As if a date with Fujiya & Miyagi wasn't already good enough, Brooklyn duo Project Jenny, Project Jan will be sharing the stage with the Brits tonight at Emo's. Project Jenny, Project Jan can be quite a bit 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.

Various Songs from Project Jenny, Project Jan (all songs are right click - save as):
HJIH
Summertime


Otherwheres - I don't know about Matt, but I think he sounds more like an outdoorsy lumberjack or a Clark Gable...

Otherwheres - Those kids at Party Ends! are pulling out yet another good party with those fiends at Birds....

Whether it comes to you as disappointment or not, Fujiya & Miyagi isn't actually Japanese. In fact, Fujiya & Miyagi isn't even a duo (unless you always count the ampersand). Deception aside, Fujiya & Miyagi actually take to stage as three track jacket-clad, reebok-wearing guys from Brighton, UK, and together, they provide infectiously good tunage. Forming under a moniker inspired by a Japanese record player brand and the all-knowing Mr. Miyagi, Fujiya & Miyagi produces a sound that showcases a merging of genres - electronic, hip-hop, rock. At it's heart, Fujiya & Miyagi is dance music. Granted, you won't be raving to them or anything, but you'll undoubtedly find yourself moving to their sound. The vocals dance along to the beat in an effortless whisper; the synths makes sure things are flowing while the bass line keeps the sound rigid. Fujiya & Miyagi packages a sound that's geometric, funky and sleek. To all those in my area of Austin, Texas and the immediate beyond, the decievingly non-Japanese, non-duo Fujiya & Miyagi will be satisfying ear buds tonight at Emo's, and it's just about the start of another tour so be sure to check out all their dates!

Various Songs from Fujiya & Miyagi's Lightbulbs (all songs are right click - save as):
Pussyfooting
Rook To Queen's Pawn Six

From Transparent Things:
Collarbone

Learn more at their site.
Be their friend!


Otherwheres - Chris over at Gorilla VS Bear shares some Kanye-approved goodage...

Otherwheres - Covert Curiosity shares what the shores will be sharing during South By...

Times I Have Cried

• Upon hearing the news that my dog of 13 years, Dingo, deceased
• Listening to Damien Rice perform "Volcano" live on my birthday
• Watching Simba scramble to find someone to save his father in The Lion King
• Hearing "When I Go" on Pandora while at my research lab

It was quite awkward. I was at my desk, working on homework with my headphones in while waiting for antibodies to bind, when Pandora decided to pull up Brett Dennen for my Ben Harper radio. How I had gone four years without ever hearing this song, I have no idea. The song started happily enough, with bright chords finger-picked in a major key, but the content of the music - his voice, his words, the melody - just floored me, man.

I've always been a romantic, caught up in stories of love and professions of love and pure, unadulterated acts of love and caring, but the fucking sincerity in "When I Go" blew me. So basically this song, right, is in first-person and all that, and this guy's basically going to die, or "go." You don't know why or whatever, but he's going to die and he's more than fine with it. He's excited and ready to go on to whatever's waiting for him afterward. But the only dark spot in all this is that he's leaving someone behind, who he knows will be devastated. So he sings this song to her as comfort.

The lyrics are as follows:

hold this heart when i go
sing my song when i go
sing it loud when i go
sing it proud when i go

some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
but i know that i'll be yearning to fly

when my, when my soul
takes leave of this world
when i leave this flesh and these bones
oh, i swear to you that you won't have to go alone

hold this heart when i go
sing my song when i go
sing it loud when i go
sing it proud when i go

some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
but i know that i'll be yearning to fly

the first time my heart collided with yours
i know i felt the ocean tickle the earth's sandy shores
but changes come and we all know that we can't stop them
but i hold these memories and i will never drop them

and i'll watch over you
i'll watch over you
oh my care will cover you just like the morning dew
i'll watch over you
i'll watch over you
oh my care will cover you just like the morning dew

hold this heart when i go
sing my song when i go
sing it loud when i go
sing it proud when i go

some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
some people are learning to die and some people are yearning to fly
but i know that i'll be yearning to fly

oh the thought of death has yet to make me afraid
'cause i will march right off of this world into the next like it's a grand parade
but if you feel lonely just like you want to run and hide
then i'll wrap my wings around you and give you strength and i won't leave your side

and i'll watch over you
i'll watch over you
oh my care will cover you just like the morning dew
i'll watch over you
i'll watch over you
you know i'd love to get to heaven
you know i'd love to see the view
but at first i think i'll stay and watch over you
oh, i'll watch over you
i'll watch over you

So I'm listening to this song and the lyrics are just overwhelming me, so I need to listen to this song again while reading the lyrics. But it's on Pandora, right, so I have no fucking control over the music save for play and pause, so I hustle to HypeMachine, and no one's posted "When I Go" for years, so I finally resort to iTunes and fork over 99 cents for what is now my favorite song. And I cry. I just sit there at my desk, in a room where I am not alone, and cry. But it's not like I'm close to anyone there, so I can't explain to them what I'm feeling or what this song just did to me, so I just bite my lip and try to control my sniffles and the water falling from my face. I don't know, they probably all think I'm crazy now.

m4a When I Go

Matt & Kim are life lesson in how to enjoy your days. I don't think these guys have ever had a bad day, and it's pretty hard to have one yourself whenever you listen to them too. After nearly two years without a proper release, the adorable twosome added even more awesome to January 20th with the release of Grand, and nothing's done a better job at keeping me warm these past few awkwardly cold days. When it comes to Matt & Kim, you really hope they'd resist the temptation to grow up, but Grand's come to show off a great maturation. Essentially though, what you have is a graduation from kindergarten to first grade. Yes, everyone in the room is a bit older, but in the end, we're all still sniffing the glue we loved so much in kindergarten. They're still the crazy, active, fun kids we love only this time, with all the things they've learned, they can handle even more. Grand is quintessential Matt & Kim with even more to dance to, and who doesn't love that? Matt & Kim are of a rare breed that actually manage to knock my glasses off at live shows, and this next step has me fearing they'll just full out blind me.

Various Songs From Grand (all songs are right click - save as):
Daylight
Good 'Ol Fashion Nightmare

Learn more at their site.
Be their friend!


Otherwheres - Matt over at YANP shares the Bonnaroo leak, and uugh, it's soo good.

Otherwheres - The Blue Walrus shares what it thinks are the best to watch in 2009...

Otherwheres - Covert Curiosity shares one of the reasons why I sometimes wish I had a badge for South By...

Some years ago, Sally Crewe escaped the British Isles and made a home in Austin. Since then, she's gone about spreading her simple, feel-good drive tunes playing bills and brushing shoulders against acts like other local favorite Spoon - quite in fact, Sally used Spoon drummer Jim Eno's studio and drumming skills to record her third and latest album, Your Nearest Exit May Be Behind You. Taking a page from fellow Brit James Bond, Sally strums her guitar to songs about love, cars, and her love for cars, so it comes as no surprise that her music makes for a good soundtrack to your random summer drives. Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves' touch-of-pop rock calls for simple, short tunes. With a collection of short, sweet pop songs, Your Nearest Exit May Be Behind You makes for the perfect pick-up. So get in your car, pop this in and see where Sally takes you.

From Your Nearest Exit May Be Behind You (all songs are right click - save as):
Sleepyhead
Call The Police

Various Songs From Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves:
Wake Up The Heroes

Learn more at her site.
Be her friend!


Otherwheres - Dodge over at MOKB makes me jealous that this tour doesn't run through here...

Otherwheres - Chris at Gorilla VS Bear shares some Feisty Grizzly Bear - beautiful track...

Otherwheres - And finally, YANP Matt reminds us why that guy's the Boss...

Prepare for me to get superfluous 'cause the ups I got from this show refuse to put me back down.

Everyone's favorite Cardiff-based mariachi band took to stage at the Parish Friday night, and it's a thing of wonder that we all didn't bring that structure down. Friday night had everyone put on their dance shoes, and we did indeed dance. From the moment the septet swelled the stage, we greased our joints until the crowd was rowdy with movement. On stage, things were hardly stagnant either. With Los Campesinos!, you get an undeniable feeling of friendship between the members, and in character, this group of friends is nothing but a bunch of rugrats. Bustling, fidgeting, tossing and turning - what you had on stage was a group of musically-inclined preschoolers, and bringing us into their world of chaos and innocence, we jumped, danced, and yelled just like any preschool class from hell ought to do.

Playing a healthy setlist that grabbed from their first and sophomore albums, the group paced themselves that night. Pleas for "You! Me! Dancing!" were met with edging, but the second that intro started, we prepared for the dance party of our lives. I've never seen so many stage dives occur. I've never seen a lot of the things that happened that night. Los Campesinos! has proven to me time and time again how much they truly deserve that exclamation point and just so much more. I don't care if I just built up high expectations, because the fact is, they'll meet them. If these guys show up anywhere near you or even anywhere far from you, I highly recommend you show up with your favorite party hat and boogie shoes.





Various Songs From Los Campesinos! (all songs are right click - save as):
You! Me! Dancing!
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
The International Tweexcore Underground

Learn more at their site.
Be their friend!


Otherwheres - Check in with John at Side One: Track One's latest podcast...

Otherwheres - Lawrence over at Covert Curiosity is searching for Austin's best DJ...

Otherwheres - It seems IGIF's Nathaniel's been a victim of that ice storm that hit KY, hope everyone else here mustered through all that recent cold safely!

Labels: Retrospective, The Parish