Emerging: I Concur

We've often wondered what everyone else we see at shows/parties/bars, etc. do when they're not at those things.  Do they lead the kinds of lives we do?  Are theirs any more spectacular?  What about the boring ennui of our days?  Do they have those too?  We've been known to ask these kinds of questions (and if we're not careful, the moderators of Craigslist will be quick to get tired of logging our IP addresses as we try to figure out the answer).  But we digress.

I Concur, a band so endearingly normal that they took their namesake from Internet message board speak, are four boys from Leeds who are just like you.  They listen to everything you listen to (only they get to work with some of those people in concert or in studio).  They remember what it feels like to be a fan of something as iconic to their generation as Radiohead (hell, they still are fans, so...) and they look to be too young to remember the icons of the previous generation, like, say, claiming to have seen The Pixies on their reunion tour and not back in '88.  Just like you and me (er, most of you that is).

All of this talk about a band while not mentioning the music is stupid, right?  Well, the music is evidence that there is something to keep a watchful eye on in Leeds these days.  I Concur create tight, never-redundant progressions of sort-of post-rock meets guitar-group posturing meets forward-thinking, sometimes this-close-to-weird lyricism.  But what would you expect from a group that loves Low, The National and Mogwai and has worked first-hand with Tom Woodhead from Forward Russia!?  Just listen to I Concur and, if you're like us, you'll have one of those "a ha!" moments very soon after.

(mp3)    Oblige

(mp3)    Exits Are Blockades

Godspeed!

Video: Lupe Fiasco has days off (sort of); thinks the subway is "nasty-ass".

Lupe, at least it runs all day long, no matter what (except maybe the random flooding/icing of the tracks).  Can you say the same of your beloved "L" in Chicago, dude?  Nope.  Maybe you're just phased by that whole "no one is recognizing me" deal.

(mp3)    Hip Hop Saved My Life

Godspeed!

News: Graham Coxon dishes about that Blur reunion thing (and why it's not happening)

(credit: Fred Perry Subculture)

Dude may have played guitar in the group, but that doesn't mean he's too keen on getting back with the boys and starting the recording process, right?  In a recent sit-down with NME (who, let's be honest, would orgasm in their collective fanboy pants to be able to break news of Blur actually getting back to playing), Coxon gestured, "I think people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a bit too much, just jumping into a studio’," he said. "We met for a catch-up and it was great, but there was no real talk of recording. It doesn’t really bother me. I’ve got enough going on to feel happy and fulfilled.  We all met up in a restaurant and it was nice but it was small talk, really, just catching up with friends like you do and it was all very odd.  Nothing like recording was discussed and of course we're all busy. I think it's something that might happen when everybody feels ready and that might be years away."  Well, keep your pants on then, huh?  We're guessing that just having them eating together is a welcomed prospect.

(mp3)    Blur - To The End, from the Parklife LP

Godspeed!

mp-FREE: Readymade FC featuring Feist - "Snow Lion"

Feist is a name that will be ubiquitous when the histories of this decade are written.  And, while this might seem like just another notch in the number one hottie in indie rock's bedpost, we submit to you this song from French electro everydude Jean-Philippe Verdin aka Readymade FC.  The track, "Snow Lion", is chock full of minimalist keys, drums and bells and isn't even slightly short on Leslie's coos and playful-yet-weary tones.  Go to the RCRD LBL site to download it and love it over and over and over.

(mp3)    1-2-3-4 (Van She Technologic remix)

Godspeed!

Video: The Teenagers - "Starlett Johansson"

Maybe we're really quick in saying this, but this track and its accompanying video are going to be the cultural barometer for 2008.  There, we did it.  It's in print and we can never take it back.  We don't care how bonkers it sounds to some of you, but The Teenagers are so fucking hype right now that if they don't combust from all the fandom, they'll only explode and be huge.  Like, Justice huge.

If you have three minutes and nine seconds time to do anything at all this day/week/month/year, it should be spent with this song and video.  Reality Check comes out March 18 via XL Recordings.

P.S.  The boys are totally going to be at Hiro Ballroom tomorrow night for Cheeky Bastard, and on Saturday they play a free show (!) at Cake Shop which we'll be at and then at Studio B that night.  Get there as fast as your feet will take you.

(mp3)    Starlett Johansson

Godspeed!

News: Will The Long Blondes ever stop touring??

You have to hand it to Kate Jackson and the gang.  Really.  We mean, first off, just look at them all.  Keeping up appearances (and ridiculously hot appearances, no less) must be tiresome.  But doing that on the road, day in and day out seems to the culture of me to be futile.  We just don't know how they do it.  Maybe they'll share those secrets with us after getting off this whirlwind tour they keep adding dates to over and over again.

When we last left The Long Blondes, they had just announced all sorts of UK dates in support of Couples, the long-awaited (by us anyways) follow-up to Some To Drive You Home as well as the title of the new record's first single and the release dates for both.  And now the group has hit everyone again, this time with more dates to quell the fans from Northwestern Europe.  We certainly expect to hear many more dates announced over the course of the next few weeks as these dates wrap in Germany and we could see a whole slew of places for the band to go from there (ahem, Prague maybe?).

Dates for the well-dressed and well-intentioned:

Apr 23 Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Apr 24 VK, Brussels, Belgium
Apr 25 Le Grand Mix, Tourcoing-Lille, France
Apr 26 La Maroquinerie, Paris, France (Les Femmes festival)
Apr 28 L'Abordage,  Evreux, France
Apr 29 La Laiterie, Strasbourg, France
May 01 Vera, Groningen, Netherlands
May 02 Glanz & Gloria, Osnabrück, Germany
May 04 Knust,  Hamburg, Germany
May 05 Lido, Berlin, Germany
May 06 Prime Club, Köln, Germany
May 07 Atomic Café, München, Germany

(mp3)    Heaven Help The New Girl

Godspeed!

News: Kooks bassist Max Rafferty quits!

NME.com broke this story this morning commenting that Rafferty, who has previously had several spells out of the band due to illness, has decided to call it a day for good.

From the band's official statement: “Max Rafferty has parted company with The Kooks - the band will be continuing with the forthcoming shows. Dan Logan, bassist with local Brighton band Cat The Dog, will be filling in for the short-term."

This news come at a most inopportune time as the rest of the band will be touring in April, after releasing Konk, the follow-up to their excellent debut Inside In Inside Out on April 14.

Dates:

Apr 22 Manchester Apollo
Apr 23 Swindon Oasis
Apr 24 Newport Centre
Apr 25 Hull Arena
Apr 27 Birmingham Carling Academy
Apr 28 Sheffield Carling Academy
Apr 29 Edinburgh Corn Exchange
May 01 London Brixton Academy
May 02 London Brixton Academy
May 03 Plymouth Pavilions

(mp3)    I Want You Back, from the Inside In Inside Out LP

Godspeed!

Video: Mission of Burma - "2wice" (from the "Benefit for Burma")

(photo by Kelly Davidson)

A band that takes it name from a place it once saw pass by when they were visiting New York played a benefit to raise awareness about the nation in their moniker that's been undergoing all sorts of transgressions against human rights, democracy, poverty, etc.  That's the end of the story.  Mission of Burma, the post-punk elder statesmen from Boston, MA (who've only been back together for a short number of years), played Allston, MA on January 20 at the Great Scott venue, and the Boston Phoenix just posted all sorts of videos of the performance.  Get to watching and get involved.

(mp3)    Academy Fight Song

Godspeed!

Video: This Cingular AT&T ad brought to you by Ryan Adams's broken heart

We really feel for you dude, but seriously, we're beginning to wonder if you're okay.  We mean, sure, it's been a well publicized and scrutinized time for you since that Jessica Joffe character broke up with you and then subsequently blocked all of your emails.  It's even worse that she was once affiliated with Gawker, so dude you know they're all up on this shit, too.  But now, dude, your whole rambling-weirdo-singer-songwriter-New-Yorker-guy-who-likes-the-Internet video thing has to stop.  And really, for your own good.  We love you and think that you're maybe a genius, so it saddens us that you're in a bad way.  Truly.  We'd like to help, but you have to take the time to sit this whole media-saturated thing out.  Take a vacation or something.  For real.  Get some sun on them weary bones of yours.

We don't want to jump to conclusions and say that this ad isn't just some awkwardly-timed (amazing, right?) masterpiece of hopeful thoughts on your part for the woman you care deeply for (and who's been attributed as THE factor who pulled you from addiction hell), but it would totally make sense if it wasn't just a coincidence.  Could it be a clever ploy on the part of Adams to let AT&T use this song?  Especially since it's for a Valentine's Day advertisement?  We think yes.  What do you think?

(mp3)    Gonna Make You Love Me

Godspeed!

News: Jade Tree have a soccer team. They need fan support. Who knew?

Apparently beginning in 2004, the Jade Tree United Soccer Club has been competing in Delaware for some time without much of a following.  We think, at least.

The team, Jade Tree owners Tim Owen and Darren Walters; employee and Iranian International Mehron Moqtaderi; Cuban all-stars Victor Alvarez and Alfredo and Andrew Agra; and rising Asian star Tam Bui, is rounded out by the sturdy legs of Alex Rudzinski and Casey Gallucio and the handy Mike Durbin as keeper.  The team now is pleading via MySpace for fan support through the purchase of limited edition scarves (not bullshitting here) which you can get your mitts on for $18.75 a piece.  The music industry must really be struggling, huh?

This just in...what?  We mean no disrespect, but come the fuck on!  Stick to putting out marginal-quality rock music from the likes of Cloak/Dagger, Paint It Black and Fucked Up, why don't you.  Leave the football coverage out of your news.

(mp3)    Paint It Black - Past Tense, Future Perfect

(mp3)    Fucked Up - Baiting The Public

Godspeed!