5 Acts: October 2006

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Mixel Pixel

Brooklyn, NY
Here's a band I just can't get enough of. Mixel Pixel's debut CD, Music For Plants, came out today on Kanine Records and the band is playing a show here in DC at DC9 on November 20.

posted by Jared at 10/31/2006

Two Sheds

Sacramento, CA
Actually there are three people in Two Sheds, but I really like this photo... so my apologies to whichever one of you is not pictured above.

posted by Jared at 10/31/2006

Duplomacy

Minneapolis, MN
All These Long Drives is the debut full-length from Duplomacy. It can be ordered directly from 2024 Records.

posted by Jared at 10/31/2006

Tobias Froberg

Sweden
On the latest album from Tobias Froberg he gets a lot of help from people like Linus Larrson, Ane Brun, and Teitur. This is recommended for anyone who likes artists like Jose Gonzalez.

posted by Jared at 10/31/2006

Death Ships

Iowa City, IA
Death Ships is finishing up a tour with Jay Bennett (ex-Wilco member). Their debut full-length is available now.

posted by Jared at 10/31/2006

Monday, October 30, 2006

The Seedy Seeds

Cincinnati, OH
The Seedy Seeds makes sweet dancey pop music. They claim they started the band to force themselves to play instruments they had but didn't know how to play. Pick up their EP - it's only $2!

posted by Jared at 10/30/2006

Star

Chicago, IL
That's right. Star - singular - no S. This trio is from Chicago and you'll be all over it if you like dreamy shoegaze rock.

posted by Jared at 10/30/2006

Holy Hail


New York, NY
Holy Hail is suggested for anyone who likes bands like Love Is All. They'll be playing around NYC on October 31, November 1, and November 4 as part of CMJ.

posted by Jared at 10/30/2006

Emmon

Stockholm, Sweden
Can anything bad come out of Sweden? I don't think so. Emmon is the solo project from Emma Nylen and when she's not working on her own material, she's busy DJing and remixing other artists like The Knife or Melody Club.

posted by Jared at 10/30/2006

The Postmarks

Miami, FL
The Postmarks has just released their Remixes EP and it features re-works by people like Brookville, James Iha, and Tahiti 80.

posted by Jared at 10/30/2006

Friday, October 27, 2006

The Red Paintings

Brisbane, Australia
And the nonstop shows continue through the weekend... The Red Paintings is opening for The Dresden Dolls tonight at 9:30 Club.
"Walls"
The Red Paintings on MySpace

posted by Jared at 10/27/2006

De Novo Dahl

Nashville, TN
De Novo Dahl will be performing as part of DAM Festival here in DC on Saturday night. They're playing at DC9 with other great acts like Forget Cassettes, Pela, Bound Stems, and Bishop Allen.

posted by Jared at 10/27/2006

Palomar

Brooklyn, NY
Palomar has finished their new album but the official title and release date is still TBA. They'll be at Black Cat tomorrow evening with +/- and The Wrens.

posted by Jared at 10/27/2006

Lady Sovereign

London, UK
Lady Sovereign is doing an early show tomorrow night at 9:30 Club (doors at 5:30). Her debut full-length is out on Tuesday and here's the Missy Elliott Remix of a song from that album.

posted by Jared at 10/27/2006

The Wrens

New Jersey
The Wrens will be playing tomorrow night at Black Cat with Palmoar and +/-. Here's an oldie but a goodie from their 2002 release The Meadowlands.

posted by Jared at 10/27/2006

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Tilly And The Wall

Omaha, NE
Since this week is crazy with good shows here in DC, I'm going to highlight a few of the bands I'll be trying to see. Tonight Tilly And The Wall is at Black Cat with a great Canadian band, Pony Up, and a great Swedish band, Love Is All. What a lineup!

posted by Jared at 10/25/2006

Love Is All

Gothenburg, Sweden
Love Is All is playing tonight with Pony Up and Tilly And The Wall at Black Cat. Can't wait!

posted by Jared at 10/25/2006

Spank Rock

Philadelphia, PA
Spank Rock will be perfroming at Black Cat on Friday night.

posted by Jared at 10/25/2006

The National

Brooklyn, NY
It's such a nice story of how the guys in The National started out as friends in Cincinnati and then ended up living near each other again in the Brooklyn area. They're playing at Black Cat tomorrow night.

posted by Jared at 10/25/2006

The Dresden Dolls

Boston, MA
The Dresden Dolls will be playing at 9:30 Club on Friday. I've never seen them live before, so it should be interesting.

posted by Jared at 10/25/2006

Friday, October 20, 2006

The Knife

Stockholm, Sweden
I wanted to start the weekend off with one of my favorite remixes that involves two of my favorite duos. It's the Ratatat Remix of "We Share Our Mother's Health" from The Knife. Also, check out The Knife's new video for "Like A Pen" - watch it here.

posted by Jared at 10/20/2006

Emily Haines

Toronto, ON
Emily Haines is best known for being the lead singer for Metric and part-time perfromer for Broken Social Scene. She's now put out a solo disc. I'll admit that I was reluctant to give this a serious listen at first, primarily due to the hillbilly sounding junk that a lot of solo females have been dishing out here lately. However, Knives Don't Have Your Back is a very nice record. It won't make you wanna jump up and bust a move, but I do have something to help you with that... If you're looking for dancing inspiration, please watch this video.

posted by Jared at 10/20/2006

Beach House

Baltimore, MD
Beach House is a duo signed to one of my new favorite labels, Carpark Records. They're currently touring the U.S. with labelmates Over The Atlantic through the end of November, including the DAM Festival in DC and CMJ in New York.

posted by Jared at 10/20/2006

Cale Parks

Brooklyn, NY
Cale Parks is one of the masterminds behind the spectacular band Aloha. He's released a solo record through Polyvinyl, and it mostly showcases his talent as an instrumentalist and focuses very little on vocals. This is one of my favorites on Illuminated Manuscript.

posted by Jared at 10/20/2006

Favourite Sons

Brooklyn, NY
Favourite Sons is playing in Europe right now, but they'll be back in the States on October 28 to kick off their U.S. tour with a show in Philly. I'm seeing them the following night at Black Cat with The Drones.

posted by Jared at 10/20/2006

Thursday, October 19, 2006

The Changes

Chicago, IL
The song I'm featuring here from The Changes is one that I just can't get enough of. They've started touring now and will even be playing at CMJ.

posted by Jared at 10/19/2006

Candy Bars

Tampa, FL
Candy Bars has made a beautiful album with a strong balance between dreamy vocals and bittersweet instrumentation. On Cutting Ti-Gers in Half and Understanding Narravation is available now from New Granada Records.

posted by Jared at 10/19/2006

Minxy Soul Models

Gothenburg, Sweden
Minxy Soul Models just released their debut full-length back in May, but they're already going to be starting to record their next one before the end of this year. Peter, vocalist for the band, wrote me and told me that the next disc will definitely be more pop driven than the previous. Stay tuned!

posted by Jared at 10/19/2006

Cut Copy

Melbourne, Australia
I'm ready for some new material from Cut Copy. Bright Like Neon Love came out back in 2004, but I am still enjoying it today.

posted by Jared at 10/19/2006

120 Days

Norway
120 Days begins their U.S./Canadian tour on Monday, but it won't last quite a month before they head back to Norway. Check out the dates at their MySpace page.

posted by Jared at 10/19/2006

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Bad Veins

Cincinnati, OH
Bad Veins is Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz. All I have right now from these guys is a demos EP, but I can't wait to hear what they do next. Looks like they'll be playing a few dates in Brooklyn and NYC in the middle of November, so be sure to catch them if you're in that area.
"Falling Tide"
Bad Veins on MySpace

posted by Jared at 10/18/2006

The Legends

Stockholm, Sweden
Damn! Facts And Figures is the new album from The Legends and I LOVE IT! This is by far my favorite album for the month of October. Order it now from Parasol and receive the limited edition version that contains a bonus DVD.
"Disco Sucks"
The Legends on MySpace

posted by Jared at 10/18/2006

The Oohlas

Los Angeles, CA
The Oohlas is led by Greg Eklund, former drummer for Everclear. Oh come on! You know "Santa Monica" was your jam back in the summer of '95. Okay, maybe not. Anyway... this is good shit and very reminiscent of great 90s bands like Belly, The Breeders, or Veruca Salt.

posted by Jared at 10/18/2006

Beat Radio

Bellmore, NY
Beat Radio is led by New Yorker Brian Sendrowitz. You can download the new LP at the Beat Radio MySpace page. How can you beat that? (Hint: See comment below and Chris will tell you how!)
"Treetops"
Beat Radio on MySpace

posted by Jared at 10/18/2006

Subtle

Oakland, CA
Subtle is a sextet with an array of musical backgrounds and contains members of other projects like 13&God and Themselves. Their latest effort, For Hero: For Fool, is available now.

posted by Jared at 10/18/2006

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Cities

Chapel Hill, NC
Cities has just released a remix disc that includes impressive reworks by artists like Ladytron and Isan. Here's one from Mike Westbrook, who won Yep Roc''s Cities Remix Contest.

posted by Jared at 10/17/2006

Make Believe

Chicago, IL
The Kinsella dynasty can do no wrong in my eyes really; I love 'em in any form or fashion. Make Believe is back with their second full-length record from Flameshovel and it's sure to please all fans of previous projects like Cap 'n Jazz, Joan Of Arc, or Owls.
"Sometimes I See Sideways"
Make Believe on MySpace

posted by Jared at 10/17/2006

James Dean Bradfield

United Kingdom
James Dean Bradfield is singer/guitarist for the rock sensation Manic Street Preachers. While that band is taking a little hiatus, he's put out a solo record that is available now as a UK import.

posted by Jared at 10/17/2006

The Black Neon

London, UK
The Black Neon is Steve Webster. You can watch his video for "tx81z" here.

posted by Jared at 10/17/2006

Fujiya & Miyagi

Brighton, UK
A lot of the music on the new album from Fujiya & Miyagi reminds me of Lali Puna. It's fresh and dancey the whole way through.

posted by Jared at 10/17/2006

Monday, October 16, 2006

Oxford Collapse

Brooklyn, NY
Here's a CD that I like more and more with each listen. Remember The Night Parties is the third full-length from Oxford Collapse and their debut on the Sub Pop label. They're touring with Chin Up Chin Up right now and I can't even imagine two bands meshing this well together.

posted by Jared at 10/16/2006

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names

Stockholm, Sweden
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names is the Swedish duo made up of Peter Gunnarson and Johan Hedberg. They put out an EP in both 2004 and 2005, but now they're back with a long-player and signed to the Chicago-based Minty Fresh. Wahoo!

posted by Jared at 10/16/2006

Klaxons

London, UK
Klaxons has been quite an underground sensation in the UK for about two years now. Here's the Van She remix of their very first single.

posted by Jared at 10/16/2006

The Drones

Melbourne, Australia
The Drones will be kicking off their U.S. tour in Philadelphia later this month. I'm catching them at Black Cat on October 29.

posted by Jared at 10/16/2006

Januar

Littleton, CO
Januar (pronounced Yah-New-Wahr) just self-released their debut full-length, The Way Back Home. I recommend this trio for anyone who likes bands like Low or Mojave 3.

posted by Jared at 10/16/2006

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Myrmidons

New York City, NY
Wow! This remix from The Myrmidons is amazing amazing! And it should be the perfect start for your weekend. Check out their website too - it's pretty damn fun!

posted by Jared at 10/13/2006

Only Son

New York City, NY
Only Son is the solo work of Jack Dishel and he's currently touring the U.S. with Regina Spektor.

posted by Jared at 10/13/2006

Walking Bicycles

Chicago, IL
Walking Bicycles gained many new fans a coupe months back after their live performance at Indy's Midwest Music Summit. Their latest disc is entitled Disconnected and can be purchased directly from their website.

posted by Jared at 10/13/2006

Sparklejet

Fresno, CA
It's been about five years between the releases from Sparklejet, but it was worth the wait. The band got help from the uber talented Steve Albini for their new album and I think the track I'm featuring here is the perfect closer for the album.

posted by Jared at 10/13/2006

Army Navy

Los Angeles, CA
Here's yet another band that has been featured on the hit show The O.C. You're sure to enjoy the debut EP from Army Navy if you like upbeat pop melodies.

posted by Jared at 10/13/2006