With the year drawing to a close musically speaking, Drake runs down two of the most anticipated follow-up releases of 2009. -ed.

We’re quickly approaching the point of no return as far as significant releases go, before the tide turns to that of gift-oriented, so we have to savor what morsels are thrown our way. This week that means the latest from The Swell Season, Devendra Banhart, Tegan & Sara, Wolfmother, Gemma Ray, Broadcast And The Focus Group, Boat, a live release from R.E.M., a compilation from The Breakaways and deluxe reissues of U2’s The Unforgettable Fire and James Brown’s Live at the Garden: The Expanded Edition.

Playlist: New Releases 10.27.09

---

The Swell Season – Strict Joy
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

As wrong as it is, it’s hard not to think of this album as a sequel to Once, where Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova have broken up and are putting it to song. Of course The Swell Season existed before Once, with many of the songs from their debut ending up in the film, so this technically is a follow up to that release, but for the vast majority of the record buying public, Once is the starting point. I’m not sure what Hansard & Irglova are thinking putting their Van Morrison impersonations front and center (opening songs “Low Rising” and “Feeling The Pull”). The rest of the album has worked wonders as a sincerity tonic, cleansing my palate of all the irony and sarcasm in indie rock that are part of my usual diet, and for that I am grateful.

---

Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The transition from folk to minimalist new wave pop is almost complete for Tegan and Sara, with this their sixth album, Sainthood. Their past two releases both signaled the change, but the subject matter was a little dark on So Jealous and The Con. Here, there’s a lighter feel to go with the witty banter the sisters showcase during their live set, and it just feels a bit more relaxed, confident… and yes, fun. And when your opening single is titled “Hell,” that’s saying something.

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Devendra Banhart – What Will Be
Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg
Gemma Ray – Lights Out Zoltar
R.E.M. – Live at the Olympia
Broadcast And The Focus Group – Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age
Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Is Awesome
Boat – Setting the Paces / “Lately (I’ve Been On My Back)” [mp3]
The Breakaways – Walking Out on Love: The Lost Sessions
Junk Culture – West Coast / “West Coast” [mp3]
Los Lobos – Los Lobos Goes Disney
Deleted Waveform Gatherings – Ghost, She Said
The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
Chet – Chelsea Silver, Please Come Home
Chuck Prophet – ¡Let Freedom Ring!
Del McCoury – Family Circle
Gov’t Mule – By a Thread
Awesome New Republic – Hearts
I Love You – Bell Ord Forrest / “The Colloquialism Is Simply ‘Gas’” [mp3]

REISSUES
U2 – The Unforgettable Fire (Deluxe
Reissue)
James Brown Live at the Garden: The Expanded Edition

John K. Samson (of The Weakerthans) at The Music Hall of Williamsburg (09/18/09)

Photo: Matt Fricovsky (more)
DOWNLOAD: “Cruise Night” – John K. Samson (mp3)

When a band takes 4 years between albums, a three song EP from the primary songwriter still counts as an “event” in my books. As is usually the case, John K. Samson takes on his (and my) hometown as the subject of his new short player, City Route 85, which came out digitally and on 7″ Tuesday (Nov 3) on ANTI- Records. According to the press materials, the new EP is the “first in a series of recordings exploring the atmospheric streets and highways surrounding Winnipeg, Manitoba”. After reading that, I have to wonder, could the first ever song about bumpershining be far behind?

The City Route 85 of the record’s title is the formal name for Portage Avenue, one of Winnipeg’s main thoroughfares. Samson begins his musical study of this storied street with the song “Heart of the Continent,” set at the corner of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, where a demolished building is resurrected by a narrator struggling to evoke the losses and despair that haunt the city and its people. “Grace General” travels west along Portage to Grace General Hospital, seen through eyes preparing to face the death of a loved one. The closing song, “Cruise Night” finds a young man desperate to join in the strange and innocent tradition of driving aimlessly up and down Portage Avenue, a social activity Winnipeggers have participated in on Sunday nights for as long as anyone can remember. [ANTI-]

Not one to rest on his laurels, John is taking his solo acoustic act to Germany (where The Weakerthans are huge) starting today (Nov 6). No NYC (or US) dates have been scheduled as of yet, but he’ll be opening for his pals The Constantines at three Ontario shows in December of 2009. All John K. Samson solo tour dates after the jump.

“New John K. Samson (of The Weakerthans) EP Out This Week, Solo Tour Dates” continued after the jump

Noah and the Whale at the Bowery Ballroom (05/01/09)

Photo: Winnie Cheung (more)

Noah and the Whale’s brilliant new album The First Days of Spring, just came out last month on Interscope/Cherrytree Records and the band begins a three night residency tonight (Nov 2) at the Mercury Lounge in support of it. The festivities actually kicked off on Sunday night (Nov. 1) with a Q&A and screening of Charlie Fink’s 45 minute companion film to The First Days of Spring at Pianos. The film was shot on location in London and Surrey with an ensemble cast including model Daisy Lowe and is included with the deluxe edition of the CD.

As some of you may know, I’m a sucker for chamber pop, and this album won me over right off the bat, it reminds me of The National, but with more melancholy and less rock posturing. It’s sweeping and cinematic and every time it ends and I just want to cue it up and all over again. Like I said, you can make comparisons to The National, but there’s so much more than that to this record, it starts off rooted in sort of a pop/rock chamber vibe and then veers off into instrumental, orchestral, and even choral territory for a few songs. Not until we hear the song “Stranger” and the electric guitar reappears, are we reminded again that we started out listening to a pop album. One thing I really love about The First Days of Spring is the fact that it works so well as a complete work of art, or a as a concept record, if you will. While I think there are a lot of great songs on this album, I honestly feel that just listening to one song as a single does this album a disservice, each track really needs to be enjoyed in the larger context. This has to be one of my favorite records of the year, and when you account for complete plays, probably the one I’ve listened to the most in 2009.

Tickets are still available for the Noah and the Whale shows at the Mercury Lounge, and I suggest you snap one up while you still can. Atlantic recording artist Robert Francis is set to play the middle slot for all three nights and the opening slots will be filled by Alex and Janel (11/2), Essie Jain (11/3) and Sharon Van Etten (11/4) respectively. Trailer for the First Days of Spring and more Noah and The Whale tour dates after the jump.

“Noah and The Whale Begin 3 Night Mercury Lounge Residency Tonight, New Album “The First Days of Spring” Out Now” continued after the jump

Looking to give U2 and The Boss a run for their money, New Jersey’s own Bon Jovi is set to inaugurate the New Meadowlands Stadium with a three night concert run in May of 2010 (Buy Tickets). Those newly announced shows are part of a huge stadium tour in support of their forthcoming album entitled The Circle, which is due to fly off the shelves at Walmart (and other fine places records are sold) on November 10, 2009. The Circle is available as a single audio CD or as a CD/DVD package with the accompanying documentary film entitled When We Were Beatiful, (which just premiered last week on Showtime). If that wasn’t enough, November is Bon Jovi month at NBC/Universal which means the band will appear exclusively across the various network platforms in musical appearances, interviews, and TV guest-starring roles. To that effect, Bon Jovi will appear live on the Today show on all four Wednesdays in November, including a final concert performance on the plaza on November 25th [NJ.com].

Tickets for Bon Jovi at the New Meadowlands stadium go on sale to the general public on October 31, 2009 at 10AM. More Bon Jovi tour dates after the jump.

“Bon Jovi Named First Act To Play New Meadowlands Stadium, Tickets On Sale Today” continued after the jump

Corinne Bailey Rae is coming to town in December to preview some tracks off of her forthcoming album, entitled The Sea. The first show will take place on December 7, 2009 at the smallish Hiro Ballroom and the second show is happening at Joe’s Pub on December 9, 2009. Tickets for both shows go on sale (see links below) today (Friday, Oct 30) at 2:00 PM. They both oughta sell out pretty quick, but all things being equal, I’d probably go for Joe’s Pub gig (even though I hate it there when it is crowded). She’s also playing one show in LA, and according to her MySpace blog she’ll be playing a couple of UK dates as well (the only announced show so far is on November 23 at The Tabernacle in London).

On February 2nd, 2010, EMI’s Capitol Records will release Corinne Bailey Rae’s new album, The Sea. The record was co-produced by Bailey Rae with Steve Brown, and Steve Chrisanthou, who produced many of the songs on her debut album, which has sold four million copies worldwide. Fans can check out behind-the-scenes footage of Corinne recording the album and hear a preview of music from The Sea at her website, www.corinnebaileyrae.net. [Corinne Bailey Rae's MySpace Blog]

Corinne Bailey Rae 2009 US Tour Dates
12/02/09 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe (2 shows) (Buy Tickets 10/20 at 11AM PST)
12/07/09 – New York, NY – Hiro Ballroom (Buy Tickets 10/30 at 2PM EST)
12/0/909 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub (Buy Tickets 10/30 at 2PM EST)

Islands at Siren Festival (07/19/2008)

Photo: Jon Klemm (more)
DOWNLOAD: Islands – “No You Don’t” (mp3)

Montreal’s Islands released a new record last month entitled Vapours, and in case you forgot, here’s what bumpershine critic-in-residence Drake had to say about it when it came out:

For those that found Islands‘ sophomore release Arm’s Way a bit too prog-y, I’ve got good news for you, Vapours is a return to the kitchen sink-pop that Nick Thorburn joyously captured on their debut, Return to the Sea. At times Vapours is a bit all over the map, and there a couple of tracks (including “Shining” and “The Drums”) that slip into Arm’s Way-like tendencies, but on the whole, the album sounds like the quirky pop-driven Islands you’ve come to know and love. Highlights include the title track, the soulful (and auto-tune utilized) “Heartbeat,” and the bright pop of “Tender Torture.”

Islands are on the road right now promoting Vapours and I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to their show at the Bowery Ballroom on November 5 with Jemina Pearl (Buy Tickets). To enter, send an email to contests@bumpershine.com and tell me who Islands last opened for last time they played NYC (best guesses will be accepted to). One random winner will be chosen and notified on Monday, November 2.

More Islands tour dates after the jump.

“Islands Ticket Giveaway, New Album “Vapours” Is Here, Tour Dates (Bowery Ballroom)” continued after the jump

The week Drake gets freaky with the latest from Flight of the Conchords and Atlas Sound. -ed.

Drake’s Take: New Releases 10.20.09

Like last week, those who’d already made their top albums list for the year (or decade, eh, P4k?) are out of luck, as another couple releases can slide right in. First one being Logos from Atlas Sound (Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox) and another being the latest from the UK duo F*ck Buttons. Other new releases of note come from Flight of the Conchords, Russian Circle, Spiral Stairs, El Perro Del Mar, Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), Maps and soundtracks from Sufjan Stevens (from a musical production), Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard, and the much anticipated New Moon soundtrack.

Playlist: New Releases 10.20.09

---

Atlas Sound – Logos
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

In his first release as Atlas Sound, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox sounded like we’d interrupted a private moment in his bedroom. With this second release, Cox has taken us out of the bedroom and into… the living room, I guess. Regardless, it’s a great album of found sounds and pop wonders wrapped head-to-toe in guaze, like a pop rock mummy. The standout track is the collaboration with Animal Collective’s Noah “Panda Bear” Lennox, “Walkabout,” which samples the Dovers’ “What Am I Going to Do”. Elsewhere, when Cox buries his vocals, it feels like Deerhunter’s more shoe-gaze-y moments, but somehow more artful in it’s presentation. With an album like Logos, it’s going to be hard for Cox us to convince us that Atlas Sound is a side project anymore.

---

Flight of the Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

While the first season of Flight of the Conchords was a cultural breakout* as far as comedies go, it was the second season where those kiwis Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement figured out how to better marry the songs and the story lines on the screen. As such, this second album is more of a soundtrack than the first, leaning more on your remembering the visuals and story context than the first.

*I say cultural breakout in that while viewer numbers wasn’t great for even pay cable standards, the few that saw it talked about it endlessly.

In that spirit, to celebrate the release of I Told You I Was Freaky (or, the practical title not chosen, Flight of the Conchords: Music from the Second Season of the Television Series) here’s a track by track breakdown of each song on the album (with videos after the jump). If anything, it reminds of how hungry we are for them to get back in a room with co-creator James Bobin and crank out a third season.

1. “I Got Hurt Feelings” / Purchase mp3
From episode 2.03 (”The Tough Brets”)
The obligatory return of Hiphopopotamus and Rhymenoceros has some fun with the tradition of rappers’ dissing each other, turning it on it’s ear with a “Sticks and Stones” sentimentality.

2. “Sugalumps” / Download: “Sugalumps” [mp3]
From episode 2.02 (”A New Cup”)
Probably the funniest episode of the season is a domino of tragedy – Bret buying a used cup for $2.79 leads to Jemaine turning to prostitution. Oh, and two great songs, this one and “You Don’t Have to be a Prostitute” (#10). Obvious parody of the unfortunate “My Humps.” (See Drake’s post on song and episode from January.)

3. “We’re Both in Love With a Sexy Lady”
From episode 2.06 (”Love Is a Weapon of Choice”)
Brett & Jemaine both fall for the same lazy-eyed dog owner (Kristen Wiig). Great parody of R. Kelly.

4. “I Told You I Was Freaky”
From episode 2.09 (”Wingmen”)
Title track plays homage to the band Empire of the Sun, which features Aussie Luke Steele, formerly of The Sleepy Jackson (who get obscure homage in track #12). Also bits of MGMT, Electric Six and even Beck.

5. “Demon Woman”
From episode 2.07 (”Prime Minister”)
Mary Lynn Rajskub plays the psychotic Karen, inspiration for the song. Cliff Richard was (and still is) a huge star in the UK and his song “Devil Woman” seems an obvious reference here, even if obscure to us Yanks.

6. “Rambling Through The Avenues Of Time”
From episode 2.09 (”Wingmen”)
A silly song that sounds a lot like Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” but may also be an homage to Peter Sarstedt’s “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely),” recently revived for Wes Anderson’s short film Hotel Chevalier (the prolugue to The Darjeeling Limited).

7. “Fashion is Danger”
From episode 2.08 (”New Zealand Town”)
Gets its visual inspiration from the music video for Visage’s “Fade to Grey”, and audio from David Bowie’s “Fashion.” Dig the Babylon 5 get-up.

8. “Petrov, Yelyena and Me”
From episode 2.10 (”Evicted”)
Of all the songs on the album, this one feels the most shoe-horned into the storyline, much like “Bowie Song” from season one. And like that song, it gets a fantastical video, making it worth the ’stretch.’

9. “Too Many Dicks (On the Dancefloor)”
From episode 2.05 (”Unnatural Love”)
Michel Gondry directs the episode, and his music video background shines through.

10. “You Don’t Have To Be A Prostitute”
From episode 2.02 (”A New Cup”)
See #2, “Sugalumps.”

11. “Friends”
From episode 2.04 (”Murray Takes It to the Next Level”)
Jim Gaffigan guests in the episode and music segment as Murray’s friend Jim.

12. “Carol Brown”
From episode 2.05 (”Unnatural Love”) / See Drake’s post from February
Easily the best FOTC penned song from either season, this one is reminiscent of the band The Sleepy Jackson, a band from Australia, which works nicely with the context of Jemaine accidentally sleeping with an Australian and dealing with the consequences.

Watch all 14 FOTC videos after the jump.

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Spiral Stairs – The Real Feel / Free AOL Album Stream
White Denim – Fits / Free AOL Album Stream
Russian Circles – Geneva / Free AOL Album Stream
Sufjan Stevens – The BQE / Free AOL Album Stream
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack The Twilight Saga: New Moon / Free AOL Album Stream
El Perro Del Mar – Love Is Not Pop / Free AOL Album Stream
Alec Ounsworth – Mo Beauty
Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard – One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Music From Kerouac’s Big Sur
Maps – Turning the Mind / Free AOL Album Stream
Do Make Say Think – Other Truths
Kings Of Convenience – Declaration Of Dependence / Free AOL Album Stream
F*ck Buttons – Tarot Sport
Electric Six – Kill / Free AOL Album Stream
Old Canes – Feral Harmonic / Free AOL Album Stream
Jello Biafra – The Audacity Of Hype
Leonard Cohen – Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970) / Free AOL Album Stream
Espers – III / “Caroline” [mp3]
The Slits – Trapped Animal / Free AOL Album Stream
Robert Francis – Before Nightfall / Free AOL Album Stream

REISSUES
Pylon – Chomp More / “Beep” [mp3]
Black Dynamite (Original Motion Picture Score)
The Cult – Love (Expanded Edition)

“Drake’s Take: New Releases 10.20.09″ continued after the jump

Not content to sell out to Giants Stadium twice, “the biggest band in the world” has just announced that it will return to the New Meadowlands Stadium on July 19, 2010 (Buy Tickets) to cap off the second North American leg of their 360º tour. On sale dates for the new block of U2 North American tour dates will take place in October and November, check U2.com for more information.

The 2010 shows will continue to feature the massive stage set the band has been using over the last year, designed by long-time U2 associate Willie Williams in collaboration with architect Mark Fisher, an “in-the-round” design that seeks to afford every fan in attendance an unobstructed view of the band on stage.

According to TheWrap.com, the “170-ton, $40 million, four-pronged stage [is] so enormous, its overhead so costly,” that the band still hasn’t broken even on the tour, even after four months on the road in the US and elsewhere. [LiveDaily.com]

In other U2 news, tomorrow (Oct 27) Island/Universal will release four different 25th Anniversary editions of The Unforgettable Fire, the album that cemented their path to superstardom.

Limited Edition Box Set: containing 2 CDs (remastered album and bonus audio CD), a DVD with live footage, documentary and videos, a 56 page hardback book with liner notes by The Edge, Brian Eno, Danny Lanois, Bert Van de Kamp and Niall Stokes, and 5 photographic prints

* Deluxe Edition: containing 2 CDs, the remastered album, and the bonus audio CD which features B-sides and previously unreleased material, a 36 page booklet with liner notes by The Edge, Brian Eno, Danny Lanois and Bert Van de Kamp

* CD format: featuring the remastered album

* 12″ vinyl format: 16 page booklet with liner notes by Brian Eno, Danny Lanois and Bert Van de Kamp
[U2.com]

More U2 tour dates after the jump.

“U2 Adds More Tour Dates (New Meadowlands Stadium), Unforgettable Fire 25th Anniversary Reissues” continued after the jump

 
DOWNLOAD: Betty Davis – “Is It Love or Desire?”

Two weeks ago, the master restorers and ultimate crate diggers over at Light In The Attic Records put out two fantastic new reissues from the “Queen of Sexified Funk”, otherwise known as Betty Davis. Like all of their releases, these two new albums are both meticulous and beautiful creations; each one includes a deluxe 32 page booklet featuring the original album artwork, new liner notes, unseen photos, and full song lyrics.

The hard to find Nasty Gal, Betty Davis’ third album and her first on a major label (Island) appeared briefly on the shelves in 1975 and is finally getting its first official CD release some 35 years later. Though a falling out with the label would cause Nasty Gal be her last record released on Island, she recorded a final album originally entitled Crashin’ From Passion in 1976 in Bogalusa, Louisiana at the famed Studio In The Country. Up until now, a one-of-a kind acetate pressing of this album had quietly circulated in private hands, while the original master tapes sat forgotten in vaults in New York and Louisiana. Bouyed by the success of their 2007 reissues (They Say I’m Different and Betty Davis), the folks at LITA were able to recover that lost Betty Davis album and officially release it for the first time ever under the name of Is It Love Or Is It Desire. Because I haven’t given anything since last week, I’m giving away copies of both Nasty Gal and Is It Love or Desire to one lucky winner who emails me at contests@bumpershine.com and tells me who was Betty Davis’ famous musician ex-husband? A random winner will be chosen and notified on October 26, 2009. (Contest open to US entrants only, please include your name and address in the email.)

Hey, if you’ve been watching the RSS feed, you know I just did some serious housekeeping with the Drake’s Takes, and now, for a brief moment, I’m back up to date (we’ll see how long that lasts). This week, Drake spotlights the new one from The Flaming Lips, but if you’ve been reading bumpershine closely over the last couple of months, you know that last week I was most excited about the US Release of Fanfarlo’s brilliant debut “Reservoir”. -ed.

We’re rapidly approaching the point of no return for releases this year, but mid-October always seems to toss a couple wrenches in folks’ year end list plans. The latest from The Flaming Lips fall in that category – you think Pitchfork might want an amendment to their ‘Best Albums of the 2000s’? Toss the new one from Neon Indian in as well, in that regard. Elswewhere, there are fine/interesting/worthy releases from Har Mar Superstar, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, The Heavy, Erin McKeown, Fanfarlo (US release), Grant-Lee Phillips, Nellie McKay, The Temper Trap, a box set of goodies from Hall & Oates and a Christmas album from Bob Dylan (that’s right, Christmas).

Playlist: New Releases 10.13.09

---

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Something happened to the Flaming Lips right after releasing The Soft Bulletin and the four-CD experiment Zareeka, as the band turned from wondrous experimentation to exhibiting an unnatural need to be loved. Bunny costumes, confetti bombs, singer Wayne Coyne inside a ball practically begging for our applause. Yes, it’s very entertaining, but it all felt like it was making up for some paint-by-number recordings. Was the lengthy Christmas on Mars project siphoning off all of the band’s creative juices, or was the band just done. Well, with an album like Embryonic, the point is moot, as it’s the Lips at their most deliciously experimental (and least accessible). Full of odd sounds and brimming with paranoia, it’s great to have the old Lips back. There’s not a hit on the album, and that’s fine with me. Opener “Convinced Of The Hex” sets the tone and masterfully moves into the second track, “The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine,” and from there, you just have to surrender to it’s (un)charms. Other highlights include the similarly pounding “See The Leaves”, the endearing “I Can Be A Frog”, and the space-y “Watching The Planets.”

Profile in Ear on TV post

Stream album from flaminglips.com

---

Har Mar Superstar – Dark Touches
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Review coming… here’s discussion of the single and video for “Tall Boy.”

Free AOL Album Stream
Download: “Tall Boy” [mp3]

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms / Free AOL Album Stream / “Terminally Chill” [mp3]
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – Know Better, Learn Faster / Free Album Stream / “Know Better, Learn Faster” [mp3]
The Heavy – The House That Dirt Built / “Short Change Hero” [mp3]
Erin McKeown – Hundreds of Lions / Free AOL Album Stream / “The Foxes”, “Santa Cruz” [mp3]
Fanfarlo – Reservoir
Bob Dylan – Christmas in the Heart
Grant-Lee Phillips – Little Moon
The Temper Trap – Conditions / Free AOL Album Stream / “Down River”
Nellie McKay – Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day
Shelley Short – A Cave, A Canoo / “Time Machine/Submarine” [mp3]
Beaten Awake – Thunder$troke / Free AOL Album Stream / “Coming Home”
Lightning Bolt – Earthly Delights
MV & EE – Barn Nova / “Summer Magic” [mp3]
Lackthereof – A Lackthereof Retrospective 1998-2009 / “Summer Magic” [mp3]
The Units – History of the Units: The Early Years 1977-1983
The Blakes – Souvenir
Hall & Oates – Do What You Want, Be What You Are:The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates (4-CD box set) / Free AOL Album Stream

The Swell Season at The Virgin Mobile Festival (08/09/08)

Photo: Tim Griffin

The Swell Season w/ special guest Josh Ritter
January 19, 2010
Radio City Music Hall
New York, NY
Internet Presale: Thursday, October 15 10AM – 10PM EDT
Presale Password: HESTRICT
General Onsale: Friday, October 16 12PM EDT
Buy Tickets

More Swell Season tour dates over here.

Fanfarlo at The Bell House (09/22/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm

The next day included yet more radio which whilst fun was starting to take it’s toll on us. The show that night, which was, at the risk of sounding repetitive, also sold out, took place at uber cool Brooklyn venue [The Bell House] with uber cool Swedish band Wildbirds And Peacedrums who you should definitely check out. Somehow i had managed to loose my shoes before the gig so was forced to perform bare foot. As Jeremy had earlier told me my feet were ‘sexually attractive’ i was feeling pretty confident. There was a pretty good vibe after this show as it was the last show of what was an grueling mini-tour that hopefully increased our fan base and not just our carbon footprint. For both New York shows we were joined on stage by Jon Natchez (Beirut) who played accordian and sax and is all round awesome. [Fanfarlo.com]

Like I said in the title of the post, Fanfarlo’s brilliant debut record gets a “proper” US release on Tuesday (October 13) via Atlantic Records. If you crave the physical object, and you haven’t picked up your copy of Reservoir yet, (it’s been available on their website since the summer), then I highly recommend you go out to your local record store and pick one up tomorrow.

I caught Fanfarlo at the Bell House in September and I was really impressed with the way the songs on the album played live (and the number of people in the audience who knew the words to most of the songs). But, just in case you missed that show (or the one at Bowery the night before), do not be alarmed, Fanfarlo will be back for CMJ and they’ll be playing 4 shows in 3 days (2 CMJ showcases and 2 free parties). More photos from The Bell House show, a set list, and all CMJ tour dates after the jump.

“Fanfarlo’s Reservoir Gets Major Label Release Tuesday, Coming Back for CMJ + Bell House Pics” continued after the jump

The Flaming Lips
MySpace Secret Show
October 15, 2009
Nike/Ricardo Montalban Theater
1615 Vine St.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Oct. 12, 2009 – (Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Records celebrates the release of the brand new, long-awaited album, EMBRYONIC, by one of the world’s most influential bands, THE FLAMING LIPS. The double disc -on both CD and vinyl– in deluxe formats will be birthed on October 13, 2009. On October 15, for one day only in Los Angeles, THE FLAMING LIPS POP-UP STORE will open at the Nike / Ricardo Montalban Theater located at 1615 Vine St. in Hollywood 90028.

Not only will fans have the opportunity to get their hands on unique artifacts available on this day and location only but the THE FLAMING LIPS have planned a very special, intimate MYSPACE SECRET SHOW performance just for tickets winners at this small venue guaranteed to blow the minds of the lucky few well beyond the third bardo. This might be the only opportunity to see the band in full-blown, maximum hysteria in a minimal space ever again. Get your furry freak on for this one time only psychedelic Hollywood happening. You won’t get the change to see the LIPS live again until 2010!

Tickets for the event will be made available on a first come, first served basis at the opening on October 15. Additional tickets will be available at Amoeba records with purchase of the Lips CD on street date, October 13. KCRW 89.9 FM and the LA Weekly will also participate in ticket give-a-ways so play close attention.

Ticket holders are not guaranteed seating. All ticket holders will need to be in the venue by 7:30. Theater doors will be open 6:30.

Read the rest of the press release after the jump.

“The New Flaming Lips Album Comes Out Tomorrow, Pop Up Store & MySpace Secret Show in LA” continued after the jump

Bob Dylan – Christmas In The Heart

Bob Dylan (who really never stops touring) just announced 3 shows at the United Palace Theater on Nov 17-19, 2009 (Buy Tickets). Tickets for those shows are on presale right now and the password is SMITHERS, regular on sale begins Friday, October 9 at noon. In other Dylan news, Bob has a Christmas album (Kenny G did one right?) coming out next week (Oct 13), the proceeds of which will be donated to charity.

Bob Dylan will release a brand new album of holiday songs, Christmas In The Heart, on Tuesday, October 13, it was announced today by Columbia Records. All of the artist’s U.S. royalties from sales of these recordings will be donated to Feeding America (http://feedingamerica.org), guaranteeing that more than four million meals will be provided to more than 1.4 million people in need in this country during this year’s holiday season. Bob Dylan is also donating all of his future U.S. royalties from this album to Feeding America in perpetuity. [BobDylan.com]

More Bob Dylan tour dates after the jump.

“Bob Dylan Playing 3 Shows at United Palace (Presale Info), Christmas Record Coming Soon” continued after the jump

A bunch of these Drake’s Takes kind of got away from me, but after a good late Sunday night session of blog housekeeping, I’m almost caught up. -ed.

It’s a late harvest for releases, with acres of goodness dropping on us like over-ripe apples. Top of the list for me are the veterans, Mission of Burma, Built to Spill, Robert Pollard’s Boston Spaceships and The Mountain Goats. Beyond that, there’s also new releases from Lou Barlow, Califone, The Xx, Port O’Brien, Raveonettes, Daniel Johnston, Noah and the Whale, Brandi Carlile, No Age, The Duchess & the Duke, Alela Diane, Grant Hart, Jamie T, The Cinematics, Kurt Vile, a live album from Gogol Bordello and a slew of reissues from The Jesus Lizard, Betty Davis and Kraftwerk.

Playlist: New Releases 10.06.09

---

Mission of Burma – The Sound, The Speed, The Light
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Mission of Burma is one of my favorite post-punk bands, and since they’ve reunited a few years back, they’re albums have helped set the bar for the reunion joints since. The Sound, The Speed, The Light is the third release post-reunion, and while the first two were remarkable, this one is the sound of a real working band. “1, 2, 3, Partyy!” kicks off the album playfully, in the vein of The Minutemen’s D. Boon, and kind of moves into blue collar mode after that. For some, that might sound like a negative, but for MoB it’s definitely positive. Nearly as good as 2006’s amazing The Obliterati and superior to the (still great) ONoffOn, if TSTSTL falls on deaf ears, it’s only because folks like a good comeback story more than a “keep coming back” one, which is too bad.

Download: “1, 2, 3, Partyy!” [mp3]

---

Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Speaking of a working band, Built to Spill is the definition of a working band, and their latest There Is No Enemy certainly fits the description. There’s nothing too surprising here musically to distinguish it greatly from the past few albums, although I’d argue there’s an agreeable reduction in ‘noodling’ on guitar. Along with the tighter focus on guitar, there’s also more focus on the lyrics here, bypassing Doug Martsch’s usual obtuse delivery opting instead for a more direct approach.

Read Drake’s Preview of album

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
The xx – Xx / Free AOL Album Stream
Boston Spaceships – Zero to 99 / “Question Girl Alright” [mp3]
The Mountain Goats – The Life Of The World To Come / Free AOL Album Stream / “Genesis 3:23″ [mp3]
Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Port O’Brien – Threadbare
The Raveonettes – In & Out of Control / Free AOL Album Stream / “Suicide” [mp3]
Daniel Johnston – Is and Always Was / Free AOL Album Stream / “Freedom” [mp3]
Brandi Carlile – Give Up the Ghost
Noah and the Whale – First Days of Spring
No Age – Losing Feeling EP / “You’re a Target” [mp3]
The Duchess & the Duke – Sunset/Sunrise / “Hands” [mp3]
Alela Diane featuring Alina Hardin – Alela & Alina / Free AOL Album Stream
Grant Hart – Hot Wax
Jamie T – King & Queens / Free AOL Album Stream
The Cinematics – Be Set Free
Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy / Free AOL Album Stream / “Hunchback” [mp3]
Reliant K – Forget and not Slow Down / Free AOL Album Stream
Gogol Bordello – Live from Axis Mundi
Exene Cervenka – Somewhere Gone
Air – Love 2 / Free AOL Album Stream
Orenda Fink – Ask the Night / Free AOL Album Stream / “High Ground” [mp3]
Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones
A Place to Bury Strangers – Exploding Head
Eugene Mirman – God Is a Twelve-Year-Old Boy With Asperger’s
Rosanne Cash – The List

REISSUES
The Jesus Lizard – Head
The Jesus Lizard – Goat
The Jesus Lizard – Liar
The Jesus Lizard – Down
Betty Davis – Is It Love or Desire
Betty Davis – Nasty Gal
Kraftwerk – Autobahn
Kraftwerk – Radio-Activity
Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine
Ladytron – Light and Magic