Shugo Tokumaru - Clocca

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele - Meet Me In The Garden

Threatmantics - Little Bird

Princeton - The Waves

Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs - Big Blonde

UME

Austin, TX
Here's the band that I'm most excited to see at SXSW. UME will be playing in their hometown of Austin on March 14 for the Reversal Films Party at Mohawk, March 16 for WOXY.com, March 18 for the BMI / Girls Rock Camp Showcase, and March 19 for a day party at Ace's Lounge. Can't wait!

"Pendulum"
UME on MySpace
UME on The Hype Machine

Big Moves

Los Angeles, CA

I think every band should try to start their songs out with handclaps. Big Moves is very reminiscent of bands like Electrelane. Listen to these guys and you won't be able to stop movin' and shakin'!

"Brontosaurus"
Big Moves on MySpace
Big Moves on The Hype Machine

Faces On Film

Boston, MA
When asked about albums of 2008, the guys in Mason Proper chose The Troubles as one of their favorites. I wasn't even aware Faces On Film had a new record! Oh well, I'm making up for it now and loving it!

"Friends With Both Arms"
Faces On Film on MySpace
Faces On Film on The Hype Machine

Telefon Tel Aviv

Chicago, IL
I can't get enough of the latest from Telefon Tel Aviv. So sad about Charlie. Truly a great loss to the music world.

"Helen Of Troy"
Telefon Tel Aviv on MySpace>
Telefon Tel Aviv on The Hype Machine

Kinky

Monterrey, Neuvo Leon, Mexico
Kinky's new disc Barracuda (most likely named after the Heart hit song) came out this week from Nettwerk.

"Hasta Quemarnos"
Kinky on MySpace
Kinky on The Hype Machine

Pree

Washington, DC
With unforgettable vocals and instrumentation, Pree is led by the marvelous May Tabol (formerly of Le Loup). A Chopping Block is the debut EP, and it'll be out March 24 from The Kora Records. This one may only include five songs, but it has quite an all-star cast - John Thayer and Susan Hsu of Exit Clov, Tom Hnatow of These United States, Vanessa Degrassi of Ash Lovely, and Randy Scope of Donny Hue and the Colors. Pree's lineup now includes Chris Dewitt on drums, Vanessa Degrassi on mandolin and flute, and David Barker on electric guitar. The next time they're playing in DC is March 19 at Black Cat, which also happens to be the CD release show. Not one to be missed!

"In The Parlor"
Pree on MySpace
Pree on The Hype Machine

tUnE-yArDs

Montreal, QC
Love the music, hate the way every other letter is capitalized in her moniker. sO fUcKiNg AnNoYiNg. Every time I look at it I think I'm in an AOL chatroom back in '95.

"Sunlight"
tUnE-yArDs on MySpace
tUnE-yArDs on The Hype Machine

Real Estate

Ridgewood, NJ
Real Estate has a great vintage vibe that reminds me of why I fell in love with bands like Ida.

"Suburban Beverage"
Real Estate on MySpace
Real Estate on The Hype Machine

The Traditionist

Huntington Beach, CA
The Traditionist is the new project from Joey Barro of The Antiques. The debut record Season to Season will be released via Better Looking Records March 10 and comes highly recommended if you enjoy other singer/songwriters like Peasant.

"A Sleep Be Told"
The Traditionist on MySpace
The Traditionist on The Hype Machine

Benjy Ferree

Washington, DC
Make sure to tune in to the Lounge Act today on WOXY.com today at 4:30 pm ET for Benjy Ferree. His new disc is available now from Domino.

"Fear"
Benjy Ferree on MySpace
Benjy Ferree on The Hype Machine

tomorrow night at Rock & Roll Hotel: Midnight Masses

Midnight Masses is currently on tour with ...And You Will Us By The Trail Of Dead. Tomorrow night these two bands will be playing here in DC at Rock & Roll Hotel along with Funeral Party. Doors open at 8:00 and the show starts at 8:30.

Midnight Masses on MySpace
Midnight Masses on The Hype Machine

tonight at Rock & Roll Hotel: Title Tracks

Above is the artwork for the new Title Tracks 7" out on Dischord April 6. Tonight the band will be playing at Rock & Roll Hotel in between two other local acts, Paul Michel and Carol Bui. Doors open at 8:00 and the show starts at 8:30.

Paul Michel on MySpace
Title Tracks on MySpace
Carol Bui on MySpace

Sky Larkin - Beeline

Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision

Fol Chen - Cable TV

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up

Shugo Tokumaru - Clocca

Doves - Kingdom Of Rust

The Presets - If I Know You

Ladytron - Tomorrow

School Of Seven Bells - Half Asleep

Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell

WOXY.com Lounge Act: Sybris

Sybris had a great record last year that didn't get as much attention as it deserved. Make sure to check out 'em out today on WOXY.com at 4:30 pm ET.

Sybris on MySpace
Sybris on The Hype Machine

Here We Go Magic

Brooklyn, NY

"Tunnelvision"

Here We Go Magic on MySpace

Here We Go Magic on The Hype Machine

We Have Band

London, England

"Hear It In The Cans"

We Have Band on MySpace

We Have Band on The Hype Machine

Max Tundra

London, England

"Which Song"

Max Tundra on MySpace

Max Tundra on The Hype Machine

Carmen Rizzo

Hollywood, CA

"Ecouter"

Carmen Rizzo on MySpace

Carmen Rizzo on The Hype Machine

Clare Maguire

London, England

"Strangest Thing"

Clare Maguire on MySpace

Clare Maguire on The Hype Machine

Bricolage

Glasgow, Scotland

"Turn U Over"

Bricolage on MySpace

Bricolage on The Hype Machine

Popular Workshop

London, England

"Popsong"

Popular Workshop on MySpace

Popular Workshop on The Hype Machine

Cut Off Your Hands

Auckland, New Zealand

"Turn Cold"

Cut Off Your Hands on MySpace

Cut Off Your Hands on The Hype Machine

The Weather Machines

Portland, OR

"202"

The Weather Machines on MySpace

The Weather Machines on The Hype Machine

Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs

Falkirk, Scotland

"Big Blonde"

Aidan Moffat Website

Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs on The Hype Machine

The Naked Hearts

New York, NY
The Naked Hearts' music is sure to get your panties poppin' early in the morning. I love their EP, These Knees, and can't wait for a full-length!

"Call Me"
The Naked Hearts on MySpace
The Naked Hearts on The Hype Machine

Hot Panda

Edmonton, AB
Spazzy pop at its best! Hot Panda have included SXSW as a stop during their upcoming tour in support of their new record, Volcano... Bloody Volcano.

Dates:
Mar 13 - CMW @ The Horseshoe - Toronto, ON
Mar 17 - Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
Mar 18 - Beauty Bar - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 19 - Headhunters - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 19 - Room 710 - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 21 - Habanna Calle 6 - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 22 - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 23 - Atomic Cantina - Albuquerque, NM
Mar 26 - Silverlake Lounge - Los Angeles, CA
Mar 31 - Le Voyeur - Olympia, WA
Apr 01 - Commet Tavern - Seattle, WA
Apr 03 - Logan’s - Victoria, BC
Apr 04 - Media Club - Vancouver, BC
Apr 07 - Drake Inn - Canmore, AB
Apr 08 - The Exchange - Regina, SK
Apr 12 - Vaudville Mews - Des Moines, IA
Apr 13 - Off Broadway - St. Louis, MO
Apr 15 - Dark Room Bar - Chicago, IL
Apr 18 - Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 19 - Velvet Lounge - Washington, DC
Apr 20 - Black Betty - Brooklyn, NY
Apr 21 - Piano’s - New York, NY
Apr 22 - Manhattan Room - Philadelphia, PA
Apr 24 - Gus’s Pub - Halifax, NS
Apr 26 - L’Agitee - Quebec City, QC
Apr 28 - Le Divan Orange - Montreal, QC
Apr 29 - Zaphod Beeblebrox - Ottawa, ON

"Cold Hands/Chapped Lips"
Hot Panda on MySpace
Hot Panda on The Hype Machine

Deleted Scenes

Washington, DC / Brooklyn, NY
Here's a great band local to my area that I haven't been able to see here lately. Upcoming dates are listed below and I'm looking forward to catching Deleted Scenes at the Velvet Lounge on the 28th and also at SXSW. Their new full-length is entiteld Birdseed Shirt and is available from What Delicate Recordings.

Dates:
Feb 20 - The Fire - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 21 - The Talking Head - Baltimore, MD
Feb 27 - Cake Shop - New York, NY
Feb 28 - The Velvet Lounge - Washington, DC
Mar 18 - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 18 - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 19 - SXSW - Austin, TX
Mar 25 - TBA - Greenville, NC
Apr 04 - Viking Storm II @ Duke Coffeehouse -Durham, NC

"Fake IDs"
Deleted Scenes on MySpace
Deleted Scenes on The Hype Machine

Venice Is Sinking

Athens, GA
Rhythmic and dreamy and everything sweet in between, the sophomore album from Venice Is Sinking is even more endearing than their first. AZAR is out from One Percent Press on March 31.

"Ryan's Song"
Venice Is Sinking on MySpace
Venice Is Sinking on The Hype Machine

Youth Group

Sydney, Australia
I don't care that Youth Group sounds like it should be a teenage girl's favorite band or that this picture looks like it was taken in the late 80s... I love them. And on April 7 the US is finally seeing the release of The Night Is Ours, which came out so many months ago in the band's home country. To celebrate the new disc, below are some dates Youth Group will be playing here.

Mar 16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
Mar 20 - Austin, TX @ Brush Square Park Aussie BBQ Party @ SXSW
Mar 21 - Austin, TX @ Maggie Mae's Showcase @ SXSW
Mar 26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Bell House Aussie BBQ
Apr 05 - Boston, MA @ TT The Bear's
Apr 07 - New York, NY @ Piano's
Apr 08 - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
Apr 12 - Boston, MA @ TT The Bear's
Apr 14 - New York, NY @ Piano's
Apr 15 - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
Apr 19 - Boston, MA @ TT The Bear's
Apr 21 - New York, NY @ Piano's
Apr 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
Apr 26 - Boston, MA @ TT The Bear's
Apr 28 - New York, NY @ Piano's
Apr 29 - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room

"All This Will Pass"
Youth Group on MySpace
Youth Group on The Hype Machine

East Hundred - Slow Burning Crimes

Peasant - We're Good

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream

Youth Group - Two Sides

Chairlift - Evident Utensil

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

Seattle, WA

"Who's Asking"

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band on MySpace

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band on The Hype Machine

French Miami

San Francisco, CA

"Science Fiction"

French Miami on MySpace

French Miami on The Hype Machine

Heavy Young Heathens

Los Angeles, CA

"Drawn From Memory"

Heavy Young Heathens on MySpace

Heavy Young Heathens on The Hype Machine

Boo And Boo Too

Lawrence, KS

"I'll Be Your Whore"

Boo And Boo Too on MySpace

Boo And Boo Too on The Hype Machine

Three Trapped Tigers

London, England

"Untitled 1"

Three Trapped Tigers on MySpace

Three Trapped Tigers on The Hype Machine

The Assistants

Toronto, ON

"Stop Dead"

The Assistants on MySpace

The Assistants on The Hype Machine

The Waylons

Brooklyn, NY

"Lying In The Sun"

The Waylons on MySpace

The Waylons on The Hype Machine

Like A Fox

Philadelphia, PA / New Jersey

"Night Person"

Like A Fox on MySpace

Like A Fox on The Hype Machine

Future Clouds & Radar

Austin, TX

"The Epcot View"

Future Clouds & Radar on MySpace

Future Clouds & Radar on The Hype Machine

The Delicious

Bloomington, IN

"One Leg"

The Delicious on MySpace

The Delicious on The Hype Machine

Polly Scattergood

Essex, England

"Nitrogen Pink"

Polly Scattergood on MySpace

Polly Scattergood on The Hype Machine

We Fell To Earth

London, England

"Lights Out"

We Fell To Earth on MySpace

We Fell To Earth on The Hype Machine

Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees

Halifax, Nova Scotia

"You Don't Miss Me"

Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees on MySpace

Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees on The Hype Machine

I Blame Coco

London, England

"I Blame Coco"

I Blame Coco on MySpace

I Blame Coco on The Hype Machine

Lioness

Toronto, ON

"You're My Heart"

Lioness on MySpace

Lioness on The Hype Machine

Jean On Jean - Tonight

Mimas - Cats On Fire

Cut Off Your Hands - Turn Cold

Peter Bjorn And John - Nothing To Worry About

James Yuill - No Surprise

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Toronto, ON
Great use of bells AND whiny male vocals! The Rural Alberta Advantage apparently will sometimes play office shows. Unfortunately, they're not playing in my office or any offices near me any time soon.

"The Ballad Of The RAA
The Rural Alberta Advantage on MySpace
The Rural Alberta Advantage on The Hype Machine

Mock Orange

Evansville, IN
Here's a band who put out an excellent album in 2008. but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to truly appreciate it until just a few weeks ago.

"Captain Love"
Mock Orange on MySpace
Mock Orange on The Hype Machine

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

New York, NY
It's been over a year since I first posted about these kids, and now they're celebrating the release of their full-length on Slumberland Records. If you're local to DC, please come out to Black Cat on Monday night to help support The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. And if you're not in DC, make sure to catch them when they play near you!

Dates:
02/07 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
02/08 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
02/09 - Black Cat - Washington, DC
02/10 - Garfield Artworks - Pittsburgh, PA
02/11 - Schubas - Chicago, IL
02/12 - Lee’s Palace - Toronto, ON
02/13 - Il Motore - Montreal, QC
02/14 - The Monkey House - Winooski, VT
02/15 - Middle East - Boston, MA
02/27 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
03/13 - Bell House - Brooklyn, NY
03/14 - Talking Head Club - Baltimore, MD
03/15 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
03/16 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
03/18 - SXSW - Red 7 (Terrorbird/Force Field Day Party) - Austin, TX
03/20 - Emo’s Jr. (Slumberland + Cake Shop Showcase) - Austin, TX
04/24 - American Legion - Wallingford, CT
06/18 - Cake Shop - New York, NY

"Come Saturday"
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart on MySpace
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart on The Hype Machine

Matt And Kim

Brooklyn, NY
Tour dates for Matt And Kim below.

02/07 - The Loft - La Jolla, CA
02/10 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
02/26 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
02/27 - Skulley’s - Columbus, OH
02/28 - Skull Alley - Louisville, KY
03/01 - Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN
03/03 - Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
03/04 - Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA
03/06 - Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater - Austin, TX
03/07 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
03/09 - The Glass House - Pomona, CA
03/10 - Henry Fonda Theater - Los Angeles, CA
03/11 - Henry Fonda Theater - Los Angeles, CA
03/12 - The Fillmore Auditorium - San Francisco, CA
03/13 - House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV
03/15 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
03/17 - Gargoyle Club - St. Louis, MO
03/18 - Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
03/20 - Circa - Toronto, ON
03/21 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
03/22 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
03/23 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
03/24 - Cats Cradle - Carrboro, NC
03/26 - Masquerade (Heaven Room) - Atlanta, GA
03/27 - Club Firestone - Orlando, FL
03/28 - Churchill’s Pub -Miami, FL
03/29 - Tampa, FL
03/30 - Club Downunder - Tallahassee, FL
03/31 - Common Ground - Gainesville, FL
04/01 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA
04/02 - Emerald Lounge - Asheville, NC
04/03 - The Canal Club - Richmond, VA

"Daylight"
Matt And Kim on MySpace
Matt And Kim on The Hype Machine

Loney Dear

Jönköping, Sweden
He lost the comma in his moniker and picked up a little spunk in the music for his first Polyvinyl release. A refreshing shift for Dear John.

"Airport Surroundings"
Loney Dear on MySpace
Loney Dear on The Hype Machine

vinyl giveaway: Dan Auerbach

Dan Auerbach’s solo album Keep It Hid is out on Tuesday, and I'm giving away a vinyl copy of it, which includes the CD in its packaging as well. For a chance to win, please email me at 5actsblog at gmail dot com and use Dan's middle initial (or middle name if you're that smart) as the subject line. I'll pick a winner at random over the weekend. Good luck!

Tour Dates:
02/28 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
03/01 - Paradise Club - Boston, MA
03/02 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
03/03 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
03/05 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
03/06 - Metro - Chicago, IL
03/07 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
03/10 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
03/11 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
03/13 - Bimbo’s - San Francisco, CA
03/14 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA

Dan Auerbach on MySpace
Dan Auerbach on The Hype Machine

show reminder - tonight at Black Cat: Cale Parks, Paper Route, Passion Pit

DC people: Don't forget to head out to Black Cat tonight for an amazing event. The show is now on the mainstage with Cale Parks, Paper Route, and Passion Pit. Doors open at 9:00 and tickets are only $12.