Dirty Beaches is Alex Zhang Hungtai of Montreal, QC (via California via Hawaii via China) and I picked up the self titled Dirty Beaches cassette this past weekend at the CoOp 87 (if ya’ll haven’t been you really should check it out.  A great addition for music lovers to Brooklyn, specifically Greenpoint, and Tommy who runs it is a super nice dude).   Going into the tape I had no prior knowledge of the band other than he had played a show or two with the one and only Julian Lynch.

Dirty Beaches rides the line between ambient rhythmic noise and avant-garde pop and do it so well.  Using beats and and subtle melodies to create a hypnotic composition, and then he works in his unique vocals.  While Dirty Beaches vocals are very unique I can’t help but think of a totally warped and fucked Ian Curtis.  Dirty Beaches’ Dirty Beaches is an EP that I was unsure of what I thought on first listen, but by the end of it I was sad that it was over and all I could do was flip the tape and start again.  With each listen of the EP different melodies, or psychedelic guitar lines start to emerge, and the pulsing hypnotic rhythms start to take on orchestral and surf like qualities.  A release that has much more depth than one can hear on a single listen, and I have been giving it my attention all week.

“Like Dreamers Do” is the second to last track on the release and I feel that it exemplifies what this cassette is about.  Beats that encompass the mind, guitar to break your concentration, and the somber vocals to pull it all together.  Ambience and pop all in one track.  Engaging the mind on many levels, and all  you have to do is accept Alex Zhang Hungtai’s unique mindset and way of making music.  A release that I am extremely glad that I stumbled across.

[mp3] Dirty Beaches- “Like Dreamers Do”

• from the 2009 self titled release on Night People.
  • buy it here.

Shawn from Night People was nice enough to send over a new track from Dirty Beaches upcoming cassette titled Night City.  Night City is diverging from the self titled because there are no vocals on this release at all.  This next tape will be mostly instrumental synth/organ/drum machine tracks, and will be out on Night People this April.

“Paris” is an uplifting instrumental.  Much lighter in the sense that it seems like the type of song you would like to hear as the sun is coming up, at the end of a clear night after the stars had been shining down upon you (I guess ideally you would be in France).  Keeping with the hypnotic tone of the first tape, but changing it up to give this track a very different vibe, and if this song is any indication it seems like a very natural progression from the last release.

[mp3] Dirty Beaches- “Paris”

• from the forthcoming Night City cassette on Night People.

“Paris” is just a teaser to the Night City cassette, and in addition to this instrumental cassette there is also an upcoming Dirty Beaches LP which will be a bit more rock n roll oriented that is also coming out on Night People. Keep your eye on the Night Peoples site for more info about these.  I know I am.

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Dirty Beaches are touring.  Check out their myspace for upcoming dates.

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• more This Week In Mail Order can be found here.

Just two months ago Cloud Nothings were just a name with their first cassette//cd-r coming out on Bridgetown Records…no shows played, but a few big ones lined up…the first of which was with Real Estate and Woods here in Brooklyn (and I finally caught them in January with Alex Bleeker and the Freaks). Dylan Baldi’s Cloud Nothings were suddenly getting written up all over the internet (including several times by me), and their fuzzy upbeat punk pop was blasting out of stereos…I even had friends across the country ask me to send the digital files of Turning On because their tapes weren’t portable enough (yo dudes…get a walkman).

Now here we are at the end of February, and Cloud Nothings have two more releases out, and a reissue of that first tape but this time it’s on LP.

First up is their split tape with Campfires out on Bathetic Records. I know at this point more and more people are realizing that bands are doing tapes, and while the format might seem to be out of date even Pitchfork just reached out to the format in a big way (see Marc Hogan’s wonderful feature on cassette culture titled “This is Not A Mixtape“…as well as tape releases often making it on to the 4kst).

This tape features four new songs by Cloud Nothings, and as I expected it is full of the same fuzzy pop as the first full length. Campfires are very much of the same mind set, and offer five songs…making the split well worth the $6 post paid.  A great introduction to Campfires…I can’t wait to her more.

The Fader posted one track from the split, and I’m happy to repost it here for you.  ”Little Raygun” sets the tone for the tape, and is the third song on side A:

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Little Raygun”

• Buy the Cloud Nothings//Campfires split from Bathetic Records here.
  • pick it up fast…this tape is limited to 100 copies.

In addition to this split Group Tightener Records has released a extremely limited 7″ single by Cloud Nothings which includes “Morgan” a single from the upcoming 12″ on Group Tightener, and an exclusive b-side: “Another Man.” This is the second release by Group Tightener, and it is limited to 250 copies, and is hand stamped and numbered.

While these are both unreleased tracks You might be familiar with “Morgan” if you saw my videos from Cloud Nothings show at Monster Island back in January. Can’t wait to hear this record, and the recorded version of this tracks…here is a re-post of that video:

Buy the Cloud Nothings’ Morgan/Another Man 7″ from Group Tightener Records here.

Last but certainly not least is that SpeakerTree Records has just started mailing out the LP repress of Cloud Nothings fabulous debut full length Turning On.

Turning On was originally released back in December by Bridgetown Records. I featured this release on my column This Week In Mail Order, and you can read the full write up here. The LP version of Turning On will feature one additional track, “Strummin” as the closer to the album.  This LP press is limited to 500 copies, and to remind you how good this release is check out “Can’t Stay Awake”:

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

A also captured the exclusive LP track live when Cloud Nothings were in town so you can preview that here:

Buy the LP from SpeakerTree Records here.

• If you don’t have a record player….Bridgetown Records has repressed Turning On on CD…buy that here.
  • and for a limited time you can order the LP release from Bridgetown as well…I highly recommend contacting Kevin at Bridgetown because he is offering some cool combo packages.

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• More on Cloud Nothings (photos, video, mp3s, and reviews) can be found here.
• The photo at the top of the post is from the White Lodge.
• More this week in mail order can be found here.
• CLOUD NOTHINGs are on TOUR and are playing everywhere…go see them!  The dates can be found here.

Sonny and the Sunsets‘ Tomorrow is Alright came out toward the end of 2009 (If you haven’t checked out my best of 2010 list Sonny is on it…read that here.), and it was my fear that I would have to wait another 12 months to get new tunes from the popsmith that is Sonny Smith.  But just six weeks into twenty ten we get Sonny’s new single The Hypnotist out on Future Stress Recordings.

Act fast because the first 100 mail orders come with a limited edition comic booklet written and illustrated by Sonny! And if you are a colored vinyl dork like me you can get your hands on the limited blue/yellow swirl wax edition.

Sonny’s lyrics will have you singing along in no time.  This four song 7″ of Sonny’s signature acoustic pop features one track from Tomorrow is Alright, and three new songs.  I’ll leave you with “Stranded” so that you can ruminate on the track for a minute, and then hopefully make your way over to Future Stress to pick up a copy of this limited 7″ before it’s sold out.  ”Stranded” is on the b-side of this record, and I feel is a perfect representation of Sonny’s music and his honest and hilarious lyrics are why I’ve fallen in love with his songs.

[mp3] Sonny and the Sunsets- “Stranded”

Sonny is a very talented man, and if the comic booklet that came with the long sold out Love and Death 7″ is any indication I’m almost as excited about the comic as I am about the record….so now let me direct you to this link:

Buy Sonny’s The Hypnotist 7″ from Future Stress here.

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• more on Sonny & the Sunsets can be found here.
• more on the Endless Nest collective can be found here.
• thanks to always wonderful RSTB for the tip on this one.

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.

This past weekend was a period of music discovery for me, and not necessarily things I hadn’t heard before.  Studying for the GRE gave me time to give somethings quality playtime, and Saturday morning the mail man brought me a small package from Bridgetown Records.

I was previously unfamiliar with Bridgetown Records, but I have had my eye on Cloud Nothings for a while.  Get Off the Coast and Weekly Tape Deck have both been posting about them…and “Hey Cool Kid” has made it on my iPod at least two different times (and now with this CD three times)…and “Can’t Stay Awake” got stuck on repeat once I heard it week.

Cloud Nothings is the recording project of Dylan Baldi who hails from Cleveland, OH.  Dylan is 18 and has been recoding under the name Cat Killer, but recently shed that name in exchange for Cloud Nothings.  No matter what name he goes under this is one talented young man.   Cloud Nothings played their first show a week or so ago in Brooklyn at Market Hotel opening for Real Estate and Woods, and their second with Coasting.  They also have a couple shows coming up in Ohio:

• 1/12/10- Cleveland, OH @ Believeland w/ Truman Peyote and Many Mansions
• 1/16/10- Columbus, OH @ Skylab w/ Truman Peyote and Many Mansions

Turning On is his first full length as Cloud Nothings…8 songs, and roughly 30 minutes.  While I’ve been one to rant about lo-fi in recent months, but Cloud Nothings are proof that it can feel new and fresh.  While the vocals are muffled, they aren’t fuzzy, and rather than making garage rock he turns out extremely catchy pop that fringes pop punk.

Turning On was pressed in a limited run of 50 CDs and 100 tapes.  When I saw that these were selling for only $5 I couldn’t pass it up, especially with how many times I had listed to “Hey Cool Kid” (which happens to be playing right now as I type this).  I expected this album to be good, but I had no idea that it would be awesome from beginning to end.  Overall Turning On is an extremely impressive debut from this pop mastermind.  “Can’t Stay Awake” very well might be one of my favorite songs of the year.

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Old Street”

Both tracks are from Turning On (pictured to the right).  This is a very limited release so get them while you can:

Order Cloud Nothings’ Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.

Cloud Nothings also have three more upcoming releases: an LP on Group Tightener, a cassette on Breakfast of Champs, and a cassette on Bathetic.

I would love to see Turning On get released on vinyl… I would surely buy it again.

Grass Widow have released two 12″s with in a matter of months.  Their self titled record on Make A Mess was one of those albums that I looked for for ever, but had no luck.  The first pressing of the LP went out of print very quickly, and even though I tried calling record stores in other parts of the country trying to mail order it I had no luck.  From what I understand the remaining copies of this LP floating around at your local shop are from the second pressing…that appears to be going out of print as fast as the first. It was a nice surprise walking into Permanent Records, and seeing this one up on the wall long after I had given up on it.

Girl pop seems to be king, or queen in this case, and these days there is no shortage of all girl bands…but there are three that I feel are a step above the rest, and Grass Widow is one of those.

Their debut full length on Make A Mess channels a more powerful force, at least for me. In the depths of their music I can feel the faintest hints of Beat Happening.  One might think that this would be a hard thing to pull out of their music being that they are an all girl band, and that one of the corner stones of Beat Happening is Calvin Johnson’s baritone voice, but it is more the subtleties in the music more than a direct comparison that brings this to mind….a vocal cadence or part of a drum beat.  It’s not necessary to see this, but it’s something I pick up on…and in the end anything that reminds me of Beat Happening tends to be a winner with me.

I feel that Grass Widow emphasis this on “Celebrate the Mundane” the second track off the Make A Mess full length.  Even at first listen Grass Widow are clearly different than their contemporaries in the way that they utilize every member of the band.  All three of the women in Grass Widow contribute to the vocals, and it is not just on choruses but at times all three of them are simultaneously singing different lyrics….creating harmonies that at first don’t seem possible.  This combination of lyrics, vocals, cadence, and harmony are where I truly see the connections I alluded to above, but occasionally in the beat as well.

[mp3] Grass Widow- “Celebrate the Mundane”

Grass Widow bring in the the horns later on in the LP, and overall have created a truly beautiful post-twee record. Extremely impressive as a debut LP, and one that has been spinning on the turntable and headphones for weeks. It’s looking like this is another one in my year end list as well.

Buy Grass Widow’s Self Titled album here.

A couple Sundays ago Grass Widow jumped on the bill for the Tom Tom Magazine launch party at Bruar Falls.  Grass Widow had been playing shows all weekend, but I didn’t quite make it to any of them, and when I heard this show was at Bruar Falls I couldn’t not go.  If you the Great Pumpkin you already know this, but Bruar Falls just happens to be my favorite venue right now…so the location was perfect.

I got to Bruar Falls about 20 minutes before Grass Widow went on, and the place was totally packed.  It seemed like more people were there for the magazine than the music (this was made clear by how many people just talked through the bands sets), but I guess that could be expected.  I was a little surprised by the music that was being played between sets…after all Tom Tom Magazine is a magazine about female drummers, but I’m pretty sure there wasn’t an actual drum set used in any of the dance/hip hop music that was being played (I guess a party atmosphere was the desired effect)….just thought this was odd and worth mentioning.

By time Grass Widow took the stage I was really ready to hear the music that I came for, and these ladies brought it.  With songs like “Celebrate the Mundane” and “To Where” it can be hard for a band to pull it off live, but Grass Widow were well practiced and sounded great even on what I assume, due to the distance they traveled without a full tour, was borrowed equipment.  It’s really impressive that all three of their vocals can be so tight in a live setting.  I was able to capture some of this on video, and I am now happy to share it with you.

Grass Widow- “Lulu’s Lips”

[mp3] Grass Widow- “Lulu’s Lips” off of the Captured Tracks 12″.  Buy it here.

While reviewing my recordings I realized that I didn’t know three of the tracks I taped.  I emailed Grass Widow, and Hannah was kind enough to help me identify them.

Hannah informed me that the three tracks are from their yet to be recorded album for Slumberland Records!  Grass Widow will be hitting the studio in January, and these three tracks, and many others, will be put to tape.  Enjoy:

Grass Widow- “Give Me Shapes”

Grass Widow- “Landscape”

Grass Widow- “Uncertain Memory”

Thanks to Hannah, and the rest of Grass Widow, for identifying these songs for me.  I’m really looking forward to the new record, and to your return to New York!

Links:

• Buy Grass Widow releases here.
• Grass Widows website/myspace
• more on Slumberland Records here.
• more on Captured Tracks Records here.
• more on Permanent Records here.
• more gprecs videos here.
• more This Week In Mail Order here.

A couple weeks ago I got a copy of BOAT’s new album Setting the Paces. It’s not unlike me to get obsessive over an album, but it has been damn hard to get Setting the Paces out of my headphones (literally at least once a day since I got it).

BOAT make up beat indie pop with catchy hooks, and lyrics that are borderline twee (and as you probably know I have no problem with this) that latched on to my brain. When some bad things started happening around me lat week I was really glad to have BOAT to help pull me out of the sadness.

Setting the Paces is BOAT’s 3rd LP, but the first that I am hearing…and if it is any indication of their other work there is a strong chance I might end up with all of them.

BOAT was one of those bands that didn’t initially sink in, and “Name Tossing” was the first track that I heard (and this was long before I heard the whole album).  It ended up on a mix I made out of  tracks I downloaded.  At first I was indifferent, then I kept going back to it, and then I played it on repeat…it was a slow but gradual progression to obsession.  At that point I snagged a couple more tracks from The Finest Kiss and Soundbites, two blogs that have been championing BOAT for quite a while.

There is something intensely personal about BOAT.  Their songs aren’t just songs…they are stories about friends, family, life, and fantasy.  BOAT is a band that indie pop fans will probably fall in love with, and if the musicians are anything like their music…people you would want to be friends with as well.  When a band writes a description of their own music…I am typically skeptical…but I think BOAT’s is true to form:

Reptile boy vocals being sung in the same room with many guitars, a bass, two drumsets, a Wurlitzer, several keyboards, mediocre talent, fragile egos, some soft tacos, a piece of pizza, and several Diet Cokes. (via)

Besides the diet cokes, this sounds pretty much amazing…and Setting the Paces is the product of this.  And from this description you  can only expect lyrics about eating nachos, hanging out with the family, friends of past and present, and stories of sadness and success.  You will probably find yourself singing along with lines like “I knew you when your mini van was up on cinder blocks” (from “Reverie”) or “I was eating nachos, sitting with my mother, talking bout nothing, talking about growing….up in New Jersey, a state without a hero…who could be our hero?  Drive into the City!”  (from “Lately”).   It’s very seldom that a band can write lyrics like this, and not sound cheesy…but rather completely honest and sincere, and from what I can tell…BOAT does this better than anyone.

[mp3] BOAT- “Price of Tacoma”

[mp3] BOAT- “Lately”

both are from Setting the Paces…if you like these you are sure to love the whole album.

Buy Setting the Paces here!

then…..

Go see BOAT play live, on what I think is a very rare East Coast tour:

“we could be the touring band and eat take out food every night of the week, but I’m not all that interested in that” (from “Jeff Fell Dream #48″)

• 11/11/09-  Boston, Massachusetts @ PA’s Lounge
• 11/12/09-  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Pilam (all ages!)
• 11/13/09- Brooklyn, New York @ Union Hall
• 11/14/09- Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY @ Bruar Falls

If you can make it to any of these shows I’m pretty sure that it is guaranteed to be an energetic fun filled night.  I don’t know about you, but I think I can use one of those. Setting the Paces appears to be BOAT’s first album to be put out on LP, and I can’t wait to pick one up on Saturday at Bruar Falls.  BOAT claims that their line up for this East Coast tour knows 23 BOAT songs, and all will be played…I predict good things to come of this.

Links:

• Boat’s Website
• Magic Market Records
• more this week in mail order.