Pyramids
By chris | April 29, 2008
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PacificUV
By chris | April 18, 2008
listen to more on their official site here.
www.pacificuv.com
myspace profile
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The Thousand Names, tonight at the Edinburgh Castle in SF
By chris | April 17, 2008
Tonight at the Edinburgh Castle, for $5, go see local band ‘The Thousand Names’ who are opening for A Sunny Day In Glasgow.
Recommended if you like:
Modest Mouse, Beta Band
I’m not saying they sound “just like” these bands. This is just a reference point. If you like these bands, you might dig this band. If you disagree or if you can think of a better suggestion, please post it in the comments.
Thanks to Jason from The Thousand Names for sending me the following mp3’s. They are “demos”…
EDINBURGH CASTLE PUB
950 GEARY ST
SAN FRANCISCO, USA
Topics: music | 2 Comments »
Curve
By chris | April 16, 2008
I struggle sometimes with thinking that I should only post about new bands. Many people are younger music fans and aren’t as obsessive about it as I presume them to be. They don’t research the influences of their favorites. They don’t venture beyond what they know.
So I will probably post a little more about older bands. Bands that are no longer recording. So with that in mind…
If you’ve never listened to Curve. You should give them a try. They aren’t too far removed from today’s sounds. Alternative/indie rock/pop that is danceable.
Recommended if you like:
Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“Considering Curve’s towering monolith of guitar noise, dance tracks, dark goth, and airy melodies, it’s strange that their two core members — guitarist Dean Garcia and vocalist Toni Halliday — met through David Stewart of Eurythmics. Halliday met Stewart while she was a teenager and they remained friends for years; Garcia played on Eurythmics’ Touch and Be Yourself Tonight. The two played together in State of Play, who released one album and two singles in the late ’80s to little notice. After the failure of that band, Garcia and Halliday parted ways only to reunite in the beginning of the ’90s. Renaming themselves Curve, Halliday and Garcia released three EPs that became independent hits in 1991. Although they were critically acclaimed as well, some members of the U.K. press attacked Halliday for not being a genuine member of the indie scene. Despite the negative press, their next EP and first album, 1992’s Doppelganger, hit number one on the U.K. indie charts. By the time of the following year’s Cuckoo, Curve had added two guitarists and a drummer, with Garcia moving to bass. Cuckoo was noisier and more experimental than their previous releases, although it did have a couple of pop songs that were tighter than their usual singles. However, the album didn’t make as big of a splash in the U.K. as previous releases; Curve split several months after its release, only to reform in 1997 with the Chinese Burn EP. The full-length Come Clean followed a year later and “Coming Up Roses became a moderate hit among college radio. Three years later, Curve issued the Internet-only Open Day at the Hate Fest. This album collected MP3’s and B-sides and was a limited edition package for eager fans awaiting a proper studio album. After battling contractual obligations with Estupendo/Universal, Curve returned to form for 2001’s Gift, their fourth album in 10 years. Another self-released disc came in 2002, and a two-disc compilation entitled The Way of Curve followed in 2004.”
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Curve - Hung Up
Curve - Weekend
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Magnetic Morning
By chris | April 16, 2008
Set your clocks for April 19th. The debut EP from Magnetic Morning (formerly known as The Setting Suns) (more popularly known as Interpol’s <drummer>Sam Fogarino</drummer> and Swervedriver’s <singer-guitar>Adam Franklin</singer-guitar>)
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The Foals
By chris | April 15, 2008
myspace.com/foals
wearefoals.com
The Foals - Balloon
The Foals will be playing Popscene at 330 Ritch in San Francisco on May 22nd.
West Coast Dates:
22 May 2008 Pop Scene @ 330 Ritch San Francisco
24 May 2008 The Troubadour West Hollywood
25 May 2008 Brick By Brick San Diego
28 May 2008 Doug Fir Lounge Portland
29 May 2008 Richard’s On Richards Cabaret Vancouver
30 May 2008 Neumo’s Seattle
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Wikipedia / Last.fm mashup
By chris | April 15, 2008
WikiFM is the mashup of two very popular sites, Wikipedia and Last.fm. The fact that it is free, simple, and intuitive makes it even more attractive. The information provided on Wikipedia is much more in-depth than what’s provided on Last.FM artist pages.
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A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Thursday at Edinburgh Castle
By chris | April 14, 2008
Fronted by identical twin sisters Lauren and Robin Daniels and masterminded by their brother Ben, A Sunny Day in Glasgow make synth-laden pop songs reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine or the Jesus and Mary Chain. Ben Daniels started making cassette recordings with the help of his friend Ever Nalens years before A Sunny Day in Glasgow got together. Nalens moved to Glasgow from 2002 to 2004 in order to go to art school, and Daniels moved to London about a year later. They started collaborating again after Ben returned in the summer of 2005, but Nalens abandoned the project after a couple months. Daniels continued to write songs, asking his sister Robin to take over the vocals. Lauren was brought in as a vocalist a few months later, and the group started recording tracks in Ben’s West Philadelphia apartment and at their parents’ house in the suburbs.
They put some of the tracks together and released them as an EP, called The Sunniest Day Ever, in March 2006. The EP charted at number one on New York’s WNYU, the songs started bouncing around online, and soon enough Pitchfork gave the first track on their EP, “C’mon,” a four-star rating. Indie labels started to pay attention, and the group snagged a record deal with Notenuf Records in October 2006. Their first full-length record consisted of tracks recorded between January and August of 2006, and was scheduled for release in February 2007.
See them Thursday, April 17th at the Edinburgh Castle in San Francisco.
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Echodrone
By chris | April 11, 2008
Echodrone was birthed in summer 2005 from the miasma of Craigslist. Answering a call for like-minded musicians, Brandon and Mark F. joined Eugene and began Echodrone’s exploration of the intersection where Medicine, Ride, Stars of the Lid and Mogwai meet. Original drummer Kahlil Karn felt the call in June 2006 and provided a visual component to initial gigs, but parted ways with the band in June 2007. Another call out to Craigslist ensnared drummer/sonic maestro Mark Tarlton, who began contributing electronic touches to the mix. The final stage of Echodrone was set when Meredith Gibbons (ex-One Becomes One Hundred) replaced departing member Mark F.
The Echodrone recipe: combine Post-Rock textures, Ambient atmospherics, Dreampop harmonies and feedback-drenched classic Shoegaze into a mold shaped from the band’s musical exploration. The result: a cathartic mix of vivid musical colors and patterns that is greater than the sum of its parts. Echodrone is an indie band for those bored with the indie genre.
After first unleashing their barbaric yalp onto receptive audiences in September 2006, Echodrone has since played with such local luminaries as Sciflyer (Clairecords), Murder of Lilies, and Halcyon High. March 2007 saw the release of a debut 4-song EP, recorded at SoundPort Studios by Michael Padilla (Dora Flood) and released on the band’s own label, Isomer Records. This self-titled EP was a top-seller on shoegaze specialty retail site toneVENDOR and has received airplay locally on KALX, KSCU and KZSU, nationally on the respected online station Vertigo Radio, where opener “Here We Are” was voted 2 listener favorite in the first month of release, and internationally on Australia’s 3RRR station.
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Veil Veil Vanish
By chris | April 11, 2008
Veil Veil Vanish is a San Francisco based 4-piece that brings dark, post-punk energy, shoegaze atmospherics, and modern indie aesthetics into the current era of pop music. Featuring ex-members of Andalusia , Astral & Jada Morning, Veil Veil Vanish began in January of 2006 and has since played venues throughout the US, with bands such as 1990’s (UK), Celebration, Midnight Movies, and Bellmer Dolls to name a few. Veil Veil Vanish has also toured the West Coast including a January 2008 tour with New York’s Apollo Heights.
In March of 2007 Veil Veil Vanish completed a southwest tour in support of their debut, self-released EP titled, “Into a New Mausoleum, which combines dark, blissed out atmospherics, danceable drums and high-rise choruses turning these alluring soundscapes into seductive pop gems.
Veil Veil Vanish has also been receiving support from legendary Bay Area radio station Live 105 including being a featured band at their Summer Concert Series in 2007, as well as being picked in the top 5 to be in the running to play music festivals Not So Silent Night and BFD featuring headliners such as The Killers, Bloc Party, and Interpol. The song ‘Shadows Dripping Like Honey Kissing’ from the new EP has also been featured on Live 105’s new music show, Soundcheck.
This year Veil Veil Vanish played the San Francisco music festival Noise Pop 2008 with A Place to Bury Strangers and Holy Fuck. Veil Veil Vanish will contribute a song to the Cure tribute album ‘Perfect as Cats’ to be released this fall on Manimal Vinyl Records, and is currently finishing new material for a fall release.
Veil Veil Vanish is playing at San Francisco’s Knockout on April, 25 2008 with Magick Daggers (PDX) & The Holy Kiss.
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