Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains, who released one of the best albums last year, are coming to The Marquee Room on April 8th, 2009. Tickets go on sale Thursday, February 26th at 10am. See you in the front row!Friday, February 20, 2009
Attention Team Rock
Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains, who released one of the best albums last year, are coming to The Marquee Room on April 8th, 2009. Tickets go on sale Thursday, February 26th at 10am. See you in the front row!
The Chop Shop phenomenon and must-have Eastern Bloc rock from Handsome Furs
If you’re an obsessive pop culture junkie, you’ve probably heard of 40-year-old Alexandra Patsavas. At the very least, you’ve likely heard her ostensibly cheeky placement of music in Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, The O.C., Mad Men and other programs. Formerly a University of Illinois campus radio DJ and political science graduate, she’s the powerhouse behind Chop Shop Music Supervision and is responsible for breaking bands like The Fray and Snow Patrol. If the script is lacking, you can count on Patsavas for elevating the show interest with a well-placed and punchy track from The Kills, Cold War Kids, Love and Rockets or a Crystal Castles/Health collaboration. Holding the dream job of a steadily employed film and television music supervisor, Patsavas devised another way to help expose the best submissions from the thousands of demo CDs flooding her South Pasadena office. After cutting a deal with Atlantic Records, Patsavas can now sign these artists to her record label, Chop Shop Records.
One of Patsavas’ newest signings is a radio DJ turned singer-songwriter, Anya Marina. The listeners of San Diego’s KBZT have been the only audience under the spell of Anya Marina’s girlish voice until now. For a beguiling and breathy singer-songwriter, Anya has an uncharacteristically invulnerable sophomore collection of quirky pop songs on Slow and Steady Seduction Phase II. If you like the agreeable indie-lite tunes on Grey’s Anatomy, you’ll love Anya Marina’s less complacent and more assertive pursuit of a creative hook.
For those of you searching for something with more teeth (literally, check out the sharp fangs on the album cover), seek out Face Control from the coolest husband-wife duo from Montreal, Handsome Furs on March 10th (Sub Pop). Featuring Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Atlas Strategic) and Alexei Perry, Handsome Furs’ second album is an earnest and jagged piece of unconsciously stylish and catchy escapism from audio monotony. Influenced by a tour through Russia (“Nyet Spasiba,” “Radio Kaliningrad”), Boeckner and Perry named the album after a popular Moscow nightclub policy restricting entry to the most attractive patrons. Can you imagine? CBGB would have been deadsville in the ‘70s.
While some bands get themselves worked into a cluttered tizzy with synthesizers and effects gone awry, Handsome Furs keep their riffs and electronics focused, simplified and minimal. Still, they connect with all the right notes – often finding a clever riff and infectious rhythm and repeating. The synthesizers may be coolly composed, but there’s no doubt about the duo’s boiling blood the moment Boeckner opens his mouth to sing. Boeckner’s vocals and guitar are the warm heart and soul to the hypnotic, mechanized chill of Perry’s drum machine and ARP 2600. Ironically, despite his distinguished position as one of the best and most identifiable voices in indie rock, Boeckner’s defiantly angular guitar on “Evangeline” provides a better refrain than anything a human voice could achieve. Meanwhile, a lead contender for best song of the year thus far, “Radio Kaliningrad” clutches onto a fierce, purposeful, uncomplicated riff and fearlessly struts with bold perfection.
Along with other tracks like “Passport Kontrol,” Handsome Furs satiate nostalgic cravings by revisiting New Order and other new wavers of the mid-80s. Sub Pop pushed the release date forward to secure permission to reference New Order in “All We Want, Baby, Is Everything.” However, with lyrics alluding to the current hellacious economy set to an enjoyably pushy rock agenda, Face Control is much more than a superficial rerun. Each song comes off with a fresh rock vitality and edgy vigour normally spent by the end of the first song on other albums. It’s a goodie.
Handsome Furs' Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner want you to call CJSW and request a song off their hot new album.
One of Patsavas’ newest signings is a radio DJ turned singer-songwriter, Anya Marina. The listeners of San Diego’s KBZT have been the only audience under the spell of Anya Marina’s girlish voice until now. For a beguiling and breathy singer-songwriter, Anya has an uncharacteristically invulnerable sophomore collection of quirky pop songs on Slow and Steady Seduction Phase II. If you like the agreeable indie-lite tunes on Grey’s Anatomy, you’ll love Anya Marina’s less complacent and more assertive pursuit of a creative hook.
For those of you searching for something with more teeth (literally, check out the sharp fangs on the album cover), seek out Face Control from the coolest husband-wife duo from Montreal, Handsome Furs on March 10th (Sub Pop). Featuring Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Atlas Strategic) and Alexei Perry, Handsome Furs’ second album is an earnest and jagged piece of unconsciously stylish and catchy escapism from audio monotony. Influenced by a tour through Russia (“Nyet Spasiba,” “Radio Kaliningrad”), Boeckner and Perry named the album after a popular Moscow nightclub policy restricting entry to the most attractive patrons. Can you imagine? CBGB would have been deadsville in the ‘70s.While some bands get themselves worked into a cluttered tizzy with synthesizers and effects gone awry, Handsome Furs keep their riffs and electronics focused, simplified and minimal. Still, they connect with all the right notes – often finding a clever riff and infectious rhythm and repeating. The synthesizers may be coolly composed, but there’s no doubt about the duo’s boiling blood the moment Boeckner opens his mouth to sing. Boeckner’s vocals and guitar are the warm heart and soul to the hypnotic, mechanized chill of Perry’s drum machine and ARP 2600. Ironically, despite his distinguished position as one of the best and most identifiable voices in indie rock, Boeckner’s defiantly angular guitar on “Evangeline” provides a better refrain than anything a human voice could achieve. Meanwhile, a lead contender for best song of the year thus far, “Radio Kaliningrad” clutches onto a fierce, purposeful, uncomplicated riff and fearlessly struts with bold perfection.
Along with other tracks like “Passport Kontrol,” Handsome Furs satiate nostalgic cravings by revisiting New Order and other new wavers of the mid-80s. Sub Pop pushed the release date forward to secure permission to reference New Order in “All We Want, Baby, Is Everything.” However, with lyrics alluding to the current hellacious economy set to an enjoyably pushy rock agenda, Face Control is much more than a superficial rerun. Each song comes off with a fresh rock vitality and edgy vigour normally spent by the end of the first song on other albums. It’s a goodie.
Handsome Furs' Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner want you to call CJSW and request a song off their hot new album.Monday, February 2, 2009
What to seek out in record stores in February!
Tonight, I'll be debuting two killer new albums that oughta get you fumbling for your asthma puffer -- Keep It Hid from Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) and a collection of previously unreleased tunes called The Unlistenable Years from early '80s pyro noise duo, Toy Killers. Auerbach's sweaty release is a must-have, friends. It bleeds raw, emotive blues fit for the music library of any chronic insomniac or heartbroken listener. On the other hand, the Toy Killers' fun collection of outtakes from 1980-84 is a chewy piece of post-punk, no-wave instro candy. Yum! Two very different albums, but both dynamic gems that are completely worthy of your turntables and CD players.
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