Other bands talk about it, And So I Watch You From Afar do it. In 2009, ASIWYFA played a mammoth 170 gigs all over Europe. From extensive tours in the UK to opening Pukkelpop festival in Belgium in front of 4500 captivated people to Novarock festival in Austria, gigs in Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Russia, this is band that mean business.
Their hometown Belfast shows are legendary from the 1,000 capacity headline Christmas homecoming gig in the Ulster Hall right down to a small secret basement party which was shut down by the police late in the night for being too insane.
Everything about ASIWYFA is gargantuan. Their critically-acclaimed, self-titled debut album released in 2009 is exhibit A. From the the iron-clad riffs to the pummelling crash of the cymbals to the palpable positivity of the music, it's everything great rock (never mind just instrumental rock) music should be. Even the song which take in titles like 'Set Guitars To Kill', 'Clench Fists, Grit Teeth... GO!' and the ASIWYFA practice what you preach mantra 'Don't Waste Time Doing Things You Hate', are epic in scale.
Filled with monstrous guitars, bulging rock histrionics and genuinely breathtaking moments, And So I Watch You from Afar is easily one of the best records of 2009.
Revered music publications like The Quietus ('Quite some distance ahead of the rest of '09's guitar albums so far'), NME ('The sound of someone crashing an oil tanker through Sigur Ros' ice floe'), Kerrang! (' It's rare for a body of work to be so dreamy and elegiac yet conversely monstrously heavy') and Vice ('rescuing the instrumetal ship from the deepest depths of irrevocable mediocrity') all agree.
ASIWYFA are a band that are only going to get bigger and more inspiring. Expect a new EP - The Letters in January 2010 and a second album in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, catch the band's incendiary live show at a venue near you.
Toro Y Moi - "Low Shoulder"
Untitled Document The first thing that comes to mind these days when thinking of Vancouver is the Winter Olympics obviously, but they've also got a great music thing going too. In the next couple of days alone, they've got Yacht, Chromeo, and Four Tet blessing them with their respective presences. Head over to Winnie Cooper to check out the rest of the upcoming shows as well as some great tracks including this one from Toro Y Moi.
No Conclusion Blog
Untitled Document
No Conclusion is a great place to visit for more than just your typical music news and reviews. They've got a great mix of videos, remixes, interviews, etc. For example, today you can check out the new Liars video (below), an Emily Reo Built To Spill cover, and a Four Tet Eluvium remix. Amazing. Head over here.
New Music: Besnard Lakes
Untitled Document
If you've been paying attention to your internet, you should have an inkling that The Besnard Lakes is going to reign down holy horse fire upon the record players of the world with their March 9th (8th in the UK) release, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night.
The Besnard Lakes shall then rule the kingdom, and they will traverse all of the climate zones of North America in a glittering night fog. Before all that, though, they will travel to Austin, TX to clink Tecates with their SXSW minions and play a roaring song.
While more will be set in stone, it's going to be possible for SXSW festival-goers to see the band several times over the week. This is what we have so far - get ready to synch those icals:
The Besnard Lakes at SXSW 2010
Wednesday, March 17th The Mohawk, 5pm Austinist/WOXY w/Washed Out, Warpaint, Small Black and more
Thursday, March 18th Stubb's, 8:30pm Official SXSW Showcase w/Broken Social Scene, Band of Horses, Drive by Truckers and more
The Besnard Lakes will also perform either March 22nd or March 23rd at the show that has become the best place on tv to see interesting bands perform - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Tour dates: 3/11/10 Toronto, ON: The Horseshoe 3/12/10 Montreal, QC: Il Motore 3/25/10 Liverpool, UK: Academy 3/26/10 Bristol, UK Arnoifini 3/27/10 Leeds, UK: Cockpit 3/28/10 Glasgow, UK: Captain's Rest w/ Wolf People 3/29/10 Manchester, UK Dulcimer 3/30/10 Birmingham, UK Hare and Hounds w/Wolf People 3/31/10 London, UK Cargo w/Wolf People 4/01/10 Brussells, BE: Bonatique 4/02/10 Amsterdam, NL: Paradiso 4/03/10 Utrecht, NL: Ekko 4/19/10 Paris, FR: Le Point Emphmere 4/27/10 Minneapolis, MN: 7th St. Entry 4/28/10 Winnipeg, MT: Royal Albert Arms 4/29/10 Regina, SK: The Exchange 4/30/10 Saskatoon, SK: Amigo's 5/01/10 Edmonton, AB: Pawn Shop 5/02/10 Calgary, AB: Broken City 5/04/10 Victoria, BC: Lucky Bar 5/05/10 Vancouver, BC: Media Club 5/06/10 Seattle, WA: The Crocodile 5/07/10 Portland, OR: Mississippi Studios 5/08/10 Eugene, OR: W.O.W. Hall 5/10/10 San Francisco, CA: The Independent 5/12/10 San Diego, CA: Casbah 5/13/10 Los Angeles, CA: Troubadour 5/14/10 Tempe, AZ: Sail Inn 5/15/10 Tucson, AZ: Plush 5/20/10 Dallas, TX: Granada Theater 5/24/10 Chicago, IL 5/26/10 Cleveland, OH: Beachland Ballroom 5/27/10 Washington, DC: Black Cat 5/28/10 New York, NY: Bowery Ballroom 5/29/10 Philadelphia, PA: Johnny Brenda's
Ulysses Campbell - "Dinosaur Hunting"
Untitled Document
Zachary "Ulysses Campbell" Wilson is a product of the DIY generation and proud of it. He records primarily on an 8 track, edits with freeware, and plays shows whenever a party is happening. Sometimes there may be two other guys playing with him, sometimes it's just Ulysses Campbell solo - but it's always high energy; which in itself mirrors the frantic style of Ulysses Campbell. While maintaining basic pop instincts, Ulysses whirls through an ever changing thrash of electro, drum n bass, 8-bit, dub step, and all around ill beats.
Standout track "Dinosaur Hunting" begins with a bit of a Mt. Eerie/Microphones feel, and about halfway through the beat drops in true Ulysses style. The song was written mere hours before his departure on his six month journey in South Africa; his mood well captured in the vocals and musical progression.
Ground Control Top 10
Untitled Document
Our good buddy Bill Adams at Ground Control Magazine was kind enough to submit another list for our pleasure. This is the second of what will be many very creative lists! Head over to read more from him here.
Ten songs that would be great to play at a wedding (but aren't):
"You To Thank" - Ben Folds (it depends on how good your sense of humor is) "Born For Me" - Paul Westerberg "Nowhere With You" - Joel Plaskett (acoustic version for the regulars, electric version if you have no desire to slow dance) "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" - Smashing Pumpkins "Hold On" - Tom Waits "Mean Heart" - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (you could line dance to it - same with "Effect And Cause" by The White Stripes) "Beijing" - Patrick Watson "I Will Love You For Miles" - Danny Michel "I'm A Fly In A Sunbeam" - The Flaming Lips
The Photon God
Untitled Document
One of our favorite blogs The Photon God recently underwent a temporary writer change due to the main contributor having to refocus his time on his film school submission project. As much as we'll miss Andy, it appears the quality of music that is posted on will not falter. Head over there to check out some great music and this video from The Young Maths and an interview with Bad Veins here.
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Untitled Document
PR : "Robinson has a style and flair all his own. His emotive, at times tormented rock rides on the clamor of discordant guitar jabs, tinny drums, and pained singing."
Pitchfork Media : "...lives up to those impressive connections, pouring a woodsy, deceptively upbeat folk song through the damp, woozy atmospherics of Horn of Plenty. The proper setting could be a rowdy bar as easily as that record's quiet bedroom."
Time Out New York : "Local singer-songwriter Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, whose sidemen have included members of Grizzly Bear and TV on the Radio, plays garagey pop with winning psych-era melodies."
WOXY.com : "...with the extra layers of instrumentation and emotion, MBAR is a musician in nobody's shadow, and deserves your attention."
Dazed & Confused : "...veering from antehms of defiance to ballads of vulnerabilty."
Kyp Malone, TV On The Radio : "He is in my opinion without a contemporary rival when it comes to story telling. Creating nuanced, breathing character portraits inside of pop structures. Like a lot of good music his songs feel like they are filling a predetermined space, like the ether was just waiting for him to connect the dots and give voice to them."
US Tour Dates
WED 3/10 - LPR - NEW YORK, NY THU 3/11 - M Room - PHILADELPHIA, PA FRI 3/12 - Black Cat Mainstage - WASHINGTON, DC SAT 3/13 - Local 506 - CARRBORO, NC SUN 3/14 - Masquerade - ATLANTA, GA MON 3/15 - Matty's Basement - NASHVILLE, TN THU 3/18 - Maggie Mae's Gibson Room (Saddle Creek SXSW Showcase) - AUSTIN, TX SUN 3/21 - Haileys - DENTON, TX MON 3/22 - Sticky Fingers - LITTLE ROCK, AR TUE 3/23 - Firebird - ST LOUIS, MO WED 3/24 - The Summit - COLUMBUS, OH THU 3/25 - Musica - AKRON, OH FRI 3/26 - Corner Cafe - SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE, PA SAT 3/27 - Soundlab - BUFFALO, NY
New Hip Hop: Scripts 'n Screwz
Untitled Document
Here's the newest single from this ill duo. Their The New Noise got a lot of praise, and they've got their new project, The Hangover, on deck. ON 10 might be my most favorite slang since 'goin ham. This one has a pretty ill feel to it - one part otherworldly bass, two parts banging on steel pipes and thangs. Shit's knockin - Rock The Dub
Scripts 'n Screwz is back with their all-new single, ON 10. The meaning of ON 10 originally came from the duo joking around and describing "extreme behavior". The kind of behavior that is ON 10.
The track is already lighting up the darkness of the internet and is the lead-in to the duo's upcoming sophomore album The Hangover which follows the acclaimed debut, The New Noise. You can grab the track below and if you are so inclined, a trailer for the tune has also been assembled for your viewing and re-posting pleasure. See it here.
Wake Up and Smell the Music
Untitled Document Well it's that time again, the summer festival lineups are being announced! For those of you that need may be in the dark on some of the bands playing Bonnaroo this year, Indianapolis indie music blog Wake Up and Smell the Music served up a great sampler of most of the acts on the bill. Head over to Wake Up and Smell the Music to get your dose and read some great reviews to boot!
