Music

As if British dance-rock musicians weren’t adorable enough – what with their overt politeness and quaint fashion sense – their reactions to a positively Californian experience made them downright precious. The singers from Bloc Party , Does It Offend You, Yeah? , and Friendly Fires all waxed goofily on the 5.4 earthquake that struck the Los Angeles area earlier that day. And in line with such a phenomenon, the bands shook their audience into a furor all night long at the Mayan on July 29.

Athens, Georgia’s Of Montreal have begun to prepare the public for their new album, Skeletal Lamping . The newest offering from the glam/psych-pop band is the release of “Id Engager” 7″ before the album comes out later this fall. For $10 (plus shipping and handling) you’ll get three different versions of the record, all a differently colored vinyl.

Philadelphia’s Zodiak brings together members of some of the city’s finest heavy bands, including personnel from Rosetta, Javelina (Run, don’t walk to your local record store to buy a copy of this year’s self-titled debut on Translation Loss), Balboa, and Lickgoldensky. Recorded over the course of three years by Mick Mullins (High on Fire, Intronaut), Sermons, their debut full-length on Translation Loss, delivers an onslaught of expertly produced atmospheric metal that at its highest points manages to be simultaneously relaxing and unsettling.

Our summer tour has now come to an end. Thank you to everyone who came out to the shows.
We were really happy to share our music with all of you.
We would like to say a special thank you to Nookie (Jakarta, Indonesia),
Joris, Lauri and friends (Tartu, Estonia), 茶茶 and Rin Rin (Taipei, Taiwan),
Norisan and smash (Fuji Rock) for all of your support.
Now we are taking a break from the road and will continue writing songs for the new record.
Enjoy the rest of your summers and we hope to see you all again someday.

Love, MONO (from Myspace Blog)

In this clip, Jaguar Love displays its energetic onstage antics and gives some insight into the writing process and the eclectic end result of the upcoming Take Me To The Sea, which is due August 19th from Matador Records.

L.A. rock band The Sound of Animals Fighting have posted a new song, titled “The Heraldic Beak of the Manufacturer’s Medallion,” on their MySpace page. In addition, pre-orders for their new album The Ocean and the Sun, due out in September, are now available. Only 400 of the special pre-order packages will be issued. Each package will include a hand-molded/hand-painted mask, a copy of the CD, and the band’s first 7″ vinyl.

The major label debut from The War On Drugs is a full bodied and healthy dose of nostalgia and longing that is usually reserved for country singers. The Philadelphia quintet, led by guitarist/vocalist Adam Granduciel, sounds more at home playing in a small bar surrounded by pasture and rolling hills than the city that Rocky built. Yet, like Rocky, the music speaks to a decidedly American idea.

Chicago-based rock outfit Pelican will be taking part in Rhapsody Rocks Chicago – an event taking place this Thursday at Subterranean in the Windy City. The 21+ show is free, but you must RSVP. However, since RSVPs are subject to venue capacity, you might want to get there early. Joining the hard-rockers will be such acts as Foals, Walter Meego, Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids, and others.

Tokyo Police Club ft. Aesop Rock and Yak Ballz – The Baskervilles (Amplive Remix)

Tokyo Police Club ft. Aesop Rock and Yak Ballz – The Baskervilles (Amplive Remix)

Mashup DJ AmpLive has posted a YouTube video detailing how he remixed “The Baskervilles” by Tokyo Police Club with Aesop Rock and Yak Ballz.  

“The T4 virus serves as a warning. When you see that image, that’s pretty creepy,” says Shannon Saint Ryan of the spidery bacteriophage symbol that serves as the T4 Project’s logo. Saint Ryan is the brain behind the punk music collective whose members include musicians from the Nina Hagen Band, The Screamers, The Damned, Buzzcocks, Subhumans, Naked Aggression, Circle Jerks, Glass & Ashes, Pennywise, Bad Religion, Strung Out, Le Meu Le Purr, From Satellite, and Porno for Pyros.