Happy Halloween from the two of us here at Both Sides!
"I scream. You scream, but we don't need no ice cream. Wake me from this wet dream and tell me to be cool"I think I'm coming down with something, and it may just be Project Jenny, Project Jan. Okay, not really, but the Brooklynite pair of Jeremy Haines and Sammy Rubin certainly make for a welcome infection anyway. I caught this duo opening for Fujiya & Miyagi [post], but unlike the subdued activity of that British trio, Project Jenny, Project Jan can be quite a bit more ostentatious when it comes to both stage presence and song. Jeremy Haines utters his vocals as he traverses the stage, curling the mic line all over his body. The man just makes love to the microphone like no other, and his antics coupled with the bustle of beats make for an infectious stage presence that eventually makes it's way through any crowd. Of course, stage presence is only just one aspect. Like any good virus - Ebola, flu...um, syphilis - whether you get the bug at a live performance or just sitting right there in your chair, you'll know if it hits you. Children, your body is smart and it knows how to react, so when you come down with something that has symptoms of active rhythms and crazed vocals, your body's going to remedy that with some dancing. Catch the disease with Project Jenny, Project Jan - seriously though, I think I might be coming down with something, so my posts might slow...
Various Songs From Project Jenny, Project Jan (all songs are right click - save as):
Learn more about this duo at the Project Jenny, Project Jan site.
Be their friend!
Otherwheres -Because I don't have time to share it with you personally, Matt over at YANP has a track from the Octopus Project's latest album...
Otherwheres -Other Matt over at Skatterbrain showcases Tullycraft's neato video...
Otherwheres - Connor over at IGIF is more than happy to tell you why you can't download Superbad from your torrent anymore...
Tokyo Police Club is made up of four Canadian civilians, Dave, Josh, Graham, and Greg. Formed in 2005, they released their debut EP, A Lesson in Crime, in 2006 on Paper Bag Records. July of 2007, they signed to Saddle Creek (Bright Eyes, Cursive, Azure Ray) for their soon-to-come LP. Borrowing from the mouth of Graham, himself, "...quick, quick, quick, one two three..."Their speedy advance in the music world reflects the speed of their music. Rushing, yet not rushed, Tokyo Police Club is characterized by a driving bass line, heavily reverberated guitar licks (think Snowden), and spunky drumming. To be perfectly honest, A Lesson in Crime can be played all at once as one song. Only 16 minutes long, the tracks bleed into one another, often sharing rhythms and basslines. Don't get me wrong, though. It's a damn good 16 minute song.
Tokyo Police Club has definitely changed things up in their newest work, though. Their latest single, "Your English is Good" is as innovative as A Lesson in Crime, but pleasantly separated and ear-catching. Levels of pace and layering appear, making Tokyo Police Club seem like much more than a Canadian rock band on speed. Much more like a stoned Canadian rock band after a line of coke. (:
mp3 Shoulders & Arms
mp3 Your English is Good
mp3 Nature of the Experiment
mp3 Be Good
[Tokyo Police Club's Official site][Tokyo Police Club's Myspace]
"First I might have read the Bible, it had struck me as unwitty. I think it may have started rumor that the Lord ain't got no humor"As evidenced by a saved draft that's gathered a hefty sum of dust, I've been meaning to tell you about this for quite a while, and so while I lulled about my own business and let the blog stay, let's say, quiet, I'm afraid just about half of this "news" has already gone out the window. It seems the gypsy gods have heard our pleas, for they have spoken with a fierce generosity. The vagabond crew known as Gogol Bordello [post] have packed up their wagons for travel across the US with numerous dates. If this group sets up camp anywhere near you, I highly suggest you make way to their campfire for what would be, undoubtedly, one very entertaining show. Characterizing what would have been the "party" portion of the Communist Party, Gogol Bordello is a group of immigrant transplants that employs crazy antics and wildly paced rhythms in their music. They are, quite simply, modern gypsies. I noted before how I can't even imagine this group's stage presence, but tonight, no imagination is needed. That's right any fellow Austinites out there, Gogol Bordello is here and near and will be playing at Emo's tonight. If you inhabit shores across the Atlantic, Gogol Bordello will be touring the homeland immediately after capping off their US dates.
Gogol Bordello Tour Dates - US Dates
Oct. 22 Austin, Texas
Oct. 24 Tempe, Arizona
Oct. 25 Los Angeles, California
Oct. 26 Tuscon, Arizona
Oct. 27 Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct. 29 Boulder, Colorado
Oct. 30 Boulder, Colorado
Oct. 31 Lawrence, Kansas
Nov. 1 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov. 3 New York, New York
From Super Taranta! (all songs are right click - save as):
From Gypsy Punks:
Learn more about the group's European tour at the Gogol Bordello site.
Be their friend!
Otherwheres -I've recently become aware of many Austin neighbors blogging about, and so I added a good amount of new linkage to our Neighbors section...
Otherwheres - Bishop Allen is embarking on a tour of their own and it'll be, as their email announced, their last for a while. Grab more information on that here...
Otherwheres -It might be well past Thursday, but that's not gonna stop me about all the covers IGIF posted...
Yes, Tegan and Sara are identical twins. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about their music! I kid -- the twosome come with a nice biography. Born in Canada, Tegan and Sara began recording tracks in their school's recording studio at the tender age of fifteen. Three years later, the sisters won Calgary's Garage Warz Battle of the Bands, and they've been going nonstop ever since. Touring with the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, The Killers, Cake, and Weezer, Tegan and Sara have released no less than eight albums, the latest of which being The Con, co-produced by Chris Walla and Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie.
Grungy and quirky with a definite edge, Tegan and Sara create music of the fun variety. Melodies are always kept upbeat and unexpected -- once you think you've got the tune down, they change it up. Both sisters provide vocals, many a time singing together in harmony. It's a trippy thought as well as a trippy sound. The two essentially share the same voice... so when they sing together... it's like the same person singing two different parts... but in two separate bodies... Regardless of who's singing what, the twins have an awesome voice. Bold and a little off, they sound a bit like Gwen from the early No Doubt era. The vibrato's definitely there, along with the treble and the attitude. They do, however have something Gwen will never have: a clone that can match her musical act exactly.
mp3 The Con (favorite)
mp3 Call it Off
mp3 Like O, Like H
mp3 I Bet it Stung
Video for "Back In Your Head"