Video: Rose Elinor Dougall, The (New) Pipettes

In 2006, The Pipettes brought back 60’s-era girl groups, polka dot dresses, and choreographed dance moves and they were pretty awesome (and awesomely pretty). The three ladies released an album, did a couple tours (I reviewed their Chicago show here) and then promptly went their separate ways. Fast-forward a couple years later and now the new Pipettes (Gwenno + her sister Ani) and ex-Pipettes Rose Eilinor Dougall (formerly known as Rosay) are both prepping new albums and have recently released video singles.

Rose’s new material is sounding very promising. While “Start/Stop/Synchro”,  released last year, was upbeat 80’s synth-fest, her new single, “Find Me Out” (video above) is melancholy and soulful, and really shows off her vocal range. Some very nice, subtle horns pepper the track. Cool stuff. Rose’s solo debut album is called Without Why and will be out August of this year.

The new Pipettes fare a little worse on their new single, “Call Me” (watch above). They’ve pretty much done away with their retro sound and image and now have a more Eurodance vibe that’s closer to Kylie Minogue then Darlene Love. It’s not exactly as fresh or exciting but the songs are reasonably catchy and they still have that throwback / guilty pleasure appeal. The new Pipettes album is called Earth vs. Pipettes and will be out sometime this year.

Also, if you wondering what happened to RiotBecki, she’s now in a band called The Projectionists. Check out some songs at their myspace.

Track Review: Interpol, Wavves, Admiral Radley

MP3 Interpol – Lights

Reactions to “Lights” have been understandably mixed, but our first taste of Interpol in three years has me cautiously optimistic. The band’s return to Matador after their tepid major label outing also finds the band back in their comfort zone, doing what they do best. “Lights” is a slow burn of a song, more in line with Turn on the Bright Light’s atmospherics than Antics’ hooks. It’s a full two minutes before the beat fully kicks in, giving the ghostly melody and Paul Banks’ cryptic, paranoid lyrics room to breathe. The song eventually blossoms, taking its time to full envelop you in its climax. It’s a hopeful sign of a return to form from a much-missed band. Then again, “The Heinrich Maneuver” tricked us all into thinking Our Love to Admire would be good, so we’ll just have to wait and see how “Lights” fits into thing when the band’s new album comes out in September.

MP3 Wavves – Post-Acid

I enjoy Wavves enough, but I always felt that, stripped of all the fuzz, Nathan Williams’ songs couldn’t stand on their own. I may be right (look up videos of him playing acoustic), but Williams has now recruited a band to flesh out his sound and it’s a welcome change. “Post-Acid” boasts a slightly (slightly!) cleaner sound, with Williams’ vocals tidied up and brought to the front of the mix. The song sounds great with a booming beat behind it and the chorus has a hook that won’t quit. It’s a great jam for the sweltering summer days most of us are enduring right now. I’m interested to see how Wavves new(ish) sound plays out over the course of their new album. If the rest of it is as good as “Post-Acid”, it might be time to take Wavves a little more seriously.

MP3 Admiral Radley – I Heart California

Admiral Radley is the new project featuring some former members of Grandaddy and Earlimart, and they sound exactly like that sentence makes you think they would. The band started dripping out teases late last year, but “I Heart California” is the first real song they have released. It’s a buzzy, melencholy pop ditty that, like either band’s back catalogue, takes a few listens to grow on you. The constant thudding piano holds the song together on its bedrock of distorted guitar and fuzzy synthesizer while Jason Lytle and his hazy drawl sing about the state he loves (or maybe doesn’t). Apparently not content just to tease us anymore, Admiral Radley is springing their debut album on us at the end of July.

Nü Sensae

Fair warning: Nü Sensae sounds nothing like anything we’ve covered before. But Taylor is on vacation, so I’m using this opportunity to write about one of the most exciting things to arrive in my inbox recently.

To put it simply, Nü Sensae slays. The band, using only bass and drums, plays the kind of thrashing, primordial skronk that blows speakers as well as eardrums. Their debut album, TV, Death and the Devil, is a mean blast of noise that ravages the landscape like a wildfire, scorching everything in its path.

“Cat’s Cradle” starts subdued enough before exploding into a rush of cymbals and screams 30 seconds later. Andrea Lukic’s guttural howl is the stuff of nightmares. She sounds like some demon banshee out to get your soul in the most violent way possible. You can almost hear her vocal chords shredding. There’s no way she isn’t spitting up blood after every performance.

The bass groove that kicks off “I’m a Body” sounds straight from some Motor City rock, but the band isn’t content unless they are ripping everything apart. Daniel Pitout’s drumming (pounding?) shoves the song along while the buzzsaw bass rips everything to bits. The band doesn’t so much play songs as they create supernovae that flash into existence and fizzle out just as quickly.

My only complaint with the record is that it’s exhausting to listen to. 30 minutes of this stuff really takes its toll on a listener. It’s an unforgiving album, and it’s certainly not for everyone. Taken in bursts though, Nü Sensae are something to behold.

MP3 Nü Sensae – Cat’s Cradle
MP3 Nü Sensae – I’m a Body

Good Cover Version

Cheryse recently wrote about First Aid Kit, a band that first came to my attention thanks to this cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”. Re-listening to that cover got me thinking about other covers I’ve enjoyed over the past few years, so I decided to compile and share some of my favorites with you guys. There really weren’t any strict guidelines, but I tried to stick to more recent songs that I felt people either overlooked or forgot about, like TV on the Radio’s “Mr. Grieves”, or that I thought were just as good (or better) than the originals, like the Futureheads’ “Hounds of Love”. Of course, I couldn’t resist throwing in one of Sue Jorge’s Bowie covers.

If you have any good covers to add to the mix, be sure to leave them in comments. If I get enough, I’ll probably do an update to this post later this week.

Cat Power – Sea of Love
First Aid Kit – Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
Grizzly Bear – Deep Blue Sea
José González – Teardrop
Local Natives – Warning Sign
Robyn – Cobrastyle
Samamidon – Sugar Baby
Seu Jorge – Rebel Rebel
The Flaming Lips – Can’t Get You Out of My Head
The Futureheads – Hounds of Love
TV on the Radio – Mr. Grieves
Xiu Xiu- Ceremony

Gold Motel

While preparing to leave on vacation next week (going to Colorado) and I’m loading up on some new summery music for what’s going to be a long drive. One recent discovery I’m glad to be taking along with me is Gold Motel, an indie pop band from Southern California fronted by former Hush Sound keyboardist/vocalist Greta Salpeter. The Hush Sound, if you don’t closely follow 00’s-era emo-pop, was a band on the Fueled by Ramen label, but thankfully Greta’s solo work is about as far removed as you can get from the polished pop-punk that dominated that scene. Instead Gold Motel is deeply rooted in folksy ’60s pop that puts them on a similar musical plane with Rilo Kiley and She & Him.

Gold Motel’s first single is a sun-soaked folk-pop gem called “Perfect In My Mind” that kicks off with bouncy keyboards, chugging guitar riff, and Greta’s exquisite, blissed-out vocals. The song strikes that perfect upbeat, lighthearted tone that makes it sound like it was just as fun to make as it is for us to listen. The chorus is absolutely stellar and the lyrics are sweet and simple enough to stick with you (also make sure to watch the song’s retro-themed music video below). Another excellent tune from the band is “Make Me Stay” which makes exceptional use of slide guitar and vocal harmonies to produce another huge charmer of a pop song. The band released a self-titled EP earlier this year which included both these song and also have an album available soon called Summer House. On the strength of these two tracks, I’d say the album and EP are essential purchases for your summer collection.

MP3 Perfect In My Mind
MP3 Make Me Stay

Track Review: Arcade Fire – Ready to Start, We Used to Wait

We’ve now heard four songs from Arcade Fire‘s highly anticipated new album, The Suburbs, likely a third or more of the album, so I think it’s a good time to do a little assessment of what’s been released. The first two tracks, “The Suburbs” (MP3) and “Month of May” (MP3) left a little to be desired in my opinion.  The prior has a pleasant, folksy feel and some interesting lyrics but doesn’t achieve the epic sweep that’s characteristic of their best tracks. It would be a great track for any other band, but just average for Arcade Fire. “Month of May” on the other hand is definite b-side material in my books. It sounds like something any band could have come up with playing around with their guitars before a show (although they do execute it well at least). The release of “Ready to Start” and “We Used To Wait”, the US and UK single respectively, has done much more to inspire confidence towards Suburbs on my part. Download the tracks and read my reviews below.

MP3 Ready to Start

“Ready To Start” was my favorite track from the live videos that popped up last week. The recorded version sounds just as direct and charging as I imagined it would be. The song comes out of the gate running with a driving drum beat and piercing guitar and the bass providing the primary melody line. Win is characteristicly cryptic in his lyrics with talk of businessmen drinking blood, and taking advice from art school kids before going all introspective on us in the chorus, “And if I was yours / But I’m not”. There’s some awesome instrument interplay throughout the song and a huge percussive build-up towards the end. It’s Arcade Fire at their most rocking and the results in a very thrilling song that sounds like it would work perfect as an album (or show) opener.

MP3 We Used To Wait

“We Used To Wait” is immediately more melodic and easily accessible then anything we’ve from Suburbs thus far, opening with stacatto piano chords urgently banging out the hook. It also seems to make the best use of the vast instrumental and vocal pallette that the band is known for with strings, layered guitar, and Regine’s haunting background vocals filling out the sonic landscape. The big swell of instruments that occurs mid-song is just awesome and the following call-and-response “Ooooo we used to wait” vocals and huge ringing guitar line makes the moment even better. It’s the most Funeral-esque track by far; anthemic, uplifiting, and beautiful. After hearing these two new songs, my excitement level has grown exponentially for the new album.

From the Chaff: Hot Spa, A Lull, The Spires

From the Chaff (in reference to this idiom) is a semi-regular series where we post things that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks. Whether it’s singles, EPs or just MP3s that we like, it’s a place for us to collect the things we’ve heard lately but haven’t had a chance to write about yet.

Hot Spa – Kiola Beach

Here’s what I know about Hot Spa: They are a two piece band from Australia and…that’s it. “Kiola Beach” arrived in my inbox a few weeks ago with no information on who or what it was, I had to dig out the bit I know about the band from their MySpace page. Background is kind of irrelevant though, because the important thing is “Kiola Beach” is a jam. The song tricks you at first, sounding like a lazy folk-pop ditty before the beat kicks in and flips everything on its head. “Kiola Beach” sounds exactly like its title implies and it’s not hard to imagine sun on your face and sand under your feet while it’s playing, especially given the video the band made out of old family footage. I would have liked to do a full post on Hot Spa, but it’s kind of hard to stretch two bits of information and one song. So I’ll be content with blasting what I have until the band feels like giving us some more.

A Lull – Weapons for War

“Weapons for War” is a hard song to pin down. Just when you think you have a read on it, A Lull introduce some new element and changes the perspective. Things start with some dissonant synth wordless vocals before quickly being overtaken by booming percussion. The beat sticks around for a bit, then settles down to let the lovely vocal chord progression breathe. And then, just when you think you might have this thing pinned down, it just fades away. With it’s rich textures, layers of sound, and unconventional composition, “Weapons for War” comes off like some deconstructionist pop song. You can download the “Weapons for War”/Spread It All Around” single from the band’s website, and both songs will be on the band’s upcoming album Confetti.

The Spires – Orange Yellow

The Spires travel in the lo-fi haze that has been so popular the last year, but what sets the band apart is that instead of aping a trend, they’ve absorbed their influences. The shimmering guitars and slightly reverbed vocals in “Orange Yellow” bring to mind a number of bands, without sounding like any one in particular. The plodding bass keeps the warm melancholy moving while the backbeat keeps things from fading away without overpowering them. The whole thing has a lived-in quality that makes it sound like it could have been recorded 20 years ago or just yesterday.

Debut Album, Opening Track Mix

I was listening to NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast last weekend and heard their discussion about the best opening tracks ever.  Much of the talk was about the first impression the opening track left on you and how that set the stage for the rest of the album, which got me thinking of the best opening tracks specifically for debut albums. Who made the best first, first impression? Interestingly, I’ve found some of these side one track ones are so good that the bands go their whole career without topping it. Others are just hints of great things to come. I left out some of the more obvious choices (“I Saw Her Standing There”, “Good Times Bad Times”) and picked out a few of my favorites. Download the tracks below:

MP3 Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning
MP3 Pavement – Summer Babe (Winter Version)
MP3 Jesus and Mary Chain – Just Like Honey
MP3 Arcade Fire – Tunnels (Neighborhood #1)
MP3 Talking Heads – Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate – Seven
MP3 Belle & Sebastian – The State I Am In
MP3 LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
MP3 Crosby, Stills & Nash – Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
MP3 Interpol – Untitled
MP3 Wu-Tang Clan – Bring Da Ruckus
MP3 King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man
MP3 The Sea and Cake – Jacking The Ball
MP3 New Order – Dreams Never End

Tell me what your favorite first album side one track ones are in the comments (and if you’re feeling especially Rob Gordon-esque you can list your top 5).

First Aid Kit and Samantha Crain – Live @ The Vera Project

I’m going to start tallying up the amount of times I’ve planned on writing something specific and wound up doing otherwise. Or the amount of times I’ve planned on going to the gym and wound up going out… to, let’s say… a concert. I had a couple of different Artist Spotlights lined up for today, but after Saturday night’s show at Seattle’s all-ages venue, The Vera Project, I felt the need to revise and attempt a different format. There really is something to be said about a performance that leaves you reevaluating your life.

Let me start this off by saying that I’m really bad with song titles and well, we arrived a little less than 40 minutes before the show came to an end (hence no pictures). I know, pathetic, but I had to work a closing shift that night and it completely slipped my mind. Despite it all, my girl friend and I felt like we got there just in time (or so we keep telling ourselves), running down to the stage area a few seconds into “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song,” the breathtaking Fleet Foxes cover embraced by fans worldwide… now if that wasn’t already enough to blow me away, Klara and Johanna of First Aid Kit both stepped out from behind their mics to perform a stripped down version of “Ghost Town,” my absolute favorite song off of their debut full-length The Big Black & The Blue. Talk about a heart attack. I can’t pin point what songs came on next or in what order, but they did throw in a few treats from their Drunken Trees EP (“Our Own Pretty Ways” and “You’re Not Coming Home Tonight”) as well as an unreleased song titled “Lions Roar,” a definite must-hear that has only reaffirmed my belief in this band and their growing potential. They may still be in their teens, but they’re wise beyond their years and years from now they’ll be the ones saying, “I told you so.”

The Swedish sweethearts eventually segued into their encore, closing the night with a cover of “Still Feeling Blue” by Gram Parsons and an utterly, (expletive deleted) amazing duet with their opener Samantha Crain. The 23 year-old Oklahoma native nearly brought the audience to tears with her debut album’s exit track titled, “The Dam Song.” Together, the three of them broke into verses, line-by-line, pulling away at our heart strings. You could feel the mood changing, standing before them was an audience suddenly filled with deep empathy, dying to relate or perhaps relating all too well to a kind of hurt that you cannot say you’ve lived without somehow experiencing… and that right there is the true beauty of a live performance. That one moment where the songwriter’s story becomes yours. I can’t recall the last time I walked away from a show feeling so many different emotions and I mean that in the best way possible. Take my word for it, if you ever get the opportunity to see these girls live, do it. It’ll change your life.

MP3 First Aid Kit – Ghost Town
MP3 First Aid Kit – Heavy Storm

MP3 Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers – The Dam Song
MP3 Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers – Scissor Tales

You can stream 3 songs off Samantha’s sophomore album You (Understood) at www.samanthacrain.com. The album is set to be released tomorrow off Ramseur Records, be sure to check it out!

Commercial Watch: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Anathallo, YACHT + more

It’s time for another edition of Commercial Watch, where I highlight the songs that play during those annoying parts that you never watch in between LOST and The Daily Show. Click the links to watch the commercials / download the MP3s.

Apple: What is iPad?

The first iPad commercial was soundtracked by Danish indie rock band The Blue Van, this one by another slightly more well-known indie rockers, Yeah Yeahs Yeahs. If you thought Apple was going to stop using indie music now that it’s surpassed Microsoft as the #1 tech company, no dice.

MP3 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Gold Lion

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2010 Cadillac SRX Crossover

Last year’s most valuable commercial featuring an indie song was the 2009 Cadillac SRX Crossover ad which made a huge hit out of the Phoenix song “1901” (which tied for my #1 song of ’09). This year’s model’s commercial features another fab song by Portland electronic duo YACHT.

MP3 YACHT – Psychic City (Rory Phillips Remix)

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American Express: Members Project

Unfortunately I recently read that Anathallo have decided to go on permanent hiatus, which means it’ll probably be a while if ever before we hear another album from the band. Still it’s nice to see that one of my favorite of their songs, “Dokkoise House” made it onto this AT&T commercial.

MP3 Anathallo – Dokkoise House (With Face Covered)

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2010 Jaguar XF

Not much to say about this one. It’s a typical car commercial soundtracked by everyone’s favorite tap-dancing indie pop crew, Omaha’s Tilly and the Wall.

MP3 Tilly and the Wall – Pot Kettle Black

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AT&T: Rethink Possible

Nick Drake, the English folk singer who died tragically in 1974, famously had “Pink Moon” used in this wonderful VW commercial from 2000 which has been called by some the best commercial of the decade. “From the Morning” is another track from the singer’s legendary Pink Moon album this time played in the background of AT&T’s newest commercial.

MP3 Nick Drake – From the Morning

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2010 Kia Soul – Hamsters

This ad is interesting because it actually has six versions with six different songs. The one I’m highlighting here features Scottish electropop wiz Calvin Harris, but search youtube for versions with MSTRKRFT, Goldfish, and Rick Atsley.

MP3 Calvin Harris – Colours

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Target: Pink Pepto

This commercial is a bit of an older one, but it’s a pretty good use of the track and you have to give Target props for using an artist with a F-bomb in their name. Suck it Walmart!

MP3 Starfucker – Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second

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2011 Ford Mustang

This is very eye-catching car commercial for Ford’s new (and I must admit, pretty sweet looking) Mustang. British garage rockers Band of Skulls set a great tone for the ad with a heavy bluesy guitar riff.

MP3 Band of Skulls – Light of the Morning

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Let me know if there’s any other good commercials out there I’m missing.