. With their new admission policies, the 19 + crowd is now welcome (show student IDs for a discount at the door). Cover is $5 and Thomas "DJ Action" Jackson is spinning tonight. 

Or you can just kick it at Real Art Ways in Hartford, Conn. - John Kelly's Paved Paradise Redux is playing at 8 p.m.

DeVotchKa is on Tour Again

Does this mean DeVotchKa have a new album coming out or are working on some new material? They just toured in support of their last album, A Mad & Faithful Telling, well at least in 2008. 

"Oddities Tour": Indie folk/rock/mariachi band DeVotchKa just finished their first tour date in Philadelphia, PA last night and are moving onto Webster Hall in Manhattan, N.Y. tonight for a show at 8 p.m.

Saul Williams is also playing a few dates with them - St. Augustine, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, Mo. and chicago, Il. And according to their Web site, DeVotchKa will also support Les Claypool for some of the tour. 

DATES:

1.24 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
1.27 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
1.28 Salt Lake City, UT @ In the Venue
1.29 Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort & Casino – Grand Theatre
1.30 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
1.31 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
2.2 West Hollywood, CA @ Viper Room
2.4 San Diego, CA @ The Belly Up
2.5 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
2.6 Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
2.7 Lubbock, TX @ Jakes place Sports Café
2.8 Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
2.9 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live – Studio
2.10 Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
2.13 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
3.6 Miami, FL @ Langerado Music Festival

3.7 St Augustine, FL @ S. Johns County Fairgrounds
3.16 Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club
3.17 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
3.19 St. Paul, MN @ Myth
3.20 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
3.21 Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theater

Dept. of Eagles and Here We Go Magic Team Up For Shows

I'm not sure if Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen's Department of Eagles got as much hype as one of Brooklyn's new acts Here We Go Magic. Either way, the enthusiasm is totally worth it and now they both have something for fans to come out and experience the hype for themselves.

Both bands have put out albums just a couple moths apart, with Department of Eagles releasing their In Ear Park back in October. It still seems like a pretty fresh album and certainly something I'd like to see performed live. Here We go Magic's self-titled album is set to drop February 24, though it's certainly been popping up in a few places around the internets - tracks are available for listening on their MySpace, for example. Technically, HWGM is a one-man-band, with lead singer/songwriter Luke Temple soloing on the album. In live performances, he will be accompanied by a bassist and a drummer while he will do the vocals, guitar and synth. 

US Tour Dates together:

1.17 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's

1.18 Cambridge, MA The Brattle Theatre
1.19 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

Here We Go Magic shows:

2.15 Brooklyn, NY Southpaw
3.07 Washington, DC The Red and The Black*
3.09 Pittsburgh, PA garfield artworks*
3.10 Newport, KY southgate house*
3.11 Indianapolis, IN MOKB Laundromatinee Session
3.11 Bloomington, IN Cinemat*
3.12 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway*
3.13 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen*
3.14 Rock Island, IL Daytrotter Presents*
3.17 Dallas, TX Mountain House*
3.22 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks

* w/ Callers