DC-Tampa Musicial Vagabond Society

TV On The Radio On The Internet

2008-08-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

In advance of their forthcoming album, Dear Science, Brooklyn electro art rockers TV On The Radio have leaked a handful of new tracks throughout cyberspace.

Two of the new tunes, the sax heavy Golden Age and Dancing Choose can be found here.

TVOTR's full length ode to molecules and what not hits shelves September 23.

New Bloc Party Out...Now

2008-08-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

So much for foreplay. Former indie darlings Bloc Party have chosen to forego the typical industry buildup to their latest album, opting instead to make it availalbe for download now. Intimacy, the the British troupe's third LP, was released digitally on the band's website earlier this week essentially with no warning. The foursome's followup to 2007's A Weekend In The City will be released in hard form in the U.S. on October 28.

Not sure how we feel about this one yet.

For those who are partial to their previous work.

Telograph No More

2008-08-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Shit.

Kings of Leon Pee Razor Blades

2008-08-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Kings of Leon don't merely fritter away their days on women and drink. They also happen to churn out some rather good songs about fittering their days away on women and drink.

Clan Followill's fourth full length album, Only By The Night, is set for release on September 23. Seems the U.K.'s favorite good 'ol boys have been trying out some of the new tunes on the summer fest circuit, including a recent stop at the All Points West Music and Arts Festival in New Jersey. Several of the new tunes are making their way across the net. Our favorite, Sex on Fire, is below.

Indeed.

U.S.Royalty Issue EP

2008-08-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Society interupts its summer slumber to report that D.C. yacht rockers U.S. Royalty have released their first EP. DC area fans have several opportunities to join in on the regalia with a smattering of shows scheduled throughout the District in August and September. The video for the band's first single, Every Summer, can be viewed at their home in the series of tubes.

Of Montreal Put Finishing Touches On Latest Opus

2008-06-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Indie pop troupe Of Montreal's newest album is finished, according to the band's myspace page. Kevin Barnes, the Athens, Georgia outfit's free wheeling leader, reports that the follow up to 2007's Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? has been mastered and is set for a fall release. It is tenatively titled Skeletal Lamping.

Barnes apparently did the yeoman's share of creating the new tunes, which he sees as a departure from the band's recent synth pop work. Says Barnes

i am so bored with art that makes sense and "works". i wanted to do somethings that didn't "work". very few things pique our interest while they are working as we expect them to, things are far more interesting when they are not working.

Clearly, Barnes & Co are no strangers to thinking, and performing, outside of the box.

A fall tour in support of Skeletal Lamping is also in the works.

Coldplay's Viva la Vida Streaming, Doesn't Suck

2008-06-15T09:26:00.001-07:00

Not to be outdone by the nude Scandavians below, Coldplay is also making its new album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends available for your listening enjoyment prior to its official release.

At the risk of being beaten within an inch of our life (or at least publicly berated) by all of the "serious" music folks out there, we dare say that Viva la Vida ain't half bad. The Brian Eno produced LP moves beyond the territory charted on A Rush of Blood to the Head and largely retread with X&Y, reaching a continually modern sound.

Dont get us wrong; no one will be confusing these guys with Radiohead anytime soon and their perpetually sappy frontman, Chris Martin, is certainly no Shakepeare. We also agree that the chart topping sales, darling fanfare and general sillyness surrounding Coldplay is largely unwarranted and, at times, even down right aggravating. That said, we never really understood why their mass fan appeal requires the band's work to be examined under such a high powered microscope.

The album will be properly released on Tuesday. Check it out for yourself while its free and let us know what you think.

Sigur Ros Previews New Album

2008-06-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

(Sigur Ros blissfully gallop across the hillside in search of Bjork's Reykjavík lair.)

Icelandic space rockers Sigur Ros are celebrating the release of their latest album by making it available to fans for free on the band's website. Free, that is, at least for the time being.

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the foursome's fifth studio LP is currently available at sigurros.com/main/streaming.asp. On first listen, it is abundantly clear that the album, loosely translated to With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly (forgive us, we only minored in Icelandic), is a bit more upbeat than long time listners might expect. It is set for release on June 23.

Lead Pipe Lock of the Week: Dark Romantics, Candy Bars, Mike Dunn @ New World Brewery

2008-05-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Lead Pipe Lock of The Week is the Vagabond Society's semi-weekly gift to you, the readers (cue the sound of crickets chirping in the distance). Those of us fortunate to live in a place where gambling on sports is legal, not to mention a zesty and refreshing enterprise, know that the "lead pipe lock" is as close as it gets to a sure thing. Similarly, our lead pipe locks are shows that the Society has deemed can't miss, surefire good times. Consider us Uncle Mickey, Gib Gibson, your friend's brother the day trader and Trent Walker all rolled into one.

When it comes to band names, we tend to be partial towards those that don't: a) describe the type of music the band plays; or b) suck. Fortunately, The Dark Romantics and Candy Bars have more to offer than their respectively descriptive and kooky names. Along with Winter Park's Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England, the lineup for Saturday at New World offers not only good local music, but something for just about anyone.

This is one of a handful of release parties celebrating headliner The Dark Romantics' new EP. The fivesome is a West Virginia fantasy of sorts, boasting two married couples and a sisters tandem. They make grown up synth pop for fans of Muse, Keane, etc and, for a local band that has only been around a couple of years, they do a good job of it.

Less dark and more jangly guitar laden are Candy Bars, who released a clearly drug induced LP, On Cutting Ti-Gers in Half and Understanding Narravation , in 2006. Whispy dream pop for the masses we say.

Mike Dunn and some fellers from up north round out the bill. Round it out impressively they do. Dunn n' them are the most mainstream and readily accessible of the bunch. Certainly worth showing up early for.

Radiohead = Awesome

2008-05-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

5/5/2008 Ford Ampitheatre

5/11/08 Nissan Pavillion

All I Need
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Lucky
15 Step
Nude
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Myxomatosis
Idioteque
Faust Arp
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Just
Reckoner
Everything In Its Right Place
Bangers + Mash
Bodysnatchers
----
Like Spinning Plates
Optimistic
Karma Police
Go Slowly
Planet Telex
----
Fake Plastic Trees
The National Anthem
House of Cards

Oxford's finest killed it last week in Tampa and, apparently, in Bristow, VA as well. Much has been said elsewhere about the horror that was trying to get to the "DC" show, so we'll simply add that Live Nation has proven yet again that they dont give a damn about whether the fans enjoy a given show, so long as we fork over the requisite cash. Anywho, the Tampa show was REALLY GOOD.

Nonetheless, it really grinds our gears, as they say in Quahog, that Thom Yorke & Co. have the temerity to implore fans to use all possible means to reduce the carbon footprint associated with travel to and from each of the shows on this tour, despite scheduling both the Tampa and "DC" shows at venues that are not only out of the way, but also inaccessible via public transportation. Lotta balls.

Our advice to the band is to step off the soapbox, cool it with the sanctimony, and just focus on making absolutely incredible music.

Strokes Guitarist Preps Second Solo Album

2008-04-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

While his bandmates lounge around the lower east side and admire their bank accounts, it seems Strokes background man Albert Hammond Jr. has been hard at work. The band's third most recognizeable member recently completed recording Como Te Llama, the follow up to last year's wonderfully surprising Yours To Keep, and is shooting for a June release. Hammond, also known for his stirring portrayal of "The Guy" in Dave Chappelle's Half Baked,surprised many, including the other Strokes, with the 2007 release of his first solo album. A light, dreamy, summertime excursion, Yours was critically endeared, leading to an impromptu tour following the album's release. This time around, it appears Hammond is anticipating some live sets.

Friday Afternoon Playlist

2008-04-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Tampa Music Week

2008-04-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

Hunker down and gather round the fire to combat the unseasonably sub-65 degree temperatures. If you dare venture out, here's a little something to keep you warm.

WEDNESDAY
Vodoo Organist
New Wolrd Brewery 9pm
Here's something you don't see every day: a one-man goth organist/variety show, whose music sounds like the soundtrack to a Rob Zombie flick. Local oddball rockers Worldwide Zoo and Super Secret Best Friends join.

THURSDAY
VHS or Beta;Tigercity
Crowbar
Over the top dance rockers VHS or Beta may not be able to decide on an obselete video media, but they definitely know how to have a good time. It seems they've tried to tone it down a bit. Hopefully, not too much. Ingeniously paired with Hall & Oates spawn Tigercity.

SATURDAY
Auto! Automatic!!

New World Brewery 9pm
Ubiquitous local experimental troupe melts Imperial Stout sipping faces. Plus, the guy who cuts our hair likes 'em. History and With Harchet, Pike and Gun open.

A Portrait of The Artist: Carlos D.

2008-04-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Fans looking for some insight into the creative minds behind the excellent, if not somewhat reclusive, art/industrial band Interpol will want to make their way over to this cyberspace gem. Apparently, Carlos D., Pol's goth bassist galore, has been up to more than just perfecting the porn stache recently. D's also trying his hand at television and cinema scoring and using his personal website as a means for hocking his wares.

(Carlos D., trying to recall where he parked the beat up white van.)

It will come as no surprise to those familiar with the best dressed band this side of the Atlantic that Carlos marches to the beat of a different drum, but some of the info over there is still....interesting.

Pitchfork.tv Launches

2008-04-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

We here at the Society are forever indebted to the folks over at Pitchfork for their dedication to shining a light on good and interesting, if underappreciated, music. That said, it can be difficult to digest some of the pretense and snark over there at times. Tends to smack of "I'm cool because I like such and such band" and what have you. Fortunately, for those looking to get turned on to new music sans the jibber jabber, we point you to pitchfork.tv, launched earlier this week. There's already lots of fun stuff up over there, including live sets and music videos. Enjoy.

Bon Iver: Cold, Good

2008-04-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

The classic rock and roll tale: Boy meets girl. Boy starts band. Boy breaks up with girl and band. Boy moves to a cabin in West Bumblefuck, Wisconsin in the dead of winter. Boy records heartbreakingly magnificent album. Ok, maybe "classic" is not the right term. Anyway, Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, sure did come out of the woods with some damn fine tunes. His first album, For Emma, Forever Ago, was properly released by Jagjaguwar about two months ago. While others jumped into this album headfirst months ago, the Society, as is often the case, arrives fashionably late to the party.

That Emma was written and recoded in a wooded, snow-convered cabin, only seems appropriate. Listening to the album, its as if it couldn't possibly have been created anywhere else. The songs have a distinct "winter" hue. Those of you experiencing the final throws of old man winter's fleeting grasp would do well to snatch up a copy, before the clouds break.

Friday Afternoon Playlist

2008-04-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Kicking down cubicle walls edition. Cut our chains now, spread our borders.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Ambulance Ltd. Tour Begins Now

2008-04-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

This tamborine weilding lad and his mates intend to get some road under their feet in the coming days, setting out on an Atlantic Coast jaunt that began last night in Boston. "Shoegazing" is the first word that comes to mind, but really, their work is much more eclectic than that, encompassing a little bit of everything from Velvet Underground and The Allman Brothers to Al Green. While knocking off the rust of a two year layoff and breaking in an almost entirely new lineup is no small feat, the opening show apparently went pretty well. If you're out and about anywhere between NYC and DC in the next handful of days, the Society recommends giving Ambulance Ltd. a listen in person.

Luke Wilson Picks Up Guitar, Sprouts Beard, Croons Sentimental

2008-04-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

It appears the price of stardom weighs heavy on two Wilson brothers these days. Luke Wilson, he of hits Old School, Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums and misses Vacancy and The Family Stone, has sold his home in L.A., moved to the nether mountains of western North Carolina and grown some Richie Tenenbaumesque fuzz. Stunningly, he's thrown his hat into the alt folk ring to boot. Under the stage name Tyler Ramsey, Wilson released a well received solo album, A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea in January and recently wrapped up a nationwide tour opening for the like minded Band of Horses. Wilson, ahem, Ramsey, whose new bio claims that he grew up on folk picking in the foothils of Asheville, NC, has even been recruited to join the Horses full time on guitar.

A long dream, indeed.

New French Kicks Album April 1

2008-03-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

DC ex-pats French Kicks will release their fourth full length album, Swimming, for consumption on April 1. The follow up to 2006's improperly titled Two Thousand from tall man extraordinaire Nick Stumpf and the gang promises more brooding, mellow lounge rock. The Kicks, tech savvy chaps that they are, will start Swimming in the Itunes lane only, while a proper, fullscale album release is set for May 20.

A healthy slate of shows in support of the album kicks off on April 1 at Mercury Lounge in NYC. In the meantime...

DC Indie Renaissance

2008-03-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

An indie-rock resurgence of sorts has taken hold in the nation’s capital, thanks to an influx of local talent that is not only making notable, interesting music in DC (Case in point: the "DC Does TX" showcase at South By Southwest last week), but also sticking around the District (so far) to see how it plays out. From violin totting popsters Exit Clov to the neo-folk of These United States, DC's present music scene represents not only the District’s varied musical history and spirit, but also the diversity of its residents.

Below is a smattering of Society-approved DC acts who have entered our radar in the last year or so. This list is completely partial and by no means comprehensive, so feel free to fill us in on anyone we've overlooked. Note: we are aware of an amporphous bundle of pop rock circling the city under the moniker Le Loup. Its just that we have not had the chance to catch one of their shows, yet.

Georgie James
Cool, eclectic music from singer-songstress Laura Burhenn and former Q and Not U drummer John Davis. Georgie's first album, Places, was released by Saddle Creek late last year. Highlights include the disco-y "Need Your Needs" and power pop gem "More Lights". Of course, it also doesn't hurt that Burhenn is ... um ... well ... yeah.

(Photo taken in Mr. Furley's bedroom circa 1979.)

Telograph
Music for people who like things that are amazing. Post-punk of the ilk of Bends-era Radiohead and early U2. The Society does not make such comparisons lightly. Telograph's self-titled EP, released a few months back, is mostly a re-issuing of tunes, albeit really good ones, that had been out there for some time. The band really could have tossed some throw aways on there and made it a full length, but who are we to judge?

Vandaveer
A well-traveled Kentucky gentlemen takin 'er easy with some optimistic, feel-good folk songs for all us sinners. While we wish he'd rejoin forces with his former bandmates for a follow up to The Apparitions' well played As This Is Futuristic (See "God Monkey Robot", now), we'll settle for Vandaveer's sophomore solo album, apparently due out this year.

Jukebox the Ghost

Raucous piano rock from sweatered George Washington University threesome. We smile cuz we like it.

2008-03-20T17:39:00.000-07:00