I'm sure wherever she is right now, Karen O is finding it lonely at the top.  She's like Eminem, except she's not the sole white rapper worth his weight in the industry.  Ever since Gwen Stefani went solo, Karen O's been the only frontwoman of a rockband worth mentioning.  Until now... maybe.

The future success of Lookbook will not depend on whether Maggie Morrison can sing any better.  She's got that shit on lock.  Our friends who don't really see us the same way at Pitchfork called Morrison "the missing link between Cyndi Lauper and Karen O."  I would have to agree.  She can croon, she can wail, she can bring you to your knees with her vocal prowess.

Her buddy on the other hand is a different story.  LookBook's sounds is of the "electronica/dance" genre, and nothing Grant Cutler cooks up is electronic or dance-y enough.  He can carry a solid beat for Morrison to sing over, but that's about it.  The melodies are lacking.

Listen to LookBook.  The duo's net worth is still valuable, if you overlook (haha, no pun intended) the background noise to the sweet voice.

m4a Over And Over
m4a The Only Ones
m4a Wild At Heart

Tomorrow, February 23, three musical juggernauts will be releasing third, fourth, and fourth albums, respectively.  Of course, I am talking about Joanna Newsom, Electric President, and Shout Out Louds. Here I provide samples and synopses from each.

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
After the overwhelming success of her sophomore album, Ys, expectations were high for the follow-up.  Luckily, Newsom does not disappoint.  The track "Good Intentions Paving Company" has already gotten a fair amount of play via Drag City's website, so I bring to you instead, "'81," a short (in Newsom standards) and tragically beautiful tune that in no manner skimps out on the musicality and lyrical qualities that Joanna Newsom has become an indie household name by.


mp3 '81



Electric President - The Violent Blue


Electric President's first, self-titled album remains my favorite.  The Violent Blue is a lot less electronic-y than its predecessors, which makes it a lot less like-able to me.  The duo has taken the role of a typical indie rock band, which they prove to play well, but nonetheless leaves me with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia.


mp3 Elegant Disasters


Shout Out Louds - Work
Shout Out Louds have most definitely matured since their first release five years ago.  Cleaner and more stream-lined than their previous sound, Work lacks the embellishment and, dare I say it, the spunk the band previously had.


mp3 Fall Hard

Am I late on the wagon on this one? When I heard this English quartet took up reigns at the last Monolith Festival, I suddenly remembered I had this foursome simmering on my backburner. It seems, coming back to them now, they had already set a pan fire and were set to burn my musical blog house down. Rightfully so, The Answering Machine is fiery group of youngsters from Manchester with a sound inclined to make you drop everything you're doing and just rock the friggers out. It's always a pretty good sign when I spend a bit of time trying to pick the songs I want to share with you guys. Needless to say, The Answering Machine make for a great listen. A riff raff of guitars and pacing drumbeat assure that you're never just standing or sitting around with the likes of them playing in the background. Get up and gear up for your weekend with the Answering Machine...

From Another City, Another Sorry album (all songs are right click - save as):
Another City, Another Sorry

Learn more at their site.
Be their friend!

"If You've Only Got" is a feature here on Both Sides showcasing one song, one artist. Whether you have all day to listen to it or just enough time to put it in play once, an If You've Only Got song is gonna be well worth that time. It could be something from way back or something entirely new to you, but ultimately it's just something I really feel like sharing...

Vintage readers of Both Sides will recognize that The Wave Pictures are no strangers here. It's been nearly two years since I've last mentioned them on Both Sides, and the trio from Wymeswold, England are finally set to make their official debut here in the United States with the Stateside release of a double CD comprised of their two most recent albums, Instant Coffee Baby and If You Leave It Alone. The Wave Pictures have been kicking around for the better part of 12 years now, and despite that rather contemporary debut, there's quite a vintage sound to their makings. Putting their overall sound aside, their recordings are just pleasantly fuzzy, a vacuous sound pulling you in with vocals that sound like they're coming in from the receiving end of a Dixie Cup telephone. David Tattersall's vocal handiwork is a defining factor of the trio. There's a string of melancholy to their songs, even if the song isn't. There's just a rundown impression to it all that's in no doubt attributed to the feeling that all this is being sung by some poor sap. Nonetheless, you take these guys up as the underdog. As if one CD wasn't good enough, the Wave Pictures' double album is set for release here on this side of the Atlantic on April 27th, and the trio are set to take to tour in the spring with a stop-over here in Austin just in time for South By...

If You've Only Got Series 7 (all songs are right click - save as):
I Love You Like A Madman

Loads of information (and downloads!) over at the Wave Pictures site.
Be their friend!

Labels: If You've Only Got..., SXSW '10

When it comes to Nouvelle Vague, the idea is pretty basic - take some classic rock tracks, strip them down to the simplest chords, and dip them in the stylings of bossa nova. At the core of their description, Nouvelle Vague essentially crafts covers, but to call their tracks covers or to call this band a cover band would just be so...wrong. Nouvelle Vague holds aloft tracks everyone knows and loves and provides such a refreshing point of view and naive approach of play that, at the end of it all, the track you knew so well is all of a sudden revitalized into something you almost wouldn't recognize. Nouvelle Vague is and provides, as their name suggests, something new.

This past weekend I had the pleasure to see them at Mohawk's, and despite the cold weather, the outdoor portion of the venue was packed from floor to balcony. Coming out of Colin and Libaux's collective that night were two singers from the Nouvelle Vague roster. Not having remembered their names though, I'm just going to refer to them under the two Frenchiest names I can think of - Antoinette and Josephine. Quite appropriate really, Nouvelle Vague is just so quintessentially French. The chanteuses took to their mics, and that was it. It was Valentine's weekend, and the chubby cherub known as Cupid must have been carrying a lot of arrows with him that night, because there wasn't a single person there that didn't fall in love that night. Streaming through the speakers were songs we love sung in a style that made us love them more. Antoinette, in her feathery white jacket, along with Josephine, almost inversely dressed in all black, had us all wrapped around their fingers. Their voices, soft and alluring, carried in the cold air and slithered through the crowd. We would catch a collective sway during downtrodden tracks, and when paces picked up, we clapped and partied hardy. For all the love we gave them, they certainly gave love back and gave us a show fit for something that carried us from Saturday night to Sunday morning.

Nouvelle Vague are currently on the latter end of their tour, but are still set to entertain more cities. If they run through your town, definitely make sure to drop by.





Various songs from Nouvelle Vague (all songs are right click - save as):
Killing Moon
Master & Servant

Catch the dates on the rest of their and learn more at their site.
Be their friend!

Labels: Mohawk's, Retrospective

On this day of chocolates, of roses, of hearts, and other things in plural, there are those among us that are rather...singular. Whether our status of "single" be fresh or stale, it can be accounted for that Cupid missed a few, and with the blindness of that cherub in hand, it becomes a delightful thought to some of us that St. Valentine was beheaded for "meddling." So here, on this Anna Howard Shaw Day, you can revel as singles and celibate celebrate.

Musicupid (artist name leads to site and all songs are right click - save as):
Acid House Kings - You Can Keep Your Love [Loveninjas Cover]
Archie Bronson Outfit - Dart for my Sweetheart
Belle & Sebastian - I Don't Love Anyone
The Decemberists - The Rake's Song
The Features - Wooden Heart
Jens Lekman - I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You
Kaiser Chiefs - Everyday I Love You Less and Less
The Pigeon Detectives - Love You For A Day (Hate You For A Week)
Razorlight - Who Needs Love?
Salty Pirates - Shark Attack
Sneaky Sound System - I Just Don't Want To Be Loved
We Are Scientists - It's A Hit

Labels: Mix

As I sit here penning this, waiters and waitresses at Italian restaurants are readying their tables and florists are picking bushes clean of every single rose that dare bud from it this season. Be weary dear readers, VD strikes everyone on this day, and it is my dearest wish that you catch it and hold on to it forever and ever and ever. Ah, love! Happy Valentine's Day!

Heart Day Mix (artist name leads to site and all songs are right click - save as):
Arctic Monkeys - Love Machine [Girls Aloud Cover]
Born Ruffians - Little Garçon
The Boy Least Likely To - Rock Upon A Porch With You
The Brunettes - Loopy Loopy Love
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Is This Love?
The Features - The Idea of Growing Old With You
Noah and the Whale - 5 Years Time
Passion Pit - Let Your Love Grow Tall
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
The Rumble Strips - Girls and Boys in Love
Slow Club - Me and You
Sondre Lerche - She's Fantastic

Labels: Mix