Check out Baby Venom along with the Vivian Girls (already shouted-out) October 1 @ the Ottobar.

We here at Aural States receive a surprising amount of music to review, or at least I find it surprising given that our blog hasn’t existed for more than a year, and our original goal was to possibly get into some shows for free. And, as has been stated before, a surprising amount of that music is decent, but most of that music comes through online promotions companies. Sometimes we are given music directly from an acquaintance, or someone that somehow knows about our involvement with Aural States.

These encounters make me cringe, because I usually have a pre-existing relationship with the person, and I don’t have the nerve to honestly tell them what I think if the material is poor. I generally try to avoid these situations. So when my friend Dave (Coldspring Lane food service unite!) gave me a CD-R of his band’s EP, I was bracing for the worst. But I should have known better. Baby Venom has a solid pedigree. Needless to say, I was surprised (there is that word again) by the inventiveness of the group. Read the rest…

So this fall, the Decemberists triumphantly return to the road for the Bridesmaid Revisited tour, dragging along 3 new, limited-edition, 12″ singles.  Each contains a new song that has been played live for a bit now.  The first of these vinyls drops in just over 2 weeks, Oct 14th.  The lead track is “Valerie Plame,” referencing the recent scandal, has just popped up on Youtube.  If you look hard enough, you can also find some other tracks like this live version of one of Meloy’s latest epics, loosely titled “Night/Rake.”  And don’t forget to catch Meloy et al when they drop into Rams Head on Nov 08.

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MP3: The Decemberists (Colin Meloy solo) – Night / Rake (Live)

Last chance kiddies. Enter the contest!  We’ll be contacting a winner sometime tonight!

We’ve extolled the virtues of Vivian Girls here before.  In case you were hesitant to take advantage of their show at the Nerve Center, you are gonna get a boatload of new chances to experience them in the coming month, starting this Wednesday at the Ottobar with locals Baby Venom.

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MP3: Vivian Girls – Blind Spot (Daisy Chain cover) from the I Can’t Stay 7″

Tour dates & video for “Tell the World”:

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Well, kind of.  Just saw this and knew it needed posting too.  P4k.tv scores the premiere of Wye Oak’s first music video, for “Please Concrete,” directed by Bmore’s own Caleb Stine & Eric Diga.  Baltimore rejoice!

Sonar’s club stage was well-packed for a Sunday night.  The Dodos certainly had something to do with that, as I met one particular crew that drove up from Richmond VA for them.

But the big draw seemed to be hometown success story Wye Oak (recently named Best Upgrade in City Paper’s Best of Baltimore 2008).  The room appeared more packed for them than anyone else, and the crowd definitely tapered off after Wye Oak, leaving Au’s set only moderately attended.

One thing was overwhelmingly evident: being on the road has honed and refined Andy & Jenn’s skills to a razor’s edge.  They are tighter than ever before and have more of that professional polish on stage.  They are reading each other’s cues both perfectly and seamlessly, a rare sight for a pair this young.

Wasner’s voice has gotten more buoyant and feels much more assured; she toys with the cadence and tonality of the vocals more readily, frequently leaving sooner or lingering longer on a word or a verse.  We didn’t get to hear much of Andy’s vocals, but his drumming is ever-fantastic and more effortless.  He still stands as one of the most expressive percussionists around, both in mannerisms and playing style.

Their newer material really seems to be capitalizing on the more bombastic elements of their sound, working a lot with contrast, going between full-blown walls of sound and dropping the bottom out, silence hitting like a sucker punch leaving you gasping for air.  They are also writing some killer hooks, particularly the deliciously twangy guitar-jam on the cathartic “For Prayer,” the new song Wye Oak have been playing for a while and finally bequeathed a title to (goodbye studio name, “Magic Johnson”).

According to Jenn & Andy, they are off to tour Europe for a few months, then coming back home in December to get some work done on the new album.  Exciting stuff.

But enough chit-chat.  Grab the excellent audio below, another collaboration between Aural States and the Baltimore Taper.

Download the entire set as a ZIP file: MP3 or FLAC.  Or just check after the break for streaming links.

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MP3: Built to Spill – Big Dipper from There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994)

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MP3: Built to Spill – Big Dipper performed live at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, MD 2008.09.24

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MP3: The Thermals – Big Dipper (Built to Spill) Live at Echoplex

After seeing this great show by BTS earlier this week, I found myself re-discovering their track “Big Dipper” and playing it non-stop. So I thought I’d kick off a new section of in-depth, exhaustive and track-specific spotlights. It’s just kind of my take on the track and a bunch of clips including a straight-laced but good cover by personal favorites, Portland punk extraordinaires the Thermals.

“Big Dipper” is a precious, endearing and understated gem in a catalog full of them. Read the rest…

Photo credit: mathr0ck81

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MP3: Built to Spill – Stop the Show (Live) from Live (1999)

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MP3: Built to Spill – Three Years Ago Today from Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993)

Wednesday was my first time at Rams Head Live to see the always spectacular Built to Spill (Myspace/Wiki).  I got there at about 8:30, just in time to catch the last five songs from poorly advertised opener The Drones.  After going to the bar and specifically requesting the cheapest thing they had (a $5 bottle–which would have been an awful deal if I had selected anything other than the Beck’s I chose) we settled in to watch The Drones, who were a pleasant surprise.  I’ve noticed that Built to Spill seem to tour with bands who match well with their intricate guitar pop audience, and these guys were no exception. Read the rest…

Hometown boys the Death Set take over Pitchfork.tv this week.  Live, on a rooftop, as P4k.tv is wont to do.  Choice cuts here and after the jump.

And don’t forget about our old coverage, including a live recording from their show with Matt & Kim at the Lo-Fi earlier this year.

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MP3: The Death Set – Negative Thinking

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MP3: The Death Set – Impossible (Dan Deacon remix)

“Negative Thinking”
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The Presets got sick and had to cancel their DC tour date earlier this year.  But now they’ve returned triumphantly with Modular labelmates Cut Copy.

Refresh your memory by checking out our interview with Julian Hamilton and our review of their latest album, Apocalypso.

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MP3: The Presets – If I Know You