Well it’s not exactly a battle for outer space, but in a sense it is…my hometown of Charleston is going to be faced with the same decision that I have to make tomorrow night.

Tomorrow Saturday March 6th there are two amazing shows happening right here in Brooklyn, and Wednesday March 10th very similar shows are happening in Charleston, SC

First up is everyone’s favorite, Underwater Peeps Proprietors, and all around rad dudes Family Portrait who will be appearing with none other Alex Bleeker and the Freaks…and a too be named Special Guest (supposedly very special).

These New Jersey via DC and back to New Jersey rockers will be playing in full force for the first time in a very long time.  If you have seen Family Portrait over the past 6 months or so you saw various forms with Ari and Brody, but now that Sawyer is back from his journey out East they are back in action in the form we all know and love.  I was looking through my music, and I found a track that I grabbed back in September…. “On The Floor” is a retro pop jam full of fuzzy psychedelica.  Backed up with Brody’s crooning vocals and the type of beach vibe you expect to get from a New Jersey basement or garage party rather than the Jersey shore.

[mp3] Family Portrait- “On The Floor”

• Buy their split 7″ with Andrew Cedermark here.

Rock this one, and then go check out Family Portrait….they are touring down to SXSW!

• Tomorrow, March 6th @ 59 Jefferson St, #402 (21+ $8)
  • Family Portrait, Alex Bleeker, and very Special Guests!
    • This show is presented by Pixelhorse, Microphone Memory Emotion, and Visitation Rites.
      • Proceeds from this show go toward playing the bands playing their awesome SXSW showcase in Austin.  Get all the info on the Austin Show here.
• Wednesday, March 10th @ Outer Space! in Charleston, SC
  • Family Portrait, and fucking Castles Underground!!!
• Check out all of Family Portraits’ tour dates here (lots in between and after these two dates).

The Sandwitches are three ladies from San Fransisco making awesome 50’s/60’s throwback rock and roll.  Their album How to Make an Ambient Sad Cake has been getting tons of play at my house, and on my headphones.  It started with their single “Fire,” and it has slowly infected my head.  And now “The Revisionist” has had me singing “God ain’t no friend of mine” all morning.  I was curious about the lyrics of this song, and I thought I would check out what a revisionist actually was: “a movement in revolutionary Marxian socialism favoring an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary spirit”  and in a sense I guess I fall under this category.  Not a bad thing at all…and a really wonderful song.

[mp3] The Sandwitches- “The Revisionist”

• From How to Make an Ambient Sadcake, buy it here.
• The Sandwitches are part of the Endless Nest Collective.

As much as I love Family Portrait, both as musicians and people, I’m going to have to hit this Sandwitches show.  These ladies are coming from a long way, and who knows when they will be back.

• Tomorrow, Saturday March 6th @ Monster Island Basement
  • Golden Triangle, The Sandwitches, Coasting, and Girls at Dawn
    • All Ages, $8
      • They are also playing tonight, but very little info is available.
• Wednesday March 10th @ The Tin Roof in Charleston, SC
  • The Sandwitches, and Teenage Owl.
• See all of the Sandwitches’ tour dates here (lots in between and after these two dates).

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If none of these things work for you…. go see Twin Sister at CoCo66 tomorrow night (March 6th).  More info about Twin Sister can be found here.

And this weekend pregame for everything at Mugs Ale House’s  Split thy Skull Festival!

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The photo of Family Portrait was taken on January 29th, 2010 at Bruar Falls, and is from the White Lodge. If you would like to use this photo please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge.

• more posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

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• More on Family Portrait here.
• More on Underwater Peoples Records here.
• More on the Sandwitches here.
• More on the Endless Nest Collective here.

A couple days before Twin Sister played Bruar Falls with Pure Ecstasy, Hunter from Infinite Best Records sent over a track by them called “Kimmi In A Ricefield.”  Twin Sister had been getting a lot of blog press, but this was the first track that I heard by them…and I was absolutely floored.  Hunter knew I was liked minded catching the White Lodge reference.

While Twin Sister’s sound is ever evolving “Kimmi In A Ricefield” is an instrumental track that evokes the eeriness of the woods, and not just any woods those of the Pacific North West.  Maybe it was just Hunter’s suggestion of hearing this song for the first time after a two week long Twin Peaks marathon, but it’s pretty clear that Twin Sister was channeling Angelo Badalamenti during the song writing process on this one.  This enchanting track diverges from Badalamenti influence with the use of light dance grooves, and echoing percussion creating something that is very much their own.  Even in a track like this that seems like this that seems far from a dance jam… Twin Sister can put their subtle touch on it, and make it entirely unique and with a bit of a indie disco edge.  The night that this song was sent over I sat at the computer, and listened to it over and over…I hope you have the same experience:

[mp3] Twin Sister- “Kimmi In A Ricefield”

“Kimmi In A Ricefield” is a master piece, and I can only hope to hear more music that sounds like this from Twin Sister.  This track has been available on Twin Sister’s website for quite sometime now, and will be featured on The Report compilation being put out by none other than Chocolate Bobka.

While their live set was very different from the track above that didn’t take away from their talent and showmanship.  Twin Sister was initially supposed to play before Pure Ecstasy, but they ended up headlining.  While Pure Ecstasy was great, but no one could have followed Twin Sister that night.  Extremely tight, and for a band I had heard very little of their music they truly blew me away.  This band is a pleasure to see live, and they have many tour dates coming up (see the bottom of this post) so go check them out.  I’m extremely happy with how some of my photos came from that night, and I am very excited to share them with you.  These photos are from the White Lodge.

If you would like to hear more Twin Sister you can download their fabulous EP Vampires With Dreaming Kids for free here.

[full album download] Twin Sister- Vampires With Dreaming Kids

Also keep an eye on Infinite Best Recordings for their upcoming 12″!
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Twin Sister is tour to and from SXSW!  Go See Them:

• Mar 6 2010 @ Coco 66 w/ Amniotic (Ex-Psycadellic Furs)–> Brooklyn, New York
• Mar 13 2010 @ Full House Gallery w/ Galaxies, Mount McKinley, Oberhofer, Secret Hideout–> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Mar 17 2010 @ SXSW –>Austin, Texas
• Mar 18 2010 @ SXSW – Creekside Lounge –>Austin, Texas
• Mar 19 2010 @ SXSW–> Austin, Texas
• Mar 20 2010 @ SXSW – Karibu w/ Pure Ecstasy, Pearl Harbor–> Austin, Texas
• Mar 21 2010 @ MtyMx Todd P. After Party–> Monterrey, México
• Mar 23 2010 @ The Mink w/ Holiday Shores, Caliban Goodbrain–> Houston, Texas
• Mar 24 2010 @ Hailey’s Club w/ Holiday Shores, Writer, Manned Missles–> Denton, Texas
• Mar 25 2010 @ Proud Larry’s w/ Holiday Shores, Young Buffalo–> Oxford, Mississippi
• Mar 26 2010 @ Al’s Bar w/ Holiday Shores, Idiot Glee (Presented by “I Guess I’m Floating”)–> Lexington, Kentucky
• Mar 27 2010 @ Vollrath Theatre w/ Holiday Shores (Presented by “My Old Kentucky Blog”)–> Indianapolis, Indiana
• Mar 28 2010 @ The Bishop w/ Holiday Shores, French & Indian War–> Bloomington, Indiana
• Mar 29 2010 @ Daytrotter Sessions w/ Holiday Shores (Day Show)–> Rock Island, Illinois
• Mar 29 2010 @ Huckleberry’s Pizza w/ Holiday Shores (Evening Show) –>Rock Island, Illinois
• Mar 30 2010@ Halfway Lounge w/ Holiday Shores, Thin Hymns, Distractions –> Chicago, Illinois
• Mar 31 2010 @ Case Western University w/ Holiday Shores –>Cleveland, Ohio
• Apr 1 2010 @ Cameo w/ Holiday Shores –>Brooklyn, New York
• Apr 9 2010 @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune-Yards, Zola Jesus –>New York, New York
• Apr 10 2010 @ The Middle East (Downstairs) w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune-Yards –> Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Apr 13 2010 @ First Unitarian Church w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune-Yards –>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Apr 14 2010 @ DC9 w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune Yards –> District of Columbia, Washington DC

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These photos of Twin Sister were taken on January 29th, 2010 at Bruar Falls, and are from the White Lodge. If you would like to use one of these photos please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge.

• more posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about DOM a band who at the time only had one single track, “Jesus,” and since then these dudes have been cranking out the jams.

“Rude As Jude” is the second track to come from DOM, and while it starts with rocking guitar line but quickly jumps into the basement dance pop that I was expecting after the fabulous first single “Jesus.”  Just when you think that the catchy guitar riff from the beginning of the song is gone for good it just back in and aligns perfectly with the chorus.  Maybe the most rocking track of the three, but still comes off in the same dreamy way that “Jesus” did.
“rude as jude” by DOM

Inspiring this post was the wonderful surprise to wake up yesterday to the third track from these guys, and its called “Burn Bridges.” What sounds like a song about loosing friends actually comes off as inspiring with the chorus like “Burn Bridges make yourself an Island.”  This track seems to have a sparkle that I haven’t felt in the other songs, something sonically that just tingles the ears. I didn’t think it was possible, but “Burn Bridges” might be taking over “Jesus” with the most listens for me, and that says a lot being that it’s only been out one day.
“burn bridges” by DOM

There is also another new track on DOM’s myspace.  Click through to check out this heavier live jam.

Hearing these tracks makes me very excited to live in New York, because on April 1st DOM will be releasing their album at Pianos! The album release show will also feature Buvette from Switzerland, and probably more.  If you have been jamming to these tracks I highly recommend hitting that show up.  More details can be found here as they come available.  These first three singles make me really excited to see what an album from these men brings, and I’m expecting very good things.

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• more on DOM (including a download of his first single “Jesus”) can be found here.
• all DOM tour dates can be found here.

It’s been three years since Scout Niblett has graced us with an album, and at least for some of us it’s been a long wait.  Her 2007 release This Fool Can Die Now was my favorite record released that year, and in 2010 we get The Calcination of Scout Niblett.

Many people don’t know what to expect when picking up an album by Scout, and my friend Brady said it best recently: “No one told me she sounded like a more fucked PJ Harvey. I thought she was some little folksy nymph…She Rules.”  While her name might not make you think of heavy guitar, big drums, all surrounding Scout’s unique voice and lyrics which are, in the end, the tie that binds it all together.

The Calcination of Scout Niblett is a little bit of a departure from This Fool Can Die Now, in the sense that there aren’t any duets.  If you recall from her last album there were some fabulous collaborations with the one and only Will Oldham, and while those were extremely wonderful additions Scout doesn’t need anyone to help her carry the album.  The Calcination of is Scout Niblett’s sixth album, and the first on Drag City.  This as good of an introduction to her work as any, but while remaining extremely heavy it is possibly more accessible than her early albums.  It was unnecessary to look at the liner notes because the sound of the the guitars and drums is obviously the recording work of Steve Albini.  There is something magical about this man, and when he is combined with Scout Niblett at least for me he almost becomes a second member of the band.  Scout Niblett as be recording with him for as long as I can remember, and this combination is definitely working. By listening to the title track from the album, “Calcination,”  it might bring out your long lost (or never lost love ) for grunge, but in the end she is very much her own force.   This album isn’t a feel good album, but one that makes you feel emotions that are trapped deep inside of you.

[mp3] Scout Niblett- “Calcination”

While I have been loving the entire album it seem that I keep waiting for the least booming song on the record:  ”Duke of Anxiety.”  Giving a nice, but not needed, break from the heavy distortion of the rest of the record and really lets you take notice of her lyrics right off the bat.  Where as with the rest of the record it might take a couple listens to get down through the many layers that are present in the recording all the way to the lyrics, “Duke of Anxiety” brings them to the for front with just undistorted guitar backing her.  A song about depression and alcoholism which seems very personal, but from a woman who is, at least to me, extremely mysterious…so you never know where it is coming from.  It’s one of those tracks that I have had on repeat for about the past week in my headphones, and the one I wait for when the vinyl is spinning.  I’m really looking forward to seeing her play live in a couple weeks, and I surely hope this is on the set list.  I can only imagine what it will be like in person.

[mp3] Scout Niblett- “Duke of Anxiety (Swearing At Motorist cover)”

If these two tracks haven’t convinced you how awesome The Calcination of Scout Niblett is head over to Drag City and stream it here.

Then….

Buy the Calcination of Scout Niblett here.

• and if you don’t have them…buy the rest of her albums here….you won’t regret it.

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Scout Niblett is on tour right now too…and if you are in New York you have two chances to catch her:

• 3/12/2010, Brooklyn, NY, Union Pool, w/ Picastro
• 3/13/2010, New York, NY, 92 Y Tribeca w/ Vetiver & Kevin Barker

I’ll surely be at the Union Pool show…caught her there one of the last times she was in the city, and it was the perfect environment for her to play in.  If you aren’t in NYC…there are pleanty of chances to see her live, and you can check out those tour dates here.

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• more on Scout Niblett can be found here.

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thanks to Brad for pointing out that “Duke of Anxiety” is a Swearing at Motorist cover.  Most likely why it seemed a little out of place to me.

Just when I thought I had all the So Cow news posted yesterday, Josh from Ireland’s own Pop Goes the Radio commented on my post.

Pop Goes the Radio posted three tracks from upcoming album on Meaningless Friendly due out very soon on Tic Tac Totally.  Here is what Tic Tac Totally has to say about the new album:

So Cow “Meaningless Friendly” LP/CD is just 2 weeks away folks! The album will be released mid-tour (see below for dates!) just in time for SXSW. The new record expands brilliantly on the promise/premise of the “S/T” LP from last year, which featured 18 of his best collected tracks. Here offering 13 fresh ones of the great off-kilter TVP’s-meets-Home Blitz-pop wandering So Cow delivers. In the meantime we have a digital album release set up for 2/16/10 on iTunes, so no worries if you’re fiending either!

“Extra Friendly” LP+7″ edition
Check back REAL soon for this! This package gets you the new LP, plus a limited edition 7″ EP with 3 bonus tracks.Exclusively through TTT and ltd. to 300 copies. Look out!

Keep your eyes on Tic Tac Totally’s Website…I know I will.  I need to get a copy of that limited edition 7″.  This is the most exciting music news, at least for me, in 2010 so far!

In the mean time check out these tracks.

“Girl Racer” reminds us that So Cow at it’s core is one man, Brian Kelly. Using not much more than minimal electronics, and electric guitar Kelly crafts a near perfect pop track .  This track really resonates in the part of my brain that loved “Shackleton.”  Even though this track has perfect pop sensibility that doesn’t prevent Kelly from adding some psychedelic guitar to the background.  Apparently if you are from Tuam, or Ireland in general, there are references in this song that us Americans just don’t get, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it is an awesome introduction to So Cow’s new album.  A version of this track originally appeared on a compilation CD about Tuam which Pop Goes the Radio might be posting in the future.

[mp3] So Cow- “Girl Racer”

“Random Girls” is a track that I’m sure many of us boys can relate to…so many ladies in this world, and so many crushes (I’m lucky to already have my special lady).  This track shows a little more of what North America is in store for on So Cow’s tour.  This track features a full band, and an intense guitar solo toward the end.   Kelly’s musicianship is what made me fall in love with So Cow in the first place, and this track is a perfect example of that.  There are sure to be plenty of ladies crushing on these Irish boys as they make their way through the states and Canada.

[mp3] So Cow- “Random girls”

If “Girl Racer” and “Random Girls” are any indication of the rest of the album we are sure in for a treat.  I’ll let you head over to Pop Goes the Radio for the third track called “Dunno.” This final track is one I remember from So Cow’s last American tour. Check it out here.

Meaningless Friendly is now on sale from Tic Tac Totally.  Buy it  here .

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New Yorkers, So Cow will be in the City on:

• Feb 13 Monster Island Basement Brooklyn, New York
  
• Feb 14 Cake Shop New York, New York

The tour starts tonight, February 11th,  at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park.

For a full list of tour dates click here (or if you are on the main page of my blog…scroll down…they were posted yesterday).

• much more on So Cow can be found here.
• more This Week In Mail Order can be found here.

For those of you who haven’t already decided which So Cow show you are going to on their 2010 North American tour I thought I would remind you of those dates one last time before it starts.  Tomorrow is the first day of their almost three month long American tour! Starting at Asbury Lanes in Asbury park (I’m guessing the Asbury Park and Philly shows are tentative due to the blizzard, but those are just my thoughts) .  So Cow is playing pretty much the entire country so there is no excuse to miss them this time around:

• Feb 11 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, New Jersey
• Feb 12 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Feb 13 Monster Island Basement Brooklyn, New York %
• Feb 14 Cake Shop New York, New York +
• Feb 17 O’Brien’s Boston, Massachusetts
• Feb 19 AS220 Providence, Rhode Island
• Feb 20 Casa Del Popolo Montreal, Quebec
• Feb 21 Rancho Relaxo Toronto, Ontario
• Feb 22 The Casbah Lounge W Hamilton, Ontario
• Feb 23 The Bug Jar Rochester, New York
• Feb 24 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, Ohio
• Feb 25 Cafe Bourbon Street Columbus, Ohio
• Feb 26 Lager House Detroit, Michigan
• Feb 28 Eagle’s Nest Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Mar 01 7th St. Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Mar 03 Badlander Missoula, Montana
• Mar 04 Empyrean Spokane, Washington
• Mar 05 East End Portland, Oregon
• Mar 06 Comet Tavern Seattle, Washington
• Mar 08 Mama Buzz Cafe Oakland, California
• Mar 09 The Crepe Place Santa Cruz, California
• Mar 10 The Hemlock Tavern San Francisco, California
• Mar 11 The Smell Los Angeles, California
• Mar 12 Bar Pink Elephant San Diego, California
• Mar 13 Trunk Space Phoenix, Arizona *
• Mar 14 El Paso Block Party El Paso, Texas
• Mar 16 The Mohawk Austin, Texas
• Mar 17 – Mar 20 SXSW Austin, Texas
• Mar 22 The Conservatory Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Mar 23 Record Bar Kansas City, Missouri
• Mar 25 Hi-Tone Cafe Memphis, Tennessee
• Mar 26 The Belafonte Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• Mar 27 529 Atlanta, Georgia
• Mar 30 Snug Harbor Charlotte, North Carolina
• Mar 31 2702 Lawndale Durham, North Carolina
• Apr 01 Black Cat Washington DC #
• Apr 02 Ruintown Baltimore, Maryland
• Apr 03 Terrace Club Princeton, New Jersey
  • % = w/ Blank Dogs, Frankie Rose and the Outs, Sisters
  • + = w/ Preacher and the Knife, White Blue Yellow and Clouds, Babies
  • * = w/ Nobunny
  • # = w/ Smith Westerns

I’m looking forward to catching these guys at Cake Shop, one of Manhattan’s finest venues.  If you are in the city is a great way to spend Valentines Day.

So Cow has also announced that their second LP Meaningless Friendly this year on Tic Tac Totally and it is due out sometime in the next couple weeks! I can’t wait to hear it…and if you haven’t heard So Cow’s So Cow yet I highly recommend picking it up…it was my favorite album of 2009.  Here is another one of my favorite tracks from last year’s amazing LP…just one of the many reasons you should be catching this tour:

[mp3] So Cow- “Shackleton”

• buy the self titled album  here.

not to mention So Cow always comes packing a wonderful array of cover songs…this is one they rocked while they were in the states last year:

[mp3] So Cow- “Mess Me Up (Nobunny cover)” via the FMA

• get the whole set here.

So which show will you be at?

Links:

• much more on So Cow can be found here.
• more on Nobunny here.

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FMA credits:

It’s been almost two months since Chocolate Bobka took over the basement of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, and brought the sweet un-amplified sounds of Mountain Man and Alex Bleeker to this holy place.  It was a truly surreal experience to see so many people sitting quietly while these bands played their music in such a  peaceful setting.  It was the type of thing that can only happen when the people at an event want to be there, and aren’t just there because it was the cool thing to do…and that is what made this night so special.

While I had heard “Animal Tracks” before this was my first real experience with Mountain Man.  If you didn’t already know Mountain Man is actually three ladies from Bennington, Vermont who make mostly acapella folk music with the occasional use of acoustic guitar.  Their performance at the Church was nothing short of magical. From Singing with Alex Bleeker and performing a cover of “Oh, Boy” by Girls , covering  “My Roots are Strong and Deep” by Phil Elverum’s The Microphones, and even Tom Waits….

Mountain Man- “Green Grass (Tom Waits cover)” into “Animal Tracks”

Ray Concepcioñ always does an amazing job capturing Chocolate Bobka’s events.  I also recorded their cover of “Green Grass,” and while I’m not a magician with a camera like Ray is (nor do I have that type of equipment) I feel that this video captures the setting and vibe of the church.  The complete lack of light, the politeness of the audience, and what it felt like to be at such a unique event.

Mountain Man- “Green Grass (Tom Waits cover)”

I’m honestly not a Tom Waits fan, but this version can make even a person that hates Tom Waits like this song. These covers were in addition to their own beautiful musical creations.

Mountain Man was selling limited edition copies of their self titled cd-r at the show.  The cd-r’s that Mountain Man had at the Church were all made by hand out of paper bags, sewn together, and then decorated.  Every copy was different.  This version, from my understanding, is different than what they released earlier in 2009 because it has two additional songs: “Loon Song” and “Buffalo.”  I’m really happy to have been able to get a copy of one of their releases after reading about them non-stop for for so long.

If I had just heard this record without seeing them live I would have thought the music came from another time.  It’s oldtime-y in a way that feels classic, and if knew nothing about these ladies I would not be able to guess when it was released.  If you haven’t experienced them yet I’m happy to share a couple tracks with you now…  “Animal Tracks” is already a classic:

[mp3] Mountain Man- “Animal Tracks”

“Buffalo” is one of the newest tracks to emerge from these ladies, and while it still keeps the same vibe as the rest it brings us much closer to the plains than the mountains.  An ode to this glorious beast, and so short and sweet at that.  I’ve listened to this track probably a dozen times today…. follow the buffalo:

[mp3] Mountain Man- “Buffalo”

If you are interested in hearing more Mountain Man and don’t mind having a digital copy you can buy their 7 song EP directly from the band here.   This website also allows you to stream the entire album, and has a complete list of their West Coast tour…which is currently going on.  If you are in San Francisco this weekend I highly recommend checking them out.

Many of these tracks will be seeing proper release on one of my new favorite record labels…the magnificent Underwater Peoples.  Keep an eye out…it’s going to be a 10″, and is sure to be a must have.

Previously posted mp3s featuring Mountain Man:

[mp3] Alex Bleeker w/ Molly Searle of Mountain Man- “Oh, Boy (Girls cover)”

[mp3] Alex Bleeker and the Freaks- “Animal Tracks (Mountain Man cover)”

• Buy Alex Bleeker’s self titled LP here.

Mountain Man is just one of the many reasons why Vermont is such a wonderful state…maybe I will live there one day.

Links:

• the photo above was taken by Rez Avissar at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah.  More photos taken by Rez from this show can be found here.
• more on Underwater Peoples can be found here.
• more on Alex Bleeker can be found here.

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I was going to a Best Of Limited Releases for 2009, and figured my energy would be better spent making this post.  Mountain Man’s cd-r is everything I look for in a limited release…amazing music, and packaging made with loving care.

There were several other releases that have made my shortlist of Best Limited Releases of 2009, and all of those have been previously covered in my posts called This Week In Mail Order.  Here is that list, and links to the original posts:

• Mount Eerie- White Stag
• Karl Blau- Baby Nettles
• Karl Blau- 96
• Cloud Nothings- Turning On

more of my best of lists can be found here.

Even though I just got the Cloud Nothings CD in the mail last month it felt like I had been waiting forever to see this band live, and this past Saturday I finally got the chance.

Another wonderful show put on by Chocolate Bobka (if you didn’t know Chocolate Bobka is the little sister to Underwater Peoples, big brother of Ray Conception, and the girl scout troop leader of Pitchfork’s Forkast) and this time he teamed up with the budding record label Group Tightener (maybe that means they are now cousins with Bobka?  If you didn’t check it out already…Jamie from Group Tightener contributed his best of 2009 list to the Great Pumpkin).

Both Chocolate Bobka and Group Tightener throw really fun shows whether it’s at a church or at Monster Island…and this time it was at Monster Island.  I got to the show right as Nude Beach ended, and Cloud Nothings took the stage.

Dylan Baldi and company put on an impressive live show for such a young band.  They played an extremely tight set, and seemed to complement each other very well.  In this bands short time playing live (the first time being about a month ago here in New York) they have already had one line up change, but that has not slowed them down.   I was particularly impressed by the fact that the guitar solos on songs like “Can’t Stay Awake” sounded as good, if not better, live.  It seems like there are only good things to come from Cloud Nothings, and I’m very happy I got to experience them this early stage.

My video camera is back in action, and I was able to capture a handful of what I’m already considering Cloud Nothings classics as well as two new songs.  I actually took a whole lot more video than I thought….here they are:

Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

Cloud Nothings- “Hey Cool Kid”

Cloud Nothings- “Turning On”

Cloud Nothings- “”whaddya wanna know”

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Whaddya Wanna Know”

These four songs are off of Cloud Nothings album Turning On. Buy it here on tape or cd.  Keep and eye out for the vinyl here.

Cloud Nothings- “Morgan”

Cloud Nothings- “strummin”

On a slightly less exciting note I was not able to get close enough to Alex Bleeker and the Freaks to actually see them play.  They sounded amazing, and I can’t wait to get another opportunity to see Bleeker with a full band.  It was a little disappointing that most of the crowd found their conversations more important than Bleeker’s music because I would hav really like to be fully emersed.  Mr. Bleeker…I look forward to seeing you again.

Links:

• Buy Cloud Nothings’ Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.
• more on Cloud Nothings here.
• more on Alex Bleeker and the Freaks here.
• Buy the Alex Bleeker & The Freaks LP from Underwater Peoples here.
• more on Group Tightener Records here.
• the photo above  was taken by klk and I on a holga in the Calvary Cemetery in Queens.