The Church, Sam Roberts, Margo, Portastatic, and much more...A Baker's Dozen MP3's

Here's a goldmine of recent extrawack! favorites:

The Church - "Unified Field" mp3

Run Run Run - Fade Into You mp3

Sylvia's Saint - "Runaway" mp3

Shapes & Sizes - "Wilderness" mp3

Sam Roberts - "The Gate" mp3

Portastatic - "Lively Chase" mp3

Elf Power - An Old Familiar Scene mp3

Bill Ricchini - "Dark Little Sea" mp3

The Submarines - “Peace & Hate” mp3

The Fever - "Redhead" mp3

Snow Patrol - "Hands Open" real
Snow Patrol - Eyes Open album 5-song player

Margot And The Nuclear So And So's - “Skeleton Key” mp3

The Streets - "When You Wasn't Famous" mp3

Thanks to the record & marketing companies hosting these babies.

Two Gallants @ Bowery Ballroom, 24 April 06

Saw an absolutely remarkable Two Gallants show at Bowery Ballroom Monday night...

In the wake of The White Stripes, The Black Keys, and DFA 1979, there are countless two-person bands floating around right now, most of whom suck. I'm thrilled to see Two Gallants not getting lumped in with those knuckleheads and getting the notoriety they deserve.

Musically sounding like a cross between X and The Pogues, with vocalist Adam Stephens' stinging rasp of a voice channeling Faces-era Rod Stewart and The Undertones' Feargal Sharkey all at once, the Two Gallants live sound grabs you with intensity and compels you to listen to and feel their tales of sadness, protest, and confusion. Their lyrics are heavy and the melodies are forceful, making for a set of music that can't just be experienced passively. Though I stood still in my spot for the whole show, I was exhausted at the end...in a really good feeling way.

Two side-observations about the show:

1) There were a ton of single (or maybe I should say unaccompanied) girls there...more so than your average rock show at The Bowery, most of whom knew all the words to all the songs. Is that a Saddle-Creek thing?

2) What's up with the resurgence of The Mosh Pit in front of the stage? I thought we were finally over that junk, but the last few shows I've seen at Bowery have featured a 15'x15' piece of stage-front real estate full of dopes throwing elbows and knocking shoulders like it's a Gorilla Biscuits show. Those fools missed a great concert.

Two Gallants - "My Madonna" mp3 buy

Goldfrapp Added To Free KEXP Performances In NYC

Goldfrapp has just been added to the KEXP Live from NYC series of shows being broadcast live from Gigantic Studios May 15-19.

A small quantity of passes to watch the performances for free are available from KEXP here.

Here's the full list of shows:
Monday 5/15
Teenage Prayers
The Mugs
The Diggs
Bill Janovitz
Tuesday 5/16
Up The Empire
The GoStation
Favourite Sons
Ghostland Observatory (FULL)
Goldfrapp

Wednesday 5/17
French Kicks (FULL)
Ambulance Ltd (FULL)
Summer Lawns
We Are Scientists (FULL)
Thursday 5/18
Pablo
Dylan in the Movies
The Budos Band
Alpha Rev
Friday 5/19
Land of Talk (FULL)
Dr. Dog (FULL)
Elvis Perkins
The Essex Green (FULL)

Islands and Why? @ Avalon, 22 April 06

Caught Islands and Why? Saturday night at Avalon (formerly Limelight, aka Slimelight).

I haven't been to the old church in a few years since mook-disco isn't really my thing, but I have seen a few great shows there back in the day...the best was probably an amazing Pop Will Eat Itself show during a New Music Seminar, during Michael Alig's Party Monster reign of that joint.

Why? is a three-piece from San Diego (via Cincinnati), who sound to me like a cross between They Might Be Giants and Wolf Parade...but more indie than quirky. They played a decent set of soft/loud/soft/loud songs, and of particular note was the fantastic drumming of beatkeeper Josiah Wolf, who has a very similar style to "Animal" from the Muppets' Electric Mayhem. On several songs he played his drum kit with one hand and a vibraphone with the other. Pretty amazing. The kids loved 'em.

Speaking of kids, the Avalon floor was packed with 'em by the time Islands came out. I had no idea the band were popular enough to fill that hall, but they did.

They hit the stage in their all-whites, looking like a sportier Polyphonic Spree, and played most of the new album, Return To The Sea and a couple new ones for good measure. I enjoy the new disc tons, but to really appreciate Islands, you have to see and hear the band dynamic in person. Nick Diamonds is a formidable frontman, and the rest of the band are a hoot to watch as well.

Since Avalon's got an early curfew for band shows so the lucrative party people can come in afterward and buy bottle service, the band ended playing on stage just after 10:30, but lead the crowd out a side door, onto the sidewalk in the chilly drizzle, and around the block for a drums and recorder fueled jam-line. When the mob got back around to Avalon, the door people looked totally pissed-off and refused re-entry to everyone, including most band members! A full set, an extra outdoor set, and a little exercise on a Saturday night? Now that's value.

Ear Farm has an entire Islands show in mp3 form from Philly late last year.

Islands - "Rough Gem" mp3 buy

Why? - "Rubber Traits" mp3 buy

"Are any of you Danish?"...Husker Du on The Joan Rivers Show, 1987

More YouTube gold...

Husker Du, playing "Could You Be The One" on the Joan Rivers Show in 1987...just before their break-up.



Husker Du - "Could You Be The One" mp3 buy

Iggy Pop-a-booey!

I continue to be amazed at the stuff you can find on YouTube...

Check out Iggy Pop guesting on Howard Stern's old Channel 9 TV show in September 1990:



Iggy Pop - "The Passenger" (Live In Zurich, 1986) mp3
(courtesy Iggy-Pop.com)

Gram Rabbit, Ambulance LTD, Gomez, The Presets, The BellRays, and The Best Fish Fry In New York State.

I found myself taking a road trip to Syracuse earlier this week. The four-hour drive is just long enough to make me nuts, and the only way I can cope with this boring drive is to entertain myself with music. Thankfully, the combination of a handful of new releases and a hundred-fifty Sirius channels made the roadwork fly by.


Before I get yakkin' about the tunes, let me give props to the fine people rockin' the deep-fryers at Doug's Fish Fry in Cortland, New York. Anytime I have to make that God-forsaken trip North, I pray for enough time in the schedule to pull off Route 81 to hit this joint. Insanely delicious fried fish sandwiches, crazy good onion rings, and cheap cups of beer to wash it all down with insure a full belly for the rest of the ride back to the real world. And to prove how wacky a world it is up there, check out this sign from a truckstop window in Carlisle, PA, not far from the New York border:



That's right...if you need to know how prepared you should be in case of terrorist attack, go inside and ask the lady behind the Slim Jim rack. I guess the color code for this week is "clear".

Here's what rocked me the most on the trip:

Gram Rabbit - Cultivation
I love it when I find an album that I've heard very little about, yet hits me hard on first listen. This is one of those albums. Recorded in both Joshua Tree and Silverlake, you can almost hear the blend of SoCal hi-desert and hipster LA suburbia swirling into a rockin' blend of sonic sweetness. Singer Jesika von Rabbit sounds a lot like the girl from Len who sang on "Steal My Sunshine" (You Tube) backed by Ween...and that's a good thing. A glammy, bizarre, groovy record.

Gram Rabbit - "Bloody Bunnies" mp3 buy

The Presets - Beams
These two Australian electronic maestros explore every possible blip and bleep pattern, creating an album that sounds at times like a dancier The Faint, a Soft Cell with fancier instruments, or a Depeche Mode with less concern for radio play.
Tempos are all over the place on this album, taking the listener on a rollercoaster of moods, beats, and emotions, and the record ends with the title track, a classical composition that not only showcases the enormous range of talent these guys have, but also shows a willingness to take chances in a marketplace full of biters and copycats.
This one of those rare records ideal for both Friday night wilding and Sunday afternoon couch-jockeying.

The Presets - "Are You the One" mp3 buy

The BellRays - Have A Little Faith
Ever wonder what would happen if Soundgarden and Zero 7 joined forces to make a the world's first "Heavy Chill" album? It might sound a lot like this album.
Singer Lisa Kekaula is equally at home cooing smoothly over Cali-jazz or belting hardcore over her bandmates' metallic bashing, sometimes within the same song. The record is totally compelling, and I found myself amazed at how great the fast-slow/start-stop/jazz-rock dichotomies kept me sucked in from first song to last. I've not seen The BellRays live, but have heard that they are amazing.

The BellRays - Maniac Blues mp3 buy
The BellRays - Third Time's The Charm mp3

Ambulance LTD - New English EP

If you were to ask me to name my favorite bands from NYC, Ambulance LTD would easily make the top tier of that list. Their debut album is one of my most-spun discs of the new millennium. While waiting for their next full-length platter, this new EP of demos, a Pink Floyd cover, and other what-not is a nice diversion. That's right, I said a Pink Floyd cover. It's a great live interpretation of The Floyd's "Fearless", sounding more Lennon than Waters. Hear it for yourself:

Ambulance LTD - Fearless (Live) mp3 buy

Gomez - How We Operate

I can't lie to ya'...Gomez has always been one of those bands to me that I just "didn't get". Yeah, I could tell they were talented...and different...and right up everyone's alley but mine. And since more than a few friends of mine are REALLY into them, I've tried extra hard to get them, but to no avail. When this one showed up, I figured I'd do what I always do when confronted with a new Gomez disc. Put it on, listen to the first 15 seconds or so of each track, then hand the disc off to a buddy with a "here ya go - I gave it a shot...".

However...the band, the songs, and particularly the singer (Tom Gray) sound fuller, heavier, and just more interesting on this disc than what I'd heard before. Sure enough, I found out that this is the first record of theirs to use an outside-the-band producer, the pretty-damn-fine Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Morningwood). And now I "get" Gomez. On this disc, Norton helps the band find a nice balance between roots-rock and pop that I never saw them combine well enough to catch my ears properly. And this is not to say that "How We Operate" is some sort of shiny attempt at radio play, but rather a realization of sounds they probably have been making all along but hadn't quite been captured and arranged properly. At least that's my take on it. This one comes out May 2nd.

Gomez - See The World mp3 buy
"How We Operate" Quicktime Video
Gomez Podcast on iTunes is here.

Attention Record Labels...

Looking for the next big multi-format crossover solo star who knows how to rock the Zubaz pants?

Here he is.

See Calexico & Elefant For Free Tuesday Night.

This is a good week for hip music fans on a budget in NYC...

Calexico is playing a free in-store at Virgin Megastore Union Square this Tuesday (18 April) at 6pm. Since in-store sets usually last about 30 to 40 minutes, that'll give you time afterwards to walk to Tower Records at 4th & Broadway to see Elefant play their free show at 7pm.

And don't forget the free Walkmen/Duke Spirit show Thursday night at Skylight...RSVP here.

Calexico - "Cruel" MP3

Jody Wildgoose, Sheffield's Busker Extraordinaire.

About a week ago one of my pals, whose musical tastes I trust, told me about a discovery of his called Jody Wildgoose. "I think he's British, and he's on that label that has Stephin Merritt and Micah P. Hinson on it...kinda sounds like Beck, when Beck was interesting...".

I made a mental note to investigate this guy, but like most of my mental notes, it was lost in the pile of other mental notes, some dating back to the Eighties. (I think I saw "Get Haircut 100 tickets" in that pile recently...)

Anyway, another fellow whose tastes seem to always be dead on, Colin from the fab blog "Let's kiss and make up", put a post up today about Jody Wildgoose, saving me the investigation.

If this first paragraph from his bio at the Sketchbook Records website doesn't pique your interest, you need to re-evaluate your outlook on music:

There’s an online guide to the city of Sheffield with a local heroes section; included is ‘the busker who plays in the underpass going towards Arundel Gate’. That busker is Jody Wildgoose.

Yeah, the Beck comparison is apt, as are the analogies on that website to Super Furry Animals and Flaming Lips. But Colin adds that there's more than a touch of The Beta Band in there, and that makes a nice bunch of references for a record to have, no? His latest album is called Afterlife, and I'm gonna start hunting down a copy as soon as I post these couple of tracks from his Lovely White Teeth album:

Jody Wildgoose - "Black Widow" mp3 buy

Jody Wildgoose - "Stereo" mp3 buy

"Who The F*** Is Pete Doherty?" Now Available Online For Free

The totally compelling BBC Three documentary "Who The F*** Is Pete Doherty?" can be viewed in its entirety here. I watched it this morning...Pete's obviously a genius on several levels, but to watch him destroy himself is heartbreaking. The film is definitely worth your time.

Babyshambles - "Albion" (Live @ NME Awards 2006) mp3
(courtesy Aujourd'hui plus qui'hier...)

extrawack! Single Of The Week: The PeachWaves

I just finished watching a new episode of the always entertaining New York Noise, and saw/heard a song so good, I had to get off the couch and hit The Internets to find out more.

The catchy tune and cute video is for "Too Much Shit" by The PeachWaves. All I can find is their MySpace, which contains this info:

The PeachWaves came out with their blend of "Girls Gone Wild" accapella electropunk in the winter of 2002. Originally comprised of Mira "ferrari melba," Ashley "pechefemme," and Shaun "nectar slut," they started by playing shows for the dance department parties, at Tisch. After success took Shaun from the peachwaves, Mira and Ashley struggled to maintain the larger than lifeness of the band. They soon developed the infamous "Backyard Burlesque" series, choreographed and performed "The Panty Piece (part 3)," and established the Scandalous House of Pout to perform as part of their Mirrored Ball. Still very much into their music, the ladies collaborated with producer Ron A. Shaffer (Tricky, Ambulance Ltd., Ezra Reich) to create their single and video for, "Too Much Shit." In late November, 2005 the video broadcast along side The Unicorns and Antony and the Johnsons on New York Noise. Keep an eye out for these girls, and when you see them give them a PEACHWAVE!!

To me, they sound very new wavey, recalling The Waitresses, Bush Tetras, and Book Of Love. I found their video on YouTube, and it's tagged as follows:

pop, brooklyn, cute, music, indie

That about sums them up!

The PeachWaves - "Too Much Shit" mp3

Here's the video:

In Praise of Arnold Palmer & Coldplay.

"C." from the always interesting scatter o' light hips us to the scary new soft-drink invention, Coke Blak. It's a cola/coffee fusion, and though I love both tastes separately, the combo sounds kind of nasty. I'm not sure I'm willing to gamble the $2 on a probable spit-take. I am impressed with the promise of "double the caffeine", so hopefully they'll be street-teaming some taste samples my way one of these days.

On the other hand, I think I've discovered my drink of the Summer. The good people at Arizona are selling "Arnold Palmer Half & Half Lite", which is a giant 23.5 ounces can of a Lemonade/Iced Tea mix. It's sweetened with Splenda, but totally doesn't taste like a diet drink. Amazingly, it's only a buck at my local bodega, and comes in a can loaded with old photos of Arnie workin' the links in a variety of suave golf outfits. I'm no golfer, but I know Palmer was the man back in the day, because my grandfather used to curse him out whenever he was beating Gramp's boy Jack Nicklaus.

I taste tested a can of the stuff on the drive to Philadelphia late last week, where I helped my pals at Oxfam finish-up their Make Trade Fair work on the Coldplay tour at the Wachovia Center at the final show of the final leg. It's a good sippin' on the Turnpike drink, but with a can that big, you've gotta schedule a stop at a rest area.

As for the show, it was pretty great. Richard Ashcroft opened, and sounded fantastic. The couple of Verve songs he played sounded EXACTLY like The Verve, and the new stuff fit right into the short set. His band sounded surprisingly funky during the soundcheck...I wish he'd funk up his own records a little more.

Coldplay has the arena show down to a science. Never boring, even during the slower numbers, they are one of the few bands playing giant halls that I would ever recommend seeing to a friend. And you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it and heard it for yourself, but these guys rock hard when they want to. Take my hipster card away if you must, but I love seeing them live.

Here's a Party Ben mashup for you to drink your favorite beverage to:

Coldplay vs Kraftwerk - "Computer Talk" mp3

Art Brut & Gil Mantera's Party Dream, Bowery Ballroom, 5 April 06

Regular readers of extrawack! know of our love for Gil Mantera's Party Dream. We were thrilled to see Gil and Ultimate Donny totally win over a hip NYC crowd the way they did at this show. Despite a couple of technical glitches causing Gil's bank of beats to completely shut down, these guys charmed the pants off of the audience with their blend of Rush riffs, electropop, fruitcake dance steps, and insanely funny between song banter. And as you can see below, they charmed their own pants off too.



Good to see some love other than mine come their way out of NYC, too.

As usual, Art Brut threw down another amazingly tight and fun set. Eddie Argos continues to prove himself one of the best frontmen in rock & roll, and their constant touring has turned the rest of the band into a total machine. Thankfully, Bang Bang Rock & Roll is finally getting an American release shortly on Downtown Records, with an additional three new tracks added to make up for our wait.

Art Brut plays a sold out show at Southpaw tomorrow night, and are back in NYC in May for two shows at The Knitting Factory with the equally charming and raucous The Chalets. Awesome. Tickets here.

And dig it...looks like Eddie's keeping that 'stache for a while:



Here's You Tube video of "Modern Art" from that show. I'm pretty sure I saw the guy who shot this in the constantly moving crowd up front...notice how much area he covers in front of the stage:



Art Brut - "Enter Sandman/Formed A Band - Live In Vienna" mp3
(via rbally) buy

Gil Mantera's Party Dream - "Alligator Missions" mp3 buy

The Chalets - "Theme From Chalets" mp3 (via The Torture Garden) buy

The Lovely Feathers @ Pianos, 5 Apr 06

A great, if short, set from yet another remarkable combo from Montreal...

The Lovely Feathers mine the same quarry of quirky but hooky pop as some of their Quebecian peers, but get extra marks for their super-tightness in a live setting, and almost Weezer-like harmonies that make you want to sing along with them, even if you don't know the words.

Their new album Hind Hind Legs (produced by Jimmy Shaw of Metric and Broken Social Scene) is out next week up there, next month down here. I've heard it and it's solid straight through. Catch them next time they come through town at a small room, because I have a feeling they'll be on the Mercury Lounge->Bowery->Webster ladder pretty quickly.

And yeah, I know there's no such word as Quebecian.

The Lovely Feathers - "Wrong Choice" mp3 buy

The Stills & Sam Roberts Band @ Mercury Lounge, 4 April 06

Caught The Stills last night at Mercury Lounge...a pretty solid show, as expected. I've seen them a bunch of times before (remember the Summer before last when it seemed like they were playing NYC every week? I think people were starting to think they were from Brooklyn...), but they sounded bigger, better, and more confident than ever. The addition of a horn section for a couple songs was nice, and their jammy dub-version of "Still In Love Song" was groovy and fun.

The set included more than a few songs from their forthcoming Without Feathers album, and having spun that disc all week at home, the catchy new stuff sounded like old favorites to me.

Openers The Sam Roberts Band were a nice surprise. Sounding very My Morning Jacket, but with lyrics that are not only audible but clever as well, these guys rocked a set that totally won over a bunch of people clearly there for the headliners. I've not heard them on record, but I'm gonna hunt down their stuff pronto. Their new album, Chemical City, is out in Canada next week.

Bunnysploits totally dug The Stills' set. Her blog's a hoot, too. Poke around while you are there.

Yeti Don't Dance has a review and some Sam Roberts mp3's. Crackers United also has a review and photos.

THE STILLS VIDEO GOODNESS:

Still In Love Song:



Lola Stars & Stripes:

Two Mike's For The Price Of None...Mix Master Mike & Mike C. For Free.

The Hoboken Rock City guy, Mike C., is hosting his free monthly party Wednesday night...a perfect place to wander to after the Art Brut show at Bowery:

at MANITOBA'S
99 Avenue B (at 7th St.), NYC
no cover, 21+



Speaking of Mike's, no cover parties, and Hoboken, Mix Master Mike is playing a free show at Lana on River Street in Hoboken Friday night. Sure it's a mook bar, but it's MMM and free. He really is amazing to watch and hear live. I can put up with the gold chains and hairspray for that...

More Tickets Available For The Stills Tuesday Show

I just noticed that TicketWeb has put more tickets on sale for tomorrow's The Stills show at Mercury Lounge here. Looks like the Wednesday show is still sold out solid.



FYI, here's set times for both nights:

- 9:45 -
THE STILLS
- 8:30 -
SAM ROBERTS
- 7:30 -
FAVOURITE SONS

I'm hoping to get there early enough to catch all three sets. Look for me, I'll be the guy with a beer.

Here's another track from The Stills' pretty fine Without Feathers album, out 16 May:

The Stills - "Oh Shoplifter" mp3 buy

Let's Go Mets!

Yeah, baby! Opening day!

To celebrate, here's video of an old promo for a Mets vs Braves series from 1983 on WOR-TV...dig the disco music bed and the big cut Rusty Staub takes halfway through:

Non-Stop Morrissey & The Smiths For Free All Weekend Long.

All this weekend, Sirius is celebrating the release of the new Morrissey album by programming it''s "First Wave" Channel 22 with nothing but Smiths and Mozza music.

I'm a big Sirius fan, and enjoy my receiver in the car, but I really love the fact that I can listen to the zillions of music channels online.

Here's a link to a free online trial of SIRIUS'commercial-free music channels that lasts for 3 days, long enough for you to enjoy the Smiths stuff. No credit card required.

Don't be surprised if you hear some old fossils from NYC radio while you are flipping around stations, like Carol Miller from WPLJ/WNEW, Meg Griffin from WPIX/K-Rock/WFUV, and my fave, Larry The Duck from WLIR/WDRE.