ticket giveaway: Clinic

Clinic is going to be playing here in DC on the mainstage at Black Cat on Wednesday night. If you'd like to win a pair of tickets to this one, email me (5actsblog at gmail dot com) with the name of the band's record label as the subject line. Good luck!

Clinic on MySpace
Clinic on The Hype Machine

how memory works

The Twilight Sad - And She Would Darken The Memory

Pulp - Do You Remember The First Time

Antennas - Always On My Mind

Bloc Party - I Still Remember (Lull's Music Box & Tears Mix)

Seabear - Hands Remember

Robyn: "Cobrastyle" Whore

So last night I accidentally saw part of Craig Ferguson and Robyn was once again performing "Cobrastyle" on a talk show. Damn, she gets around! I didn't see this particular one on YouTube when I just looked, but you sure as hell can find a few other performances of her doing the Teddybears cover. I was most surprised to see Elizabeth Hasselbeck introducing her on The View! At the end Whoopi tells Robyn how much she loves the entire CD. Craziness! Way to get on it, Whoopi. I enjoyed it too... when I originally got it back in '05! Check it out below. Then also her performance on Letterman.

tonight: The Mary Onettes

I honestly wasn't sure that I'd ever get the opportunity to see these guys live, but right now I'm off to catch The Mary Onettes at DC9. I placed their self-titled release at #8 on my list for favorite albums of 2007 and loved "Still" so much that it ranked an impressive #3 on my favorite songs last year. If you'd like to join me tonight, doors open at 8:30 and tickets are $10. The Mary Onettes are scheduled to go on at 9:50.

The Mary Onettes on MySpace
The Mary Onettes on The Hype Machine

Birdmonster: New Album in August

Birdmonster has announced that From The Mountain To The Sea will be out August 5 through Sony/RED Distribution. This marks the band's second full-length and is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2006's No Midnight.

Track Listing:
01 My Love For You
02 Lost At Sea
03 New Country
04 Born To Be Your Man
05 Concrete Lights
06 Greenland Sound
07 The Iditarod
08 The Only One
09 Our Ashes
10 Heart Of The Dead
11 Residue
12 I Might Have Guessed

Birdmonster on MySpace
Birdmonster on The Hype Machine

Ida: New EP in August

Ida will be releasing a 7-song EP from Polyvinyl on August 5. Containing only two original tracks, My Fair, My Dark covers songs from artists like Dolly Parton and Anne Briggs. Don't forget to put May 26 on your calendar; Ida will be at IOTA. Other dates are below.

05/24 - Woodstock, NY - Varga Gallery
05/26 - Arlington, VA - IOTA
05/27 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
06/01 - Somerville, MA - The Nave Gallery
06/17 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall

Tracklist for My Fair, My Dark:
1. My Fair, My Dark
2. Don't Wreck It
3. Road To Ruin
4. The Pain Of Loving You
5. Late Blues (live)
6. Still Life
7. Time Has Come
8. Darkess Night (bonus track - vinyl only)

Ida on MySpace
Ida on The Hype Machine

tonight: Pattern Is Movement, The Helio Sequence

Tonight Black Cat welcomes Pattern Is Movement and The Helio Sequence for a backstage performance. I really like the new albums from both bands and "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" by The Helio Sequence is probably my favorite song so far in 2008. The show starts sometime after 9pm and tickets are only $10.

Sunfold

Raleigh, NC

"Between The Worlds"

Sunfold on MySpace

Sunfold on The Hype Machine

Downtown Harvest

Philadelphia, PA

"Sinner"

Downtown Harvest on MySpace

Downtown Harvest on The Hype Machine

Cranes & Crows

Eau Claire, WI

"Cornered"

Cranes & Crows on MySpace

Cranes & Crows on The Hype Machine

The Pines

Minneapolis, MN

"Careless Love"

The Pines on MySpace

The Pines on The Hype Machine

Stars Like Fleas

Brooklyn, NY

"I Was Only Dancing"

Stars Like Fleas on MySpace

Stars Like Fleas on The Hype Machine

sunday shuffle

Mineral - SoundsLikeSunday

The Wombats - Sunday TV

Beirut - A Sunday Smile

The Apples In Stereo - Sunday Sounds

The Legends - Another Sunday

Van She - Strangers

The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

Annuals - Sore

Coldplay - Violet Hill

Mike Doughty - Fort Hood

Lips & RIbs

Portland, OR

"Hilltop With Mother"

Lips & Ribs on MySpace

Lips & Ribs on The Hype Machine

The Mae-Shi

Los Angeles, CA

"The Melody"

The Mae-Shi on MySpace

The Mae-Shi on The Hype Machine

Kelley Polar

Sullivan, NH

"Entropy Reigns"

Kelley Polar on MySpace

Kelley Polar on The Hype Machine

Elika

Brooklyn, NY

"Let Down"

Elika on MySpace

Elika on The Hype Machine

Faunts

Edmonton, AB

"Sleepwalker"

Faunts on MySpace

Faunts on The Hype Machine

Dance Remix: Bill O'Reilly

What an idiot...

Spin.com Artist of the Day: Pomegranates

I finally got off my lazy butt and posted my love for Pomegranates a couple of days ago and today they're Spin.com's artist of the day! Check out the front page here and the article here.

Aaaaand... you should also watch the band's video for "Whom/Who."

a note from LoveLikeFire

Hi All:

Before we head into the studio in August, we're doing a quick mini tour from LA to Chicago ending up back at home to play Live105's BFD festival! We'll have lot's of new songs plus some awesome new tour freebies to hand out at all our dates. Hope to see you in your city!

xoxo Ann, Ted, Robert, Dave


Dates:
05/19 - Spaceland - Los Angeles, CA
05/20 - Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA
05/29 - Solid Ground Cafe - Sandy, UT
05/30 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO
05/31 - Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
06/03 - Schubas - Chicago, IL
06/07 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Moutain View, CA

Xfm Scotland

Ever wonder what happens when a song gets played on Xfm in Scotland? Click below to find out.

What Happens When A Song Is Played On Xfm Scotland? from Xfm Scotland on Vimeo.

Indie Rock Reviews: The Diggs

Indie Rock Reviews is currently offering an exclusive download of The Diggs inspired track “…And In The End Shoot Back” with an interview they recently conducted with the group to dig further into their beginnings, inspiration, and future aspirations. Read the interview and download the track here.

IRR: If you had a million dollars to spend on a recording would you do anything differently than what you did with “Ctrl”?

Timothy: I would’ve liked to have finished it in a month as opposed to the better part of spring and a whole summer. Money would certainly be able to make that possible. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing about our record.

Robert: Probably…but then it wouldn’t be Ctrl-Alt-Del, would it?

Charlie: Not at all, it’s the spirit of the players that counts when making a record.

Timothy Lannen also talked to Indie Rock Reviews about what inspired “…And In The End Shoot Back.” In light of the story behind Timothy’s epiphany while reading Brendan Colin Xavier Darcy’s unfinished novel Daysleeper, Indie Rock Reviews is currently running a contest asking readers, “Have you ever had a life-changing event occur to you while listening to music? You know, some profound moment when you were listening to a song and everything made sense or your world changed. If so please tell us about it.” What they find to be the best answer will win the autographed album, enter by sending your answer to info@indierockreviews.com.

28 Degrees Taurus

Boston, MA
Sit back. Close your eyes. Listen and love.

"Waves Of Love"
28 Degrees Taurus on MySpace
28 Degrees Taurus on The Hype Machine

Bigmouth Strikes Again

York / Harrisburg, PA
Instrumentation with depth! ...and this is no cover band for The Smiths.

"A Thought"
Bigmouth Strikes Again on MySpace
Bigmouth Strikes Again on The Hype Machine

School Of Language

Sunderland, England
Wishing I could go on an "Extended Holiday" sometime soon...

"Extended Holiday"
School Of Language on MySpace
School Of Language on The Hype Machine

What Made Milwaukee Famous

Austin, TX
On What Doesn't Kill Us, it seems that What Made Milwaukee Famous really made an effort to steer away from the electronic influences that their previous record included. That being said, it's still a nice selection of songs and shows this Austin band has quite the diversity.

"Sultan"
What Made Milwaukee Famous on MySpace
What Made Milwaukee Famous on The Hype Machine

Samamidon

Vermont / NYC
This song is dedicated to Beth, who just asked me to be part of a very special day in September. Congratulations to her and Evan!

"Wedding Dress"
Samamidon on MySpace
Samamidon on The Hype Machine

Pomegranates

Cincinnati, OH
I love everything about Pomegranates, and Everything Is Alive is absolutely one of my favorite debuts of the year.

"Thunder Meadow"

Pomegranates on MySpace
Pomegranates on The Hype Machine

Mates Of State

CA / KS / CT
Mates Of State are back with Re-Arrange Us as their second release from Barsuk. This particular track showcases pleasant piano where the duo would usually give us their signature synthiness.

"My Only Offer"
Mates Of State on MySpace
Mates Of State on The Hype Machine

Death Cab For Cutie

Seattle, WA
Do we even care any more?

"I Will Possess Your Heart"
Death Cab For Cutie on MySpace
Death Cab For Cutie on The Hype Machine

Meho Plaza

Los Angeles, CA
After a few EPs from Meho Plaza, we now have a proper full-length. I wish it was all completely new music, but I'll take what I can get. The self-titled disc is out now from Better Looking Records.

"Let's Play Police"
Meho Plaza on MySpace
Meho Plaza on The Hype Machine

Hi-Fidel And DJ Crucial

Chicago, IL / St. Louis, MO
Slick lyrics and funky rhythms.

"Diamonds"
Hi-Fidel And DJ Crucial on MySpace
Hi-Fidel And DJ Crucial on The Hype Machine

Cut Copy

Melbourne, Australia
I'm giving away a fun prize pack from Cut Copy in celebration of their show here in DC on Thursday night at Black Cat with Black Kids and Mobius Band. Included will be the new CD, 3-D glasses, an autographed poster, a Cut Copy tote bag, and some stickers! For your chance to win these hot items, email me at 5actsblog at gmail dot com using the title of their new album as the subject line. Good luck!

"Lights & Music"
Cut Copy on MySpace
Cut Copy on The Hype Machine

We Are Scientists

Brooklyn, NY
The new disc from We Are Scientists, Brain Thrust Mastery, is finally out here in the States tomorrow.

"After Hours"
We Are Scientists on MySpace
We Are Scientists on The Hype Machine

This Is Ivy League

New York, NY

Dreamy pop!

"The Richest Kids"
This Is Ivy League on MySpace
This Is Ivy League on The Hype Machine

Tokyo Police Club

Newmarket, ON
New video from Tokyo Police Club for "In A Cave."

"In A Cave"
Tokyo Police Club on MySpace
Tokyo Police Club on The Hype Machine

The Botticellis

San Francisco, CA
Old Home Movies from The Botticellis is out tomorrow via Antenna Farm.

"Old Home Movies"
The Botticellis on MySpace
The Botticellis on The Hype Machine

Efterklang - Caravan

Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating

Bear In Heaven - Shining And Free

Clinic - The Witch

Gnarls Barkley - Going On

tour: Bellman Barker

05/17 - The Black Lodge - Kingston, PA
05/18 - M Room - Philadelphia, PA
05/19 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA
05/19 - Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA
05/20 - Sidewalk Cafe - New York, NY
05/22 - Green Parrot Grille - Virginia Beach, VA
05/23 - Lefty's House - Raleigh, NC
05/24 - Rumors Boutique - Richmond, VA
05/25 - Old Ways House - Brooklyn, NY
05/26 - Sidewalk Cafe - New York, NY
05/27 - Jukebox The Ghost House - Philadelphia, PA
05/28 - Sidebar - Baltimore, MD
05/29 - The Loft - Fredericksburg, VA


Bellman Barker - Bronx Lullaby/Smuggler's Waltz

saturday shuffle: rain

In honor of all the crazy rainy weather we've been having here...

Shout Out Louds - Hard Rain
Placebo - English Summer Rain
Ova Looven - Sugar Rain
Hood - Still Rain Fell
Alaska In Winter - Rain On Every Weekend

SNL tonight: My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket will play SNL for the very first time tonight. Tune in to NBC at 11:30 pm ET for what LA Weekly has declared "the best live band in the world."

My Morning Jacket on MySpace
My Morning Jacket on The Hype Machine

Hot Lava

Richmond, VA
Even though they're