Advanced tickets are available at the (Le) Poisson Rouge website. Doors open at 10:00 PM, flyer, mp3′s, and more below.

 

“New York City’s THE GOLDEN FILTER may have just put out one of the sexiest jams of the summer with ‘Solid Gold’ and no one knows a single thing about them. A revved up, glittery disco-bassline and icy synths anchor your feet to the dancefloor while airy female vocals breeze past on rays of golden light – a combination that’s enough to cool you on the most humid of days.” [FRICTION NYC]
[MP3]: “Solid Gold”

 

“Beware; those who enter the HEARTSREVOLUTION world may never leave. Ben and Lo’s music takes hold of you with its silvery, digital clutch – cut’n’paste, overlapping beats, dream-like synths and mantra lyrics – and never lets you go.” [NME]
[MP3]: “C.Y.O.A.”

 
”
PINK SKULL‘s first full-length released earlier this year (Zeppelin 3), plays like a time- and genre-transcending masterpiece like nothing you’ve heard — a mélange of soundscapes ranging from dancefloor killers to experimental funk to psych-rock to ultra-low-key acoustic folk.” [Prefixmag]
[MP3]: “Unicorn Harpoon”

 
In part with:

This is an ALL AGES EARLY SHOW!!! with doors opening at 6:00pm. Advanced tickets available here. The Barbary is located at 951 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125 (215 634-7400).

GET HYPE!

I didn’t even write any of this people, I put in something else earlier. Justin changed my shit up, another case of not being able to delegate and being controllingly anal. -Nghia

Tickets are just $8 and available the night of the show at Cake Shop. Doors @ 7:30pm

 
In part with:

What one BV commenter said:

One of those moments in your life you will never forget! The songs couldn’t have been more beautiful and sincere. The MySpace demos are really the most basic rough draft of what was heard…

Flickr

Yeah!!!

I woke up on Monday morning and the first thing that came to my mind was, “holy shit, POPPED! is this week!” I couldn’t believe that nearly a full year had gone by since I started working on this year’s festival and that now we were just a few days away. I’ve mentioned the details of POPPED! on here in the past, but wanted to give everyone a final blast and mention some additions that have been made since we first went to press.

The press release reads: “Only in its second year, Philadelphia’s POPPED! Music Festival is already a testament to the city being a prime destination to visit for live music. Centered in the accessible downtown area, POPPED! is a truly unique festival that highlights some of Philadelphia’s best music venues and local culture.” For me, it all comes full circle with Vampire Weekend, a band who just over a year ago was playing FRICTION shows and other small venues in New York. Fast forward to 2008 and the band is playing a slew of well-established festivals across the world, touring Europe and the United States, making appearances on Saturday Night Live, etc., and headlining their very first festival right here in Philadelphia on June 21st.

The Vamps have a solid line of support acts on Saturday beginning with UK buzz act The Ting Tings, Philly’s own Hoots & Hellmouth and Mr. Lif, gypsy-punks Gogol Bordelo, Mates of State, and FRICTION alums Dan Deacon and Crystal Castles. Between sets, three of Philly’s best DJ nights will be bringing their parties to the stage including Sorted’s Mike Z spinning indie/Brit/dance, along with heavy cosmic groovers Rock Tits, and Turnaround vs. Immediate with soul, psych, and amphetamine-fueled R&B.

On Sunday, the festival moves from outdoors at 33rd & Market Streets, down the block to World Cafe Live where Daniel Johnston and The Capitol Years will cap the day’s festivities which will see performances by Cheers Elephant, O’Death, Sam Champion, Gildon Works, Takka Takka, Tickley Feather, PWRFL Power, Project Jenny, Project Jan, The Swimmers, and The Vandelles.

Slick Rick starts things off on Friday night fronting a live band at The Trocadero, while White T’s & White Belts and Steven Bloodbath fuel the party with hip-hop and electro.

Check the new POPPED! website where the full schedule is posted for Saturday and Sunday. 3-day passes are currently sold-out, but tickets for the individual days WILL BE available at doors.

[MP3]: Dan Deacon  ”Pink Batman”
Spiderman of the Rings, Carpark; 2007

With the original lineup, shoegaze icons My Bloody Valentine returned to the stage on Friday, June 13th for the first time in 16 years at London’s ICA. I wasn’t there, but many were and feedback was generally positive. After listening to the mp3s from their live set, I’m BEYOND stoked to see them here in the States in a few months. Amazing.

[MP3]: My Bloody Valentine  ”Only Shallow (Live)”
[MP3]: My Bloody Valentine  ”When You Sleep (Live)”
Live at London’s ICA; June 13, 2008
Get the entire set from Friday, June 13th here (setlist above)

I was one of the lucky few to see the sold out Dodos show at Mercury Lounge last night. I’ve been working like a dog so I didn’t catch the opening acts. The San Francisco duo of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber were joined by a third percussion/vibes/organist for this show. Coming off their recent and highly regarded album, Visiter, The Dodos presented their acoustic freak folk to an energetic, collegiate crowd.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Long, plays at breakneck speeds, strumming vigorously while switching between two mics for lead and harmony vocals. His fingerpicking and blues riffs were beautifully executed on his quiver of big-body vintage guitars (using acrylic, flamenco-style nails!). It’s no wonder why he sits down for the entire show. The Dodos layered, rich sound comes from not only Long’s impressive guitar playing and Kroeber’s steady tribal drumming, but the use of loops during their performance.

I dare not call them a jam band, but at the and of their set, going from Jody to The Season, I looked around to see the crowd in a trance, bobbing and weaving together in a cult-like state.

More pics over at Ear Farm’s flickr site.

Download “Ashley” [Frenchkiss Records]

The Dodos live performance videos on NPR

An explosive, chaotic, hypnotic, and relentless rhythm rave is what Japanoise band Boredoms brought to Starlight Ballroom last night in Philadelphia. Their nearly ninety-minute set ranged from minimal beats and ambient washes to a full on aural assault of thundering tribal percussion and crushing primal noise.

Frontman Yamatsuka Eye opened the set on a pitch black stage swinging around a pair of trippy MIDI controlled light orbs that produced growling electronic feedback every time they were shaken. The noise produced by the glowing orbs steadily matured into a consistent thump, gaining intensity that culminated when the lighting was switched on and the triple drum attack of Muneomi Senju, Yojiro, Yoshimi P-We was unleashed. Eye threw the orbs to the floor and tore into the “Sevena,” a seven necked guitar that he played percussively with an array of baton like drumsticks. A dizzying stampede of flowing rhythms and sonic layers blasted from the stage setting the tone for the rest of the show.

Perhaps most impressively, the trio of drummers performed non-stop, like clockwork at times rising off their seats to pound on their snares, toms, and cymbals. Equally amazing is that they had unbelievable endurance, finishing the set and encore stronger than when they began. Eye was like a torrent on the stage and had a seemingly relentless amount of energy. He rotated between wailing on the Sevena with various sized “drumsticks,” producing melodic drones and creating blankets of noise on a joystick controlled synth. Between his duties on the synth and Sevena, he would let out indecipherable shrieks and exclamations like “Ha. Ha. Bia! Bia! Boog boog boog. Bia! Eeeeeet!” If I weren’t witnessing it first hand I would have assumed there was a pterodactyl on stage when Eye hit his “Eeeeet!” notes. Much to the dismay of the roadie/soundguy who tuned the seven-neck guitar throughout the set, Eye managed to break many of the strings on the upper necks during the final song.

Toward the end of the set, my ears were absolutely pummeled and I made my way toward the back of the crowd where I learned that Eye had a broken foot and was wearing an air cast the entire show. I went into the show being a more casual Boredoms listener, not super familiar with the band’s catalog, but I can see myself delving deeper into their records following last night’s torrent of a live show.

Live, Boredoms sound is nothing short of IMMENSE. I left the former roller skating rink, turned club, halfway through the encore, ears ringing as the band, never tiring, sent blasts of noise pouring into the gritty desolate streets around me.

Boredoms finish up their U.S. tour tonight at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC.

NOTE: The picture accompanying this post is from Trent Wolbe, the band had asked not to be photographed during their show last night.

[MP3]: Boredoms  ”B For Boredoms”
Chocolate Synthesizer, WEA/Reprise/Very Friendly; 1994

I found myself standing in a loosely crowded room at The Barbary last night to see The Ruby Suns who are currently touring the States with Le Loup. It was another one of those all-ages shows that make me feel like an old man. This time, instead of being in a church basement surrounded by youth, I was in a familiar club, a place that is usually dancey, drunk, and loud. And to add to that, people are usually pissed off their asses (at least I am) at The Barbary, dancing and partying into the wee hours of the morning.

Last night, er, yesterday evening was a bit different. Instead of being surrounded by late night partygoers, I was surrounded by a crowd consisting of high school kids, the typical show crowd, and actual children as the evening sun poured through a glass door into the dimly lit venue. It kind of felt like I was at SXSW, CMJ or something like that, which was pretty rad, even though I’m used to being in the club at midnight instead of dinner time. It’s great that Philly has these all-ages shows, they’re something unique that I never experienced in New York, or anywhere else for that matter, with the only drawback being the lack of booze. My heart sank when upon entering The Barbary only to see the taps covered with a fire hood leaving me to decide between vitamin water and chocolate milk (kidding about the choco milk, of course, but it would have been nice!). The show ended while the night was still young and I could have easily caught another show, actually an entire bill, or stuck around The Barbary for a DJ night. These “after-work” shows are something I can get used to and certainly a unique and welcomed addition Philly’s already busy music scene.

The Ruby Suns ended their set by the time it was dark outside and frontman Ryan McPhun made a quip about how the night was still young. It was good to see him in such good spirits after a set that was plagued with technical difficulties. Getting the band set up and sound checked took a good while and throughout the show there were issues with the backing track volume, mic stands tipping over, and every time McPhun got near his mic, he received a zap on the lips. Despite issues with the sound, the trio soldiered through about half of Sea Lion, treating the crowd with their sun-struck psychedelic goodness. Since the Suns were performing as a three-piece, they used a backing track for some of the instrumentals and vocal harmonies, while all three juggled various instruments and traded off vocals. McPhun exchanged guitar for percussion and back again, while Amee Robinson swapped between guitar, bass, and keyboards, and Imogen Taylor was in charge keyboards, and the flute. Each bandmember’s ability to switch between instruments mid-song and not lose a beat was the most impressive part of their set.

The three-piece ended the show with a solid rendition of “Tane Mahuta,” serving up the best of the night and going out on a good note. The sizable crowd responded accordingly, giving the group a substantial cheer despite the sound problems. It would be great to see the band fully perform Sea Lion live, but with all the record’s intricacies it would make touring trickier and much more expensive. If Sea Lion serves as any evidence, I’m expecting the band to mature their live show and eventually flesh it out to include supporting members and instrumentation.

The Ruby Suns play The Mercury Lounge on March 23rd with Le Loup and FRICTION alums The Silent League.

[MP3]: The Ruby Suns  ”Kenya Dig It?”
Sea Lion, Sub Pop; 2008