You know, not everyone in the music industry descends upon Austin for the SXSW Music Conference. Somebody’s got to hold the fort down. After all, these records ain’t gonna sell themselves. This is my minute-by-minute account of March 18, 2010.
9:30 am: I’m here 30 minutes early because I had to be up and at the DMV by 8 am. Wondering who in Austin is still up drinking from last night. Office is eerily quiet.
10:30 am: Still the only one here… I think.
11:18 am: Chase a dog around the office in an attempt to remove a mail order package from his mouth. Sorry J. Roger from Phoenix… let me know if your corners are bent.
11:43 am: IMing with my cousin about who it would be creepier to get hit on by (if we were girls): The Fonz or Alex P. Keaton.
12:12 pm: Make a list of fake band names. Entries include: The Shittybutts, Sweet Love, Mike Watt’s Sweaty Socks, The Super Falcons, The Burnin’ Blazin’ Mississippi Madmen (feat. Dennis DeYoung), Tugboat Crash, Doucheslayer, Cocks-A-Fire, Wicked Neptune.
12:32 pm: Get a call from Kris Chen who is either drunk or psyched. Or both.
12:35 pm: Mentally count all the people I know who are at SXSW.
12:42 pm: Get a phone call from mom to tell me that Red River is “off the fuckin’ hook.”
12:45-1:40 pm: Stared at a paperclip.
1:45 pm: Ride the elevator a couple of times.
2:00 pm: Download a program that makes my digital photos look like Polaroids. Psyched.
2:03 pm: Realize that 99% of the fun of Polaroids is waiting for the pictures to develop. Bummed.
2:12 pm: Debate telling coworkers about my plans to time-travel.
2:45 pm: Watch #2 seed Villanova squeak out an embarrassing overtime win over #15 seed Robert Morris. Almost call the university to demand a refund of my tuition.
2:50pm: Sit in Patrick’s chair. Try to sign a bunch of cover bands. No one buys it.
3:01pm: Check the Bro’d Trip twitter account to see if Adam is going on without me.
3:05: Decide to take my own Bro’d Trip… to the deli.
3:25-3:55 pm: I think I just took a nap.
4:05 pm: Think about taking up cigarettes again.
4:06 pm: Think about taking up grass again.
5:00 pm: Look up Facebook profiles of girls who dumped me in high school.
5:10 pm: Look up Facebook profiles of kids I beat up in high school.
5:30 pm: Use a Google application to determine the distance of my nightly jogging route. Feel great that it’s 1.2 miles. Immediately feel awful that I felt great over 1.2 miles.
6:15 pm: Count the emails I’ve received today: 16. New all-time low.
6:25 pm: Laugh out loud at email #17 from one of our SXSWers that simply reads “Fuck you.”
(an airplane full of musical tourists, overcome with emotion knowing they’ll soon be greeted with just-raised-drink prices, t-shirts reading “don’t move here” and multiple opportunites to see Love Collector)
Y’know, if I had a quarter for every person who has asked me, “Gerard, we’re so thoroughly enjoying Matador’s ‘Casual Victim Pile‘ compilation, where and when can we see those ridiculously talented bands in Austin this week?”….i’d be a very, very poor person. BECAUSE NO ONE HAS ASKED ME. That’s ok, however, I’m more than happy to supply a long, though possibly incomplete list.
Matador’s ever cynical Patrick Amory describes the above honor as “a scam” but I prefer to accept the award in a gracious manner. You think someone’s calling up Mexican Summer trying to sell them a plexiglass plaque with a faux-presidential seal? What’s Downtown’s trophy case looking like? EAT OUR DUST, entertainment business, if some aspiring con men w/ a certificate in rudimentary photoshop think we’re rich and self-obsessive enough to pay for this kind of bullshit, we’re gonna take it as a compliment. You love us, you really love us!
Vol. II? Please tell me this will advance to some KBD-type status where someone else can do the future editions (and thus contend with the bitching and moaning from pals & relatives of the generic bands who didn’t make the cut). Love the cassettes, though.
While this week’s release of Matador’s 19-band Austin/Denton compilation, ‘Casual Victim Pile’ has met with mostly favorable notices, some have rightly raised the question, “where’s the inflammatory, entirely unnecessary attacks on other genres / scenes etc.?” So with that in mind, we commissioned Denny Schmickle to design (and Obsolete Industries to print) a limited edition poster for next week’s 3-night stand at Beerland. Please, if 60 of these managed to completely obscure the entrance to the Saxon Pub, rest assured this was purely the handiwork of an overzealous street team.
That said, a limited quantity of the above poster will be free with paid admission ($5) to next Thursday’s NIGHT ONE featuring Follow That Bird!, Dikes Of Holland, Kingdom Of Suicide Lovers, The Distant Seconds and The Persimmons. On the subsequent Friday (Woven Bones, The Young, Wild America, Flesh Lights, Elvis, The No No No Hopes) and Saturday (Harlem, The Golden Boys, Bad Sports, Love Collector, The Stuffies, Lost Controls) nights, Alan B will be playing records between sets and our good friends from End Of An Ear Records will be peddling LP & CD copies of ‘CVP’.
(Jose, Coomers and Curtis dealing with the elements at Fun Fun Fun last November. pic taken from Pooneh Ghana’s Flickr page)
In addition to a mid February trio of shows in New York City and a Feb. 6 appearance as part of Matador’s Casual Victim Pile revue at Austin’s Beerland, Harlem are pointing their compass in a western direction at the end of the month, previewing selections from their forthcoming ‘Hippies’ LP/CD/digital album. Or so we hope. We’re not really in the business of dictating repertoire, mostly because it’s embarrassing when we get the song titles wrong (admittedly, this doesn’t happen so often with Harlem, but keep in mind, they’re pretty new on the label). A video for “Friendly Ghost” will be unveiled pretty soon, once we’ve received a thumbs-up from the extremely powerful Ghost Lobby that tends to control most of the entertainment business.
Thu, 2/18 – Phoenix AZ – Trunk Space (tickets)
Fri, 2/19 – Los Angeles CA – L’KEG Gallery
Sat, 2/20 – Los Angeles CA – Spaceland (tickets)
Sun, 2/21 – San Diego CA – Casbah (tickets)
Tue, 2/23 – San Jose CA – Blank Club (tickets)
Wed, 2/24 – San Francisco CA – Cafe Du Nord – Noise Pop (tickets)
Fri, 2/26 – Portland OR – Dantes (tickets)
Sat, 2/27 – Seattle WA – Funhouse (tickets)
Wed, 3/3 – Santa Cruz CA – The Crepe Place (tickets)
Thu, 3/4 – Costa Mesa CA – Detroit Bar
Fri., 3/5 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress (tickets)
(Preorder ‘Hippies’ on LP or CD for 15% before April 6 from The Matador Store – poster included)
In addition to their previously mentioned February 6 show at Beerland as part of the Casual Victim Pile festivities, Harlem are heading to the greater NYC area for what our pal Cronos might call “a promo tour” in mid February. Other activities that week may or may not include radio sessions, meetings with foreign dignitaries and a visit to one of those “Fame” high schools (but only if we can obtain permission first).
Wed, 2/10 – Mercury Lounge (early show) (tickets)
Fri, 2/12 – Monster Island (with Frankie + The Outs, The Siberians)
Sat, 2/13 – Union Pool -(with Jemina Pearl)
‘Hippies’ (LP/CD/digital album) is in stores and/or available via popular download services April 6.
(top, bottom : insanely great comp. of Austin/Denton talent, entry point to cathedral of sophisticated entertainment)
For a couple of months now we’ve been in semi to full-on promo blather mode about our ‘Casual Victim Pile’ compilation 2XLP/CD, out January 26. As promised (with some gracious assistance from Austinist and WOXY) all of the comp’s 19 bands —- save for Tre Orsi (outta town) and The Teeners (split up) — are taking part in a 3 night series at Austin’s Beerland. Lineups below don’t necessarily reflect the running order (though they might), but we’re hopeful with a $5 cover each evening you’ll get your money’s worth.
Persons living outside the Central Texas region are fully encouraged to fly in for the event —- you’re welcome to stay on my couch at one of Austin’s many economically priced hotels. And keep in mind, the following Sunday is Super Bowl XLIV, and there’s almost certainly going to be a huge party at my house one of Austin’s many generic sports bars/taverns.
Failing that, four of CVP’s leading lights are playing Denton, TX on Sunday, January 17. Bad Sports, Tre Orsi, Follow That Bird! and Dikes Of Holland are joined by Teenage Cool Kids at Rubber Gloves. The following Monday is Martin Luther King Day, and if you’re hoping to make the trip from Austin, you can always catch a ride with me Greyhound ($28.40 roundtrip). But you can figure out your own travel plans – what am I, Expedia? ‘Casual Victim Pile’ is still available for preorders from The Matador Store, double vinyl for the discount price of $15.30, single CD for $8.50
(sure, we’re allowed to have an annual holiday party, but who’s supposed to pay for the cleanup?)
Once upon a time — when the bulk of our internet activity was longer than 140 characters — the Matador website feature periodic news updates (almost all of ‘em brutally late in arrival), along with an informal selection of staff and roster listening favorites. Said feature fell by the wayside when we made the fateful transition to the Matablog some 3 1/2 years ago. But fuck it, it’s the holiday season, and what better way to embrace the spirit of sharing than with a ferocious onslaught of grandstanding, oneupmanship and elitist self-fellatio?
But enough about our plans for Matador’s 21st Anniversary celebrations. Without further Freddy Adu, here’s an impressive array of ‘09/decade favorite records, events & things from some of your most beloved Matador artists and the people who enable them. Dig in, after the jump :
As mentioned some months ago, the Austin, TX based trio Harlem had their summer vacation canceled by Matador Records and they ended being forced to work long hours at Costa Mesa’s Distillery in an effort to produce a worthy followup to 2008’s ‘Free Drugs’. Apparently, there are laws against this kind of thing and eventually, the band had to return to their glamorous lifestyle of making club gigs seem like living room shows (and living room shows feel like club shows with better furniture and cheaper drinks).
Now that the dust has cleared, however, the resulting 16-song pop meisterwerk, recorded with the assistance of Mike McHugh, reveals the triumvirate of Coomers, Curtis and Jose in fine fettle. The gents really “knocked it out of the park” as ice hockey fans are so fond of saying, but we remain hopeful, if not confident this album will have great appeal even for those of you who’ve never laced ‘em up. Harlem’s 2nd album, ‘Hippies’ hits North American record shops, farmers markets and digital storefronts on April 6 on the always popular LP, CD and MP3/FLAC configurations. Here’s a taste ;
Though Harlem’s early 2010 dates will be announced soon, we’d be remiss in not mentioning they’re playing Austin’s Emo’s tonight in support of labelmate Jay Reatard, and again on December 17 at the Mohawk with Crystal Antlers. There’s more news to follow very soon (pre-album 7″, videos to make, travel plans to book, tire pressures to check, etc.)
As noted in this very space some 5 weeks ago, on January 26, 2010, Matador will be releasing ‘Casual Victim Pile’, a double LP/single CD/19 track digital album, in which 17 Austin bands (plus a pair from Denton) are either (take your pick) exposed to a wider audience for the first time….or find themselves brutally exploited by a NYC entertainment monolith after their friends’ labels have worked so hard to lay the groundwork. Or maybe it’ll be some combination of the two. Pretty hard to say this early.
In any event, it’s been a couple of decades since we’ve tried our hands at a regional compilation, and the last time we did this, the notion of an pre-album MP3 hadn’t yet come up. No matter who we leave out of the mix on this post, it’s pretty hard to get a sense of the stylistic range represented on ‘CVP’, and while I’d hesistate to call the artists below polar opposites — their family trees are only one degree of separation apart — you might at least get a hint this project is not all-about-one-kinda-thing.
(photo by Will Slack)
Though Follow That Bird! have yet to hit either coast, they’ve ventured beyond state lines this year, and the trio’s new, one-sided 10″ EP on Monofonous Press probably won’t be available much longer. Long before last year’s addition of bassist Mitchell Tellstrom, the duo of Lauren Green and Tiffanie Lanmon had staked a claim as one of the nation’s more exciting live bands. These days, however, they’re improving so rapidly, I only pray it’s not a ‘Flowers For Algernon’ type-scenario that will end in tragedy. “The Ghosts That Wake You” (160k – mp3) is the first song on side one of ‘Casual Victim Pile’ (or if you prefer, the first on a CD that only plays on one side)\
(photo by Shannon Bozeman)
Love Collector (formerly the Modern Fuckers) have one of the comp’s more glittering pedigrees (Ape Shits, Sex Advice, The Fells, The Dirty Sweets, Deadly Companions, old ties to CVP compatriots Lost Controls, The Stuffies and The Persimmons) and their most recent 7″, “My Baby Goes Waaah” b/w “Tell Me”, “Come Back” (Big Action) is yet another “blink and you won’t be able to buy it” classic single. Recorded under the supervision of the Marked Men’s Mark Ryan, “First 48″ (160k mp3) — which may or may not remind you of this television program — is the first song on side two of ‘CVP’.
As promised during the last news item about the comp., most of the album’s participants will be taking part in a 3-night stand we have planned for Austin’s Beerland on Thursday, February 4, Friday , February 5 and Saturday, February 6. The full bill and running order will be announced soon.
There’s a ton more news surrounding the folks on this album, but space is almost as limited as your patience. Tre Orsi’s new LP will be out in February , Bad Sports‘ self-titled debut album just came out on Douchemaster. The Golden Boys‘ amazing 4th album, the Greg Ashley-assisted ‘Electric Wolfman’ is newly available from Daggerman. While stores struggle to find copies of Woven Bones‘ new 12″, the trio are touring in preperation for a new full length on HoZac. I could tell you a thing or two about the new Harlem album coming out in Spring 2010 but that’s supposed to be the subject of it’s own multi-paragraph news update (and it will be — sooner than you think).
A few months ago, we not-so-casually mentioned the addition of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists to the Matador roster of Talented & Good-Looking Artistic Persons. Admittedly, it was the bog standard Matador signing announcement. Obligatory mention of Ted’s impressive back catalog. Citation of Ted as one of our all-time favorite live artists and songwriters. Oh-so-predictable references to Chipotle and Trump Realty.
Of course, that was before we heard the new album. And make no mistake, ‘The Brutalist Bricks’ — available on LP, CD and via all popular digital storefronts March 9, 2010 — is one of those career-defining, “can you believe what you’re hearing?” kinda records that makes most other activity the day you first play it nearly impossible (in other words, we’re suggesting you shower before you open the package). Recorded through 2009 at Brooklyn’s Seaside Lounge, ‘Bricks’ could be the most confident, kinetic and varied work in Ted’s canon, and considering his body of work until now, that’s no easy claim to make. If you’ve seen Ted/Rx at any point in the past year, you’ve probably heard a few of the songs before, but the final studio versions pack a considerable punch. And here’s a punch to tide you over (we’d prefer you pay for the full beating) :
Wed, Dec 2nd – Philadelphia PA – First Unitarian Church
Thu, Dec 3rd – Washington DC – The Black Cat
Sat, Dec 5th – Cambridge MA – Middle East
Sun, Dec 6th – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom (sold out)
Thurs, December 10 – Spain – Madrid – Primavera Club ‘09
Friday, December 11 – Spain – Barcelona – Primavera Club ‘09
Saturday, December 12 – Spain – Barcelona – Primavera Club ‘09
Ted Leo (solo):
Mon., December 14 – UK – Brighton – Engine Room (with Dillinger Four + Hard Skin)
Tues., December 15 – UK – Canterbury – Bramleys
Weds, December 16 – UK – London – Brixton Windmill
Thurs., December 17 – UK – Kingston – New Slang
Fri., December 18 – UK – London – Grosvenor (with Wat Tyler)
After months of speculation (much of it in our own corridors), we can happily announce that Matador Records has purchased the True Panther Sounds label. TPS, best known to many of you as the imprint behind Girls‘ recent rise to prominence, will continue to be managed by label founder Dean Bein. What would possess Matador to become involved with another label in this capacity? As Victor Kiam once explained his decision to purchase the Remington Shaver operation, “I liked it so much, I bought the company.” Needless to say, we like Dean, Girls, Glasser, Tanlines, Lemonade and Hunx & His Punx much more than than Mr. Kiam appreciated those razor blades.
At the moment, Girls’ ‘Album’ is the only True Panther Sounds title to be worked through Matador’s fearsome promotional & marketing machinery (ie. Hunx’ recent ‘Gay Singles’ LP, was not). However, in the months to come, additional offerings from TPS’ impressive roster (prior releases have included titles from The Fly Girlz, Ty Seagall, Rainbow Bridge, The Standing Nudes amongst others) will receive similar treatment. Stay tuned!
As most of you are aware, when I’m not opening prescription medication I’ve found in Chris Lombardi’s desk attending marketing meetings at 304 Hudson Street,, I spend the majority of my time in the lovely city of Austin, TX. The region’s musical heritage, while often acknowledged in the major trade fairs and sprawling rock festivals, often leaves some folks more recognized than others ; 13th Floor Elevators, Bubble Puppy, Moving Sidewalks, Doctor’s Mob, True Believers, Big Boys, Dicks, Nice Strong Arm, Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, Texas Instruments, Daniel Johnston, 16 Deluxe, Glorium, …Trail Of Dead, Spoon, Shearwater, Strange Boys, Total Abuse, Hex Dispensers, etc. NONE OF THESE WONDERFUL ARTISTS HAS A STATUE, and that makes me want to cry.
The thing is, I really suck at making statues. I’m a little more accomplished, however, at putting together compilations. On January 26, Matador will be releasing a double LP / single CD collection/ digital album called ‘Casual Victim Pile (Austin 2010′), featuring 17 songs from a newer generation of Austin bands (plus a couple of wildly talented ringers from Denton for good measure). I’ve been working on this comp. off and on over the past year and I feel pretty good about this record being a valid representation of….uh…..the bands I like to see most often? The Austin Chronicle recently touted CVP as “shaping up to be the most impressive regional comp since 1983’s ‘Cottage Cheese From the Lips of Death’ (Ward 9) , and while I’ll take that praise any day of the week, to my ears it more closely recalls Matador’s 1991 NYC underground sampler., ‘New York Eye & Ear Control’.
Of the album’s 19 songs, 18 are previously unreleased, Harlem’s “Beautiful & Very Smart” being the only current exception. Only Harlem, The Golden Boys, The Distant Seconds and Elvis have released full albums previously, while several of the bands on this album (Flesh Lights, Dikes Of Holland, KOSL, The Stuffies, The Persimmons) are making their recorded debuts (at least as of this writing). Here’s the track listing.
There will be more news to follow in the days in weeks ahead, including a multi-night stand at one of Austin’s more beloved nightspots (OK, Beerland) featuring the majority of the album’s participants. In the meantime, ‘Casual Victim Pile’ is available for preorders starting today from The Matador Store, 2XLP for the discount price of $15.30, single CD for $8.50
P.S. ‘Casual Victim Pile’ is an anagram for ‘Live Music Capital’. I learned that from a talking statue.
By truepanthersounds on Friday, September 11th, 2009
Dear Friends,
The weekend is pretty much here but honestly, we’re already looking forward to Monday. This Monday, September 14th, we’re going to premiere Girls’ “Album” as a high-quality stream on the True Panther Sounds site, www.truepanther.com.
If you’ll forgive the editorializing: This is a day that comes after almost two years of hard work by the band, a lot of blood sweat tears laughs and late nights, and the result couldn’t be more exciting for any of us. A lot of you maybe have heard a couple of songs off of the record already, one of them got named one of the top songs of the decade, others have floated around on singles and blogs. Some may have even heard the janky leak! But beyond those few tastes, Album, is a packed and fully realized treasure- the 12 tracks touch on so many familiar and beloved sounds but are fundamentally powered by the unchecked honesty, unbridled sincerity and incredible craftsmanship that is so hard to find in music these days. The New York Times put it better than I probably can (that is why they’re paid to write I suppose!). It’s not a re-exploration of the sounds we have loved but in fact the songs on this album are “templates for others to copy“. This is one of the proudest and most exciting time in this young label’s young life and we want to thank the band and you guys for making it happen.
The premiere stream will be available on the site at 10AM EST, in high quality streaming format from beginning to end. We hope you enjoy it.
Stream “ALBUM” HERE Monday September 14th, 10AM EST
Pre-order “ALBUM” HERE
GIRLS- Lust For Life (mp3)
Read an incredible Interview with Christopher HERE
By truepanthersounds on Thursday, September 10th, 2009
photo by Sandy Kim
We’re very pleased to announce that GIRLS are getting in the van this coming November and hitting select cities all over the United States for their first-ever headlining U.S. Tour. They will not be riding in the bus pictured above (nor will they be accompanied by the above female companions) but these shows will be very special.
Additionally, beginning this Monday September 14th, you will be able to access a high-quality stream of “Album” on www.truepanther.com. This album was recorded in the home, the band’s first fans were in their shared home, and thus, we chose to premiere this record on the label’s virtual home, the True Panther Site. Hope you enjoy it.
As a special little cherry on top, an mp3 of the album version of “Lust For Life” is below – the shimmering mixed and mastered version that hasn’t quite replaced the original mix on these here internets. See you on the road America!
TOUR DATES November
02 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell¹s
03 Washington, DC Black Cat
04 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
06 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
07 Boston, MA Great Scott
09 Montreal, QUE Il Motore
10 Toronto, ONT El Mocambo
12 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
13 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
14 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
17 Seattle, WA Nuemos
18 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
20 San Francisco, CA Swedish American Hall
21 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
By truepanthersounds on Monday, September 7th, 2009
AMERICANS
On this lovely Labor Day, shortly bound for the excellent West Indian Day Carnival, we stand before you- stoked. The next few weeks are going to be all about GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS at True Panther HQ. NY Times totally nailed it in their review yesterday, people are “getting it”. At great risk of continuing to be hyperbolic- something very special is happening.
As a big thank you to the special city by the bay we’d like to declare the week of September 14th GIRLS WEEK (proposals for more creative names accepted) in San Francisco. To send some love back to the wonderful music fans and retailers that have been so supportive of the band from its inception, “Album”, will be available in local independent stores, one week before anywhere else. Starting 9/15, Bay Areans can walk into their local Amoeba, Aquarius, Rasputin, Streetlight, etc. and pick up a copy of the album the New York Times called “devastatingly fresh” and declared one of the year’s best. If you’re not in SF don’t worry, “Album” will be available everywhere beginning 9/22.
Additionally, the band will be celebrating this early release with a free in-store performance at the San Francisco Amoeba records Tuesday 9/15 at 6pm. Come one come all! Bring your friends your family, let’s share this together! Pick up a copy of the record before anyone else, play it over and over so much that the grooves are worn out by the nationwide September 22nd release date!
This week the band are also going on a short trip through California with their friend Cass Mccombs. These shows will be their last American appearances before embarking on their first full-on European tour.
With apologies to Pen & Pixel, Dean and Robby did a fantastic job with the new Matador label advertisement, currently scheduled to run in trade publications this autumn. Chris Lombardi has hung out with some pretty wild characters in his time, but rumor has it he was nearly mauled to death during the above photo session.
(sorry, I was thinking of the Wild Dogs album on Shrapnel! )
Over the past 18 months, we’ve encountered a series of maddeningly limited vinyl and cassette releases* from the fantastic Philadelphia outfit, Cold Cave. With records on Dais, Hospital Productions and What’s Your Rupture, Cold Cave effortlessly marry elements of experimental noise, sound collage and synth pop. Last month, they released their debut longplayer and one of the most exciting debut albums we’ve heard, ‘Love Comes Close’, on their own publishing house, Heartworm Press. Not surprisingly, it sold out immediately.
We are happy to announce that Matador will be re-releasing ‘Love Comes Close’ worldwide on November 3 as well as additional odds and ends to be announced shortly.
Cold Cave is led by musical journeyman Wesley Eisold and is joined by an orbiting line-up that includes fellow allies Caralee McElroy (formerly of Xiu Xiu), Dominick Fernow (contemporary noise icon Prurient) and Max G. Morton (celebrated author).
We’ve provided two downloadable mp3s from the album:
“The Laurels of Erotomania” (160kbps mp3) showcases album’s rhythmic sensibility with menacing dissonance dappled atop.
“Life Magazine” (160kbps mp3), already an online favorite, brings sonic warmth emerging from Cold Cave’s electronic landscapes, and as The Fader writes, “swims soft, an unmistakable pop bubble bursting bar after bar.”
Cold Cave have collaborated with Prurient, contributed to 2009’s No Fun Fest and have gigged with groups ranging from NON to Comet Gain. You can find Cold Cave on the West Coast in September with many more dates being confirmed as we speak.
September 3: Soda Bar, San Diego w/ Crocodiles & Strange Boys
September 4: The Casbah, San Diego w/ Glass Candy
September 5: LA Historic State Park, Los Angeles: FYF Fest (w/ Black Lips, Lightning Bolt, Fucked Up, Times New Viking, Kurt Vile & More)
* latecomers can find many of these tracks compiled on the Hospital Productions collection ‘Cremations‘
As mentioned on the Matablog last June 4, The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital album ‘Popular Songs” (OLE 856-1,2) is hitting record shops & e-tailers on September 8. However, as we’ve hinted previously, you can start listening to ‘Popular Songs’ on August 4 via Matador’s award-winning Buy Early Get Now scheme.
Now in it’s 8th incarnation, this version of BEGN features the following for advance purchasers of ‘Popular Songs’ on double LP or compact disc ;
- one of the above configurations, available for collection at a trusted physical retailer on September 8.
- the full album stream starting August 4, with exclusive bonus MP3s to follow.
- a vinyl LP featuring Yo La Tengo’s Orginal Score from the Motion Picture “Adventureland”
- a poster (design TBD, but trust us, you’ll be pleased).
We’re also happy to announce the following North American tour dates, with several additional shows still to be confirmed later this week. Support for this jaunt is still being confirmed, however we can tell you The Black Lips are on the September 25 bill at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom. Shows marked * are on sale today.
9/15 – Burlington, VT at Higher Ground
9/16 – Boston at Wilbur Theater*
9/17 – DC at 9:30 Club
9/18 – Durham at Carolina Theater
9/19 – Atlanta at Variety*
9/21 – Asheville at Orange Peel
9/25 – NYC at Roseland
10/2 – Montreal at Le National
10/3 – Toronto at Opera House*
10/5 – Cleveland at Beachland Ballroom*
10/6 – Chicago at the Vic Theatre *
10/7 – Minneapolis at First Ave*
10/9 – Omaha at Slowdown
10/10 – Denver at Ogden *
10/11 – Aspen at Belly Up
10/12 – Salt Lake City at Urban Lounge
10/14 – Phoenix at Marquee
10/15 – Los Angeles at Avalon
10/16 – San Diego at Soma
10/17 – Santa Cruz at Rio Theater*
10/18 – San Francisco at Treasure Island Festival (tickets on sale)
10/20 – Portland at Crystal Ballroom*
10/21 – Vancouver at Commodore Ballroom*
10/22 – Seattle at Showbox SoDo *
A pox on those who claim the venerable VHS format is dead ; in fact, Times New Viking delivered the master recordings to their forthcoming LP/CD/digital album ‘Born Again Revisited’ (OLE 860) on a Video Home System cassette. Addressing the mountain of constructive criticism they’ve received from self-styled musicologists wanna-be producers and persons with my initials, the Columbus based trio promise their 2nd Matador album (and 4th overall) features “25% higher fidelity”, a percentage our own engineering staff has confirmed after hourse of exhaustive laboratory tests.
Much has been made in the press of late of Cheap Trick’s attempts to steal Adam, Beth and Jared’s thunder by releasing their upteenth comeback album on 8-track, but with all due respect to the state fair fixtures Rockford’s finest, it’s been a generation since they’ve come up with anything as provocative as ‘Born Again Revisited’’s “Move To California” or “No Time No Hope” (mp3). While Times New Viking continue to make-it-look-easy, I can assure you it’s anything but that. A cursory glance at the American rock underground reveals a landscape littered with well-intentioned but vastly inferior bands who’ve caught the lo-fi bug ; Times New Viking are well advised to disavow responsibility for the epidemic, but whoever the guilty party is, the ferocity of TNV’s shows and their sheer quality of their songwriting should be enough to win them a presidential pardon, not unlike the one ‘Born Again’ author Chuck Colson never quite received.
And you look very surprised from this vantage point. Tomorrow (July 7), AC Newman’s ‘Live From Montreal’, recording this past March 12 at the Sainte-Catherine Apple Store, will be available exclusively from the iTunes Music Store. Here’s the tracklisting :
1. There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve
2. Miracle Drug
3. Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer
4. Prophets
5. Secretarial
6. The Heartbreak Rides
7. The Palace at 4 A.M.
8. All Of My Days And All Of My Days Off
9. The Changeling (Get Guilty)
10. Submarines of Stockholm
After a pair of albums under the group nom de plume Preston School Of Industry, Pavement co-founder Scott Kannberg, aka Spiral Stairs, makes his bona fide solo debut with an October 20 LP/CD/digital album release of ‘The Real Feel’ (OLE 858). Following an extended sojourn in Melbourne, Spiral returned to Seattle rejuvenated at the end of ‘08, and commenced recording with a collection of pals including members of PSOI, the Posies, guitarist Ian Moore, Gersey, and Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew. Mixed by the Posies’ Jon Auer, this album is by far the most crafted and introspective of Spiral’s post-Pavement works.
In the words of associate Parker Gibbs, ‘The Real Feel’, “has a vibe similar to classic 70’s albums by Fleetwood Mac (‘Then Play On’), Captain Beefhart (‘Safe As Milk’), and guitar god Richard Thompson, not to mention Aussie psych rock icons Died Pretty. Comparisons aside, this is 100% Spiral Stairs rock, the same rock that made Pavement the most influential band of the 90″s (take that Hoobastank!) and the same strange, dischordant, playful and melodic Spiral Stairs rock that your parents loved.”
“This is indie rock at its best and brightest,” continues Gibbs, “with Spiral Stairs getting back to the basics that have made him a legend in his own mind and to all of the children willing to enter his home.” And on that somewhat troubling note, we’ll add the vinyl edition of ‘The Real Feel’ features a different running order and a limited edition bonus 7″. Live activity throughout the continent of North America is planned for this Autumn, and we’ll surely be letting you know more about that in the days and weeks ahead.
The first track we’ve seen fit to leak from ‘The Real Feel’ is “Maltese Terrier” (MP3). Please note no raccoons were harmed during the making of the album artwork. Not by us, anyway.
(l-r, Coomers, Curtis, Jose. In the background – not sure, but hopefully he won’t sue)
It’s a poorly kept secret around the office and the band’s hometown but one we can finally confirm — Matador has signed the Austin, TX trio HARLEM to a multi-record, worldwide deal.
Led by dual vocalists Michael Coomers and Curtis O’Mara (the duo switch between guitar and drums, both onstage and off), Harlem started in Tucson, AZ before relocating to Austin where they’ve generated a mountain of attention, both with their fantastic live shows and their self-issued 2008 LP/CD ‘Free Drugs’ (Female Fantasy — currently available via Matador Direct)
Pitchfork’s Roque Strew has hailed Harlem as “a marvel of cartoonishly masculine, crudely analog brevity”, while Gorilla Vs. Bear considers ‘Free Drugs’ to be “super infectious, instantly endearing”, and kindly supplying a quote that we’ll gladly take out of context, the Austin Chronicle’s Audra Schroeder has fallen preil to the album’s “anxious, stuttering charm”. I know, that all sounds highly suspicious, but anyone who’s heard ‘Free Drugs’ or witnessed Harlem laying waste to any number of shoebox sized venues (some of which, were in fact, shoeboxes) can attest, the band’s casual virtuosity is only eclipsed by their otherworldly songwriting skills.
Recently joined by bassist Jose Boyer, Harlem will be recording their 2nd album this summer for release on Matador in 2010.
(image from
