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11/9/09

MP3 Mondays on MOTORCITYBLOG - is actually posted on Monday WOW!

MP3 Mondays on MOTORCITYBLOG
Photo by Paul Hitz

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Birds & Batteries unveil "Sneaky Times"

Their new EP combines psych-pop, electro-boogie, and lush production.

"Up To No Good" out Nov 17 on Eightmaps





Combining meticulously produced psych, synth-funk, americana, aching electro, and unveiling more surprises upon closer listen SF's Birds & Batteries return with their latest, the spooky, funky EP Up To No Good. Heavily influenced by Bowie's Scary Monsters, P-Funk and John Carpenter films, the EP manages to convey a degree of mystery/magic amidst post-modern wreckage, combining the fun of late 70's freak funk with a detached, studio cool of 80's r&b.


Download "Invisibrother" from 'Syzygy' (MP3)

Three people.

One adventure.

Cosmic alignment?

Polka Dot Dot Dot, based in Olympia, WA, formed when three travelers (Jordan O'Jordan, Onyx of Olympia, and Colleen Johnson or Twig Palace) met on the treefern-speckled shores of New Zealand. Combining their solo sets for a last-minute spot at the Camp A Low Hum Music Festival, the Dots charmed crowds with their refreshing blend of folk, tin pan alley, and a cappella styles. Their first album, "Love Letter to New Zealand" reflected this impromptu musical spirit. On their 2nd full-length release, "Syzygy" (a term that refers to planetary alignment), the Dots deliver a record that is unique, beautiful, and more patient than their last. Written after two US tours and a return trip to New Zealand, these songs deal with the fleeting nature of movement, friendship, and infatuation. While still full of their characteristic 3 part harmonies and instrumentation (guitar, banjo, ukulele, musical saw, harp, and hand-clap percussion), "Syzygy" expands the Dots' sound with more orchestration and vocal arrangement. Yet, despite the fairly existential themes of this new record, Polka Dot Dot Dot have crafted an album that floats and bobs on a cosmic sea, and is neither too heavy nor too light. Here, gravity has a gentle touch and allows us along on this trip, leaving us star-speckled and beaming at the end.


http://www.bicyclerecords.com/

www.myspace.com/thepolkadotdotdot


COLOR RADIO
Be Safe, Beware EP out now


Built on the talents of two brothers from Mexico City (Jonathan & Tohm Ifergan) Color Radio has an unmistaking talent for atmospheric riffs with an underlying pop sensibility. The band is more than dreampop inspired guitars though, the scurrying bass (Joel Chasco) and rabid keys (Matt Thomas) provide the dramatic underbelly for the dreamlike world of Color Radio. With their world of sweeping harmonies and soaring guitars, this Chicago quartet has already played all Chicago's legendary venues (Metro, Schubas, Empty Bottle, etc.). with national acts such as The Appleseed Cast and Dear and the Headlights. With a new EP "Be Safe, Beware" hot off the presses... this is only the beginning of a great story.
http://www.colorradioband.com/

Download HERE a free MP3 the title track from the EP

Johnny Wants To Be A Matador

Bronx, NY native Rene Lopez has always felt music in his blood. The son of a trumpet player in the Latin band Tipica '73, Rene grew up is NYC’s salsa clubs and from the first moment he stepped inside the club, Rene was hooked on live music and choosing to spend his life creating it “felt so natural that there was never a thought that I would do anything else.”

Despite being a relatively new solo artist, Rene has been writing and performing music in the New York scene since the late 80s when he was part of the underrated, but much loved by the "those-in-the-music-know" band The Authority


And where his previous 2005 solo album, One Man’s Year, had a distinct rock feel, his upcoming EP Johnny Wants To Be a Matador is all about soul, capturing the sound of the streets of New York, with the city’s people inspiring Johnny’s songs and characters. Just like the urgency and frenzy of the streets that inspired it, Rene wrote and recorded Johnny in a matter of weeks, affirming “it was what came out of me naturally; the songs were almost stream of consciousness. And I was really happy with the results.” And the results are truly great, crafting an EP with a sound near and dear and to his heart, melding together Latin, Soul and '60s pop rounded out with great additional instrumentation by friends and fellow world-music enthusiasts like the Brazilian Girls’ Jesse Murphy who handles bass duties on the EP.



Check out Themselves


www.myspace.com/themselves


12/02 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig


Toronto band Whale Tooth's EP is being played all over campuses in Canada, if you haven't heard this band yet, you probably do not live in the great white north!


DOWNLOAD The Whale Tooth EP here: http://drop.io/whaletooth


Everyone can write a catchy song, but it's a band like Whale Tooth that pack as much punch lyrically as they do musically, to really stand out in the often overcrowded Toronto scene. Traces of soul and jazz can be found sprinkled atop their summer-friendly pop rock, which has proven to be the defining factor in winning over listeners at every venue they play. Perhaps it's front woman Elise LeGrow's commanding vocals that has the power to convert even the unlikeliest of followers, or perhaps it is their cunning ability to craft delicious hooks that will be left playing in your head for days and days. LeGrow and her bandmates began making waves in Toronto and surrounding cities almost immediately after forming in 2007.


LeGrow, already with an impressive resume as a jazz vocalist under her belt, joined forces with guitarists and co-vocalists Norm Maschke and Alex Denike and began writing some of the most honest and potent tunes this city has heard. Accompanied by the vibrant rhythm section, bassist Michael McCreary and drummer Sep Noroozi, the band has hit the ground running, playing a slew of shows across Ontario and Eastern Canada, including appearances at CMW and NXNE. February '09 saw the band independently release their debut self titled EP to a sold out room of fans at Sneaky Dees. The EP has received high praise from ardent reviewers, while the lead single "Hibernation Song" has been giving campus radio a run for their money. The band is currently playing shows, and have begun writing new material for their forthcoming sophomore release, which they hope to begin recording in the spring of 2010.


http://www.myspace.com/whaletooth