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The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? (Alien8)

It isn’t difficult to write a pop song. It’s really not. The reason mash-up artists such as Girl Talk have a genre is because modern pop’s gotten lazy. It’s hard not to mash songs together when the similarities are so apparent. This was not the case for The Unicorns in 2003 on their Alien8 debut album “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?”

What the Unicorns did here is something remarkable, this record goes beyond what we expect of indie pop.

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MP3: The Unicorns – Ready to die

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The Secret Machines track leak: “Atomic Heels”

So I heaped some praise on the guys in the Secret Machines for their latest album.  It’s quite good.  Here’s your first chance to sneak a listen.

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MP3: The Secret Machines – Atomic Heels

The tour supporting their latest effort kicks off October 16 at the 9:30 Club in good ol’ Washington DC.  The new self-titled jammy drops just a few days before, on October 14.

Better late than never: Lo Moda @ the Ottobar (2008.07.25)

Lo Moda at the Ottobar.

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MP3: Lo Moda – Les Jardins (De L’bouli) from Gospel Store Front

Before even knowing Peter Quinn was affiliated with Lo Moda, I recognized him sitting next to me on the wooden benches that lined the Ottobar. He sat with a mysterious look in his eye, slowly sipping on a glass of red wine while Hex Message performed on stage.

I was only somewhat moved by the performances of either Hex or Ecstatic Sunshine — a local favorite that, I’m sad to say, barely excited the crowd. The sound never caught you off guard or surprised you…at least the way I ambient/ electronic music should, triggering the deepest of emotions and shaping the imagination. So, when Lo Moda stepped on stage, the previous bands had prepared me for something much different than what was coming ahead. Read the rest…

Built to Spill and Meat Puppets at Ram’s Head Live

Wednesday, September 24, Ram’s Head Live is proud to welcome Built to Spill and Meat Puppets, two offshoots of the 2008 All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, which has probably gone down as having the most stacked lineup of a festival in recent rock music history.  Built to Spill will perform their 1997 Warner Brothers debut, Perfect from Now On, in its entirety, certainly the most musically demanding item in their repertoire.  There’s no word yet on whether Meat Puppets will play through Meat Puppets II as they did at ATP fest, but either way the show should be a treat.

Built to Spill is quite simply one of my favorite bands ever. Read the rest…

Why ad hoc street team fliering is not always a good idea…

…or so I was told when I decided to do some impromptu promo leg work for the More or Less birthday party with Ben Parris last night.

It was truly an amazing night. DJ Kel, of More or Less, opened up the night with a solid set, but Ben was the center of attention. The Once.Twice:Sound founder was dropping tracks I’d never heard of before, I don’t know where they came from, but damn those sampled saxophone stabs brought the house down.

Trouble was all the ladies moving and grooving had an affiliation, so to speak. So, a new friend (a recent transplant from Detroit, who was blown away that an entity like the Hexagon could legally exist in a city–that kind of stuff doesn’t fly in Detroit apparently), and I decided to press the fresh and get some people (women) to come up from the area around The Depot, and Club Charles.

We grabbed a handful of really well designed handbills done by More or Less founder Patrick Brander; beautiful graphic design work that would look good simply tacked to a hall as a type of low-budget art. We set off toward The Depot. Read the rest…

Vulture Realty – We Are Vultures (Normative)

Vulture Realty is Nick Horsman and Eric Lodwick– two strapping young gents that have just relocated from our fine city to the bigger, noisier, taller one approximately 3 hours north of B-More.  Their first EP, “We Are Vultures” (Normative, NYC), is available for free download and is reason enough for us to start claiming them as our own. Why should NYC get it’s grubby hands on another great electro-pop duo?

The EP, produced by glam-disco-rockers Apes & Androids, is an eclectic, adventurous 1st offering.  The four songs are each memorable, inventive and energetic, calling to mind the likes of MGMT, Of Montreal, David Bowie, The Beatles and The Beach Boys among others. Their producers have also added a notable amount of flavor into the mix.

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MP3: Vulture Realty – The Joke

Strong vocals, charming harmonies, vintage synths, and chic beats? I’m SOLD.

Download the free EP now, or buy it at amazon.com and feel better about our crackling, retarded economy.

Album Review: Dreadful Yawns – Take Shape (Exit Stencil)

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MP3: Dreadful Yawns – Expecting Rain

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MP3: Dreadful Yawns – Kill Me Now

Despite the name, The Dreadful Yawns’ five or so years of existence have been anything but boring. This month saw the release of the Cleveland band’s fourth full-length in that span, this one with a completely new lineup with the exception of principal songwriter/vocalist Ben Gmetro.

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The Secret Machines – Secret Machines (TSM Recordings)

The Secret Machines have been through some changes. Founding member, and brother/guitarist Benjamin Curtis left to pursue the School of Seven Bells project.

This left only workhorse drummer Josh Garza and singer/bassist/keyboardist Brandon Curtis to find their way.

The album’s title, Secret Machines, suggests a band re-defining itself, starting over after a fairly significant shake-up. But the reality is actually a valid, and quite different, alternative.

It finds the band reasserting itself. Re-affirming its roots and its identity, adamantly stating that they are still alive and well, building upon all that came before. Read the rest…

Department of Eagles – In Ear Park (4AD)

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MP3: Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

Department of Eagles new album (much like everything else Grizzly Bear’s Dan Rossen touches) is overflowing with mysteriousness and innovation–– a seminal creation that at times even overshadows some of Grizzly Bear’s better creative output.

That being said, everyone from Yellow House except Ed Droste did have some form of direct musical input in DOE’s second official release. In addition to Mr. Rossen, two more Grizzlies joined in–– with Chris Taylor lending his cozy, intimate production/engineering techniques, as well as Chris Bear drumming up a quiet storm on select tracks. Read the rest…

High Zero Festival 2008: M. C. Schmidt Interview

Matmos should be familiar to Aural States readers (we did an in-depth interview with the duo back in February), so it was a pleasure to sit back down with Martin Schmidt of Matmos and discuss his involvement in the now-underway High Zero Festival, among other topics.

This interview became much less of a dialogue, and more of Martin recounting his past. Which is all just as well; it’s still very interesting.

Matmos has become something like ” your friendly neighborhood glitch-ish group” around Baltimore. Make sure to say hello to Martin at the new True Vine. Read the rest…

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