The Weekend is Here

Yeah, The Cure are in the area, but there is a hell of a lot going on elsewhere too. Several other huge acts are gracing us with their presence. Saturday in Atlantic City at the House of Blues is chanteuse Regina Spektor. Or if you like Kanye West and N.E.R.D., warm the Nissan Pavilion stage up Saturday before the big show Sunday. And of course, Radiohead is in Northern Virginia Sunday at Nissan. Opening is Liars.

Liars - Army of Me (Bjork Cover, thanks to Stereogum)

Is country infused Southern-rock your thing? Then check out two shows (Friday and Saturday) at the 9:30 Club in DC by the Drive-By Truckers. They are joined by another southern band, The Dexateens.

Drive-By Truckers - World of Hurt
The Dexateens - Slender Thread

Friday night in Philly at The Fire, see Come On Caboose, a four-piece from Ohio that will be out spreading their music all summer long. Down in Baltimore, Pete Francis and Matt Pond PA share the stage at Ottobar. In the District, catch The Parlor Mob at the Rock and Roll Hotel fresh off a Philly show Thurday and a new album!

Come On Caboose - Organs
Matt Pond PA - Taught to Look Away

Saturday, it's a Philly local show at Johnny Brendas featuring a CD release by Aunt Dracula and one of the best local bands to see live, Papertrigger. Baltimore band Thrushes is throwing its own CD release the same night at Metro Gallery. Also playing is Deaf Leaf Echo, and Sonadors.

Papertrigger - We Are Nations Now!
Thrushes - Heartbeats
Dead Leaf Echo - Poison Lips

And don't forget about the others playing this weekend that we have previously posted about:
The Swimmers/Jukebox the Ghost/The XYZ Affair
British Sea Power/The Rosebuds
The Teenagers/Team Robespierre
Bombadil
Flight of the Conchords
The Cure
Girlfriend In A Coma
New York Times
Justin Trawick

Too Much Radiohead

Like always, there is a ton of Radiohead news. I decided to put it all in one post.

Today is Valentine's Day in case you forgot (there is still time to make plans I think) and Radiohead has a present for you. NPR's "All Songs Considered" will have a guest DJ by the name of Thom Yorke. You may have heard of him. The show will not be streamed live in our area, but you can download the podcast here Thursday afternoon. In addition to playing his favorite tracks, Thom will be discussing In Rainbows as well as other topics such as how he goes about finding new music.

The band just released a new video for "Videotape".

Radiohead - Videotape

They also announced some of their US tour dates, including DC.

05-11 Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA

Finally, DJ/Producer AmpLive released his remix CD for In Rainbows. This CD is sure to appeal to all the hip-hop fans as well as anyone that is a fan of remixes. I'll leave you with a sample and you can grab the whole disc here.

Weird Fishez

This Week's Mix

I'm going camping this weekend, so I thought that I would make this week's list all songs that I would love to hear while sitting around the fire. Enjoy!

+/- - Trapped Under Ice Flows
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)
Fields - Charming The Flames
Zulu Pearls - Dancing + Drinking
Pinback - From Nothing To Nowhere
Shout Out Louds - Parents Living Room
Voxtrot - Kid Gloves
The Vita Ruins - My Last Days On Earth
Wilco - Hate It Here
Radiohead - House of Cards

This Week's Releases

This week brings big names and big releases. With bands like Radiohead, Beirut and Band of Horses releasing albums, I have to wonder why anyone else would bother putting anything out this week. However, there is still some great stuff out there that you should still check out..

One of the greatest albums I have personally listened to lately is Beirut's The Flying Club Cup and it is my pick for this week and possibly for this year. I know that the album has been getting mixed reviews from different people all over, but I think it's a masterpiece. Many of you may already have the album, since it was released digitally at the beginning of September. For those of you that like something physical, it is finally in stores. Songs like "Nantes" and "Forks and Knives" will have you singing your lungs out as you walk down the street completely embarrassing yourself (I may have done that once or twice). Be sure to head over to TheFlyingClubCup.com to see live videos of every song taken throughout Brooklyn.

A Sunday Smile

Another favorite band of mine, Band of Horses has a new album out this week called Cease to Begin. To be honest I don't think this album lives up to their debut Everything All The Time. They changed locales from Seattle to South Carolina to record this album and I think it shows. With a more southern feel to it, the songs don't sound as full as the first album. Not that the album itself is bad, but I feel the only really good songs are the ones that sound like they belong on the first album, such as "Is There A Ghost?"

Is There A Ghost?

The biggest news this week comes from Radiohead, who released In Rainbows digitally through their site. If you are not in to digital releases, you will have to wait a while. This release has also been getting some mixed reactions, as the sound is more like Kid A than anything else. The trend setting option of allowing you to pay what you want (even though the band says they did this only for themselves), this has received more publicity than any other album this year.

All I Need

Also in a record store near you... Fiery Furnaces release what has been called a their best album yet, Widow City. An interesting release from a band that will never give you "normal," this album is something worth investigating. I haven't read a bad review of the album yet, so give "Ex-Guru" a listen and decide for yourself.

Ex-Guru

A collaborator with The National, Doveman gives us his new release With My Left Hand I Raise the Dead. Beautiful music with soft lyrics are the first things you hear listening to these songs. A very mellow sounding album, it is the type of thing you listen to while you relax or when you are spending some quality time with someone special. This album is well worth checking out for anyone that can appreciate music that doesn't overpower you, but will leave a lasting impression.

Sunrise Medley

One of my favorite electronic indie bands The Octopus Project has their fourth full length out this week, entitled Hello Avalanche. Traveling all across the country with several stops in our area, the band gives us a quality release. Not to fit into any category, this release blends soothing melodies with some quirky hooks and some great beats. If you are looking for some music that will put a smile on your face, then give these guys a try.

I Saw The Bright Shinies

Other releases from great artists can be found below:

Celebration (from Baltimore)

The Modern Tribe: "Evergreen"

Enon

Grass Geysers... Common Clouds: "Mirrors On You"

Loch Lomond

Paper the Walls: "Carl Sagan"

Scout Niblett

This Fool Can Die Now: "Kiss"

Sunset Rubdown

Random Spirit Lover: "Winged/Wicked Things"

New Radiohead Album

credit
After all of the speculation, clues and different tidbits floating around the world about the new Radiohead album, it has been confirmed that it will come out October 10th. You will be able to buy it digitally (and DRM free) from the band's website and pay whatever you want for it! Don't take my word for it, here's what Pitchfork had to say (and also add some interesting information):

So, let's sort this whole mess out, shall we? You will eventually have three ways to pick up the seventh Radiohead LP, the Nigel Godrich-produced In Rainbows. It all depends how much you want to pay, which goodies you'd like, and how soon you want the tunes. Observe:

1. As a DRM-free mp3 download, beginning October 10 (and available for preorder now), via www.inrainbows.com (interestingly enough, last week's RickRoll, www.radioheadlp7.com, now directs here as well). This version contains the 10 tracks that comprise In Rainbows, and you can pay whatever the hell you want for it. This is basically the band leaking the album and asking you for a donation to access it.

2. As part of a deluxe "discbox", available for preorder now and shipping in December. In addition to the 10-track In Rainbows on CD, you also get the release on LP and as a digital download, plus an enhanced bonus CD packed with eight more tracks, photos, and artwork (and an LP of the bonus tracks), plus art and lyrics booklets and some nifty looking packaging. This thing costs £40.00/$81.00.

3. As a traditional CD, available in early 2008. This will presumably cost as much as traditional CDs tend to cost.

What Radiohead's doing here is actually pretty cool. Rather than preface their new album's release with the usual three months of press ballyhoo, only to have it leak at some random time before it comes out, they've kept it completely under wraps, then essentially gone and leaked it themselves. What's more, they've turned this into a moral question of sorts, by giving us the freedom to pay actual money for what amounts to an album leak.

Only a band in Radiohead's position could pull a trick like this. Well played, gentlemen.

So get excited and get ready. Hopefully more bands will start following this trend and we will see a new wave of music/release connection from artists to fans.

Throwback Thursday: Radiohead

Today's Throwback band needs no introduction. They are probably the most hyped band of the past 10 years. Today is the day that we listen to the requests and bring you Radiohead. This is a band that seemed poised to be a one hit wonder with "Creep." Then The Bends came out and everything changed. All of a sudden, they were everyone's favorite band. OK Computer only enhanced that and the rest is history. Let's skip the boring small talk and just get to the music. We stayed away from most of the more popular songs and tried to bring you a few hidden gems. If you don't have the albums, we highly recommend them. Anyway, I'm out. Go listen.

Pablo Honey (1993)
You
Stop Whispering
Vegetable

The Bends (1995)
The Bends
Just
My Iron Lung

OK Computer (1997)
Airbag
Let Down
Climbing Up The Walls

Kid A (2000)
Everything In Its Right Place
Kid A
Idioteque

Amnesiac (2001)
Pyramid Song
Knives Out

Hail To The Thief (2003)
2 + 2 = 5
Where I End And You Begin
There There

Extras
Talk Show Host
True Love Waits (Live)


Past Throwbacks:
1/18/07: The Police
1/11/07: Smashing Pumpkins
1/4/07: Ryan Adams
12/28/06: The Replacements
12/14/06: Talking Heads
12/07/06: Peter Gabriel
11/30/06: The Pixies
11/16/06: Prince
11/09/06: Ben Folds Five
11/02/06: Beastie Boys
10/26/06: Joy Division
10/19/06: They Might Be Giants
10/12/06: The Psychedelic Furs
10/05/06: The Clash
09/28/06: The Smiths
09/21/06: A Tribe Called Quest
09/14/06: R.E.M.
09/07/06: The Cure
08/31/06: Morphine
08/24/06: The Lemonheads
08/17/06: Depeche Mode
08/10/06: New Order

Thom Yorke Remixes!

Unlike many critics who seemed to think that Thom Yorke's solo debut The Eraser was a bit average (a 77 is the equivalent of a C, right?), I loved it. And, as you'll all learn, I tend to really enjoy remix material. So I was thrilled when I heard that remixes of Yorke's album were becoming available via www.theeraser.net - apparently more will be released over the course of time.

These tracks aren't going to be available from the offical website for long, but here are the two most recent for your listening pleasure:

Thom Yorke:
The Clock (Surgeon Remix
Analyse (Various Remix)