Video: Shiny Toy Guns - "Ghost Town"

Looking distinctly like they both kidnapped the art director for MXPX circa 10 years ago and the cartoonist for those Esurance ads, Shiny Toy Guns (complete with new female singer Sisely Treasure) released a video for their new single "Ghost Town" a few days ago.  Now, we don't know about you guys, but we can't help but think right off the bat that this new iteration of the band sound terribly similar to the previous make-up with Carah Faye Charnow.  And maybe that's not such a bad thing.

(mp3)    Shiny Toy Guns - Ricochet!

Godspeed!

Video: The Von Bondies - "Pale Bride" + lots of news

One of the unsung stories (footnotes, really) of the early 2000s garage rock revival, The Von Bondies, have consistently played to their strengths.  They're not all about image or mass appeal and consumption, but their unending catalog of pop hooks, throbbing bass, slashing guitars and steady, mesmerizing drumming have all helped to keep them on the ups.

And now, with a new video, news from the Michigan band about a third release out this coming Tuesday (Love, Hate And Then There's You) and a full-fledged tour which includes a stop in Austin for SXSW, we have nothing but high hopes that 2009 will finally bring this decade-old band some much needed fulfillment of their promise.

Dates:

Feb 12 London, ON Call The Office
Feb 13 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern
Feb 15 Montreal, QUE Les Saints
Feb 16 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Feb 17 Vienna, VA Jammin Java
Feb 18 Philadelphia, PA The Khyber
Feb 20 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Feb 21 Ann Arbor, MI The Blind Pig
Feb 22 Toledo, OH Mickey Finns
Mar 08 Seattle, WA Neumos
Mar 09 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Mar 10 Victoria, BC Lucky Bar
Mar 13 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
Mar 14 West Hollywood, CA The Roxy
Mar 15 Solano Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
Mar 28 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
Mar 30 Chicago, IL Schubas

(mp3)    The Von Bondies - Pale Bride

Godspeed!

Download: The Answering Machine - "Another City, Another Sorry" + tour dates

Following in a line of humongously talented punk-inspired pop bands from the UK (cf. The Rakes, The Futureheads, et al.), Manchester-based The Answering Machine are a perfect dose of straight-ahead, fun-as-shit rock 'n' roll.  The foursome mimic the sound of a teenage scream, an all-night party with a sunrise at the end.  It makes total sense, too, since these guys (and girl) don't seem to be much above their teenage years.  In May, they'll release their debut LP, Another City, Another Sorry and they'll be playing a short United Kingdom tour starting next month.

Dates:

Feb 11 Feb Birmingham, UK Barfly
Feb 12 Glasgow, SCT King Tut's
Feb 14 Newcastle, UK Academy 3
Feb 15 Manchester, UK Night and Day
Feb 16 Nottingham, UK Bodega
Feb 17 London, UK Kings College
Mar 09 Cardiff, WAL Clvb Ifor Bach
Mar 10 Manchester, UK Ruby Lounge
Mar 11 London, UK Hoxton Bar And Kitchen
Mar 12 Newcastle The End
Mar 13 Edinburgh, SCT Sneaky Pete’s
Mar 14 Liverpool, UK Evol

(mp3)    The Answering Machine - Another City, Another Sorry

Godspeed!

Emerging: Novel

Singer/songwriter/producer/etc.  Being multitalented in this day and age is really and truly the only thing an artist can even possibly have in their pocket if they're looking to break out into the open field of music, what with the myriad other still-yet-to-be-fully-recognized acts.

Novel, who cut his teeth for years in the production realm (where he was able to work with the likes of Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Leona Lewis, Kelis, Beyonce, Smokey Robinson, Talib Kweli, Raphael Saadiq, Robin Thicke and more), is moving both feet forward into transforming into an unstoppable artist with this past November's digital release of his debut EP, I Am (Future Black President) and a full length effort called The Audiobiography due out in March.  The single, "I Am", not only features a sample of Ben Folds's "The Luckiest", but Novel also had Folds play piano on the track itself.  Dope, right?

Now, before we get much further, we have to address the haters immediately.  Yes, Novel has some familial background help in the music business.  Yes, he's the grandson to Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Famer Solomon Burke and son of the former Motown Records exec Mickey Stevenson.

But forget all that noise and just listen to the songs.  They are exploding with passion and knowledge, coherence, strength and hope and, right now, all of that is remarkable for a young talent to exhibit right from the start.  And if you're not 100% impressed yet, well, just look at this.

(mp3)    Novel - I Am

Godspeed!

Live: Pendulum chart a course for a US takeover in March

What we like most about Pendulum is that it's fairly easy to pigeonhole them ("they're drum n bass", "they're rock") and at the same time, it's impossible to look at them from only that one point of view.  They've got elements that beat harder than drum n bass and guitar/bass/synths that reach farther than some of the most cinematic of rock songs.  The Perth, Australia trio are certainly the kind of group that we all want to champion, especially since they refuse to get stuck with one label, aside maybe from the one universally applied to them: "really good".  Come see what all the fuss is about in March when the band embarks on a juggernaut of a tour.

Dates:

Mar 06 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Mar 07 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market
Mar 08 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
Mar 10 San Francisco, CA Grand Ballroom
Mar 13 Pomona, CA Glass House
Mar 14 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia
Mar 15 Tucson, AZ The Rock
Mar 17 Salt Lake City, UT Murray Theatre
Mar 18 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Mar 21 Austin, TX SXSW / La Zona Rosa
Mar 22 Houston, TX House Of Blues
Mar 24 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
Mar 25 Atlanta, GA CW Centerstage
Mar 27 Miami, FL Ultra Music Festival

(mp3)    Pendulum - Propane Nightmares

Godspeed!

Live: Razorlight to play February dates in the US

If "Wire To Wire", the first song to be released from Razorlight's upcoming third album, Slipway Fires, is to serve as anything, it's bright and sparse piano-ballad-devoid-of-everything-else tone instantly reflects lead songwriter Johnny Borrell's increasing amount of unstable, discomfort-filled times (just look at the song titles).  And even though you shouldn't take our word for it--we haven't really been on this band's tip for a while--we'll all have to see how/if that plays out when Johnny and the boys come knocking on our doors here in the states for a few stops.  Many more dates we're sure will be announced soon.

Dates:

Feb 03 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Feb 07 Mexico City, MEX Salon 21
Feb 10 New York, NY The Fillmore

(mp3)    Razorlight - Wire To Wire

Godspeed!

Download: Tennis - "Dancing On A Knife (WOW remix)"

Two weeks ago, the WOW track "Future Ghost" was covered by fellow Australian jangle-poppers Tennis and now, the favor is returned.  The Sydney remixers took on the dancey original, only this time, they turned the beat's dial up to, er, eleven (sorry).  Break out those handclaps and cowbells, it's time to dance it up.

(mp3)    Tennis - Dancing On A Knife (WOW remix)

Godspeed!

News: Now, Now Every Children almost crack CMJ's Top 50

One of our most favorite of band crushes from last year, Minneapolis trio Now, Now Every Children have something to seriously celebrate.  They've just charted a course for a March/April tour through Europe and a spot at Bamboozle in support of their rad debut LP Cars, they've released a new single called "Sleep Through Summer", which is maybe sort of the best pure pop song we've heard in some time (lines like "I'm sorry love for leaving you out/ my head is an empty house when you're not around" do the trick) and they've landed on number 56 on CMJ's radio charts.  Wowzers.

(mp3)    Now, Now Every Children - Sleep Through Summer

Godspeed!

Getting Sassy with...Bell X1

We here around THE CULTURE OF ME were once obsessed with all things relating to Sassy and Dirt magazines.  And while those titles are long gone, the sentiment of how they covered the culture industries has indeed left its mark on writers and culture vultures everywhere.  It is because of that influence that we are proud to present our features post, "Getting Sassy with...", wherein we bring you that much closer to your favorite bands by way of a simple Q&A session that's both painless and informative.  Ha!  Beat that, FOX News!

This time: Bell X1.

Irish rockers Bell X1 are prepping the release of their sophomore record, Blue Lights On The Runway (street date in the US is March 3), right now.  The group's dynamic, neverending scope of influences, trajectories and patterns make for some really interesting songs.  Some are beautiful ballads, others rock very very hard, but all are lassoed by the band's tight-knit relationship to each other, and to each other's goals.  Trying to make headway into the territory known as "great Irish rock band" doesn't seem to be too far off for these guys, and the proof is certainly in their pudding.  We sent off our questionnaire and multi-instrumentalist David Geraghty fired it back at us, letting us in on secrets about working in book shops, being really into Band Of Horses and "The Final Countdown".

Name?
David Geraghty.

Hometown?
Leixlip.

Current place of residence?
Dublin.

Number of states visited?
10 and counting.

First album bought on your own?
Very embarrassed to say.  Europe, The Final Countdown.

Favorite song memorized as a child?
Because I bought The Final Countdown with my own money, I probably listened to it until the tape wore down so, again, very embarrassed, it was probably the title track!!

Last book read?
Blindness by Jose Saramago.

Favorite book ever?
Lord of the Flies.

Favorite thing you bought last year?
A pair of Puma sneakers…nice!

Instruments played (chronologically)?
Piano, drums, guitar, Peruvian nasal flute.

Least favorite day job before getting this gig?
I worked in this really oppressive book supplier where the couple that owned it would always be fighting.   Real psychological warfare, the piles of books acted as bunkers sometimes.

Favorite record of 2008?
Band of Horses, Cease To Begin. I don’t think it was released in 2008 but I discovered it then.  It’s such a good album it defies the laws of the question.

After the jump, more with Geraghty.

News: White Lies have UK's #1 album + pics from new video shoot

(from the "To Lose My Life" video shoot, photo by Jack Brown)

Working again with "Death" and "To Lose My Life" visionary director Andreas Nilsson, White Lies took a trip to Northern Russia to film the video for their next single, "Farewell To The Fairground" recently.  You can see a few choice photos taken during the shoot here.  The band's debut LP, To Lose My Life, just scored the number one slot on the UK's charts this week.  Also, we are really really really into everything this band has done thus far.

(mp3)    White Lies - Farewell To The Fairground

Godspeed!