Gnarls Barkley, an enigmatic presence in the entertainment business, formally introduced himself in 2006, to the tune of the popular song “Crazy.” He released the acclaimed LP St. Elsewhere, garnered two Grammy Awards (and six nominations), and became a global phenomenon without ever appearing in public. He doesn’t care for the word “should.”
With fame came attention, and Gnarls doesn’t care for attention, either. Thus, to protect himself from the public gaze, he split himself in two, the yin and the yang. This opened a tunnel through the forbidden underworld of popular music and human psychology, a world explored on Gnarls Barkley’s second LP, The Odd Couple.
We’re giving away a Gnarls Barkley prize pack, consisting of: -a limited edition “The Odd Couple” double vinyl record (one record plays the album forward, the other plays it backwards)
-a copy of “The Odd Couple” CD
-a copy of their first album “St. Elsewhere” CD
-a copy of Estelle’s upcoming album “Shine,” featuring an appearance by Gnarls Barkley singer Cee-Lo (and other artists like John Legend, Kanye West, Kardinal, etc.)
To enter this contest, you must comment on this post, complete with your email and a funny joke. Simple. Funniest joke wins! (Decided by me, of course.. and I have an odd sense of humour.)
The deadline for submission is Monday, May 5th.Gareth Jones is the winner. Congrats Gareth.
Here’s the first single from The Odd Couple, “Run”
As reported on brooklynvegan earlier today, Wolf Parade will be playing The Metroplolis, August 3rd (and other places as well). By that time they will have released 2008’s album of the year. If you want tickets for this show (and the others) check out Ducat KingTicketPro. If you want a taste of the new album check out our La Sala Rossa (much smaller than The Metropolis) footage and mp3s here.
July 7: Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
July 8: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
July 9: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
July 12: Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
July 13: Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park
July 15: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
July 17: San Francisco, Ca @ Fillmore
July 18: Hollywood, CA @ Henry Fonda
July 19: Hollywood, CA @ Henry Fonda
July 20: San Diego, CA @ Cane’s
July 21: Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
July 24: Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
July 25: Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
July 26: Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
July 28: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
July 29: Raleigh, NC @ Disco Rodeo
July 30: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
July 31: New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Aug 2: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Aug 3: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Aug 9: Toronto, ON @ Koolhaus
The Raconteurs weren’t a ‘real’ band in the sense that, say, Radiohead or Beck are ‘real’ bands. The members were all established veterans in the music world and enjoyed successful careers – to relative extents – outside of the group before The Raconteurs idea was even dreamed up. In other words, they were all well past that urgent ‘do-or-die’ part of their own careers. They became the accidental supergroup that was borne out of friendship and mutual respect for superb musicianship. Even with all the supergroups around nowadays, I just don’t think Jack White could be associated with the term ‘trend-follower’ (or trendwhore, like us….). They didn’t set out to make the next big thing, tacky reality tv show and all, they just wanted to experiment with music and have fun being awesome. The result was a confident debut that had absolutely nothing to prove to anyone but ended up putting the band on the map with its meld of, as they called it, “shimmering pop melodies and firecracker blues.” This was a debut from a band that didn’t care if you liked them or not, but knew you would anyways.
So what would you expect from a group that, after such a massive and hugely successful breakout album and tour, comes back brimming with energy and ideas and confidence and enthusiam to record a follow-up? Something even better than the first, probably. The reaction to Broken Boy Soldiers was probably a bit a surprise to the band, a lucky fluke even, but this time around their aim is to keep the buzz going. The Raconteurs are sitting right at the very top of their game right now, and it’s no surprise that they were so impatient in getting their second album, Consolers of the Lonely, into our ears without delay. The Raconteurs don’t just sound like Jack White and Brendan Benson playing together anymore. They sound like The Raconteurs, and they’re excited about it. Read on after the jump….
The official lineup for Osheaga is out. You can get the full details on the Osheaga website here. It looks far better than last year. Definitely a step in the wrong direction with the headliners, but I digress. It will be awesome to see Iggy Pop rip shit up. Trendwhore will be there, and if you are in the area so should you.
Oasis just launched their presale for the Bell Centre yesterday. With Ryan Adams and the Cardinals opening, it’s going to be a bit of a cunt-o-rama as far as celebrity egos go. Maybe someone will even walk offstage in a huffy childish rage. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing how high Liam can stretch his neck these days. Anyways, whether or not it ends up being dramatic, at least the music will be stellar. Tickets can be gotten here for the Bell Centre show on Sept. 5th, with the password OASISNET. For you citizens of Ottawa, general tickets are also on sale here for their show at Scotiabank Place on Sept 4th. And please, people, don’t throw shit at the bands, I kind of want them to stick around for their sets.
As always with the anticipation for a New Pornographers show come the questions. You know what I’m talking about.. “Is Neko going to be there? What about Dan?”. As always (seen them 4 times, each time without both) I say, “Doesn’t look like it, they are both touring, blah blah..”, but the truth of it is, I don’t care anymore. I got tired of hoping they’d show up and learned to accept that they are an awesome live band without them. Kathryn Calder is the main reason for this. She came in to this band and had to endure the “Where’s Neko?!?” questions early on, and likely still in some places. However, now she is not just an outsider, she is a valued member of the band and a part of their identity. This shows in her performance recently. She gives it everything, every show.
As good as the band was on this night, there were faults. Mainly due to the venue though. The new (shitty) Capital Music Hall in Ottawa replaces the old (shittier) Capital City Music Hall and gets everything wrong. They have recently done some renovations with the building, which (in their minds) means they don’t have clean up anymore (beer cups lying around from previous shows, sticky floors all around, even on the stage - Listen to Carl talk about this). Aside from this, they didn’t get the sound right all night. Anyway, what did come through the PA was caught by my recorder. There are several pops in this recording. I have no idea what is causing it, but I apologize for it. Enjoy!
The New Pornographers - Capital Music Hall, Ottawa, ON - 04.08.08
We had some technical issues yesterday that lasted 24 hours longer than I expected. If you bared with us, we thank you for that. I’m pretty excited for tomorrow, the Osheaga lineup will be announced. Most of you have already heard that The Austin City Limits lineup has been announced and its sick! If Osheaga is half as good I’ll wet my pants. You can check their site tomorrow, here.
The Dodos are a San Fransisco guitar-drum duo who are nothing like The White Stripes. In fact, The Dodos should never even be mentioned in the same sentence as The White Stripes, because The Dodos don’t even sound - or look - similar to The White Stripes. But if there is anything that we’ve learned in the past from listening to these kinds of bands that we love, it’s that in order to be a good guitar-drum duo you need to have excessive amounts of energy, musical passion, and showmanship. You have to have at least enough to make up for those “missing” members, if not more. So then it’s particularly important to mention that The Dodos generate enough energy in their live shows to power all the homes, heated pools, and air conditioners in all of California, and they’ve got musical passion and showmanship to spare. When they hit the studio earlier this year to record their latest album, Visiter, their goal was to bottle all that live-show intensity and distill it into a potent spirit for your eardrums. Some might say you can’t bottle that kind of thing, but I would say that just trying to do it makes for a pretty interesting album. More after the jump….
Montreal is in such an electric mood these days. The Habs are making a playoff run and Toronto isn’t. Montrealers couldn’t be happier. Divan Orange was in similar spirits last Monday for the San Francisco duo The Dodos (with their traveling mega xylophone player, Joe Haener of Gris Gris). Meric Long and Logan Kroeber are touring North America promoting their sophomore album Visitor on French Kiss Records. Long’s blues guitar is fantastic to witness live, evidence of this can be seen in the footage of “Its That Time Again / Paint The Rust”. Logan’s percussion is the perfect complement, the intense pounding puts you in trance while Meric belts out what some would call “bleeding heart” lyrics. Check out their myspace for tour dates. Also, they are always looking for a place to stay while on the road so make sure you talk to them after the show they’ll appreciate it. Our own wildwildwes has been blasting Visitor so expect a review from him in the next day or so. Welcome aboard Wes, we’ve been in need of a reviewer for some time now. Dodos MP3s and footage after the jump.
Radiohead are playing at Parc Jean Drapeau August 6th. Grizzly Bear are opening as far as I can tell. Too bad, I was hoping for Liars. Oh well. You want tickets ? Get them here They are sold out but fear not Admission.com will be selling tickets for the show this Saturday (August 12th) at 10:00AM (EST).
Seattle’s Throw Me The Statue played at Zoobizarre last night. The venue holds about 80 people uncomfortably and is probably the smallest venue I have ever seen a show in. Dan Griffin and The Regrets opened first. They are a folk/alt-country band from Toronto. Dan reminds me of Jeff Tweedy live. They are currently touring the east coast now, tour dates are here. The second band that played was Montreal’s Receivers and I wouldn’t go see them again. T.M.T.S. quickly took to the stage and pounded out most of their debut record “Moonbeams”. These guys have a great live energy but didn’t have the crowd to feed off. Too bad. They did a cover of Beat Happenings “Knick Knack” that was great. I had no idea who Beat Happening were until I spoke with Aaron Goldman after the show. Turns out, Beat Happening started in the earlys 80’s in Seattle that went on to influence many bands of the early 90s. Goldman also informed me that the name “Throw Me The Statue” is not in fact an Indian Jones reference as the nerd inside me had suspected. The name was actually taken from a newspaper clipping that singer Scott Reitherman had pasted on a mixtape and given to his then girlfriend. Throw Me The Statue are still touring. You can find their dates here. MP3’s of the Zoobizarre performance after the jump.
OK, I admit, it’s been a while since I listened to a record start-to-finish. I’m guilty of plucking songs from good albums for my Top 100 playlist – we’ve all done it. But the latest effort from Tapes n’ Tapes gives as good an excuse as any to kick the habit. The Minneapolis band trod a path well worn with their sophomore effort Walk It Off, giving us Neoclassic Rock/Psychedelia that we’ve heard on many an indie album lately. It’s that thoughtful low-fi sound that goes way (way, way) back to the early 90’s with Pavement or The Pixies, who they’re often compared to. But Tapes n’ Tapes do it as good as any, and if they’re not groundbreaking, they are fresh and full of ideas - they carry the tradition well.
On their first album they became known for the variety of styles they use in their music. That fearless experimental spirit shows itself throughout Walk It Off. Every song is confidently different in style from the next, and they’re not afraid to take big turns mid-song. Yet good songwriting, melody, and a pleasant soundscape always take precedence. The album blasts in with the chunky “Le Ruse” which, like the name, aims straight for the hipster trendy crowd. The first single from the album, the tense and repetitive “Hang Them All”, keeps you waiting for the gratifying payoff till the very end with hard, fast drums and a thwangy funk riff. The band shows its more thoughtful side on “Time Of Songs”, a mumbly, meandering sonic journey. There isn’t a bad track on this record, but they keep one of the best for last. The album closes urgently with the dark, messy “The Dirty Dirty”, singer Josh Grier growling “where did all the money go?”. Well…. it went to an expensive recording studio and a flashy producer, obviously. This time around with a big budget they recruited a producer known for his work with The Flaming Lips and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. But with another string of club dates through North America and Europe and some high-profile TV gigs, they’re sure to make it all that big money back.
Walk It Off is a confident album from a band that’s coming around full-tilt into round two. For a group that doesn’t take itself too seriously (each of their members is named after a word in the band name, but since there are four members and only two words, they share….), they deliver a serious record well worth the hundred megabytes or so of space on your iPod. It’s notable to mention that Tapes ‘n Tapes were one of the first so-called “blog bands”, given a hand up to fame by the likes of yours truly. Needless to say, they’ve got a ride on the hype wagon, and they’re paying their fare with this latest effort. You can go see for yourself on April 15th at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire. Get tickets here.
Well, not a mixtape but a Muxtape. Some geniuses came up with an online mixtape you can share with the world. Isn’t that rad! Once you register you can upload 12 songs and share it with the people you love and hate in life! You can check out mine at brockmasterflex.muxtape.com. Get one and share it, I want to hear it. You should also note, loyal reader, to expect a big update on the upcoming shows page. I’ve been doing a shitty job keeping it up-to-date.
Just got an email from The Duke. The Raconteurs are touring and will be playing the Metropolis June 4th. If you want tickets, the presale started this morning at 10:00AM. You can get your presale tickets online HERE. This is not an April Fools joke (and if it was, it would be a sad one). Their new album, Consolers of the Lonely is out and Pitchfork has a favorable review of it here. The Black Lipsmight AREThe Sadies are opening.
Gnarls Barkley, an enigmatic presence in the entertainment business, formally introduced himself in 2006, to the tune of the popular song “Crazy.” He released the acclaimed LP St. Elsewhere, garnered two Grammy Awards (and six nominations), and became a global phenomenon without ever appearing in public. He doesn’t care for the word “should.”
The official lineup for Osheaga is out. You can get the full details on the 
