. -

The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! started as a dance opera, specifically to proform a dance opera based on Othello that the frontman wrote. Clearly, it went pretty well,  as they're signed to Luaka Bop, and are touring all over the country, promoting their reasonably named LP, I Love You. I Love You. I Love You And I'm In Love With You. Have An Awesome Day! Have The Best Day Of Your life!

Neil says:

"There is no such thing as uncool. If you really want to hug a wall that’s fine! But if you’ve got a dance in your feet and a song in your heart then you f*cking go for it!”

I hear their shows are awesome. Not just from Neil, though I'd be inclined to trust him if that were the case. Have a listen. More photos here.

(photo credits)

Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! - Fast Forward Regrets

. -

I posted a song by White Mystery a while ago, but their album is coming out soon, and their sound is much fuller than was demonstrated on that single. In fact, if I may be so bold for all you indie kids, if you liked Sleater-Kinney ca. The Woods, you'll dig this album. It is extremely reminiscent of that.

Miss Alex White has a powerful voice, one not easily lost amidst a torrent of blown out guitars and thundering drums. Of course, I'm telling you things you can hear for yourself, dear reader. Her voice cracks a bit in "Respect Yourself"--maybe she's pushing her range or maybe she had a cold. But the song is too catchy to pass up.

They seem to be kicking up tour dates in support of the album which comes out shortly. I can't wait to finally give them some money for vinyl captures--I missed out on the Aaron single unfortunately. They look wild in person so you should probably do the world a favor and attend.

White Mystery - Switch It Off

White Mystery - Respect Yourself

. -

A couple of years ago, I found three singles by this band, Tokyo Electron. They were great--they tore my speakers up, they got me rocking. They got my neighbors rocking, too, that's how loud those singles were.

Problem was, those singles were from 2004/2005. Tokyo Electron had fallen off the face of the planet as far as I could tell. I was sad, but only for so long. There are a lot of bands out there, and it's tough to spare time in regret for the ones that no longer exist.

Then I come online one day and it turns out that Tokyo Electron has put together a goddamn album. Took 'em like four years, but it was fucking worth it. These songs tear like the old songs tore, and my neighbors are once again coming up with ways to destroy my cheap speakers. Now it's your turn to piss off everyone nearby. Get to it.

Tokyo Electron - AZ 238

Tokyo Electron - Desert Snow

. - . - . -

→

Show Photos Bigger.

L'orchestre Folklorique Tout Puissant Konono N°1 de Mingiedi, more commonly known as Konono N°1, are a spectacular group of musicians, singers and dancers from the Congo. I was introduced to this remarkable band by a coworker of mine and was immediately hooked to their heavily energized, highly distorted and altogether brilliant sound.

Konono N°1, founded sometime in the 1970's by Mawangu Mingiedi, adapts traditional Bazombo trance/dance music and is performed with three likembé (thumb pianos), an array of percussion instruments, singers and dancers. Their distorted sound is because their instruments and amplifiers are home-made. The likembé are equipped with metal plates for pickups. A microphone is made out of a piece of carved wood and a magnet from a car's alternator. The percussion instruments are fabricated from items found in a junkyard. Their amplifers are made from previously discarded amps and a large horn. This band is so delightfully strange and easily some of the best and most innovative music I've heard in a long time.

A little side note: If you were a fan of Björk's Volta, you might remember the thunderous opening track "Earth Intruders", which is a collaboration with Konono N°1.

Konono N°1 - Lufuala Ndonga

Konono N°1 - Kule Kule Reprise

. -

NYC based Lo-fi pop folk band, Woods is on tour. Made up of Jeremy Earl, Jarvis Taveniere, and G Lucas Crane, Woods seems to be building a real following. Screechy, scratchy, surprisingly hooky experimental songs, with joyfully absurd lyrics fill their albums, but I have no idea how that will work live. Probably very well. Most shows with the also excellent Real Estate.

Woods - Silence Is Golden

. -

Beach House, a Baltimore based duo will be releasing their third album, Teen Dream, in late January 2010 (yes, we have concluded the 2000s. tear.) Released by Sub Pop, it can be found here. Pre-order, and receive a free poster! The album was recorded in upstate NY, with produced Chris Coady. Their first release with the Sub Pop label, Beach House will certainly deliver their dreamy pop sound full of organs, echoing vocals, and soft rhythms. Check out their song "Norway" from Teen Dream below!

Beach House - Norway

. -

Tis the season for catching up on the music world, while on a short break from work or school or whatever else you are doing. After perusing the interwebs for some catchy tunes, I happened upon Holly Miranda, a once-Detroit resident turned Brooklynite equipped with a soft, raspy voice that beautifully enhances acoustic guitar, lovely harmonies, and trumpets. Her Sleep on Fire EP can be purchased here and was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. Kanye West has also hyped her music (before Pitchfork! scene points), and she recently toured with The Antlers and The XX. Check her out, because according to Vanity Fair, she is the "real deal", and why would they ever lie to you?

Holly Miranda - Forest Green Oh Forest Green

. -

I'm really enjoying the new Yeasayer album, Odd Blood, which comes out February 9, but leaked a few weeks ago. It's as great as everyone says, and I really want to post a track other than Ambling Alp here, but I feel like that's cheating the band, even if some other blogs are doing it. We'll just have to survive on youtube clips of early-ish live versions. And tons of tour dates.

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

. -

Everyone's favorite British electropop band, Hot Chip, is touring this spring, to promote their new album, One Life Stand, which comes out in February and is purported to be "more mid-tempo and disco influenced" than Made in the Dark. I still enjoy their first album, Coming on Strong, which I feel was never given enough love.

They're awesome live, and better still, they'll be playing with The XX, who are pretty darn good in their own right.

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

. -

Crunchholdoh is a electronic/psychedelic pop band based in Richmond, VA, and consists of Jonatron - Crunch Collin - Hold David - Oh, according to myspace. I'm not sure exactly how many of those are separate people. They've put out a pretty sweet/strange album, which you can download for free, or even just stream if you're not ready for the kind of commitment that comes with downloading something.

Crunchholdoh - Woodstock '99

This video contains some nudity and is uncensored:

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

. -

I am not a music critic, because I cannot think or write about music critically. My response to music is visceral and immediate; either it grabs me and I dig it, on some kind of spiritual level, or I don't and I toss it away.

With television, books, and movies, my opinions change more frequently, and I think that is because I understand those forms on a more analytic level. I understand the language of books and television, I perceive the art within them.

Music... I see no such art. Which isn't to say music isn't artistic, because it is. I just cannot perceive the art. So music becomes emotional for me. I don't care if one band sounds a lot like another if it's a sound I find irresistible. Such is the case with the Jacuzzi Boys, who sound like a sunbaked Black Lips. That's cool with me, the Black Lips are great and so are the Jacuzzi Boys. They perform in Miami pretty regular, and they just dropped a new album on Florida's Dying. Give them your dollar bills.

Jacuzzi Boys - Smells Dead

Jacuzzi Boys - Fruits

. -

So, back in May, I posted a song from Dan Melchior's then-current double album Thankyou Very Much. Turns out that wasn't meant to be his only double album this year, as he has now put out the epic O, Clouds Unfold! with his other band, Broke Revue. (Did I mention that in between the two, he had a normal ol' album titled Obscured By Fuzz? Now's the time to be a Melchior fan, good fuck.)

This band has a fuller sound than his other backers, Das Menace, and the songs are more progressive, from the strings on "Saccharine" to the 2-minute solo in "Flashlight Eyes." I like seeing an artist unwilling to compromise on vision. He wants to do stripped-down bluesy-folk and higher-production rock 'n' roll, and he just said, "Fuck it, I'll do both."

Some bands would shove both styles onto the same disc, and that might be acceptable too, but this organization makes each album feel cohesive and complete. He doesn't have any live dates scheduled beyond a gig in Durham, but you can probably find him in New York and stalk him, if you're super super dedicated. Ten to one he'll be in a studio somewhere, anyhow.

Dan Melchior's Broke Revue - Flashlight Eyes

Dan Melchior's Broke Revue - Saccharine

. -

For every genre of music, there are inescapable bands each decade. If you like dance music from the 90s, you'd get Paul Oakenfold, Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox, and so on. If you like college rock of the 80s, the so-called birth of indie, you'd get Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and Pavement. If you like punk rock from the 90s, you'd get The Mummies, Teengenerate, and the Oblivians. 

Jack Oblivian, known to his mother as Jack Yarber, is a human-sized monument in Memphis, a founding member of The Oblivians. While his original band has been laid to rest (and briefly resurrected at least a couple of times), Jack continues to make music with different groups and by himself.

These two songs are found on his recently released Sweet Thang single and Saturday Night Part 2 ten-inch EP (respectively). Both are available at fine electronic retailers everywhere, and both fucking rip. If you need something to groove to this weekend, to grit your teeth at, to look real nasty and downright filthy, this is it, fuck the new Wale CD, this is what you want.

Jack Oblivian - Put Your Love On Me

Jack Oblivian - Against the Wall II