That Time of Year Again: Support KEXP

KEXP needs our help once again. It's the time of year for the Summer Pledge Drive. Click on over to KEXP and give what you can. They are consistently one of the best sources in the US for finding new music of all genres. And they happen to be one of the few ways to hear music for free without advertising interruptions. So please help keep it that way. This is important.

KEXP Blog

KEXP Playlist (deejays John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole are as good as it gets)

KEXP On Demand (Streaming, Live Archives, Podcast)
- mp3: The Helio Sequence, "Keep Your Eyes Ahead"
- mp3: MGMT, "Weekend Wars"
- mp3: Black Lips, "Veni Vidi Vici"
- mp3: Grand Archives, "Miniature Birds"
- mp3: Jose Gonzalez, "Down the Line"

Also, they have sweet gifts for people that donate...

-J2

Schubas Is the Place to Be in February

Four of the best indie bands in the country will be performing over two nights at Schubas in February. Due to such high demand, they added a second show on February 8th for Next Big Things MGMT and Yeasayer (sorry - both shows already sold out). The very next night brings in Tulsa, opening for The Whigs, both remarkably talented bands with plenty of promise.

Hailing from Boston, Tulsa is a trio of east-coasters that sound more like they really are from Okie Country, recalling the southern-tinged psych-rock of My Morning Jacket or Kings of Leon. Releasing two critically acclaimed seven-song EPs in 2007, and hitting the studio with the likes of producers Phil Ek (Band of Horses) and David Newfield (Broken Social Scene), mean that a 2008 debut LP will be highly anticipated and almost certainly well-received.

Check out "Breath Thin" from I Was Submerged, broadcast earlier this week as a KEXP Song of the Day:

Tulsa - Breath Thin

Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/tulsamusic.


Headlining on the 9th are The Whigs, who just released their first album in four years, Mission Control, one week ago. There is good reason for some comparison to fellow ATO Records mates, My Morning Jacket and Gomez, as well as the ever-present alt-country influences of Sun Volt and (early) Wilco. Comparisons aside, though, these guys bring plenty of their own Athens, GA flavor to the table, and the live show is sure to be a treat.

Here they are on Letterman a few nights ago:


Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/thewhigs.

-jT

Best of 2007, Part VIII

Well it is my turn to give you the next chapter of mC's Best (and/or Worst) Lists of 2007 (see Part I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII):


This year has truly been a phenomenal year in music. There is honestly so much good music out there now, and it's easier to access than ever. Unless you're a fan of Hip Hop (in which case you had about seven quality albums), then compiling a list of only the Top 20 is remarkably difficult. But that is what I attempt to do here in two parts:

Top 20 Albums of 2007 (Nos. 20-11)

Number Twenty (20)
Artist: Wilco
Album: Sky Blue Sky
Label: Nonesuch
Release Date: May 15, 2007

A more mature album from Jeff Tweedy and company, to be sure, with sweet melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and classic Wilco jams. The evolution of Wilco continues.

Number Nineteen (19)
Artist: MGMT
Album: Oracular Spectacular
Label: Columbia
Release Date: October 6, 2007

Pop music plain and simple, Oracular Spectacular covers power pop, dance rock, acoustic ballads, and playground grooves. Perhaps a little directionless, but MGMT has complete control throughout. And this is just their debut album.

Number Eighteen (18)
Artist: Maps
Album: We Can Create
Label: Mute
Release Date: June 19, 2007

James Chapman is the one-man-band known as Maps, and on Create he deftly blends electronic soundscapes with indie rock and dreamy vocals in beautifully sweeping arrangements. "To the Sky" remains one of the year's best tracks.

Number Seventeen (17)
Artist: Stars
Album: In Our Bedroom After the War
Label: Arts & Crafts
Release Date: September 25, 2007

The Arts & Crafts gang follows up the success of 2005's Set Yourself On Fire with a set of lush A.M.-ready tunes easily accessible to both your hipster-teen sister and your Donovan-loving dad.

Number Sixteen (16)
Artist: Shout Out Louds
Album: Our Ill Wills
Label: Merge
Release Date: September 11, 2007

Imagine everything really wonderful about The Cure - dancy pop, tragic lyrics, catchy hooks, Robert Smith's voice - and you pretty much have Our Ill Wills. Somehow, Shout Out Louds manage to make it all sound original while making you melt all over again.

Number Fifteen (15)
Artist: Common
Album: Finding Forever
Label: Universal Music Group
Release Date: July 31, 2007

Despite some lyrical missteps (there is, sadly, a Jennifer Aniston-Vince Vaughn reference), Common and producer Kanye West are again right on beat with these tracks. Simultaneously recalling J Dilla and Quincy Jones, Finding Forever feels good now.

Number Fourteen (14)
Artist: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Album: Some Loud Thunder
Label: Wichita
Release Date: January 30, 2007

Initially a little disappointing after their impressive self-titled debut, Some Loud Thunder nevertheless swelled with each subsequent listening. Still raw and unpolished, CYHSY remain Indie Rock poster-boys thanks to Alec Ounsworth's earnest and spirited vocals and their David Byrne-inspired whimsy.

Number Thirteen (13)
Artist: The Twilight Sad
Album: Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters
Label: Fat Cat
Release Date: April 3, 2007

Melancholic anthem rock isn't an official genre we at mC are aware of, but The Twilight Sad would certainly fit into that box if there were. Huge, lush orchestrations permeate Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, and lead singer James Graham has a more appealing Scottish accent than Sean Connery. If only "That Summer At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy" had been in existence when I was 14...

Number Twelve (12)
Artist: Kings of Leon
Album: Because of the Times
Label: RCA
Release Date: April 3, 2007

Kings of Leon take a page out of My Morning Jacket's playbook and get cerebral with their Southern garage rock. Taking a more grown-up approach to their sound pays off lyrically and melodically, as songs like "On Call" and "Arizona" are some of their best yet.

Number Eleven (11)
Artist: Fujiya & Miyagi
Album: Transparent Things
Label: DD+BC
Release Date: January 23, 2007

Fujiya & Miyagi seemed to come out of nowhere a little under a year ago, and their debut, Transparent Things, continues to be one of the more modern sounds of the year. Neither Japanese nor a duo, F&M drop funky basslines and deep grooves that could either get the party started or chill the crowd out.


Check back soon for the Top 10 Albums of 2007.

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Next Big Thing Alert!

Spinning this week in middleCoast's Uptown offices is the first full-length album from MGMT, Oracular Spectacular. These dance-rockers hail from (surprise! surprise!) Brooklyn, NY, and are opening for fellow Brooklynites, Yeasayer, in Chicago February 8th at Schubas.

Their first music video is for the track, "Electric Feel", which doubles as an interactive music video allowing you to make your own version (download it here):



The whole album is only $7.99 on iTunes, by the way, and features my favorite song of the week:

Enjoy.

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