9/9/09

MP3 Mondays on MOTORCITYBLOG - early drop as usual

MP3 Mondays on MOTORCITYBLOG
Photo by Paul Hitz

take a look / listen

this stuff keeps building up in my inbox like a big zit and it pops anytime
I have the chance to post them up on MCB so here you go



Wax Tailor - "In the Mood for Life' in stores september 2009
http://www.waxtailor.com/

Southern California's psych-tinged garage rockers The Willowz , are pushing back the release date of their new album Everyone (Dim Mak/Downtown Records) to November 17th.
Los Angeles’ The Willowz are back with their vibrant energy and vintage inspired sound. The band’s new album, Everyone, is a strong statement of musical evolution. While staying true to their no-strings-attached, soul infused garage rock sound, the band has incorporated stronger crafted pop hooks than ever before.

When The Willowz formed in 2002, they were just teenagers with ambitious dreams. Fast forward seven years and the band has found itself featured on the soundtracks to such award winning films such as “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind” and “The Science Of Sleep,” and on numerous publications’ “best of the year” lists. Nominated for L.A. Weekly’s “Rock Band of the Year,” making Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Albums of the Year, and coveting the O.C. Weekly’s “#1 Rock Album of the Year” for their 2007 record, Chautauqua, The Willowz are gearing up for the release of their eagerly anticipated forth album, Everyone.

Opening the record is “Break Your Back,” a track that starts out with simple percussion and colorful vocals before crescendo-ing into a massive, heavily layered song, paving the way for the remainder of this dynamic rock album. “I Know” rides the waves between garage rock vigor and an undeniably addictive, anthemic chorus. “Way It Seems” highlights lead vocalist Richie James Follin’s incredible range as his falsetto accompanies the always tempo changing song, making it stand out as an original track that can’t be qualified as either fast paced nor a ballad, but rather manages to be both.

The Willowz once again challenge the rock genre with their unique and beautifully crafted sound. Their luscious harmonies and fiercely rocking melodies make Everyone a gem in their already expansive discography.
Download the track “Repetition” for a taste of what to expect

Arrogance is a nasty thing when it isn’t supported by, you know, talent. So naming your band The Perfects is one hell of a trap. Luckily, this Baltimore quartet has managed to craft a record truly without fault, a song-cycle so confident we’re pretty sure it’s – wait for it… -- perfect. Released a few short years after the fan-baiting EP that introduced his band to audiences in 2006, founding member and frontman Ric Peters created something special with his full-length debut, Future Automatic. Hints of Duran Duran’s bleery-eyed romance sneak through here. Moments of the Cure’s maudlin bounce there. In the end, with the aid of Bravery and the Church producer Nic Hard, Peters and company created a bouquet of 80s influences that accentuate top-notch songwriting, and dash any suggestion of arrogance. Support right here:
MP3: "End of Us"

With his new album Dark Touches coming out next month (October 13th; Dilettante Recordings), Har Mar Superstar is getting ready to shimmy across stages near and far on his upcoming Fall tour. See below for confirmed dates and more shows in October and November will be announced soon!

As you may have read on AOL’s Spinner, Har Mar also has a video for “Tall Boy” coming soon. Check out a teaser for the “Tall Boy” clip featuring Eric Wareheim (of “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job”) as well as the “Tall Boy” mp3 here.

“I've been fantasizing about working with Har Mar since I was a small boy,” Wareheim says. “Every night I was falling asleep I would pray to Zeus, ‘Please let me be slimed by Har Mar. Please let his tasty blue jizzism engulf my face.’ As you can see, my fantasy became a reality on this shoot.” You can also check out Har Mar in the latest Crappy Holiday video. It’s called Crappy Holiday: Final Destination and also stars Alia Shawkat and Jimmy Vincent. The new video is here and check out the full series here



Girls in Trouble Release Self-Titled Debut Album!

I Was a Desert (MP3)

At first listen, Girls in Trouble projects an upbeat, care free indie-folk feel which carries each track from beginning to end. What’s less apparent is the underlying concept: telling the stories of obscure Biblical women through a song cycle. Lushly produced, and artfully arranged with strings, upright bass, and electric guitar, the self-titled debut LP will be released digitally October 27, 2009 and physically on November 3rd, 2009 on JDub Records.

Girls in Trouble is the songwriting debut of multi-instrumentalist Alicia Jo Rabins, who performs all vocals, guitar parts and string sections for the album. Alicia marries her classical training and folk-punk sensitivity to her penchant for Jewish literature, mysticism and history. The result: pop hooks grounded in experimentation, subtle musicianship and a taste for ruminative lyrics.

Alicia began playing music at age 3, and advanced to play violin in conservatory programs and chamber groups before moving on to poetry, in which she holds an MFA. Disenchanted with poetry by a series of downtown internships and cocktail parties, Alicia escaped to Jerusalem in search of spiritual grounding. After two years studying ancient Jewish texts, Alicia returned to New York and created Girls in Trouble, a synthesis of her explorations in music, poetry and mystical literature.

Toronto band Corduroy are going to be releasing three song EPs, called Demoroys.
Download on the band's Myspace
(www.myspace.com/thebandcorduroy)

Developing their brand of haunting folklore tales laced with sweeping post rock guitars and group hum-a-longs, hasn't been all that easy. Originally starting out as Whatever Happened to Corduroy? in 2007, the band released a well received debut self titled EP of their mixed and messy ideas that was blazing with promise. After dropping the wordy "whatever happened to" and some line up shifts, the band has developed a unique and delicate blend of indie rock. In fact, one could say Corduroy have found their calling. Unlike most bands, Corduroy cite influential songwriters like Bright Eyes, Pavement, Okkervil River, and Arcade Fire all in one song, and then manage to come out sounding entirely original and fresh.

Each song stamped with the Corduroy sound and memorable punch, that will bring first time listeners back for more again and again.It's their winning anthems that brought them to a number of stages and festivals (most namely Cutting Edge Music Festival and Canadian Music Week) and playing alongside the top in Canadian indie talent like Oh No Forest Fires and Dinosaur Bones. The band has recently, and will continue to, put out new three song Demoroy releases, which will be available online and at shows from the band for free.

The band holed up at Jimmy Shaw and Sebastien Grainger's Giant Studios with producer Dan Weston (Attack in Black) and refined some of their most promising songwriting to date. The new year will bring the band to many new stages across the country and it won't take long for these home-baked tracks to make a home out of Canada.

U.S.E (UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA) LOVEWORLD:
RELEASE DATE CHANGE & WEST COAST TOUR DETAILS

New release date Oct 20; The band joins the Future Sounds Rumble Tour on September 8 in Portland, OR at Holocene and wraps ups September 13 in San Diego, CA at the Casbah. Full details below.

SPIN gave recently gave U.S.E's L O V E W O R L D an 8/10 ranking, and said, "Any indie dude can bawl a sad song, but singing a genuinely uplifting one is tougher. Conjuring the communal spirits of both club music and underground rock, this seven-piece Seattle act pack their emphatically nonautomated Europop with arena-rock guitars, giddy girlie vocals, and vocoders set to stun. Rewriting the rainbow positivity of old Philly soul anthems with an English-as-second-language earnestness that amplifies their band-of-outsiders bliss, these atypical party people ride a love train that doesn't stop chugging until the final track. They just won't allow you to mope."

Meanwhile The Stranger says of the band, "U.S.E are the feel-good band of the decade, hands down (I mean, up).U.S.E is a seven piece, un-ironic, uber-positive dance pop band with a strong D.I.Y. spirit that has drawn comparisons to the likes of B-52's, Alphabeat, Daft Punk, and Junior Senior. The band has a devout following and won over a ton of respected media outlets the world over with its self-titled/released 2004 album. The band has toured the U.S. and Japan, playing festivals like Fuji Rock, Sasquatch, Bumbershoot, Capitol Hill Block Party, among others. They've shared the stage with the likes of Death Cab For Cutie, The Hold Steady, Junior Senior, Aqueduct, and more.

"K.I.S.S.I.N.G"

"We The People"

"All The World"

Every year young, hopeful recent high school grads enroll in music school with the hopes and dreams of becoming professional musicians, but how many can boast remixes for the likes of Passion Pit, Asher Roth, and multiple XL Recordings artists before even getting their diploma? And how many get to celebrate going on tour with the likes of Little Boots (dates below) at their graduation party? Yes Giantess, that's who!

Birthed and the nexus of 2008 and 2009, Yes Giantess was never meant to last more than a few weeks. Members of the band previously played in former incarnations of Passion Pit, the Death Set and so many more, and what was intended to be one off party music for them to play with friends suddenly found an online audience.Based out of Boston the four Berklee students were suddenly being asked to play shows across the Atlantic and as they saw their tracks light up the blogosphere and pack dancefloors, high profile pop producers began offering the unsigned band their services. The band have just finished recording tracks with the likes of Richard X (Kelis), Hannah Robinson (Ladyhawke) and Charlie Hugall (Florence and the Machine), and are about to enter the studio with more heavy-hitting producers.

“We want to bring music back to that point when it was totally bad ass to be a pop star,” says singer Jan Rosenfeld.To get a taste of the pop bliss to come, check out below their single "You Were Young" (produced by Passion Pit's Al Adhamy) out on 7" on Neon Gold, as well as their remix of Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead".

Download HERE "You Were Young"
Download HERE "Sleepyhead (BoFlex Remix)"