Wednesday, February 20, 2008

GREAT NEW MUSIC: Boris "Smile"

The header on Boris' website says simply "BORIS HEAVY ROCKS!!"...and it's fucking true. No matter how blown away I've been by every album Boris puts out, they go and goddamn blow me away again with ANOTHER goddamn bad-ass album! Goddamn! Their latest, "Smile"...HEAVY ROCKS!! It is everything I came to love with their last album ,"Pink", but with even more psyche, more distortion, more sludge, more...HEAVY ROCK. "Smile" is exactly what you will be doing while your eardrums are being torn to shreds.

"Smile" is due 3/07 in Japan on Diwphalanx and 4/21 in the UK and Europe and 4/29 in the U.S. on Southern Lord.

TOUR DATES (hopefully more dates soon):
02-24 London, England – Cargo
02-29 Bergen, Norway – Borealis Festival
03-04 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory *
04-23 London, England – Scala *
05-20 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique *

* with Growing

[MP3] Boris - BUZZ-IN from "Smile" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Boris - Statement from "Smile" (via Box.net)

Boris - website

BLITZEN TRAPPER: Unreleased songs on Daytrotter

Gotta love those Daytrotter folks. In the latest Daytrotter session, Blitzen Trapper lays down four tracks (three of which are brand new and unreleased!!...and REALLY good) for your downloading addiction..ahem, pleasure. You can pick up the three unreleased tracks below, or head over to Daytrotter to pick up all four, or just the other song...ah, you get the point. Those northwestern hippie-sters are currently on tour, so I'm sure we'll be catching some of these new songs live (maybe more, who knows?).

Click here for all Blitzen Trapper's tour dates.

[MP3] Blitzen Trapper - Big Adventure (unreleased) from "Daytrotter Session - live" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Blitzen Trapper - Stolen Shoes (unreleased) from "Daytrotter Session - live" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Blitzen Trapper - Preacher's Sister's Boy (unreleased) from "Daytrotter Session - live" (via Box.net)

Blitzen Trapper - website | Daytrotter - website

SPOON tour with The Walkmen & White Rabbits

What a fantastic lineup!! I am going to be spending wayyy too much money on concert tickets this year.

SPOON :: WALKMEN :: WHITE RABBITS :: 2008
04-02 Kansas City, KS - Uptown
04-04 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
04-05 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
04-06 Detroit, MI - Emerald Theater
04-07 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall
04-10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
04-12 Norfolk, VA - Norva
04-14 Atlanta, GA - Centerstage
04-16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

ATLANTA/ATHENS SHOWS (2/19 - 2/23)

Tue. 2/19/08 - Atlas Sound (CD release), White Rainbow, Valet @ The Drunken Unicorn (highly rec'd!)

Wed. 2/20/08 - The Coathangers, The Selmanaires, Chopper, Mammals @ The Earl (highly rec'd!)

Thu. 2/21/08 - Shannon Wright, King's Daughters and Sons @ The Earl (highly rec'd!)

Fri. 2/22/08 - Snowden @ The Earl (highly rec'd!)

Sat. 2/23/08 - Leslie & The Ly's @ Eyedrum
Sat. 2/23/08 - Henry Rollins (Spoken Word show) @ The 40 Watt Club
Sat. 2/23/08 - Dropsonic (CD Release show), Trances Arc, Traindodge @ The Earl
Sat. 2/23/08 - One Hand Loves the Other, Strezo, Antic Clay, Sick Figures (Stickfigure Showcase) @ The Drunken Unicorn

FRIENDLY REMINDER: Atlas Sound TONIGHT!! @ The Drunken Unicorn

It should be no secret, that ICTH has MUCH love for the debut from Deerhunter frontman, Bradford Cox's new project Atlas Sound, "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel". The album comes out today (2/19); you can pick it up from the show tonight OR order it directly from Kranky Records. This is simply one of the most beautiful records I've ever heard, I highly recommended you pick yourself up a copy.

Sloan Simpson taped their first show (on Sat. 2/16), and it's available for download at his website, Southern Shelter.

Atlas Sound, White Rainbow, Valet @ The Drunken Unicorn (2/19)

(Check out my previous post for more Atlas Sound tour dates)

BEACH HOUSE: New Album & Tour

Hopefully some of you checked out that great video I posted last week for "You Came To Me" (my favorite track off of their latest album, "Devotion"). I cannot recommend this album enough; subtly layered dream-pop with influences as varied as the melancholic Nico, 60's Motown, warm & sauntering country, and shoegaze. The various organ sounds elevate what we came to know from their debut even further into the hazy, reparative stratosphere where I want to drift around without abandon.

Beach House will be playing The Earl on 3/01 with Papercuts opening (also ICTH recommended!). Their new album "Devotion" comes out on February 26th via Carpark Records. You can pre-order both the CD and the 2xLP from Insound and receive a free Beach House poster.

Beach House ::: TOUR 2008
02/28 Baltimore, MD Gspot
02/29 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
03/01 Atlanta, GA The Earl
03/02 Birmingham, AL BottleTree Cafe
03/03 Memphis, TN The Hi Tone Cafe
03/04 Hattiesburg, MS The Thirsty Hippo
03/05 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
03/06 Houston, TX Walter's on Washington
03/07 Austin, TX Emo's
03/08 Denton, TX Hailey's
03/10 Tucson, AZ Solar Culture
03/11 Phoenix, AZ Modified
03/12 San Diego, CA The Casbah
03/13 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
03/14 San Luis Obispo, CA Steynberg Gallery
03/15 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
03/17 Portland, OR Holocene
03/18 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
03/19 Vancouver, BC Media Club
03/21 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
03/22 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
03/24 Omaha, NE The Slowdown
03/25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
03/26 Chicago, IL Schubas
03/27 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop
03/28 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
03/29 Montreal, PQ Casa del Popolo
03/31 Cambridge, MA The Middle East
04/01 Middleton, CT. Wesleyan University
04/02 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
04/03 Philadelphia, PA The Barbery
04/04 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel

[MP3] Beach House - D.A.R.L.I.N.G. from "Devotion" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Papercuts - Dear Employee from "Can't Go Back" (via Box.net)

Beach House - website | Myspace

Monday, February 18, 2008

Bill Callahan (smog) tours with Shearwater's Meiburg

Bill Callahan, formerly known as Smog or (smog), is currently touring with Jonathan Meiburg (lead singer/songwriter of Shearwater) in support of his first album as Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (excellent BTW). Meiburg and fellow members of Shearwater prep for the release of their latest, "Rook", due sometime this year on Matador. This should be one do-not-miss show.

Callahan ::: Meiburg - TOUR DATES
02-18 Hattiesburg, MS - Thirsty Hippo
02-19 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
02-20 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
02-22 St. Augustine, FL - Café Eleven
02-23 Charleston, SC - Village Tavern
02-24 Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
02-25 Atlanta, GA - Red Light Café
02-26 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
02-27 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
02-28 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
02-29 St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill
03-01 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot
03-02 Tulsa, OK - Continental Club
03-04 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
03-06 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
03-07 Tucson, AZ - Plush
03-08 El Paso, TX - Zeppelin's

[MP3] Bill Callahan - Sycamore from "Woke on a Whaleheart" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Smog - Ex-Con from "Red Apple Falls" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Shearwater - Hail Mary from "Palo Santo" (via Box.net)

Shearwater - website | Bill Callahan - Myspace

VIDEO: Yeasayer "Wait For The Summer"

Wow.

VIDEO: Justice "Phantom Part II"