New Concert/Show List For Baltimore/DC

For those of you looking to attend some shows or events coming up in the near future, here's a rundown for the Baltimore, DC, Maryland area....

August 11th-The Cribs@Black Cat ($10 ADV, $12 DOS)
August 21st-Wolf Parade@Black Cat (SOLD OUT!)
August 22nd-The Rentals@Sonar ($20)
August 26th-The Rentals@9:30 Club ($25)
September 1st-VHS Or Beta@Rock & Roll Hotel ($12)
September 4th-Editors@9:30 Club ($15)
September 4th-Burning Brides@Rock & Roll Hotel ($10 ADV, $12 DOS)
September 5th & 6th-The National@9:30 Club ($18)
September 11th-The Noisettes@Rock & Roll Hotel ($12)
September 12th-They Might Be Giants@Rams Head Live ($20)
September 21st-The Aliens@Rock & Roll Hotel ($12)
September 26th & 27th-Rilo Kiley@9:30 Club ($25)
October 6th-The Good Life@Rock & Roll Hotel ($12)
October 8th-Klaxons & Shitdisco "New Rave Extrordinaire!"@9:30 Club ($15)
October 14th-Of Montreal@Rams Head Live ($15)
October 22nd & 23rd-Spoon@9:30 Club ($20)
October 27th-She Wants Revenge@Black Cat ($16 ADV, $18 DOS)
November 8th-Superdrag@9:30 Club ($15)
November 17th-Electric Six@Black Cat ($13)
November 17th & 18th-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ($15 ADV, $17 DOS....17th has already sold out!)

A Legend In His Own Right Passes Away

The late, great Tony Wilson has passed away after a battle with cancer. Known for his influential role in the Madchester scene and the birth of Joy Division/New Order, his efforts can be seen through the movie "24 Hour Party People"....if you haven't already scene it, go! Now! For a more complete article, check out NME's blurb at....

http://www.nme.com/news/tony-wilson/30257

Another Slew Of Newer Music Videos

The Dresden Dolls tackling the Valley Girl vibe of the "Shores Of California"


Another class/clique bashing video with the Kaiser Chiefs and "The Angry Mob"


Animated goodness from the the three saints of Indie Rock, The Fratellis serenade "Ole Black 'n' Blue Eyes"

A Slew Of Music Videos To Hold You Over

First up is Hard-Fi's "Suburban Knights" from their forthcoming sophomore album, "Once Upon A Time In The West". Not a bad song, kinda poppy for them and not as good as their mind-blowing debut album.


The next video comes from a long standing group but one in which I only started to get acquainted with and really dig. Spoon released "Ga Ga Ga Ga" and the video for "The Underdog" along with it.


This pair of videos come from guys who know how to say a message with their....uh...shirts. First is Justice with "D.A.N.C.E." and their ultra-animated shirts and a debut album that puts the dance back into...uh...dance. At least the dance that was left in since Daft Punk's "Discovery". And also we have Just Jack who will finally see a state-side release on his brilliant sophomore album at the end of August(known for great single "Starz In Their Eyes") and his quick shirt changes for his song "Glory Days". Watch for his take on boy band dancing during the choruses, or maybe a little too much OK GO.



More To Come??

Pump Up The Volume With This Direct Hit

Eddie Argos scores another top of the pops smasher with Art Brut's sophomore album, "It's A Bit Complicated". Loaded with a plethora of infectious guitar riffs and his trademark singing style, Eddie and Art Brut have packed together another glorious 11 tracks about girls and music. They have managed to achieve what most artists can't, an album that has your attention through the whole play and not something that just drags out into a new state of boredom.
The leading single "Direct Hit" is exactly what the title implies. A catchy song that could actually put Art Brut on the turntable and the people on the dancefloor. And the video throws together filming a roman orgy of dancing with an essence of Animal House....if only the Romans really made love, not war.

New Concert/Show List For Baltimore/DC

For those of you looking to attend some shows or events coming up in the near future, here's a rundown for the Baltimore, DC, Maryland area....

July 8th-Chromeo & Flosstradamus@Sonar ($10 ADV, $12 DOS)
July 14th-The Decemberists@Merriweather ($40 lawn, $75 pavilion)
Fri July 20- A LITTLE RESPECT: A Dance Night featuring the music and side projects of Erasure and The Pet Shop Boys w/ DJ lil' e $10 Mainstage 9:00
July 28th-The White Stripes@Patriot Center
July 28th-The Automatic@Rock & Roll Hotel ($10)
August 3rd-Erasure, Tommie Sunshine, Young Love@Brooklyn, NY McCarren Park Pool ($38.50)
August 3rd-1990s@Rock & Roll Hotel ($10)
August 7th-Tokyo Police Club@Rock & Roll Hotel ($12)
August 8th-Tokyo Police Club@Sonar ($12)
August 11th-The Cribs@Black Cat ($10 ADV, $12 DOS)
August 21st-Wolf Parade@Black Cat (SOLD OUT!)
August 22nd-The Rentals@Sonar ($20)
August 26th-The Rentals@9:30 Club ($25)
September 1st-VHS Or Beta@Rock & Roll Hotel ($12)
September 4th-Editor@9:30 Club ($15)

This Is Just A Blog About Ping Pong

Oh sorry it's been so long since a real post here, but life has taken ahold of me. Between work, play, Wizard World, I've just been so busy. But I will update a whole lot soon including a new upcoming shows list, a Mika concert review, and bunches of cd reviews as well. In the meantime enjoy this little bit of silliness!



PS-The Blair Witch has left the building! Yesterday was Tony Blair's last day in office as Prime Minister of England. I've ranted about this a couple posts back but hoorah Britpop!

The Glass Danse Cult Takes It Far Past The Hospital

After a slow start at the 9:30 Club thanks to the unmentionable band known only as Berg Sans Nipple ( a truly uninteresting experience in itself), the party started picking up with Services. They were what a Dj would be like if they had a live band, pure craziness. They bordered the realm of good music and crap but least they caught my attention compared to the first act with their explosive energy.
The Faint brought down the house with a full 19-20 minute set list, including five new songs. All of the new ones were heavily enjoyed except the one they labeled a "slower jam"....don't get me wrong. I love "Ballad of a Paralyzed Citizen" but this song really didn't fit well with them or their set. Other than that mishap, the rest of the set was great and included all of the favorites such as "Take Me To The Hospital", "Glass Danse", "Agenda Suicide", "Paranoiattack", and many more gems.
Unlike the last two times at the 9:30 club, there weren't any major issues that night except for the crowd. An over-abundance of moshers and assholes. I also swore I also saw pill poppers as well but I could be wrong....maybe "new rave" is slowly making its way over here. I see more and more weird outfits when I now go out which makes all the clothes I wear now seem boring in contrast I guess. Oh and The Faint also had one of the best Merch stands I've seen in a long time with many shirts, cds, vinyl!, wallet, pins, bandanas, jackets, hoodies, and more!

Oh Jenny, Why Can't I Reach You?!?

I can't believe this story made a featured headline today on Yahoo news. Just visit the link below to find out more....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070519/ap_on_fe_st/odd_phone_number_fight

Crazy, huh?

All My Friends Couldn't Get Into The Sold-Out LCD Show

What do you get when you cross someone who listens to too much Of Montreal, a laptop, a mic with a very long chord, an excessive amount of empty space, and about five gallons of sweat? Oh and lack of Ritalin too. You would get the sweet opener for LCD Soundsystem last night, known mostly as Yacht. His songs are a combination of techno-pop, sweet bubblegum pop, and a little performance art. Right now his single is known as "See A Penny (Pick It Up)" with its simple lyrics and addictive beat. However during the night, his other songs were the ones that really stood out to me; and unfortunately I don't know any of them yet but I shall soon. Here's some live performances of him to show off the moving blur he can be onstage along with the video for "See A Penny".

Live Shows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEj6UjBoNe8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWHEY_W1Vw
Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUAuWH9I5d4
Myspace Page for more songs:
http://www.myspace.com/yacht

As for LCD Soundsystem, amazing! Silver shoes and all. The songs take on new life live, especially the speedier version of "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House". They ran through most of the new album except the title track "Sound Of Silver". However James' voice was very aggitated so they ended up cutting the encore short which included the Joy Division cover of "No Love Lost" which was the one song I was super excited to hear. But they still rock the 9:30 Club hard, even got some mosh going on to the side of me during ""Movement". However at the end of the night, the one setlist within my grasp was ripped into three pieces from the keyboard player's silver slippers. But I still wanted it. So I took two grabs at it before I was pulled hard from behind by a bouncer who nearly physically threatened me. His exact words were "If you reach across this stage one more time to take something, I will kick your ass out and ban you completely from the club.". A little much don't you think! For a shred of paper that would have been tossed out anyway given the time to do so; it wasn't like I stole any drumsticks or electronics off the stage. What ever happened to the good old days of bouncers looking for drugs, underage drinkers, fights, and illegal videotaping? Speaking of which, one of the girls near me got busted for the latter which involved in the whole camera being deleted and batteries confiscated. Am I the only one who has such ordeals at that club? Or is it getting worse with time/new owners or some other strange unknown force? Let me know! I think they get one more chance before I give up on the 9:30 club. But anyway here's the setlist from last night for those interested:

Us V Them
Daft Punk
Time To Get Away
North American Scum
All My Friends
Get Innocous (sp?)
Tribulations
Watch The Tapes
Movement
Yeah
________________
Someone Great
No Love Lost
New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down

Too bad "Someone Great" & "No Love Lost" got the axe. But next time! Oh and I got my tickets for both The Faint & Mika so who's on for that?

Keeping Up With The Local Show Schedule

For those of you looking to attend some shows or events coming up in the near future, here's a rundown for the Baltimore, DC, Maryland area....

May 8th-Under The influence Of Giants & Young Love@The Ottobar (I have only included this show in my sheer rage that they canceled....again)
May 13th-LCD Soundsystem@9:30 Club ($15, now sold out)
May 13th-Sloan@Black Cat ($14, perfect for you indie fans who missed the LCD tix)
May 14th-!!!@9:30 Club ($18)
May 16th-Arctic Monkeys@9:30 Club (sold out, duh!)
May 19th-"AN UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY PARTY"
THE 1ST ANNUAL MORRISSEY/SMITHS CONVENTION!
Live music from Girlfriend In A Coma, Smiths/Morrissey karaoke
Morrissey look-a-like contest, vendors, & more! @The Ottobar
May 20th-Pretty Girls Make Graves@Black Cat ($13)
May 28th-The Faint@9:30 Club ($18)
June 8th-80's Prom@The Ottobar ($10, these are a blast and sell out quick especially since they are cutting back on the capacity this year)
June 11th-Skinny Puppy@9:30 Club ($25)
June 12th-Skinny Puppy@Sonar ($25)
June 12th-Mika@9:30 Club ($20)
June 17th-Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Debbie Harry, Dresden Dolls,
The Gossip & Rufus Wainwright@Merriweather ($41-$76)
June 21st-Wilco@Merriweather ($25 lawn, $40 pavilion)
June 22nd-Shiny Toy Guns@Sonar ($15, you won't be disapointed by this show)
July 14th-The Decemberists@Merriweather ($40 lawn, $75 pavilion)
July 28th-The White Stripes@Patriot Center
August 3rd-Erasure@Brooklyn, NY McCarren Park Pool (closest they will come back off of the True Colors tour)
August 8th-Tokyo Police Club@Sonar ($15)
August 21st-Wolf Parade@Black Cat ($18)

The Fall Of The Britpop Empire

For all of you still living under a rock or very far away from any sort of human contact, Tony Blair resigned from his position as Prime Minister of England. But any true Britpopper knows what an end to an era this truly is. If not sure, go see "Live Forever"...a wonderful documentary on Britpop, Blur, Oasis, and Pulp. Tony gets his mentions for sure in the movie.
And speaking of Britpop, how much would one like to see a glorious story of Britannia coming back to life? Then maybe you should check out a comic on the shelf that I've picked up since issue #1. "Phonogram" is its title, and its story stuffed full of Britpop references is highly enchanting. You can visit their blog here at http://www.phonogramcomic.com/blog/ but I recommend just going out and buying the actual comic. The last issue came out last week so that makes six of them all together for you to track down until a hardcover or trade paperback comes out.

All of James' Friends Like Fireworks

LCD Soundsystem has come out with another smashing single and video to boot. Watch James Murphy sing with his Aladdin Sane-esque painted face in the rain along with all his friends with a firework finale.


Also Scissor Sisters kiss you off their lips with their new video as well!!

The Demise Of Legends

Despite a long career with its shares of ups and downs and ups and downs, New Order has split for good. Or so Peter Hook says. We've heard it before, several times in fact. But this time he says will be for good saying he can no longer work with Bernard. New Order is the only band that has managed to survive the death of its lead singer and struggle on becoming something bigger than Joy Division could ever be. But nothing is perfect between band members so we wish New Order well in its future.

A Mixtape Of Life, Love and Loss

I have finally managed to get some free time this past week and decided to dive deep into a new book. My selection was Rob Sheffield's "Love Is A Mixtape", a very poignant story of the three L's we constantly cycle through: life, love and loss. The vast variety of musical influences and tastes he uses to demonstrate the spinning spiral of his life, the Mt. Everest-esque climb for his love, and the rollercoaster plunge of his loss. But he shows more than just love in his book....he gives a nice glimpse at the perpetual friendship and incredible kindness friends and other people can actually provide you in times of need and extreme sadness. In simplest terms, it's the story of a man and a girl's dog journey through the barren land of mourning to reveal the true trial of humanity in a cruel, unforgiving world. Truly depicting how fragile life can be just like the inside tape on cassettes. A perilous journey to walk in the fields of love, joyous as it may be, but the bond as eternal soul mates makes death a struggle to endure: "I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language." She may have been his whole language but we're glad it's a language the whole musical, mix tape making world can understand.

Didz Left TCTC Way Before Final Farewells

The Cooper Temple Clause has called it quits today. Most of the individual members seem to have a heavy heart over it. Guess no new album here in the US from them. You can read more on NME's main site.

Keeping Up With The Local Show Schedule

For those of you looking to attend some shows or events coming up in the near future, here's a rundown for the Baltimore, DC, Maryland area....

May 8th-Under The influence Of Giants & Young Love@The Ottobar ($12, sweet deal!)
May 9th-Air@9:30 Club ($40, a nice chunk of change there)
May 12th-The Kooks@9:30 Club (sold out)
May 13th-LCD Soundsystem@9:30 Club ($15, now sold out)
May 13th-Sloan@Black Cat ($14, perfect for you indie fans who missed the LCD tix)
May 14th-!!!@9:30 Club ($18)
May 16th-Arctic Monkeys@9:30 Club (sold out, duh!)
May 19th-"AN UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY PARTY"
THE 1ST ANNUAL MORRISSEY/SMITHS CONVENTION!
Live music from Girlfriend In A Coma, Smiths/Morrissey karaoke
Morrissey look-a-like contest, vendors, & more! @The Ottobar
May 20th-Pretty Girls Make Graves@Black Cat ($13)
May 28th-The Faint@9:30 Club ($18)
June 12th-Mika@9:30 Club ($20)
June 17th-Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Debbie Harry, Dresden Dolls,
The Gossip & Rufus Wainwright@Merriweather ($41-$76)
June 21st-Wilco@Merriweather ($25 lawn, $40 pavilion)
July 14th-The Decemberists@Merriweather (don't know yet)

The Cribs-Never Stop Rockin!

The new Cribs song is out and about, rocking and rolling its way through the soundwaves. Here's the edited clip posted on youtube but to see it in its full nude/bloddy glory go visit the media player on NME's website.

Flaming Lips Move The UFO To The Whole World

The Flaming Lips are releasing their legendary live concert at the Oklahoma Zoo on July 10th to the rest of the world. Just perfect to sit on the shelf with the biography and music video dvds. Watch a trailer for the new dvd here:

Shittin On New Rave

Shitdisco in Pop-Up Book Format!

Following the "new rave" trend, Shitdisco goes all out with bright colored shirts, crazy hooks, and a nice new pop up book puppetry music video. Their new album shall be released next tuesday although Itunes seems to sell it already in their exclusive section.

Neon Bible On The Go

Obviously the concert is worth going to after watching this video. It's a bit long but skip through the backstage parts and just watch the elevator scene and "Wake Up" in the crowd.

Alanis Doing "My Humps", Isn't It Ironic? Don't You Think?

Amazingly funny, that's all I can say. Watch for yourself.

Cold War Kids-Show Review March 28th

Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club, Delta Spirit
9:30 Clud in DC on March 28th

This show review is more than a week overdue but time in life is always so stressed. The first opener, Delta Spirit, provided the soul for the night but lacked the energy. It wasn't a band I could see myself enjoying with his voice ranging from soulful to angry Conor Oberst in five notes or less. Tokyo Police Club started off shakily thanks to the wonderful sound guy at 9:30 club having their keyboard too loud and the mike too soft. But their energy pushed them forward through their set; I think their songs just sound and work better on their EP "A Lesson In Crime". Now here's where IRONY walks through the door and knocks me to the floor before pissing all over me. I liked their EP enough to buy it at the show, shoving it in my coat pocket till after thier set. I took my coat off cos it was getting really hot inside the club and tied it around my waist. The cd was still in my pocket, and then Cold War Kids are ready to come out. Checked my pocket again and the cd is gone! Not on the floor or anywhere in sight....I was straight up pick-pocketed! Guess I got what I paid for..."a lesson in crime".
Needless to say that put my mood in a bit of a damper for Cold War Kids but not for long. Their set was amazing. Opened the night strongly with single "We Used To Vacation", they ran right through hit song after song. The highlights of the night included a mass production of "St. John" that involved both of the opening bands to come onstage as well with a multitude of percussion instruments and mass singing. And they closed their encore with a sweet cover of John Lennon's "Well Well Well". Overrall a good show....would've been great if the openers were a little stronger on the stage.

Jarvis Is Back-On America Soil!

It's been almost 7 full years since Pulp, and with no American release for his other band Relaxed Muscle, Jarvis is back on this side of the ocean. And damn is it good for him to be back. With a strong debut solo album and a limited number of shows over here as well, hopefully he can come back full blast.
After a short instrumental start, the album takes off with leading single "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time". The lyrics slide off his tongue with the cunning taste of sweetness and bitterness all at the same time as with his Pulp days. "Black Magic", taking a riff from "Crimson and Clover", draws you in softly until the chorus tears through your ears when Jarvis screams out "Black Magic that blows your mind away". It's a song that grabs you and tells you "we can't escape; we're born to die but I'm gonna give it a real good try". "Heavy Weather" starts off with the usual Pulpish voice but then blossoms into his own song, and the background rain provides a nice sense of clamness during the verses, getting you pumped up for each chorus. Then Jarvis strikes off a double bout of softer numbers with "I Will Kill Again", a bitter note to an old friend, and "Baby's Coming Back To Me", a wishful tune of reuniting with a loved one, before laying into fat children with...uh..."Fat Children".
"Oh the parents are the problem; giving birth to maggots without the sense to become flies. So pander to your pampered little princess-of such enormous size."
"From Auschwitz to Ipswich" falls under the same lines of the political message he displayed in his earlier song "Cunts Are Still Running The World" but with more of a care-free attitude. In "Tonite", Jarvis refers back to his past loves and adventures "Somebody falls in love. Somebody falls from a window-sill" while trying to teach us his wisdom. "Big Julie" is the ballad of the album, an honest tribute to a mediocre person who can rise above everyone else if they only tried. "Quantum Theory" is the only dull moment in the album, too soft and just not enough to keep my interest going except for the fact that "Running The World" is attached to it as a hidden track. The political bitterness and honest truth of that song gets me everytime.

Now enjoy his video for "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" now being shown in driving schools everywhere.

They Are The One

Arguably one of the better bands from America to emerge from obscurity, Shiny Toy Guns made a great debut album. Even if they had to do it three times to get just the right sound they were looking for. Now they release new single/video "You Are The One" to put the MTV viewers back in their place.

Htef Shau Ert

If the title doesn't make sense to you, go out and buy the Klaxons debut cd "Myths of the Near Future" and read the vertical words on the crossword puzzle on the front cover. Maybe it's secret Klaxons code, the newest "new rave" slang, or just gibberish.
Fabled as the creators of the "new rave" genre over in the England scene, then claiming it was a joke that got out of hand. Whether it was a joke or not, it caught on and helped sell records. Their initial EP "Xan Valley" leaned more towards the rave sound with sirens, bleeps, and blips grinding against each other in ecstatic passion of sound. Hell they even covered a older rave song, "The Bouncer", and ended the EP with some well-done remixes of their more "ravey" singles of "Gravity's Rainbow" and "Atlantis To Interzone".
But "Myth of the Near Future" goes so much further, blending their rave sound with a whole new sense of pop. "Golden Skans" being a perfect example of this with it's harmonic choruses and building prechorus that will have you chanting along with the background vocals before the two minutes and forty-seven seconds song ends. While adding other pumped up songs such as "Totem On The Timeline", "Magick" and "Four Horsemen of 2012", they keep the pace of the record racing along and the bodies on the club floor grinding. But very much like the Vines very first album, the Klaxons can mix it up a bit blending in some slower numbers that stand out as well as the singles. "Two Receivers" is a great opening song, drawing you in and building you up before they hit you with the full energy of "Atlantis To Interzone". "As Above, So Below" is a good middle of the album track, being sort of a more ballad-esque number. "Gravity's Rainbow" was changed for the full album adding a whole new set of blips and guitar slides and even giving the old video for a complete update. A really stand out track is "It's Not Over Yet", a classic pop song in the making. The argument will still stand....new rave? pop? weirdness? But all that matters is a glorious album is out for all to enjoy.

Also released today is Kaiser Chiefs latest and Mika's debut. Always a big fan of those extra tracks, Best Buy has both albums with special deals. Kaiser Chiefs comes with a live version of "Angry Mob" and two additional b-sides while Mika has two acoustic tracks added (one of soon to be hit single "Love Today" and a cover of Dave Matthews Band's "Sattelite"....don't worry it's better than Dave's version).

Mika's New Video: "Love Today"

Mika has released a new video for his new single "Love Today", originally known for the Motored commercial featuring Chris Kattan. A video of self-glorification, colorful swirls, loads of dancing, and four people having trouble spelling the word "love".....what more could you want in a video?

Weekend In The City With Your Neon Bible

Somedays I begin to think I'm the only one on the face of this planet NOT falling all over the newer Arcade Fire and Bloc Party albums. As far as Arcade Fire goes....where was the energy they screamed over on their first album. It started off promising with the first two tracks, "Black Mirror" (the single) and "Keep The Cars Running". But then the title track just loses all of its energy and grinds the album to a halt. Conor Oberst called and said he wants his song "Intervention" back but you keep the kid-like choir in the back ground. "The Well And The Lighthouse" tries to reclaim some energy back (which is a decent attempt giving the sorry excuse of a song "Blank Wave" before it) but the better track is "Antichrist Television Blues" which brings back the five minute Arcade Fire we know and love. The rest of the album drags through the swamp of nothingness with the only highlight being a re-hash of "No Cars Go" from their earlier EP which was just an "ok song" to begin with.

As for Bloc Party's latest-The album starts off on an ok note. The song "Song For Clay (Disapear Here)" isn't your typical Bloc Party song, at least not anything from "Silent Alarm". It builds from a moaning croon to a decent song but I could just be favored towards it since it's inspired by the book "Less Than Zero". Bret Easton Ellis sits high on my bookshelf! "Hunting For Witches" is my favorite track by far on this album, solid Bloc Party sound with their typical political viewpoint that got them through their first album so well. The first song I ever heard off the album, "Waiting For The 7:18", sounds like two different songs thrown together rather hastily, probably would have been better if kept as a ballad. The main single "The Prayer" has a wonderful dance beat going on which is perfect for the lyrics ("Lord give me grace and dancing feet and the power to impress") but the song itself still doesn't slide together very well. "Uniform" started off very weak but became a stronger track; unfortunately at that point it was more than halfway over and didn't quite make the mark. "On" ("I Can Charm Them All") doesn't quite charm me at all. It's a middle of the album track that does nothing except become space filler for the cd. The rest of the album drags on with "I Still Remember" being a sweet little love number that barely peaks over the remaining five tracks.

Following Jarvis' Footsteps

Like the master of britpop Jarvis (of Pulp fame), Brett Anderson from Suede releases his solo album this month. The single is a crooning ballad of sadness ("Nothing ever goes right, nothing really flows in my life. No one really cares if there's horrors inside my head") but beautiful none the less. Check it out for yourself....

Some Shows/Events In The Baltimore/DC Area

For those of you looking to attend some shows or events coming up in the near future, here's a rundown for the Baltimore, DC, Maryland area....

March 23rd/24th-RJD2@9:30 Club/Sonar ($20 either night or club)
March 28th-Cold War Kids@9:30 Club ($15, got my ticket already)
March 30th-Electric Six@Sonar ($12, smaller stage)
April 1st-The Presets@Sonar ($12, also smaller stage)
April 1st-Men Women and Children, We Are The Fury@The Ottobar ($10)
April 7th-Kaiser Chiefs@9:30 Club ($25)
April 7th-Warning! A classic alternative dance party w/ DJ's Matt Walter & Craig Boarman.@The Ottobar (cheap entrance, early drink specials plus I'll be there! Matt & Craig=best DJ's!))
April 8th-Trash Fashion@somewhere in DC (anyone finds out where it's at let me know)
April 18th/19th-TV On The Radio@9:30 Club (first night sold out, second night $20)
April 21st-Hot Chip@9:30 Club ($15)
May 13th-LCD Soundsystem@9:30 Club (don't know price yet)

The Sound Of Silver Beating On My Eardrums

LCD Soundsystem's new album is a life preserver among a sea of crappy music that seems to break tide between the American coasts. It figures they're from New York, the hub of quality American music. But I believe this album raises the bar over their previous debut effort. The debut was marked by big songs such as "Daft Punk Is Playing...", "Tribulations", and "Disco Infiltrator" but not much else on the album held my attention for much longer. "Sound Of Silver" gets the party started early with "Get Innocuous!" and keeps it rolling all the way through 9 tracks and almost 56 minutes of techno dance. With a hit single like "North American Scum" and key track "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down", it makes me proud to call myself North American Scum. If only there were more American bands who can pull amazing music off like this.

"North American Scum" Video:


They will also be playing the 9:30 Club in DC on May 13th if you live near that area.

Living Life In Cartoon Motion

While browsing though other blogs, I stumbled upon the gloriousness known as Mika. Labeled as an ideal opener for Scissor Sisters, I was graced with an euphoria of vibrant sound with the actual album. A wonderful recipe, part Freddy Mercury and part BeeGees with a pop abound, that makes me wish I lived life in cartoon motion. He uses cartoon imagery for his songs cos he feels its easier to say things through cartoons; people are more welcome to what it is since its all a bit of silliness, right?

1. "Grace Kelly"-If this track doesn't scream Freddy Mercury, I don't know what will. Even the direct mention of his name during the pre-chorus. A definite song screaming for acceptance bursting with a flourish of rainbow colors.
2. "Lollipop"-At first this track turned me off with its bubblegum pop feel to it. But it will quickly grow on you and becomes a fun little diddy you'll find yourself humming one day without even realizing it.
3. "My Interpretation"-The verse sort of reminds me of the generic song writing you hear on the radio (aka James Blunt, Maroon 5, etc.) and even the chorus sounds too radio friendly for my taste. Still a good song just not quite feeling it with the rest of the album.
4. "Love Today"-The opening makes me hum the theme to Bonanza. But this song is so addictive. Not to mention there's a Motorola commercial using this song with Chris Kattan reenacting his Night At The Roxbury days. Everbody's gonna love this song today!
5. "Relax (Take It Easy)"-This is my favorite track off the album. He sounds exactly like Jake Shears during their take of "Comfortably Numb" when he sings "Relax...." It's got a solid backing beat followed by a high pitched chorus that will melt your mind. Then it launches into shear modern disco magnificance. I just wish they didn't tag the little speaking part onto the end of the track.
6. "Any Other World"-This song is the slow ballad number, and I almost lost it when he sings "Smile like you mean it", thinking oh no no more killers. But it keeps its beautiful tone going strong through the whole track.
7. "Billy Brown"-A very narrative track much like the Decemberists stuff. Not much else to say on this one.
8. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)"-A glorious disco track. The lyrics are great! And the Butterfly Lounge is a real place. The perfect ode to the bigger girls in our lives.
9. "Stuck In The Middle"-The opening reminded me of Scissor Sister's "Laura". It's an ok song, not one of my preferred ones on the album.
10. "Happy Ending"-Another ballad-esque track, leaning more towards the side of ABBA. Also i you listen closely to the lyrics, it's a very sad song ironically titled "Happy Ending". A perfect finish to a great sounding album.


Grace Kelly music video:



and now some sheer fun with Mr. Kattan: