Calexico

What? For more than a decade, Southwestern indie-rock outfit Calexico have been scoring back-porch barbeques with their versatile mix of native sounds and universal melodies. After collaborating on the soundtrack to last year’s arty Dylan biopic I’m Not There with notable talents such as Stephen Malkmus, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, Calexico are set to return with their sixth full-length, Carried to Dust, on October 9 via Quarterstick. The new set finds principal songwriters Joey Burns and John Convertino expanding the more streamlined modern rock sound first explored on 2006’s Garden Ruin, while still retaining the arid, mariachi-flecked vibe established earlier in their career.

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Calexico, ‘Garden Ruin’ (Quarter Stick)

Who? Burns and Convertino first met in 1990 while playing with like-minded songwriter Howe Gelb in Giant Sand, but waited until 1996 to release their Calexico debut, Spoke. As Calexico’s popularity increased, the [...]

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Radiohead Cover Neil Young

About a week ago Thom and Jonny sidled up to the front of the White River Amphitheatre stage in Auburn, WA for just your typical “Faust Arp” duet. Except Thom forgot the words. After having an embarrassed laugh, he took the moment to shift into After The Gold Rush cut “Tell Me Why.” Only they couldn’t quite make it through that one, either. Eventually they got through the the originally intentioned In Rainbows lullaby and proceeded to blow everyone’s minds through the rest of the concert probably, but sometime between then and last night, Yorke and Greenwood decided to right their wrong and do Neil Young proper justice, being for the benefit of the Hollywood Bowl and, naturally, YouTube.

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Aerosmith Crowns ‘Guitar Hero’ Champion in Boston

With the astounding score of 398,000, Eric Miller blew away his rivals on stage last night in Boston, winning the booty in the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith ROCKS the Hard Rock competition. His prize? One rather stylish motorcycle signed by Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler himself. But the evening wasn’t only about Guitar Hero and motorcycles. The end to a 16-date nationwide hunt for America’s most proficient gamer coincided with the benefit gala, Boston for Africa, where citizens opened their purses for FORGE, Foundation Rwanda and Opportunity International.

Boston’s Hard Rock café was peppered with celebrities, including New England Patriots player Tom Brady. Yet the night’s true stars were undoubtedly Tyler and Aerosmith drummer Joe Kramer, who played a brief but striking set with local support! The band presented an electrifying rendition of "Walk this Way," enhanced by Tyler’s growling vocals, a floor-shaking bass line, and that oh-so-familiar guitar riff. Tyler went on to [...]

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Okkervil River

What? As proven by the double success of 2005’s heart-tugger, Black Sheep Boy, and its excellent leftover scraps follow-up, Black Sheep Boy Appendix, Austin’s Okkervil River are always trying to bring a grand idea full circle. And with the The Stand Ins, the act’s new album and sequel to 2007’s The Stage Names, out September 9, Okkervil River bring closure to an intense and cinematic drama with explosions of folk and lyrics that tell of a tragic ending unfolding atop a hotel roof in Manhattan.
Who? Okkervil River garnered cred in the Lone Star State by paving a club-by-club path to a 2000 SXSW appearance with just two EPs under their belt. Known for blurring the line between emotional freakout and cathartic lull, frontman Will Sheff’s literary approach to music has earned the band the reward of five LPs on the Jagjaguwar imprint, with many more EPs in between.
Fun Fact: Interactive [...]

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The McCarren Pool Parties Say Goodbye With Yo La Tengo

And that was that. Yesterday was the last McCarren Pool Party. The city’s gone and had the bright idea to fill the pool with — get this — water instead of hipsters (imagine that), bringing a halt to what quickly became a favorite NYC venue for summer music. The Pool’s life as a staging ground for shows was short lived — we remember curating the very first Pool Party (with Les Savy Fav) like it was just three summers ago ago (mostly because it was). And it was nothing but fun from then on. Sad to see it go.
Somewhat poetically, McCarren Pool concludes its short-lived run of indie events with two of the longest running institutions in indie rock: the Pool Parties (always free) wound up with Yo La Tengo, while the Live Nation series (always not) will end with Sonic Youth this Saturday. Yesterday was fun in that [...]

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The Matches, Felice Brothers Treat Night Owls in SF

Searching for an exciting end to the opening day of Outside Lands, concertgoers wiped bay-fog off their shoulders as they cozied in between the blood-red curtained walls of San Francisco’s Independent Friday night for SPIN and Dell’s afterparty, featuring sets from the Matches and the Felice Brothers.

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"Ya’ll feelin’ independent tonight?" asked Felice Brothers drummer, Simone Felice, moments before the group broke into a raucous set of rowdy Americana, showcasing their self-titled full-length with songs like "Whiskey In My Whiskey" and "Ruby Mae." Guitar strings snapped as the gents stomped out their signature brand of country rock, roaring out rough harmonies as the crowd shouted in unison.

Then the room underwent a swift sonic change as the Matches took the stage, delivering clean, crisp slashes of strummed resonance (and a new [...]

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Tricky

What? It’s been five years since we’ve heard from Tricky, but his 2008 offering on Domino, Knowle West Boy, brings him right back where he belongs: laying down the late-night soundtrack for all that is seductive and sinister in the world. The record is rumored to be a moderately autobiographical account of his jagged, turbulent youth, but whatever his muse might’ve been for this collection, it’s clear to the trip-hoppin’ ear that Tricky’s as grimy as ever, offering up some intricately textured, slow churned electronica; the kind that seems to be best washed down with a shot of absinthe.
Who? Tricky became a household name in the mid-’90s as a member of Massive Attack and as a solo artist, paving the global path for a seemingly new genre that was already big in London’s urban underground: trip-hop. Fusing together equal parts soul, dub, American hip-hop, and down-tempo (for the most part) [...]

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New No Age Video - “Goat Hurt”

Dean and Randy’s blog isn’t just the greatest source for No Age tour photos and No Age-video critiques, it’s also the greatest source for No Age video premieres. As of today, anyway. “Goat Hurt,” which first came via the Dead Plane EP, gets a new directed by Mika Miko-member and fellow Smell denizen Jennifer Clavin. The vid sets the sorta rock-swing of Randy’s drums to a single-shot black-and-white bike ride through (what is likely) L.A. They’ll probably hate me for being reminded of Lavender Diamond’s rollerblade through the streets from last year, but it does, except that I don’t find this one annoying.

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Handsome Furs Get Cozy in Detroit

Last night at Detroit’s Pike Room, as the crowd amassed near the bar in anticipation of the night-capping set from Montreal’s Handsome Furs, the husband/wife duo emerged for a couple pre-show cocktails and to greet their fans. Guitarist/singer Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) chatted up a few youngsters who seemed somewhat star-struck, and soon the beautiful Alexei Perry (wife/synth/vox) joined the conversation with drinks in hand, watching as Virginia-based opening act the Cinnamon Band strutted through a solid set of infectious, driving indie rock.

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But soon — after a little liquid courage, that is — the brash and fuzzed-out yet lovey-dovey sonic chemistry of the Handsome Furs blasted with Boeckner’s phenomenal guitar sounds and Perry’s burbling synths. Sharing smiles back and forth on stage, the duo’s contagious demeanor rubbed [...]

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Jennifer O’Connor

What? On her heart-wrenching 2006 record, Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars, Jennifer O’Connor treads lightly in Elliott Smith territory, mourning the deaths of her two sisters (one from brain cancer, another in a car accident) with acoustic guitar in hand, letting melody soar above sadness. But through catharsis comes acceptance, and on her new record, the John Agnello-produced (Sonic Youth, the Hold Steady) Here With Me, just released on Matador, O’Connor channels life lessons through the lens of a budding lesbian relationship. Newly contented, O’Connor’s fresh collection boasts a full backing band and an air of optimism without losing the raw magnetism and knack for empathy of her most introspective and confessional work.

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Who?  O’Connor traversed the Eastern seaboard fronting an Atlanta-based band when [...]

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