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Rock

The Magic – Door To Door

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Canadian brothers (from Guelph, Ontario to be exact) Geordie and Evan Gordon are The Magic. The band’s first release (at least known to us) is the catchy, kinetic “Door To Door”. Sporting some sharp syncopated rhythms, on point melodic phrasing and one bitchin’ sax solo, “D 2 D” just became your new favorite song. Hit that play button!

The Magic canada (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
03-07-12

The Temper Trap – Rabbit Hole

By Jon Herriot

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The Temper Trap’s last record was in 2009, and it was HUGE. This is our first taste of their sophomore effort, and we love it. The lead in this band can really sing. This song has the same epic feel to it that we have heard from some of their previous singles for sure. Total Jam.

The Temper Trap australia (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
03-07-12

Fast Years – Let Me Try

By Chris Gedos

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“Let Me Try”, a hot-off-the-presses dittie from Fast Years, is some perfectly saccharine surf-pop in anticipation for their SXSW premiere and debut EP later this spring. For a brand new band, they know their sound. It serves them very well that the two most well-known bands they’ve opened for, Howler and The Vaccines, are perfect compliments for their style of play (better than Metronomy or even Wu Lyf, for instance). Stay tuned for an interview from b3sci HQ with the contagious four piece.

Fast Years – Let Me Try

Fast Years newyork (Facebook)

Rating 8.43

brown8

reviewed by
03-07-12

Mystery Jets – Someone Purer

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We’ve been into Mystery Jets for a while now (even in our crazy pre-b3sci days). Their last record Serotonin was kind of a bummer, but their material up to then was pretty ace. The band are readying their latest LP Radlands (due April 30 on Rough Trade) and have dropped lead single “Someone Purer” to get you interested. Are you interested? “Someone Purer” is a nice return featuring a hookier than a coatroom verse and just enough “anthemicness” in the chorus to warrant repeat plays. Start play one below.

Mystery Jets england (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
03-06-12

SHOW REVIEW: The Drums @ La Bataclan, Paris 03/02/12 [PHOTOS]

By Tamara Tabet

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The Drums newyork (Facebook)

reviewed by
03-05-12

Live Review: Cloud Nothings @ The Echo, March 2nd, 2012

By Chris Gedos

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The venue was already near max capax by the time I arrived at The Echo Friday night for Cloud Nothing’s sold out affair, their first headlining show in Los Angeles (they opened for Toro y Moi at The Troubadour last March). The Dylan Baldi project has garnered a bevy of adulation since the Steve Albini produced Attack on Memory dropped at the end of January. It’s an abrasive, thirty-three minute screamfest, but infused with pathos throughout. I was initially doubtful that Baldi could replicate the frenzied kinesis of the recording.

Opening act Mr. Clean more strictly adhere to the hardcore / postcore manifesto than a band like Cloud Nothings. Attack on Memory has hardcore elements, but Baldi’s previous releases show very explicitly his facility with three minute songwriting. As a fellow native Clevelander, I’m sure he’s familiar with the rotation over at the much lauded OBG station, WMJI Majic 105.7. That being said, I think Mr. Clean could use a little more time with Seeger’s old time rock n’ roll. They’ve got some cool elements, they pay The Ramones / Gang of Four / Pavement / usual suspect homage, and a lot of people were getting into them. However, it would probably do them well to listen to a contemporary like Outfit or Slothbear and find a way to harmonize those wildly divergent influences. But they play loud, they force an opinion from the listener, and they prepared us for the powerful Cloud Nothings set.

Taking an atmospheric overview in between sets, I notice that there’s a lot of white guys in attendance, more so that your usual Los Angeles melting pot experience, and it reminded me of so many concerts I enjoyed in Cleveland during my college years. Maybe Dylan Baldi was at the Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop when he decided to forgo his Case Western education (my fellow alum) and start his professional music career a touch early. One thing’s for sure, Baldi would have a difficult time going back, as the discerning music public has grown to expect something out of him.

It’s pretty early into “Stay Useless”, the set opener, when I realize that this is a fully functioning band. I’d read that the other band members, TJ Duke, Jayson Gerycz and Joe Boyer, each had a hand in the songwriting, but that only becomes evident after seeing Cloud Nothings live. This is no longer “merely” a solo bedroom project. Baldi doesn’t take a majority of the solos, but prefers to sit back and let his bandmates have their moment in the spotlight as well, while he can focus on his vocals – he may have a non-traditional voice, but he knows how to hit his notes. “Fall In” appears second, in order reversed from the LP. Whether Albini or Baldi came up with the sequencing, I don’t know, but it shows how the individual tracks function well as singles while still remaining part of a larger work.

As the band rolls into the instrumental, “Separation”, and “Cut You”, the moshers are really starting to have at it. I only got slammed into once. Baldi’s furious rhythm guitar really revs up the energy, to the point where you wonder if elbows are gonna start flying, but fortunately we’re not at a Limp Bizkit concert. Everybody knows proper decorum; it didn’t seem like anybody got hurt. It’s admirable though that Cloud Nothings can get people worked up in such a manner. There may have been a moment during “Our Plans” where Baldi set his guitar on loop and began to dicker with an MPC on the ground, but I’m not too sure in retrospect. The set’s sheer decibel level left many of us quite punch drunk, and I mean this in a very good way. Well done Cloud Nothings.

Cloud Nothings- Stay Useless

Cloud Nothings – Our Plan

Cloud Nothings ohio (Facebook)

cloud-nothings-echo

Rating 9.11

brown93

reviewed by
03-04-12

TIX GIVEAWAY: La Sera w/ Magnetix, Cold Showers and Neverever Live at The Satellite 3/8/2012

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For all you fuzz pop and Viv G. fans in the house, the other Kickball Katy moniker known as La Sera is rolling through L.A. for a gig at The Satellite this Thursday while on tour in support of her forthcoming Sees The Light LP release. And we’ve got a pair of ticket to giveaway for the show… which will also feature support from the likes of Magnetix, Cold Showers and Neverever! Drop us a line to enter the Wednesday raffle for tickets. You can purchase tix and get more info on the show here. GO!

La Sera – Please Be My Third Eye

The Satellite california (Info)
La Sera newyork (Facebook) (Hardly Art)

reviewed by
03-04-12

RAVE’S FAVES: Battle Tapes – Sweatshop Boys

By Bruce Rave

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OK I’ll admit it, I rarely “fave” unsigned bands. After Battle Tapes played a great Moheak show at The Satellite LA last Saturday night, we thought we’d give “Sweatshop Boys” a spin for the guest panel on Thursday’s Moheak Music Meeting program. The song title alone is almost worth the spin, but this song was the highest rated track on the show, beating out numerous heavies. Capitol’s Executive Vice President of A&R Alex Luke even gave it a top rating. The bass line will hit you right away. Think of Nine Inch Nails meeting The Faint, only a not as dark.

Battle Tapes – Sweatshop Boys

Battle Tapes california (Facebook)

Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
03-03-12

Mrs. Magician – There Is No God

By Chris Gedos

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So Cal four-piece Mrs. Magician is in the midst of a cross-country jaunt with fellow San Diegans, Cults. They’re less influenced by the NYC girl groups, instead taking cues from Don Van Vliet and a whole lot of jangle pop. Fans of irreverent, Rivers Cuomo / Stephin Merritt style songwriting should wake up early this Tuesday, March 6th, and purchase a digital copy of their debut LP, Strange Heaven, out via Swami records. The Prescription Vision 7” was released this past November, but the album version of “There is no God” is an anthem for atheists. Love this shit before a mini-encyclopedia emerges post-SXSW.

Mrs. Magician – There Is No God

Mrs. Magician california (Facebook)

Rating 8.49

brown8

reviewed by
03-03-12

The Union Line – Bongo (Time is a Seed)

By Chris Gedos

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“Bongo (Time is a Seed)”, part of a three song teaser off the forthcoming LP from The Union Line, places the band solidly in the b3sci convo re: most anticipated releases. There’s a very mystical / soulful ethos here, almost as if Question Mark and The Mysterians recorded well into the seventies. The claustrophobic wall-of-sound is achieved through an economical, non-baroque instrumentation, allowing for the arrangement and vocal to take precedence. Check out “LoveJam” as well, which features some juicy Chicago / Al Kooper inspired jazz fusion.

The Union Line – Bongo (Time is a Seed)

The Union Line california (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
03-01-12

The Cold One Hundred – Sixteen Inside (Demo)

By Chris Gedos

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The most classically constructed rock song I’ve heard thus far in 2k12, The Cold One Hundred’s “Sixteen Inside” is a song for aficionados. A very Liverpudlian intro ripens into a Londoner verse and American college Rock chorus from the Manchester five piece, but with the geographical influences melded into something cohesive, original and much removed from the Factory Records legacy. The stuck-at-sixteen motif, rarely utilized by contemporary groups on either side of the pond, is perfectly employed here. Having already provided support for The Vaccines and Spector, it’s only a matter of weeks before The Cold One Hundred drops one of Mr. Lowe’s Hottest Records. The ghost of Alex Chilton nods his head in accordance.

The Cold One Hundred england (Facebook)

Rating 8.71

brown8

reviewed by
02-29-12

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Shoot A Hole Into The Sun

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“Shoot A Hole Into The Sun” is a first taste of what’s to come on Noel Gallagher’s forthcoming Amorphous Androgynous collaboration. The track will also be featured as the b-side to his new “Dream On” single getting released on March 11. Segments of this track may sound familiar to those who caught Noel on tour in late 2011, where portions of the track were covertly mixed into the house speakers before he took stage. The psychedelic duo, Amorphous Androgynous, do a capable job of pushing the limits here on Noel’s sound and it will be interesting to hear what else is to come.

Noel Gallagher england (Official)
Amorphous Androgynous england (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
02-29-12