Speaking of Tokyo Police Club

I think I found their electronic twin. I heard about Matt & Kim through Cut Copy. Matt & Kim are going to be opening up for them on March 26th at the Masquerade. I had a chance to download their cd "Grand" this week and I jumped at the chance.



I was pleasantly surprised. No wonder why Cut Copy chose this guy and girl to tour with them. They almost sound like they were former punk rock kids. Unpolished vocals over hard hitting live drum beats mixed in with keyboard progressions. I know that sounds familiar, but there is something very unfamiliar about this group. They sound genuine. There sound isn't copied or seem like they are trying to be like someone. They just sound like Matt & Kim and I can't wait to see them live.

Tokyo Police Club _ March 5th in ATL

First of all, I have to admit that I am a lazy bastard. I hate going to the gym. The thought of cleaning is difficult to overcome. My personal lack of motivation is real shame because there is so much going on right now interms of music exploration and shows. I could post every day and still not cover it. You have my word. I will be better. We are already two months into 2009 and it is time to change. If you don't see posts in a timely manner, please comment "you suck". Thank you.

March is going to be bananas in Atlanta!

The first show of the month will be Tokyo Police Club at the Earl of all places. I have been kicking myself for over a year for not going out to see them the last time they were in Atlanta. When I heard about the show three weeks ago (again, lazy for not posting sooner) I had to get tickets. I hope there are still tickets out there for those who don't know who TPC is or those who didn't hear about it.

Here's alittle BIO from the most credit worthy Wikipedia

Tokyo Police Club formed in 2005 while playing for fun in a basement after the four had disbanded from a previous group called Suburbia. The band started to gain attention and played some small shows throughout the Toronto area. With a buzz forming in Montreal, Tokyo Police Club was asked to play in the city's Pop Montreal festival, and soon after they signed with Toronto label Paper Bag Records. According to an interview article: "The band’s Pop Montreal performance was a pivotal moment, even if they didn’t know it. Tipped off by another of their roster, Paper Bag Records checked out TPC’s performance, but the young band didn’t know what to expect. “[We] assumed that [labels] would see you once, bring a contract and a blank cheque, and say, ‘You guys are great! Now you are stars!’” Wright says. “So when they left before we were done we thought they hated us because they didn’t sign us on the spot.” The record deal came eventually, but not before Monks and Alsop told their parents they were dropping out of school to pursue their dreams." [1] In an interview, Graham said, "playing Pop Montreal was the only thing that made us be a band. In all seriousness, if it wasn't for that Pop Montreal festival, we wouldn't have done anything. Ever. I cannot overstate the importance of Pop Montreal." [2]

Since their formation the band has appeared in numerous festivals. Notably, in 2006 they appeared at Edgefest and the inaugural Osheaga Festival. In 2007, they performed at the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, at Lollapalooza in Chicago, at Bumbershoot in Seattle, at Glastonbury Festival and Reading Festival in England, in 2008 at Roskilde Festival in Denmark and at Rock am Ring-Festival in Germany, and Street Scene in San Diego.

In the fall of 2008, the band played on the last 6 weeks of Weezer's Troublemaker Tour along with Angels and Airwaves.

In terms of writing songs while on the road, Wright said in an interview: "We're really bad at writing on the road. We've been trying to write new songs since the summer, and just because we've been touring so often and everything's been so busy, it's been a struggle to find that time and find that groove that we have to get into to successfully write songs." [3]

Tokyo Police Club has been nominated for a Canadian Juno award for their 2008 album, Elephant Shell.

For February and March of 2009, the band is touring with Invisible Children Inc. to help raise awareness of the situation in Uganda that the film Invisible Children focused on.

Here's a little music to get you situated with TPC:

The wait is over

Now I have had three days of listening to The March of the Zapotec/Holland from Beirut. This album has meet every one of my expectations. The Mexican Funeral Band provides the melancholy that suits Beirut so well but also provides some furious percussion on several tracks. The only problem with the EP is that it is too short. By the time March of the Zapotec ends Holland begins. By the time Holland ends I desperately wanted more. Both EPs are a good sign of things to come from both Beirut and RealPeople. The time Zach had off from Music has served him well. He has come back with a vengence with this new realease and it was long overdue. Welcome back Beirut.

The Beirut Countdown Begins...

I have been patiently waiting for new Beirut ever since the Flying Club Cup was released. I have tried to goble up anything I can find from Zach Condon. On the 17th of Febuary, Zach is releasing a double disk ep. The March of the Zapotec by the Beirut moniker is half the ep. Realpeople is Zach's other moniker that he has been working on since his first record. Realpeople is the electronic side of Zach. I am excited get a chance to hear this side of him. Click here for a great interview from Pitchfork with Zach talking about the upcoming release.

Did Kanye West Lose a bet?

Seriously someone has to say something about the mullet Kanye West was rocking Sunday Night. I know he is trying to be hipster with the 80's cut and awful 808 Heartbreak release. At some point someone near him needs to say something. Dude, the 80's weren't that cool. I am just saying.

A Little Death, A Litte Rock

Pete and The Pirates have been on my radar for over six months now. About a month ago the cd fell into my hands and I have been listening ever since. The English Rock band Released their debut album Febuary 17th, 2008.



The critics opinions have been all over the place. For example Vice Magazine gave the ablum a 0 out of 10 but Pitchfork gave them a 8 out of 10. I really don't care. I love this shit. The album rocks. The energy is high. The tunes are catchy. It is pop on overdrive.



I hope the tunes above. If you like that, then check out the album. It is chalk full of hits.

John Frusciante - Life After Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Don’t freak out. He’s still in RHCP, or was last time I checked. This post is about the present and future of this artist.

Many times bands break apart for solo projects. Some succeed (Thom Yorke) and some fail (Rivers Cuomo) to get the same recognition or fame they found in the “band”. John Frusciante continues to do great things for the rock genera in his tenth solo album “The Empyrean.” John started working on his first album fourteen years ago while recording Blood Sugar Sex Magic. John's history has been an intersting one with two stints with the RHCPs and a five year solo carrer inbetween.

On the first listen, with the first track “Before the Beginning”, I listened and put cd away. Without the complete album listen through I put that first song way out of context. It starts with a spooky scattered procession to a heart wrenching guitar ballad. By the end of the song, I thought, okay this is another guitar driven instrumental album. I moved on to other downloads.

When I came back to “The Empyrean” I found the second track, “Seed to the Siren” to be the exact opposite. In just the second song, John moves out from behind the guitar to sing with incredible range and tenderness. This track is almost completely void the guitar that was so prevalent in the previous track. Backed by warm electric and piano tones, his voice is the star here.

With that beginning out of the way, John Frusciante proceeds to bang out ten additional tracks that perfectly blend his unique vocals and guitar style. Such a great idea to play off the idea of him only playing guitar then when you get comfortable, he blows you away with his voice. Some of “The Empyrean” is accompanied by live band while some takes an electronic approach. Many of the songs use processors and digital effects to turn Frusciante's voice into an instrument of sorts. I usually think this is a tool to overcome an artist's vocal short comings (See Kayne West latest album for many, many, many examples).

I hope his lyrics in “Heaven” aren’t prophectic:
“There is a future that is calling, but I don’t see it coming.”
Frusciante’s blend of classic rock roots, electronic production, and new wave song writing has created a sound for the future. I would love to see him get the recognition he is long overdue for this album so we have an opportunity to hear more. I see a bright future for John Frusciante.