Monday, February 8, 2010 @ 7:26pm
Sean's Night Out: St. Vincent

I thought that I was the only person in the world to know about indie rock savant St. Vincent and the beautiful music that she creates. I would listen to her sing her stories just for me as I lie on my floor at home letting myself become swept away to somewhere other than where I was. My discussion relating to St. Vincent was limited around my friends and particularly strangers as I knew they would take her from me and the music would be tainted. We had a perfectly lovely relationship when it came to music and I really felt like I knew all that I could know about her.

St. Vincent played Neumos this past Friday night and I figured that I would surprise her and show up to see her perform live and in concert all of the infectiously catchy tunes she has crafted! I was planning on purchasing my tickets at the door because I suspected that nobody really knew who St. Vincent was and therefore nobody would be at the show. I had my cash in hand as I walked up to the box office of Neumos and as I approached closer I saw that the show was SOLD OUT! I was beside myself. How did all of these people come to find out about the wonderful St.Vincent?!

With sadness surrounding me and my head aimed towards the ground I stuffed the cash that would have been for St. Vincent back into my pocket and walked down the street past lots of others folks that I'm sure were feeling my exact sentiments. Just as I had given up all hope of ever getting to see St. Vincent, I heard something. I looked up to find that the side door of Neumos where folks can exit the venue was ajar! So, I took my place next to a couple of people who were peeping in to watch the show and there she was on stage past the throng of folks that had actually paid for tickets in advance. She was bathed in blue light singing one of her songs from her latest release called Actor. St. Vincent sounded just as wonderful as she does on her records with every bit of emotion translating perfectly to the live setting.

Then it happened.

Some knucklehead who was walking past the opened door that was allowing us to view St. Vincent from afar had stopped, yelled, and motioned to his buddy to check out the show. Security got wind of this attention bringer and promptly shut the gateway to heaven, ceasing the view and muffling the sound. Our time in the sun had ended. I hung around a few minutes more just to try to soak up the last of the rays and then I heard one of my favorite songs. St. Vincent was playing 'Marrow', a great song to help compliment my evening of heartbreak. I enjoyed every bit of the muffled and blurry tune and when it had ended I called it a night thinking that maybe next time I would buy tickets in advance so I could actually enjoy a show from the inside of the club.

Read more reviews here.

Monday, February 8, 2010 @ 3:00pm
Where the hell was I when this came to pass?!

I had no idea that a Beard & Stache Fest was going on in our very own city of Seattle! I, myself, am a very proud owner of a beard. The kind of beard that would have loved to have been included in such an awesome event. There are about 100 folks in this competition and you can vote and donate for which beard or stache tickles your fancy and all the proceeds go directly to Treehouse. During this entire month of February there will also be fun events and challenges happening all over the city and a few that sound really fun are the Beard & Stache Dash, Abe Lincoln's Constumed Birthday Dance Party and the Bearded Lady Competition. It's too late to join the ranks as a bearded fellow and hope to be voted upon as part of this coolness but I suggest checking out the events and showing off your facial hair!

sean.

Thursday, February 4, 2010 @ 2:54pm
This Friday has a lot going for it, so don't screw it up!

This Friday's mixtape is going to knock your socks off! We'll be featuring tunes that have some sort of punctuation included either in the title of the song or the band name itself, which should make for an eclectic mix of musical greatness. Also, we'll find out what Kristina's been up to since being laid off and how she's been faring during her 'funemployment'. Did we meet Ice Cube at the JFK airport when we were leaving NYC? Tune in to find out! And...!

If you dig music and I know that you do, you really need to check out St. Vincent who happens to be playing this Friday at Neumos. Look at her staring off into space probably thinking about how she wishes you were going to see her perform some really good indie pop tunes.

I love punctuation!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 @ 2:30pm
The Knife stream their record Tomorrow, In A Year!

A few weeks ago I wrote about The Knife and their collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock on the Charles Darwin inspired opera, Tomorrow, In A Year and brought you a track called 'Colouring of Pigeons' from the forthcoming studio version of the opera. The album was released digitally today and you can listen to the entire album here before the physical release on March 1st 2010! It's completely operatic, it's positively strange and it's definitely The Knife.

sean@tbtl.net

Monday, February 1, 2010 @ 3:48pm
Sean's Night Out: Kool Keith

You gotta be nasty to get into Kool Keith's crew, at least that's what Denis Deft spit to the crowd last Friday night at Neumos. The line is from a cut called 'Nasty Girl', a track found on Kool Keith, Denis Deft's and Yeti Beats' new album called Bikini N Thongs which was released this past October. I don't really know a thing about Kool Keith's music except for two songs. The first, a song called 'Livin Astro'. I only know this because I had to you tube the term Black Elvis/Livin' Astro, (which is actually the name of the record that the aforementioned song comes from) and look for a certain music video that I remember seeing in college while eating lunch in the commons area. The other, a song called 'Get Off My Elevator' (a mighty slick song I might add) which is found on the Office Space Soundtrack. Having said that though, you definitely don't need to be familiar with Keith's work to enjoy a set by him and his crew.

The show started with Denis Deft warming up the crowd with some hollers and whoops. He busts out a few cuts from Bikini N Thongs, 'Take You There', 'Nasty Girl' and 'Real Super Stars'. 'Nasty Girl' being particularly great what with a smooth, sexy beat that dripped of sex and sweat mixed with a great call and response effort between Deft and the crowd. Deft shouts, 'All around the world women are...' And the crowd responds with, 'NASTY!'

Finally, Kool Keith bounced onto the stage and that's when the show really started. The crowd was hyped to see this hip hop visionary take the stage, a schizophrenic master of ceremonies who has gone by a various amount of alias' over the years including but not limited to Dr. Octagon, Black Elvis and Dr. Dooom. Keith has such a smooth delivery and great flow to his creatively nasty rhymes that when he lays them over the slick, spacey beats it's easy to enjoy the musical wake left in his trail. Keith and crew busted out songs from his different personas all night long making sure the crowd knew which character he was singing as throughout the entire night by calling out an alias in between any given song. What was great about Keith last Friday is that when a song ended and the beat stopped he would keep rhyming and flowing until he was spent. He's so good at what he does that it was hard to tell if he was rapping a song from a record or just flowing off the top of his head. The only thing that made it easier to decipher such things actually is when he would name check some familiars around town such as Pita Pit, the Mariners and the city of Seattle itself. This of course got the crowd to cheer and ache for more. Kool Keith owned Neumos Friday night and had the crowd eating out of his hands. Great energy, great vibe and most of all a great talent. The Dr. was in Friday night and the show was most definitely sick.

Read more reviews here.

sean.

Friday, January 29, 2010 @ 3:00pm
The Smashing Pumpkins release another brand new song. Only 42 more to go before Billy Corgan falls into obscurity.

Billy Corgan, the only original member of The Smashing Pumpkins is clinging ever so desperately to his burned out music career, I think he's lost his mind. A month ago I wrote about his ongoing web based experiment, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, in which he's writing new music every few weeks or so and releasing one song at a time to make a grand count of 44 new The Smashing Pumpkins tracks. Read what I had to say here because it is so brilliant. Corgan has a new song up now called 'Widow Wake My Mind' and it's ok. It just doesn't have the passion or heart that even the slowest of the slow The Smashing Pumpkins songs have. There is no way he will be able to harness the chi that made The Smashing Pumpkins as popular or great as they were in the 90's-2000's but it'll be fun to watch him try.

Good luck Billy!

sean@tbtl.net

Thursday, January 28, 2010 @ 2:53pm
the mixtape presents: ***Tom Boros Live And In Studio This Friday!***

Tom Boros as Robert Smith circa 2007

This Friday we've got our good buddy Tom Boros helping us make a mixtape which will be chock full of random, what the hell are you talking about musings and awesome tunes from the man himself! I was going to peel the layers slowly and meticulously here in writing of one Tom Boros but figured I could sum him up in one easy audio drop. Listen below to some credentials that could melt a mothers heart.

sean@tbtl.net

Friday, January 22, 2010 @ 6:42pm
She & Him are back with Volume 2 and a song that will make you feel happy.

It's been two years since She & Him released their acclaimed debut Volume One. Well, they are back! She & Him aka Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward have a new full length, not surprisingly, called Volume Two. The release date is set for March 23rd and you can hear the brand new single "In the Sun' below! Check out the She & Him website for all the details on preorders and updates on the new album.

She & Him "In the Sun"

sean@tbtl.net

Thursday, January 21, 2010 @ 5:00pm
A new Gorillaz record is set for release and you can hear the new single here!

Gorillaz new single 'Stylo' from their upcoming LP Plastic Beach which is to be released March 9th, has been leaked to the internet just days after being named the closing headliner for this years Coachella music festival. It's a really great track that layers 1980's style dark and catchy synth over a solid beat, and with the inclusion of the legendary Bobby Womack it totally has a sprinkle of soul throughout. This track makes me want to maraud in the wee hours of the night under a cloak of darkness while at the same time I'm wondering why my girl is cheating on me.

Check out 'Stylo' below...

Plastic Beach tracklist...

1. Orchestral Intro
2. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach f. Snoop Dogg & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
3. White Flag f. Kano & Bashy
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo f. Bobby Womack & Mos Def
6. Superfast Jellyfish f. Gruff Rhys & De La Soul
7. Empire Ants f. Little Dragon
8. Glitter Freeze f. Mark E Smith
9. Some Kind Of Nature f. Lou Reed
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes f. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
13. Plastic Beach f. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon
14. To Binge f. Little Dragon
15. Cloud Of Unknowing f. Bobby Womack
16. Pirate Jet

sean.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 @ 3:26pm
Kristina's Night Out: Alberta Cross

I've always wondered what it would feel like watching a band you know is so unbelievably amazing that you know they are bound for greatness. I can only describe Alberta Cross' sound as a mixture of slurry blues with ballad rock stringing. From the first note singer Petter Stakee exhaled from his lungs, goose bumps rolled down my friend's arms. Who would have imagined Alberta Cross would create such a sense of being? Alberta Cross, formed by Petter Stakee and Terry Wolfers is comprised of three other members who rocked the organ, drums and bass.

Last night, Sean and I along with some buddies went to Chop Suey to check these guys out, and stumbled upon a gold mine. Watching them perform 'Old Man Chicago' and 'Rise from the Shadows' off their Broken Side of Time record made my night. At the beginning of 'Rise from the Shadows', Petter asked the crowd to join in clapping to the beat. If you know me there are two things I hate at rock shows and that is clapping along with the beat and sticking around for encores. I did both last night. I gave into Alberta Cross and it felt so good.

Though they never played 'Lucy Rider' from their 2007 The Thief and the Heartbreaker record, I stayed loving every minute of their performance. When they return to Seattle, and you can count on that, you better believe I will be there again and I hope to see you there too!

Read more reviews here.

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