– Seattle songwriter Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, is back with is sophomore album, Put Your Back N 2 It, on February 21st via Matador. Stream it now at SPIN.com.

– Singer/songwriter Damien Jurado releases his 10th album, Maraqopa, on February 21st via Secretly Canadian. Stream it now at The A.V. Club.

– Omaha rockers Cursive unleash their seventh album, I Am Gemini, on February 21st via Saddle Creek Records. Stream it now at RollingStone.com.

– Electro-pop multi-instrumentalist Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, returns February 21st with Visions via her new label 4AD. Stream it at NPR.org.

– Nashville alt-country outfit Lambchop unveils their new LP, Mr. M, on February 21st via Merge. Stream it at NPR.org.

– Legendary singer Sinead O’Connor releases her new LP, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, on February 21st via One Little Indian. Stream it at NPR.org.

– Classics of Love, the new project from former Operation Ivy frontman Jesse Michaels, drops its self-titled debut on February 14th via Asian Man Records. Stream it now at PureVolume.

On February 21st, Omaha indie-rock outfit Cursive will release its seventh album, the twin-centric I Am Gemini, via Saddle Creek Records. Last month, the band debuted the lead single “The Sun and Moon”; now they’ve made available another album cut, “Wowowow”. The track kicks off with a blast of rapid-fire, punk-inspired guitar energy, but ends on a far more devious and low-key vibe. Grab your mp3 below (via Stereogum), and peep the album’s tracklist and the band’s upcoming tour schedule shortly after.

I Am Gemini Tracklist:
01. This House Alive
02. Warmer Warmer
03. The Sun and Moon
04. Drunken Birds
05. Lullaby for No Name
06. Double Dead
07. Gemini
08. Twin Dragon/Hello Skeleton
09. Wowowow
10. This House a Lie
11. The Cat and Mouse
12. A Birthday Bash
13. Eulogy for No Name

Cursive 2012 Tour Dates:
02/12 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
02/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
02/15 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
02/17 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
02/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
02/19 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
02/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (Noise Pop)
02/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
02/25 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
02/26 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
02/27 – Tempe, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
02/28 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/01 – Wichita, KS @ Abode
03/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
03/03 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
03/22 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
03/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
03/24 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
03/25 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
03/26 – Champaign, IL @ High Dive
03/27 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
03/28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s
03/29 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
03/30 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk
03/31 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
04/02 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
04/03 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
04/04 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
04/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/06 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
04/07 – Raleigh, NC @ King’s Barricade
04/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
04/09 – St. Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven
04/10 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
04/11 – Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
04/13 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
04/14 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
04/15 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
04/17 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
04/18 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
04/20 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
04/21 – Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s

According to the Chinese Zodiac calendar, 2012 is the year of the dragon — the only creature on the zodiac wheel that isn’t even real. What does that mean? Will 2012 be filled with music grounded in fantasy and imagination? Or will it breathe fire and destroy tiny villages? Man, I don’t know — but this week’s picks are hot. Bronson spits over Phil Collins, there’s just a demo of The xx and of course it’s really good, and there’s a great new band called Conveyer who knows how to write one hell of of a song. Best foot forward, dragons.

-Jeremy D. Larson
Content Director

Action Bronson – “Contemporary Man”

The only thing this track is missing is the radio static as someone switches between different “The Best Hits Of The 80′s, 90′s and Today!” stations. The track is lifted off Bronson’s forthcoming mixtape Blue Chips, and features samples from Charlie Sheen, Tom Petty, and fucking two Phil Collins tracks. It’d be completely clowning if Bronson didn’t spit his top-shelf allegro raps over it. -JL

Action Bronson – “Contemporary Man”

ASAP Rocky – “Pretty Flocko”

“It’s that trill-wave.” I can get behind that. SpaceGhostPurrp’s production on this track really finishes ahead of ASAP Rocky’s verse, but it’s a great club banger in the end. Would love to stop thinking about a morph of Joe Flacco and Waka Flocka Flame though. -JL

ASAP Rocky – “Pretty Flacko”

Busdriver – “Bon Bon Fire”

Anyone familiar with Busdriver won’t be shocked that he goes H.A.M. (if you’ll excuse the phrase) on his latest track “Bon Bon Fire”, but as a longtime fan, I can’t ever recall him rapping with such precision. This is a wholly re-vamped Busdriver. The L.A. ryhmemaster takes to the mic to point out the differences between your life and his – with himself emerging the victor, obviously. And really, it’s tough to counter arguments like “You read blogs, recycle cans/I scream calls for psycho fans” or “My lady friends remove their pants, your apartment: a dude ranch.”  This one’s got winner written all over it. -WR

Busdriver – “Bon Bon Fire”

Conveyer – Muckraker

Songs where the vocal melody controls the tempo and rhythm of the song are cool. The entire chamber-pop morsel is dictated by an off-kilter time-signature that bounces along like a can leashed behind a car. The final section of the song, however, throws the whole thing out the window and ends with a simple, gentle, acoustic refrain. This is the kind of songwriting that make me look forward to a band’s career. -JL

Cursive – “The Sun and Moon”

Over the years Saddleback mainstay Cursive has burrowed a pretty comfortable niche for themselves as the dark, contemplative step-brother to the happy-go-lucky early 00′s indie movement. As that movement dissipated, they’ve remained steadfast in their structure – which is what makes this track so interesting. Sonically, “The Sun and Moon” is a much brighter piece than what we’ve become so accustomed to hearing. The peppy percussion and jarring guitar lay as the pristine backdrop for Tim Kasher’s vocals which are also quite a bit brighter, but no less pensive. When I Am Gemini drops on February 21^st, it’ll be interesting to see if Cursive has adopted this new sheen as a permanent addition to their ethic. -WR

Memoryhouse – “This Will Be Our Year” (The Zombies cover)

I really try not to get romantic about emerging indie bands covering some of my personal favorite unheralded classics, but it’s hard not to when they’re this enthralling. Even if you aren’t familiar with the original (if this is the case, I highly suggest immediate familiarization), this track will have no trouble winning your heart; it’s a cover that stands its ground and then some. Memoryhouse takes the psychedelic pop of The Zombies and places it in their spectral realm, making for a dreamy track with just the right amount of throwback respect to the original. -WR

Memoryhouse “This Will Be Our Year (The Zombies Cover)”

Frank Ocean – “4 Tears”

After the hypewave surrounding OFWGKTA has (finally) subsided, and his phenomenal contributions to 2011’s massive Watch The Throne are written in the sands of time, it’s finally time for Frank Ocean to step up to the plate and show the world what he’s made of with a legitimate debut album. The outcome is fairly predictable, given his success with the aforementioned projects and his impeccable Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape, but it will be fascinating to see where the young crooner takes his budding career. “4 Tears” is one of the few tracks we’ve heard that may or may not be appearing on his future record, but whether it makes the cut or not, it’s profoundly encouraging – even in its brevity. -WR

The Quiet Americans – “Weird Medicine”

Bathe me forever in noise and let me drown under walls of guitar. In the garage, let the feedback cleanse my soul and let me be comforted by two chords and two chords only. These are my prayers and The Quiet Americans were listening. Grab their EP Medicine from their Bandcamp page. -JL

The Quiet Americans – “Weird Mountains”

The xx – “Open Eyes”

Since making massive waves in 2010, The xx has been starkly quiet, save for bandmember Jamie xx’s interesting contributions in random places throughout the music world. Currently, the band is hard at work recording the follow-up to an impeccable debut, but there’s been little proof until now. “Open Eyes” is faint, it’s rough, and it’s definitely a work in progress (it is labeled as a demo), but it’s tangible evidence that The xx aren’t quite done rocking in the free world, which should come as wonderful news to all our readers.-WR

The xx – Open Eyes (Demo)

Zola Jesus – “In Your Nature” (David Lynch Remix)

No one is quite sure where David Lynch lives, mentally speaking. Musically, he seems to vacation in the 80′s, obsessed with dripping synths and “future” sounds of the past. Without going too far to the fringe, Lynch wrings more melodrama out of the original into a more straightforward approach. It’s like the Straight Story of remixes. -JL

With their new album, I Am Gemini, out next month, Cursive have added to their upcoming U.S. tour. Check out the updated schedule below; the newly announced dates are italicized.

I Am Gemini arrives February 21st via Saddle Creek, and you can find the single “The Sun and Moon” below, as well.

Cursive 2011 Tour Dates:
02/12 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
02/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
02/15 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
02/17 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
02/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
02/19 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
02/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (Noise Pop)
02/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
02/25 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
02/26 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
02/27 – Tempe, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
02/28 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/01 - Wichita, KS @ Abode
03/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
03/03 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
03/22 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
03/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
03/24 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
03/25 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
03/26 – Champaign, IL @ High Dive
03/27 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
03/28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s
03/29 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
03/30 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk
03/31 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
04/02 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
04/03 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
04/04 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
04/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/06 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
04/07 – Raleigh, NC @ King’s Barricade
04/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
04/09 – St. Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven
04/10 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
04/11 - Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder 
04/13 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
04/14 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
04/15 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
04/17 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
04/18 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
04/20 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
04/21 – Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s 

Photo by Tony Bonacci

As previously reported, Cursive will release their seventh LP, I Am Gemini, on February 21st via Saddle Creek. Today, Rolling Stone premiered lead single “The Sun and Moon”, a pop-laced rocker and integral track to the album’s overall concept. As frontman Tim Kasher explains, “‘The Sun and Moon’ unveils the first time the estranged twin brothers of the story meet, providing an introduction to the theme of duality that is explored throughout I Am Gemini.” Take a listen, plus see the LP’s tracklist and the band’s forthcoming tour dates, below.

I Am Gemini Tracklist:
01. This House Alive
02. Warmer Warmer
03. The Sun and Moon
04. Drunken Birds
05. Lullaby for No Name
06. Double Dead
07. Gemini
08. Twin Dragon/Hello Skeleton
09. Wowowow
10. This House a Lie
11. The Cat and Mouse
12. A Birthday Bash
13. Eulogy for No Name

Cursive 2011 Tour Dates:
02/12 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
02/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
02/15 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
02/17 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
02/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
02/19 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
02/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
02/25 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
02/26 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
02/27 – Tempe, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
02/28 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/03 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown

San Francisco’s annual Noise Pop music and film festival will hold its 20th birthday bash in venues across the city between February 21st and 26th. Guests include Built to Spill, Die Antwoord, Archers of Loaf, The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Cursive, Imperial Teen, Grimes, Surfer Blood, and The Budos Band, with additional names to be revealed in the weeks ahead. Early bird badges are now onsale for $125 here.

Photo by Tony Bonacci

Nebraska indie-rock outfit Cursive dropped their last album, Mama, I’m Swollen, back in 2009. Since then, band members have gone on to pursue other projects, with frontman Tim Kasher dropping a solo album and bassist Matt Maginn teaming-up with Bright Eyes on The People’s Key. But on February 21st, the band will resume their rocking ways together when Saddle Creek Records releases their seventh full-length album, I Am Gemini. 

The LP was recorded in the summer/fall of 2011 at Omaha, NE’s ARC Studios alongside producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Minus The Bear, Isis). And though Kasher’s lyrics have always taken a turn toward the conceptual, this latest LP may be the strangest tale the band have ever tackled.  ”I Am Gemini is the surreal and powerful musical tale of Cassius and Pollock, twin brothers separated at birth,” reads an issued press release. “One good and one evil, their unexpected reunion in a house that is not a home ignites a classic struggle for the soul, played out with a cast of supporting characters that includes a chorus of angels and devils, and twin sisters conjoined at the head.”

The band will also play some shows in support of the album throughout February 2012. Check out the entire tour schedule just below the album tracklist.

I Am Gemini Tracklist:
01. This House Alive
02. Warmer Warmer
03. The Sun and Moon
04. Drunken Birds
05. Lullaby for No Name
06. Double Dead
07. Gemini
08. Twin Dragon/Hello Skeleton
09. Wowowow
10. This House a Lie
11. The Cat and Mouse
12. A Birthday Bash
13. Eulogy for No Name

Cursive 2011 Tour Dates:
02/12 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
02/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
02/15 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
02/17 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
02/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
02/19 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
02/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
02/25 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
02/26 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
02/27 – Tempe, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
02/28 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/03 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown

Over the last two summers, the Maha Music Festival has become Omaha’s little festival that could. The one-day, indie-centric event was even named “Best Outdoor Festival” last year with a lineup that included Spoon, Superchunk, and Omaha natives The Faint. With the three acts announced Monday night on the festival’s Facebook account, things are boding well for another successful affair this time around.

Reunited indie luminaries Guided By Voices, Hasidic reggae phenom Matisyahu, and local-boys-made-good Cursive will all take the TD Ameritrade-sponsored main stage. The majority of the lineup is still being finalized, so keep your eyes peeled for more top-tier names.

The festival will be held on August 13th at Lewis & Clark Landing. Tickets go on sale April 30th at 10:00 a.m. via Etix, and they’ll only set you back 30 bills – not bad for an already impressive lineup. More information can be found at the Maha Festival website.

Yesterday we mentioned that Titus Andronicus would be opening for Bright Eyes on their forthcoming North American tour. Well, it turns out that won’t be the only notable outfit supporting Conor Oberst and co. as the band’s itinerary also includes dates with Cursive, Superchunk, Mynabirds, and Wild Flag. Plus, they’ve just announced a three-day Midwest run with Jenny and Johnny to immediately follow their appearance at Sasquatch!, as well as stops in Kansas City and Arcata, CA on April 2nd and 10th, respectively Find all confirmed dates below (new additions in italics).

Tickets are available via our concert calendar.

Bright Eyes 2011 Tour Dates:
02/08 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
02/09 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Room
02/14 – London, UK @ Scala #
02/16 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Medis
02/18 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
02/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/02 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater %
03/03 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues %
03/04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle %
03/05 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolf Auditorium %
03/06 – Richmond, VA @ The National %
03/08 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall *
03/09 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall *
03/10 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^
03/11 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre ^
03/13 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy ^
03/14 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre ^
03/15 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera ^
03/16 – Champaign, IL @ Foellinger Auditorium ^
03/17 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium ^
03/19 – Austin, TX @ Auditorium Shores (SXSW) (FREE SHOW)
04/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
04/03 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater !
04/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue !
04/05 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue !
04/08 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore !
04/09 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom !
04/10 – Arcata, CA @ Arcata Community Center $
04/12 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater $
04/13 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater $
04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
05/28 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
06/01 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory Concert House +
06/03 – Denver, CO @ Filmore Theater +
06/04 – Council Bluffs, IA @ WestFair Amphitheater +
06/23 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
06/25 – Vitoria-Gasteiz, ES @ Azkena Rock Festival

# = w/ Tim Kasher
% = w/ Cursive
* = w/ Superchunk, Wild Flag
^ = w/ Mynabirds
! = w/ Titus Andronicus
$ = w/ Farmer Dave Scher
+ = w/ Jenny and Johnny

UK, Europe, and the United States West Coast: here are your Bright Eyes tour dates. In support of the band’s forthcoming LP, The People’s Key, Conor Oberst and Co. will spend most of February playing Scotland, England, Sweeden, Germany, and Amsterdam before coming home for six weeks worth of North American performances starting in March. Along with their already announced East Coast leg, the band have also set dates for Minnesota, Vancouver, and California, plus they’ll be playing a free show at the Austin-based South by Southwest on March 19th. Find all confirmed tour dates below.

The People’s Key arrives February 15th via Saddle Creek Records.

Bright Eyes 2011 Tour Dates:
02/08 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
02/09 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Room
02/14 – London, UK @ Scala #
02/16 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Medis
02/18 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
02/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/02 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater
03/03 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues %
03/04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle %
03/05 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolf Auditorium %
03/06 – Richmond, VA @ The National %
03/08 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall *
03/09 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall *
03/10 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^
03/11 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre ^
03/13 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy ^
03/14 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre ^
03/15 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre ^
03/16 – Champaign, IL @ Foellinger Auditorium ^
03/17 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
03/19 – Austin, TX @ Auditorium Shores (SXSW) (FREE SHOW)
04/03 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
04/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
04/05 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
04/08 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore
04/09 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
04/12 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
04/13 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
06/23 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall

# = w/ Tim Kasher
% = w/ Cursive
* = w/ Superchunk, Wild Flag
^ = w/ Mynabirds

Whether you chose to remember it or not, New Year’s Eve always becomes an event – be it a swanky party full of beautiful people, or a sad, lonely remembrance of 2010 alone in your darkened apartment. But save yourself the embarrassment of either and get out to a club and see a band. Below we’ve listed some of the major events happening in cities around the US. Do yourself a favor: go.

There are few things I regret more than not going to see Girl Talk last year in 2009, so don’t make the same mistake I did. Spend NYE with your most favorite band. Whether you know it or not, you’ll be surrounded by new friends. Oh, and you can get tumultuously drunk and rage to some amazing music. Happy New Year from CoS!

– Jeremy Larson
Senior Staff Writer

P.S. If we’re missing something, please let us know in the comments below.

New York City

– Ariel Pink (solo): 234 Starr Street

– The Bloody Beetroots (DJ Set): The Wellmont Theatre

– The Butthole Surfers: Music Hall of Williamsburg

– Class Actress: Spike Hill

– Chuck Berry: B.B. King Blues Club

– Drive-By Truckers: Terminal 5

– Gov’t Mule: The Beacon Theatre

– Guided By Voices: Irving Plaza

– Har Mar Superstar: Littlefield

– Holy Ghost!: Standard

– Infected Mushroom, Shpongle: Hammerstein Ballroom

– Patti Smith & Her Band: Bowery Ballroom

– Passion Pit, Slick Rick: Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ)

– Phish: Madison Square Garden

– The Roots: Brooklyn Bowl

– Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings: Best Buy Theater

– Steve Angello: Roseland Ballroom

– Titus Andronicus, Real Estate, Julian Lynch: Ridgewood Temple

– We Are Scientists: Mercury Lounge

– Zach Deputy: City Winery

Chicago

– Big Freedia, Nobunny: Empty Bottle

– The Black Keys, Greenhornes: Aragon Ballroom

– Cave: The Hideout

– Cursive performing Domestica: Subterranean

– Flosstradamus, Gemini Club: Lincoln Hall

– Future Rock: Kinetic Playground

– Japandroids, Light Pollution: Schubas

– Local H: Bottom Lounge

– Mannequin Men, Pegboy: Abbey Pub

– Mucca Pazza: Logan Square Auditorium

– Pretty Lights, Holy Fuck, Tobacco: Congress Theatre

– Robert Randolph & The Family Band, North Mississippi Allstars: House of Blues

– Smoking Popes: Reggie’s Rock Club

– Sublime with Rome, AM Taxi, The Dirty Heads: Navy Pier Ballroom

– Umphrey’s McGee: The Riviera Theatre

– Yeasayer, HEALTH: Metro

Los Angeles

– ATB: Hollywood Palladium

– HARD NYE (Mr. Oizo, Brodinski, DJ Falcon): The Music Box

– John Digweed: The Avalon

– Lucinda Williams: The Viper Room

– Mayer Hawthorne, Classix: Viceroy Hotel

– Nite Jewel: The Echo

– NOFX, Dead To Me: The Wiltern

– The Pharcyde: Key Club

– The Raveonettes, Autolux: The Standard

– Steel Panther: House of Blues

– Together As One (Major Lazer, Diplo, Rusko, Laidback Luke): Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & Sports Arena

– Yard Dogs Road Show: Edison

London, UK

– British Sea Power: Koko

– Caribou: The Flowerpot

– Carl Barât (DJ Set): All Star Lanes Brick Lane

– Eastern Electrics NYE (Matthew Dear, Joker, Roska): The Tunnels

– Foals: HMV Forum

– Four Tet, James Holden, Jamie XX: Corsica Studios

– Friendly Fires (DJ Set): XOYO

– Sonic Youth, Factory Floor, Shellac: Hammersmith Apollo

– Together (Mark Ronson, Annie Mac, Katy B, Fake Blood): O2 Academy

Elsewhere:

Atlanta:

– Bassnectar, Ana Sia: The Tabernacle

– Charlie Wilson, Chrisette Michele: Atlanta Civic Center

– Coolio: Hyatt Regency

– The Glitch Mob: New Earth Music Hall

– Perpetual Groove: Variety Playhouse

– Zac Brown Band: Philips Arena

Atlantic City:

– B.B. King: Harrah’s Atlantic City

– Maroon 5: House of Blues

– Sarah McLachlan: Caesars Atlantic City

Aspen:

– Jane’s Addiction: Belly Up

Athens, GA:

– The Glitch Mob: New Earth Music Hall

– of Montreal: 40 Watt Club

Austin:

– Adolescents: Red 7

– Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Grupo Fantasma: La Zona Rosa

– Cake: Austin Music Hall

– N.A.S.A., Ladytron: Seaholm Power Plant

– The Sword: The Mohawk

Boston:

– Bettye LaVette: First Night Boston–Copley Square

– Cass McCombs: The Modern

– Dean & Britta, Nina Nastasia: Paramount Center

– moe.: House of Blues

– Soulive: Paradise Rock Club

– Third Eye Blind: Wilbur Theatre

Boulder:

– Crystal Castles, The Chain Gang of 1974: Boulder Theater

Dallas:

– Ghostland Observatory: Plaza of the Americas

– Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights: Granada Theater

– Old 97′s: House of Blues

Denver:

– Big Head Todd and The Monsters: Paramount Theatre

– Impact NYE (EOTO, Dieselboy, Freddy Todd): City Hall Events Center

– Nosaj Thing: Casselman’s

– Railroad Earth, Great American Taxi: Ogden Theatre

– STS9, Tipper: The Fillmore Auditorium

– Widespread Panic, G. Love & Special Sauce: Pepsi Center

Dublin, Ireland:

– Les Savy Fav: The Button Factory

Edmonton, AB:

– deadmau5: Shaw Conference Centre

Houston:

– Warpaint: Ground Hall

Las Vegas:

– 30 Seconds To Mars: Pearl Concert Theater

– Erick Morillo: Marquee Nightclub

– Jamie Lidell: Book & Stage – The Cosmopolitan

– Jay-Z, Coldplay: Cosmopolitan

– Paul Oakenfold, LMAFO: Palms Hotel & Casino

– Pitbull: House of Blues

– Santana: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

Louisville, KY:

– The Pass: Headliners Music Hall

Miami:

– Nicki Minaj: The Mansion

– Tiësto: Fontainebleau Resort

– Usher, Trey Songz: American Airlines Arena

Milwaukee:

– Girl Talk: The Rave

– The Hold Steady: Riverside Theater

Minneapolis:

– Brother Ali, The Hood Internet: Marriott City Center Grand Ballroom

New Orleans:

– Better Than Ezra: House of Blues

– Bonerama: 12 Bar on Fulton Street

– Galactic, Tea Leaf Green: Tipitina’s Uptown

– Tab Benoit: Mid City Lanes “Rock ‘N’ Bowl”

Oakland:

– Primus, The Dead Kenny Gs, Les Claypool: Fox Theater

Oklahoma City:

– The Flaming Lips performing The Soft Bulletin: Cox Convention Center

Philadelphia:

– Dada: North Star

– Lotus: Electric Factory

– Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: World Cafe

Portland, OR:

– Crooked Fingers, Heligoats: Bunk Bar

– The Helio Sequence, Ramona Falls: Mississippi Studios

– Japanther: Artistery

– Langhorne Slim: Mission Theater

– Lazer Sword, Eliot Lipp: Branx

– The Shaky Hands: Backspace

Rome, Italy:

– Aphex Twin: Palazzo dei Congressi

San Diego:

– Crocodiles: Soda Bar

– Designer Drugs: Voyeur

– Dirty South: 4th & B

San Francisco:

– The Dresden Dolls, Pomplamoose: The Warfield

– Furthur, Phil Lesh: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

– The Growlers: Hemlock Tavern

– John Lee Hooker Jr.: Biscuits and Blues

– Mike Posner: The Regency Ballroom

– Sea of Dreams (Thievery Corporation, Balkan Beat Box, Modeselektor, Beats Antique): Concourse Exhibition Center

– The Slackers: Great American Music Hall

– Steve Aoki: Fort Mason Festival Pavillion

Seattle:

– AC Slater: King Cat Theatre

– Lissie: Snoqualmie Casino

– Reverend Horton Heat, The Dwarves: El Corazon

– Z-Trip: Cirque Event Center

St. Louis, MO:

– The Crystal Method: Nightclub Europe

– Yonder Mountain String Band: The Pageant

St. Petersburg, FL:

– Cope: The Local 662

– Dead Kennedys: State Theatre

Washington, DC:

– Gogol Bordello: 9:30 Club

And now Kasher has delivered a fantastic debut solo album The Game of Monogamy. He previewed the new album at a small show at Chicago’s Tonic Room back in March, which I was fortunate enough to attend. It was just Kasher and some friends playing some of his most personal and heartfelt songs to date. Since then, Kasher has kept busy by being on the road and promoting the new record. He took some time out to talk with me the morning after a show in San Francisco. I asked him about the album, his other projects, and his upcoming New Year’s Eve Domestica anniversary celebration in Chicago.

Why a solo album? Was it just a matter of you having a bunch of songs written?

I made the decision about 20 years ago. There were some things I’d written for a proper rock band, but another batch of songs were kind of my own songs that didn’t necessarily need a band at all. And that became The Good Life about 10 years ago. I guess the ultimate question would be, “Why is this not a Good Life record?” Over the last five to seven years, The Good Life became a rock band in its way, and so I just had to let it lie. It’s hard using my own name. It’s something I always assumed I would do when I got older, and I found that I had gotten older. My goal for this first record is to help me get my name out.

Do you think you’ll release more solo albums, or are you going to stick with this one and see where it goes?

I’m definitely going to. I don’t like putting a limit on any project. I think it’s better to make these decisions rationally. So I’m going to keep going with it.

I think my long-winded explanation is I knew that eventually I would start writing under a different band name. Just be a songwriter and try to have flexibility, which I am really loving so far. I try kind of moving from Cursive and The Good Life; I bring all the ideas together. Using my own name, I’ve definitely recognized I can do a solo album. I can work ideas better. I can be weirder and louder like Cursive or softer like I did with The Good Life. There’s not a precedent already. It’s just a moniker.

On the solo album, you return to very personal lyrics, something you haven’t done with a Good Life or Cursive album since Album of the Year or The Ugly Organ. Was there something that happened during the process of creating this album that made you move back to the more personal lyrics?

I think I would suggest writing in this fashion. It’s very much like personal lyrics are always my best if I have my wits about me. I don’t know. I guess in my opinion you do what you like with each album, so I really intentionally try to take a different approach with each album. But starting out under a different title, I could really let my lyrics swing that way again.

That’s one thought, but I also think that if I would’ve written a Cursive record next, it probably would’ve felt like it was acceptable to string out my passion. Again, I guess I just try to keep an eye on that and making sure it’s not the same thing each time.

So where are you now with the solo project? Is it something where you go into writing a song thinking, “I’m going to write a song for Cursive” or Good Life or now the solo project? Or is it just a matter of it developing into “Oh, this is a good song for Cursive or Good Life or solo”?

I just write things an album at a time. For now, I don’t [write a song then decide]. I like writing specifically for each band.

You seem to have this confidence and freedom with the solo album to put it under your name and not have people expect a Good Life album or a Cursive album. It’s freed you up to do whatever you want.

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. There are certain genres and styles that are expected, not just with the moniker and myself but with both bands. I’m hoping that over the years it’ll be acceptable just to do absolutely anything because it’s just a name and not a band or title. But I could be wrong.

So moving from the solo album, I just saw that Cursive will be playing a New Year’s Eve show and will be playing the entirety of Domestica. How did that come about?

We had been playing around with certain ideas as far as revisiting those records in some way. And New Year’s Eve was close to the anniversary date. It’s not really a tour or anything. I have some family in Chicago and wanted to try and make it feel more special, not just another rock ’n’ roll evening. It just kind of made sense.

It was kind of weird for me to think that it’s the 10th anniversary of Domestica because I still remember it coming out. It’s one of those things where I thought, “Really? It’s been 10 years already?” Doesn’t seem that long ago at all.

I think I felt the other way. I would’ve expected it to be the 20-year anniversary or something. For some reason, that record has gone over that hump where it just seems a lot older. But like The Ugly Organ, it’s really strange to me that it’s seven years old right now.

Are you thinking of doing the same for The Ugly Organ when that 10-year mark rolls around?

I wouldn’t be surprised, I guess [laughs].

Because of the time you have spent in Chicago, is that why you chose it for the show rather than New York or Omaha?

We were commenting on that the other day. Chicago has really been a great city to us for a while, so I think it makes sense. Both bands have felt very welcome there. Which is great because while Omaha is a great city and a big enough city, Chicago has always been the Midwest metropolis. So, I love returning there.

Is that the same reason you picked it for your solo preview show?

You know a lot of those decisions tend to just be in some ways a coincidence, and in some ways they’re not. I find myself in Chicago a lot. I mean, it’s not that far from Omaha. I have family there.

You mentioned during the solo show that you had just gone to your sister’s wedding right before the show.

Yeah, exactly, and I have cousins that live there, so I come there a lot. I love the city.

Check out Kasher’s solo show at Schuba’s in Chicago on November 20th and Cursive’s New Year’s Eve show at The Subterranean.

Yes, The Game of Monogamy is conceptually a scathing, doubtful, near-mocking account of the common commitment made between one man and one woman. (Sound familiar?) Lyrically, though, Kasher’s screenwriting abilities are paying off in droves: Unlike the vaguely drawn, obtuse men and women of his earlier work, the characters on this record put on a performance that unfolds over the course of an album, at once so in love with the prospect of a lifetime of togetherness and later resentful that they’d ever met.

The record begins with a bittersweet string arrangement that gives way to harp and oboe, all creating a lamenting tension that’s not unlike the onset of a dramatic film. (I’ll do my best to keep the cinematic analogies to a minimum, but it’s clear Kasher meant for the record to have a filmic cadence). Though “Monogamy Overture”, with its Sufjan-like grandiosity, sets us up to expect a more finessed affair than the intelligent brashness of Cursive or the clean, simple lines of The Good Life, “A Grown Man” follows with some combination of the two. It’s a predictable rant against the cage of adult responsibilities set amongst raucous horns, fuzzy guitars, and propulsive drums that’s a bit of a letdown coming off of the glacial intro, but the ensuing tracks more than redeem this feeling; they make sense of it.

“I’m Afraid I’m Gonna Die Here” starts off jubilantly, though not without a tinge of remorse, as its trumpets and breezy, jangly guitars set the stage for some of the most penetrating lyrics on the record. (This sentiment is, of course, relative considering how rife this collection is with solid prose). Kasher sings, “Love makes you lazy/You don’t ask questions anymore/You settle into the furniture/collecting cobwebs on the porch,” before he hints that the only way his character can save himself is to “write another chapter” before it’s too late. This quiet desperation is articulated once more in “No Fireworks”, wherein orchestral swells and morose keys back Kasher as he bellows, “I thought love was supposed to spill from our hearts,” as man and wife struggle to comprehend what the songwriter might suggest is the inevitable numbness of monogamous commitment. As on Cursive’s Ugly Organ, the drunken, dissonant sound of these songs could at times suggest a deficit of seriousness, but that would be a gross misunderstanding of the truth Kasher’s laboring to convey. If anything, the musical unease present alongside an otherwise vibrant chamber-pop sound is a subconscious translation of marital unrest, the crazed, unspeakable anxiety that torments all partners at one time or another. For its part, the brief, disorienting “Surprise, Surprise” documents this feeling brilliantly, as well.

The strongest songs on The Game of Monogamy are “Strays”, “There Must Be Something I’ve Lost”, “The Prodigal Husband”, and the closer, “Monogamy”. Just four songs into the record, “Strays” throws a spare wrench into the fatalist theme you’d expect to comprise the whole collection based on “A Grown Man”. Instead, it’s an overture to a former lover that comes off as an argument for monogamy: “We’re a family of strays, but, together we’ve been found.” The earnestness isn’t inconsistent. It’s speaking to the same regret that resurfaces in “The Prodigal Husband”, when a man pleads with his wife for renewal in a way that doesn’t feel jaded in the slightest. Kasher, like any good writer, understands that the grass always being greener doesn’t always portend an elevated sense of happiness. Typically, it invites the exact opposite.

Positioned just after its mid-section, “There Must Be Something I’ve Lost” is the record’s crisis act, depicting a man staring at his former classmates in his high school yearbook as he admits, “I want to have sex with all of my old girlfriends again,” over a wilting piano, acoustic guitar, woodwinds, and strings. Here, and on the heartbreaking “Monogamy”, Kasher recalls his old friend Conor Oberst, which is a positive when you consider the fellow Nebraskan’s penchant for storytelling.

On this, his first solo album, Tim Kasher not only went to profound lengths to lyrically articulate the underlying complexity of coupledom, he also attempted to create a soundtrack that accompanied this misery and confusion. He enlisted Patrick Newbery, who plays keys and trumpet in Cursive, to assist with the arrangements and production, as well as to perform on the album. Matt Maginn (also of Cursive) contributed bass parts and Minus the Bear’s Erin Tate played drums on a few songs. The sweeping, melancholic strings and woodwinds were even performed by the Glacier National Symphony.

But, while the results of these collaborations are undoubtedly impressive, their worth is derived more from their support of Kasher’s character dilemmas than anything else. I’ll admit some disappointment in this regard — for me, he’s yet to top Domestica, musically — but Kasher has never been this lyrically poignant and cohesive. The album’s themes, dialogue, and settings all flow naturally, positioning the listener in the thick of the male mind, tugging at our realities whether we want him to or not. Perhaps, then, his inclination to write for the silver screen isn’t so strange after all.

“I was writing fairly small, sad songs, acoustic-based, when it occurred to me, ‘Why not let the music be big and bombastic?’” Kasher explained in a recent interview with Spin. “That’s what David Bowie would do, right? Not sure how big and bombastic it ever became, but it did get me out of the little guy with a little guitar mentality, opening the music up to bigger arrangements.”

Cue “Cold Cave”, the first track to be revealed off The Game of Monogamy. Though featuring an upbeat, New Pornographers-esque sound, Kasher says it’s about “really boring sex, couples who have run out of steam in their relationships, whose sex life is reduced to going through the motions.” You can’t get more depressing than that.

Grab the track below, via Spin. As previously reported, The Game of Monogamy is set to arrive October 5th via Saddle Creek.

The 11-track record, entitled The Game of Monogamy, was recorded in Whitefish, MT, this past January and is the first album Kasher has written, recorded, and produced under his own name.

The record promises to serve as a unique installment in Kasher’s career, harboring a focus on classical arrangements played by members of the Glacier National Symphony and centering its focus inside a 1950s-esque conservative atmosphere. Its title says it all, as The Game of Monogamy is essentially a moody pop record (you can guess what about) with Kasher leading his audience on an emotional rollercoaster through sexual plight and frustration.

Ornamented with strings, trombone, and the like, The Game of Monogamy plays with the idea that romance isn’t all that it’s made out to be while simultaneously building a platform for a dilemma that has remained thoroughly modern throughout the last half of a century. Now that’s some pretty heavy shit right there.

Filled with theatrical arrangements and lush instrumentation, The Game of Monogamy also has a few guest appearances including fellow Cursive bandmates Patrick New Berry (adding a bit of flair with some trumpet/keys) and Matt Maginn (lending a few drum and bass beats). And even his friend Erin Tate (of Minus the Bear) makes an appearance on the album by aiding Maginn on a few drum and bass arrangements!

In other news, Kasher will be headlining a show on July 27th at the Tonic Room in Chicago, IL, where he will debut some material from the new album with his backing band (which has remained anonymous at this time).

Below is a full tracklist of The Game of Monogamy.  The album hits stores October 5th via Saddle Creek.

The Game Of Monogamy Tracklist:
01. Monogamy Overture
02. A Grown Man
03. I’m Afraid I’m Gonna Die Here
04. Strays
05. Cold Love
06. Surprise, Surprise
07. There Must Be Something I’ve Lost
08. Bad, Bad Dreams
09. No Fireworks
10. The Prodigal Husband
11. Monogamy

As TwentyFourBit reports, Oberst’s short lived punk band Desparecidos and his acclaimed Bright Eyes project are scheduled to perform at the Concert For Equality. Set to take place in Omaha, Nebraska on July 31, the concert will benefit the Nebraska branch of the ACLU’s fight against a recently passed and rather controversial anti-immigration ordinance in Freemont, Nebraska.

Also on the bill are fellow Saddle Creek record outfit Cursive and Lullaby for the Working Class, the Nebraska based indie-folk outfit which has been inactive for over a decade. The group features Curvise guitarist Ted Stevens, Bright Eyes instrumentalist Mike Mogis, his brother, producer A.J. Mogis, and drummer Shane Aspegren of Berg Sans Nipple.

More bands will be announced in the weeks ahead. Tickets, priced between $20 and $50, will go on sale starting July 10th and all proceeds will go to ACLU Nebraska.

Alkaline Trio is equally energetic and powerful, but their music is of a different ilk. Early albums like Goddamnit, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire bring darker pop-punk tunes, while their most recent albums like Agony & Irony and their newest This Addiction have a more upbeat sound. Their shows are loud, and the songs are solid and well rehearsed. They have been a strong presence in the pop-punk, Vagrant scene for nearly 15 years—a scene that doesn’t have much crossover with the self-reflexive, indie aesthetic of the Saddle Creek boys of Cursive.

On the other hand, every time I’ve seen Cursive, they have been the headlining band. The only other time I’ve heard of them as a supporting act was in 2001, when they were touring in support of Thursday. Since then they have made a name for themselves, gained a sizable crowd, and even performed on The Late Show with David Letterman. So to find them performing in support of Alkaline Trio (who, yes, has also made the late night TV circuit), I was intrigued. The bands would be playing Alkaline Trio’s hometown, so I understood supporting them here in Chicago. Alkaline Trio has a rabid and large following in the Chicagoland area. Enough where the weekend of two shows at the famed venue The Metro—one 18 & over, and one all-ages—sold out in mere hours.

When I drove by the venue Sunday afternoon around 3:15pm before the second night of shows (the doors didn’t open until 6:00pm), there was already a line of 10-15 teens waiting in the cold and rain to get in and get the best spot in the pit they could. It gave me a strong case of nostalgia to see those kids wrapped in blankets, sitting on the cold Chicago sidewalk, eager and excited to see their favorite band up close. I remember being 16.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love going to live shows and there is still nothing better than seeing my favorite bands in person. But now at 25, I feel like waiting in line for hours before the show, standing against the front barrier, being a part of a “mosh pit,” well…I’m just too old for that shit. This was the all-ages show of the weekend, so I knew I was going to be one of the “old dudes” in the crowd, which at 25 is semi-depressing.

This may seem like a tangent to the story of the show, and it is slightly, but it also informs how the show went for the evening. I’m not just waxing poetic or being a bitter fart.

The opening band for the night was Equal Vision records/Vans Warped Tour artists and Orange County’s own The Dear & Departed. Looking and sounding about what I think a modern Warped Tour band would be, The Dear & Departed played through their 20+ minute set with precision. The band, save for lead singer Dan Smith, remained fairly sedentary, and the audience seemed to follow suit. Smith somewhat pleaded with the audience to do a little more dancing and a little less standing after the first couple of songs, but eventually just settled with head nods and clapping. He thanked the audience for “coming out” after every song, even though it was “really early.” They still appreciated our presence. They seemed like rather pleasant kids, and if you enjoy Saves the Day or most anything on Vagrant Records you should check out their newest album Chapters.

After The Dear & Departed finished their set, I noticed the crowd growing steadily in anticipation for the headlining acts. The special sections on the sides of the balcony were growing with what I assumed to be the family and friends of Alkaline Trio coming in from the bands home suburb of McHenry, IL. People were beginning the push forward to the front barrier and I could feel my frustration with mosh pits and crowd surfing begin to bubble. But I swallowed it down and prepared myself for Cursive.

The changeover to Cursive was quick with only a slight sound equipment hang-up. The lights went out and the multi-instrumentalist of Cursive, Patrick Newberry, came on stage, hit a button, and something sounding vaguely like the theme song to Family Ties started playing. Soon after, the rest of the band strolled out on stage and took their places with their instruments. There was no hello, no “hi we’re Cursive,” just a wave of lead-singer Tim Kasher’s hand and the band launched into Ugly Organ opener “Some Red Handed Slight of Hand.”

And that’s about how the rest of the Cursive set went. The stage banter I had grown accustomed to was non-existent. They blazed through song after song with nothing more than a slight bow and hand wave to the crowd. I don’t blame the band though. It seemed the young Alkaline Trio crowd didn’t quite know how to take songs like Domestica’s “A Red So Deep” or the chaos of Happy Hollow’s “Big Bang”.

Their set was a quick 11 songs, and near the end, the audience warmed up a little to them. I don’t know if it was due to them understanding kind of how Cursive works, or the enthusiasm of the few fans there to just see Cursive that rubbed off. Overall it was a somewhat awkward performance from a band that is normally full of confidence on stage. Made me wonder if this tour is beginning to weigh on them or if it’s been weighing on them all along. Either way it’s a question I’m hoping to ask Tim Kasher right away when I interview him this week. Stay tuned for that.

About 25 minutes after Cursive ended their set, Alkaline Trio took the stage to a loud and raucous ovation from the sold-out crowd. The pit had grown substantially and the balcony was at capacity with eager young faces and stalwart fans. Singer/Guitarist Matt Skiba gave an enthusiastic hello to the crowd and just before launching into the title track from their newest album This Addiction, said, “It’s very good to be home.” The crowd erupted and then continued to overflow as the opening chords and cymbal hits landed. The pit instantly started to churn and pulse. Even at my position near the back of the crowd, I was still being pushed and jostled around by people trying to somehow compact the 50 people in front of them into a space reserved for 15.

The enthusiasm of the crowd was overwhelming. While I may not be the biggest fan of Alkaline Trio, the excitement of their fans was a great thing to see. I’ll admit that it rubbed off on me a little. I started tapping my foot in the safe hole I had retreated into to escape the numerous crowd surfers being thrown—literally thrown—around the pit. (One poor girl was having her shirt pulled up while some very classy gentlemen were attempting to pull down her pants.) The band appeared to have a great time as they blasted through songs that spanned their whole catalogue; everything from “Mr. Chainsaw” and “Stupid Kid” from From Here to Infirmary, to “Emma” from Good Mourning to songs from the new album like “This Addiction” and “Dine, Dine, My Darling”. It’s always refreshing to see a band enjoying themselves on stage, and Alkaline Trio was no exception. Performing for a capacity crowd in your hometown is, I’d imagine, an amazing thing and it was obviously not wasted on the band. After a long proper set, the band came back on stage for a four song encore which included a Misfits cover and closed with Maybe I’ll Catch Fire closer, and crowd favorite, “Radio”.

Overall, I felt it was an awkward line-up for the show. The crowd was enthusiastic? Yes. Incredibly young? Double yes. But the awkward placement of Cursive on this tour made for an awkward disappointment for Cursive fans. It was sad to see Cursive become just another “shitty opening band” for kids who just wanted to hear some pop-punk slickness. If I weren’t such a big Cursive fan, I’ll bet I would love the hell out of the show. Alkaline Trio put together a solid set that left the young hometown crowd properly satiated. It just left me feeling…well…awkward. And old. For someone who lived through the beginning of the pop-punk, Vagrant Records heyday, I’m confused as to why it still lives on. But Alkaline Trio has showed me that not only has it lived on, but also it is just as strong as it has been.

Photography by Paul Kastner

Cursive setlist:
Some Red Handed Slight of Hand
Dorthy at Forty
From the Hips
A Red So Deep
Driftwood
Let Me Out
Big Bang
Casualty
The Great Decay
Art is Hard
Love You Anymore

Alkaline Trio setlist:
This Addiction
Armageddon
Emma
Dine, Dine My Darling
We’ve Had Enough
Mr. Chainsaw
Dead on the floor
Fatally Yours
Crawl
Stupid Kid
Snake Oil Tanker
Blue Carolina
Private Eye
One Hundred Stories
Dorthy
Sadie
My Friend Peter
’97
Fine
Attitude (Misfits cover)
San Francisco
Radio

In a mid-November interview with Spinner.com, singer Matt Skiba said that the album would be a straight rock record that allows their deep-rooted punk roots to shine through.

“This record is a rock record but our punk rock upbringing definitely shines through, more so than our last few records,” Skiba told Spinner.com. “The vibe is similar to our humble beginnings. It’s a step forward but I also think it has glimmers of our past in it. “We went with a less-is-more approach on this record. A lot of it is just one guitar rather than overdubs or three or four guitars,” he says. “We wanted a record that we could easily play live. For the most part, it’s pretty bare bones while still sounding full and big.”

Of course, just because it’s about making noise and kicking butt doesn’t mean the cerebral band is going to dumb it down.

“I think that we wanted to make a punk rock record that we’ve been describing as ‘thinking-man’s punk,’” Skiba said. “We wanted to do something that’s fun but also interesting and lyrically, something that will be fun for people to read along to and hopefully understand.”

The tour itself kicks off February 16th in Pomona, CA, works its way all across the country and ends its rocking good time on April 2nd in Los Angeles. The guys will be supported by indie band Cursive. But if you can’t wait any longer for some trio goodness, head over to ThisAddiction.org. There, in exchange for a Twitter or Facebook posting, you can stream the title track. We’re sure even “u guyz rawk” will suffice.

This Addiction is due in stores February 23rd. Most tickets are on sale now, with a few on sale January 8th or 14th, at Ticketmaster.com.

This Addiction Tracklist:
01. This Addiction
02. Dine, Dine My Darling
03. Lead Poisoning
04. Dead On the Floor
05. The American Scream
06. Off The Map
07. Draculina
08. Eating Me Alive
09. Piss And Vinegar
10. Dorothy
11. Fine

Alkaline Trio 2010 Tour Dates:
02/16 – Pomona, CA @ Glass House
02/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues (Sunset)
02/18 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
02/19 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
02/20 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
02/23 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
02/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In the Venue
02/25 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
02/26 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
02/27 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
02/28 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
03/02 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak
03/03 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
03/04 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
03/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
03/06 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
03/08 – Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Light
03/09 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
03/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tracadero
03/12 – New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre
03/13 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland
03/14 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
03/16 – Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
03/17 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend
03/18 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
03/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
03/20 – Jacksonville Beach, FL @ Freebird Live
03/22 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
03/23 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
03/25 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
03/26 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
03/27 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
03/28 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
03/30 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
04/01 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
04/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues

Cursive 2009 Tour Dates:
05/01 – Atlnata, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
05/02 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
05/03 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel *
05/06 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
05/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall ^
05/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/09 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge ^
05/12 – London, UK @ Dingwalls
05/14 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
05/15 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
05/16 – Birminham, UK @ Hare and Hounds
05/17 – Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre
05/18 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 3
05/19 – York, UK @ Fibbers
05/20 – Newcastle, UK @ Academy 2
05/21 – London, UK @ Stag and Dagger Festival
05/22 – Leeds, UK @ Stag and Dagger Festival
05/23 – Glasgow, UK @ Stag and Dagger Festival
05/24 – Nottingham, UK @ Dot to Dot Festival
06/13 – Denver, CO @ Westword Music Showcase
06/18 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s North
06/20 – Billings, MT @ Yellowstone Valley Brewery
06/21 – Missoula, MT @ The Other Side
06/22 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
06/23 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
06/24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
06/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Great America Music Hall
06/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
06/29 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
07/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound

* = w/ Man Man
^ = w/ P.O.S.

If you were at all confused about the song’s message beforehand, then the video isn’t going to clear much up for you. Basically, it portrays male and female protagonists filling the respective boyfriend and girlfriend roles to the max, with a large group of simultaneous significant others (basically, they are like polygamists).  Cuts to Tim Kasher and co. playing the “house band” role come and go as the two become fed up with their situations. As the footage rolls, the video culminates in a barroom orgy of sorts, as the protagonists and their numerous lovers begin spontaneously hooking up with one another. I know, I know, WTF? Make what you will with this:

My head, if anything, is Swollen.

Cursive 2009 Tour:
04/24 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
04/25 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
04/26 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *
04/27 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree *
04/28 – Pensacola, FL @ Sluggos *
04/29 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
04/30 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
05/01 – Atlnata, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
05/02 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
05/03 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel *
05/06 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
05/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
05/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/09 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge

In many ways it was, but that didn’t stop everyone from punching in and out in a very work-like fashion. After all, this isn’t your typical music festival, where every band’s there to just rock out. Most acts, if not all of them (save for the big ones), were there to shatter the proverbial bars they all set for themselves months or years beforehand. This is where songwriters sweat from playing hard and being nervous. It’s where everything is raw and everyone is on their game. This has always been the case with SXSW and nothing has changed this year — only the bands and a newer, trendier logo.

Unlike last year, when our correspondent Matt Sanders went solo into the city-spanning chaos, Consequence of Sound (CoS) took it upon itself to not only cover the event this year, but to get involved as well. With two parties and a showcase, we found ourselves working nonstop, yet we were only waist deep in the media muck that could swallow even the strongest, most ambitious patron. That’s why we decided to start early, arriving Tuesday night, on the eve of the week’s most insane and surprising festivities.

Needless to say, our knees are sore, our ankles feel swollen, and our eyes feel like they’re going to pop. Awesome? You be the judge…

Tuesday, March 17th:

While Tuesday served more as the closing for the interactive and film portion of this year’s South by Southwest, there was music to be found, particularly at La Zona Rosa where the SXSW Interactive Closing Party was going down.

Hailing from Montreal, Winter Gloves pleased on lookers with a collection of synth friendly sounds that blended groovy electro beats with a youthful indie persona. Think Holy Fuck-lite, add vocals, and a touch of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Needless to say, the quartet made for a great way to kick off SXSW.

As did the band that followed. In what was their first live performance in well over a year, Voxtrot used their first of two SXSW appearances to further introduce a packed crowd to the band’s new darker, heavier, and somewhat synthy – yes, more synth! – style that the world first got wind of last week with the release of “Trepanation Party”. Fortuanly, these sounds don’t contrast with the ear pleasing vocals of Voxtrot’s clean shaven frontman Ramesh Srivastava. In fact, they worked quite well together, resulting in a set that can’t help but get one excited over the band’s upcoming, yet-to-be-announced endeavors.

Wendesday, March 18th:

The first “official” day of South by Southwest’s music portion offered a brilliant example at just how incredibly overwhelming and mind-numbingly chaotic the week can, and eventually would be.

Over at Red 7, Force Field PR and Terror Bird Media offered a day party showcasing a rather eclectic mix of up-and-comers and industry favorites. Despite the early afternoon time slot and subdued feel of his sound, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear, garnered quite a crowd with his sweet and innocent melodies, while The Thermals basically blew off the roof – well, they would have if there had been a roof in the outside area of Red 7 – with a ruckus 35-minute set. Consisting mostly from material from the band’s forthcoming studio album, Now We Can See, which in the end, basically sounds the same as any of its past work give or take a guitar solo or two, the set earned Hutch Harris and Co. quite a reception, and a positive first of eight SXSW sets.

Inside, two hip-hop outfits hailing from completely different backgrounds each had no trouble making quite te impression. Though still baby faced and raw, the duo known as DMG$ (pronounced Damaged Goods) exhibited a charisma and spunk that can best be described as jaw-dropping. Between their on stage dance moves and in crowd free styling, DMG$ has a persona comparable to the best of their contemporaries. The potential is there and once the rhymes solidify, which will come with time, the duo should have no problem make a name for itself in the coming years. The same can probably be said about fellow hip-hoppers Themselves. Well, that is if they stay together. Doseone and Jel took the Red 7 stage on Wednesday for what was one of their first performances since reuniting after a five year hiatus last month. The talent is still there and in a big way. The only question now is whether Themselves will stay Themselves long around long enough to see this talent through.

Three blocks and four hours later, it was Stubb’s time to shine. Playing hosts to NPR’s official showcase, the Red River Street venue was jam packed from the get go with hungry SXSW’ers looking to get a good spot for the evening’s best bill, one which in the end, failed to disappoint.

Albeit featuring a much different style the acts to come, Phillipa Brown showed just why nearly every Australian and Perez Hilton is clamoring over the musician better known as Ladyhawke. Sounding a cross between Madonna and Peaches, Ladyhawke turned Stubb’s into an 80s dance floor during her nearly 45 set, well, give or take the time she dabbled in some guitar playing.

These days, it isn’t often you find down right dirty rock ‘n’ roll, but then again, these weren’t any ordinary days. So perhaps it was only appropriate that one of Texas’ own brought some of the dirtiest rock South by Southwest would see. Playing a set consisting of material mostly from their recently released new studio album, The Mountain, the Heartless Bastards to put it blatantly, shredded for the better part of 40 minutes. Punchy, punctuating, and powerful is another good way to put it, especially during renditions of “The Mountain” and “Hold Your Head High”.

Equally compelling was the night’s next act, just in an entirely different way. With cello, bass, and banjo in hand, The Avett Brothers took to Stubb’s to offer one of a kind folk styles, or in other words, some of the most enthusiastic unplugged music one will stumble upon. The one problem? Due to the extensive set up required for such an act, the band was limited to a 25 minute set.

At first look, it would seem as if The Decemberists would be the perfect act to close such a showcase. Not only Colin Meloy and Co. offer the best of both worlds when it came to the sounds of the previous bands, but they would also be using sets to introduce the industry to their forthcoming studio album, The Hazards of Love. Yet for as unique of an opportunity as the set was, it may have also set up The Decemberists for failure. By no means, was their performance of the 17-track effort in its entirety bad, because in reality, it was anything but that. In fact, it was almost too much; too many sounds, too many musical shifts, too much texture, all which in the left left fans dazed at what had just taken place in front of them. Some left the sluggish, prog-rock rifts early, others heckled for old favorites amidst the band’s Arcade Fire-like tribal drumming. Needless to say, the reaction was almost as emotional as the album itself.

Thursday, March 18th:

While Full Metal Texas kept to capacity over at Emo’s Annex, down the road at the Radio Room, where Brooklyn Vegan’s day party kicked off, things were heating up — literally and metaphorically. Brooklyn’s own Bishop Allen held the attention of most daytime attendees, where at least five hundred folks cluttered the outside patio. In a flannel button up, vocalist Justin Rice sweat from every pore, his back an engulfing mass of perspiration, which made their catchy song, “Rain”, a rather hopeful one. Both he and instrumentalist Christian Rudder kicked things up a notch with the Nick & Norah favorite, “Middle Management”, which rocked n’ rolled just about every sweaty hipster wearing too much black or too many layers for comfort. Some new material off of their latest, Grrr…, went over well, but past hits (“Click Click Click”, for one) were sorely missed.

Maybe it was all the Brooklyn influence (that might be a good educated start), but everyone seemed to be quite the fish out of water. Between the skinny jeans and the Wayfarers, Greenwich Village was well represented here, with artist types up the ying yang. Some were acts waiting off to the side to play, which included the very posh Hymns, who would go on to back Daniel Johnston on a few tracks. The New York quartet looked like four Jason Schwartzman’s, only slightly taller with more of the silent treatment. Their jangly sound seemed to combine ’60s Rolling Stones and Gimme Fiction-esque Spoon. It was a lovely sound for the afternoon, though cut short with the inclusion of legend Johnston, who started with “Mean Girls” and digressed into something else altogether. The wild songwriter looked wild in general, with color-streaked silver hair and a tense, apprehensive stare. With his songbook in tow, the West Virginian held his own with the crowd, though his popularity was unmeasured with the acts present.

Back inside, things, to quote the late Johnny Carson, got a “lil crazy, a lil wild”, as These Arms Are Snakes pretty much destroyed the indoor stage. Despite hailing from Seattle, the amicable-if-not-highly-disgusting quartet held a somewhat hillbilly look, perhaps in honor of the Texas spirit. The skeleton skinny frontman Steve Snere battled the stage himself, jumping over amps, gyrating stupendously, and kicking over various chairs off stage. At one point, the bratty frontman spit up a loogy, only to catch it on his hand and lick it up again. Think that’s gross? How about the moment he pulled a Jim Morrison by sliding his fingers down his pants, only to kick it up an extra notch by licking ‘em after. Everything about this act was performance which is unfortunate because their music isn’t interesting in the slightest. It’s unfocused distortion without being shoegaze, which in other words, is somewhat irritating — especially with the sprawling screaming that seems to pre-date them to 2002. On a good day, they could be likened to At The Drive-In, but that comparison stems from the fact that both Snere and guitarist Ryan Frederiksen seem to play the Cedric Bixler/Omar Rodriguez playbook note for note. If anything, they’re fun to watch on stage, but hardly a logical act to get behind.

Call it what you will, but Cursive‘s live show is one of this year’s best on the scene. Vocalist and guitarist Tim Kasher is quickly becoming one riotous hero in the indie community. His vocals have grit, his movements are concentrated and fitting, and the emotion is always raw and vital. Under a thick mop of sweaty hair, Kasher led a jagged, if not downright exceptional rendition of “Art is Hard”, one of the band’s best tunes live. The swinging violins, the dancey drums, and the crunchy guitars are too addicting. While playing a great deal of their latest record, Mama, I’m Swollen, the Nebraska heavies kept it “old-school” with plenty of old time favorites, too. While an early set, and the first of many SXSW appearances, Kasher & co held a larger than expected crowd, with a line coming in that sweltered by the minute. To be fair, it wasn’t just Cursive picking up the pace, and Kasher took note of this: “The Wrens are playing outside. I’d much rather be there right now, but I’ll have to catch them another time.” Fortunately for the crowd, Kasher stuck around and punched in an exceptional set, rewarding the Brooklyn blog with some very necessary props.

So, The Hold Steady took to Red 7 in the late afternoon as part of the Found Magazine and Quackmedia Day Party. Or, at least we think…

Kidding aside, The New York Times was there, as was Tiny Mix Tapes. So read about it there.

Is 80s influences, electro infused, synth heavy, Apple approved music your thing? Then Emo’s Annex was the place to be on Thursday evening for The Windish Agency official showcase.

With their new album, Bitte Orca, set to hit record stores in a couple months, Dave Longstreth and the Dirty Projectors took to Emo’s to offer fans a taste of what is to come, and on first listen, it’s pretty damn solid. Cool and funky are some words that come to mind in describing the poppy, yet heavy, R&B, yet artsy nature of the band’s 45 minute set, but in this case, maybe it’d be better to just take a listen yourself. NPR is currently streaming the entire set right this second.

Based off their recently released debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, there was probably no act more anticipated at this year’s than N.A.S.A. Draped in space suits and backed by a barrage of movie clips from who knows where, the DJ duo of Squeak E. Clean and Zegon had both a successful lift off, and minus a few rough patches (was it just us, or was 30 minutes of dancing aliens just too much?), their expedition proved to be quite successful. Highlights included remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kanye West, and Nirvana, along with a Girl Talk-like on stage danceapalooza that left Emo’s sole bouncer in a state of sheer pandemonium.

Since stumbling upon Little Boots at Brooklyn Vegan’s day party at CMJ last fall, we have been pretty big fans of the 25-year-old Brit. Ok, we’ve been obsessed. But even that didn’t stop us from noting the changes in both Little Boots’ on stage performance; in just six short months, her vocals have transcended from cute and innocent to powerful and engaging, while her sways behind the microphone have been replaced by confident crowd interactions. This Madonna Jr. now not only exuberates potential, she is finally beginning to realize, and in the end, it’s only a matter of time before the entire world knows the name Little Boots.

To be continued…

]]> Consequence of Sound (CoS) took it upon itself to not only cover the event this year, but to get involved as well. With two parties and a showcase, we found ourselves working nonstop, yet we were only waist deep in the media muck that could swallow even the strongest, most ambitious patron. That's why we decided to start early, arriving Tuesday night, on the eve of the week's most insane and surprising festivities. Needless to say, our knees are sore, our ankles feel swollen, and our eyes feel like they're going to pop. Awesome? You be the judge... Tuesday, March 17th: While Tuesday served more as the closing for the interactive and film portion of this year's South by Southwest, there was music to be found, particularly at La Zona Rosa where the SXSW Interactive Closing Party was going down. Hailing from Montreal, Winter Gloves pleased on lookers with a collection of synth friendly sounds that blended groovy electro beats with a youthful indie persona. Think Holy Fuck-lite, add vocals, and a touch of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Needless to say, the quartet made for a great way to kick off SXSW. As did the band that followed. In what was their first live performance in well over a year, Voxtrot used their first of two SXSW appearances to further introduce a packed crowd to the band's new darker, heavier, and somewhat synthy - yes, more synth! - style that the world first got wind of last week with the release of “Trepanation Party”. Fortuanly, these sounds don't contrast with the ear pleasing vocals of Voxtrot's clean shaven frontman Ramesh Srivastava. In fact, they worked quite well together, resulting in a set that can't help but get one excited over the band's upcoming, yet-to-be-announced endeavors. Wendesday, March 18th: The first "official" day of South by Southwest's music portion offered a brilliant example at just how incredibly overwhelming and mind-numbingly chaotic the week can, and eventually would be. Over at Red 7, Force Field PR and Terror Bird Media offered a day party showcasing a rather eclectic mix of up-and-comers and industry favorites. Despite the early afternoon time slot and subdued feel of his sound, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear, garnered quite a crowd with his sweet and innocent melodies, while The Thermals basically blew off the roof - well, they would have if there had been a roof in the outside area of Red 7 - with a ruckus 35-minute set. Consisting mostly from material from the band's forthcoming studio album, Now We Can See, which in the end, basically sounds the same as any of its past work give or take a guitar solo or two, the set earned Hutch Harris and Co. quite a reception, and a positive first of eight SXSW sets. Inside, two hip-hop outfits hailing from completely different backgrounds each had no trouble making quite te impression. Though still baby faced and raw, the duo known as DMG$ (pronounced Damaged Goods) exhibited a charisma and spunk that can best be described as jaw-dropping. Between their on stage dance moves and in crowd free styling, DMG$ has a persona comparable to the best of their contemporaries. The potential is there and once the rhymes solidify, which will come with time, the duo should have no problem make a name for itself in the coming years. The same can probably be said about fellow hip-hoppers Themselves. Well, that is if they stay together. Doseone and Jel took the Red 7 stage on Wednesday for what was one of their first performances since reuniting after a five year hiatus last month. The talent is still there and in a big way. The only question now is whether Themselves will stay Themselves long around long enough to see this talent through. Three blocks and four hours later, it was Stubb's time to shine. Playing hosts to NPR's official showcase, the Red River Street venue was jam packed from the get go with hungry SXSW'ers looking to get a good spot for the evening's best bill, one which in the end, failed to disappoint. Albeit featuring a much different style the acts to come, Phillipa Brown showed just why nearly every Australian and Perez Hilton is clamoring over the musician better known as Ladyhawke. Sounding a cross between Madonna and Peaches, Ladyhawke turned Stubb's into an 80s dance floor during her nearly 45 set, well, give or take the time she dabbled in some guitar playing. These days, it isn't often you find down right dirty rock 'n' roll, but then again, these weren't any ordinary days. So perhaps it was only appropriate that one of Texas' own brought some of the dirtiest rock South by Southwest would see. Playing a set consisting of material mostly from their recently released new studio album, The Mountain, the Heartless Bastards to put it blatantly, shredded for the better part of 40 minutes. Punchy, punctuating, and powerful is another good way to put it, especially during renditions of "The Mountain" and "Hold Your Head High". Equally compelling was the night's next act, just in an entirely different way. With cello, bass, and banjo in hand, The Avett Brothers took to Stubb's to offer one of a kind folk styles, or in other words, some of the most enthusiastic unplugged music one will stumble upon. The one problem? Due to the extensive set up required for such an act, the band was limited to a 25 minute set. At first look, it would seem as if The Decemberists would be the perfect act to close such a showcase. Not only Colin Meloy and Co. offer the best of both worlds when it came to the sounds of the previous bands, but they would also be using sets to introduce the industry to their forthcoming studio album, The Hazards of Love. Yet for as unique of an opportunity as the set was, it may have also set up The Decemberists for failure. By no means, was their performance of the 17-track effort in its entirety bad, because in reality, it was anything but that. In fact, it was almost too much; too many sounds, too many musical shifts, too much texture, all which in the left left fans dazed at what had just taken place in front of them. Some left the sluggish, prog-rock rifts early, others heckled for old favorites amidst the band's Arcade Fire-like tribal drumming. Needless to say, the reaction was almost as emotional as the album itself. [youtube 8gyUeUVfapo] Thursday, March 18th: While Full Metal Texas kept to capacity over at Emo's Annex, down the road at the Radio Room, where Brooklyn Vegan's day party kicked off, things were heating up -- literally and metaphorically. Brooklyn's own Bishop Allen held the attention of most daytime attendees, where at least five hundred folks cluttered the outside patio. In a flannel button up, vocalist Justin Rice sweat from every pore, his back an engulfing mass of perspiration, which made their catchy song, "Rain", a rather hopeful one. Both he and instrumentalist Christian Rudder kicked things up a notch with the Nick & Norah favorite, "Middle Management", which rocked n' rolled just about every sweaty hipster wearing too much black or too many layers for comfort. Some new material off of their latest, Grrr..., went over well, but past hits ("Click Click Click", for one) were sorely missed. Maybe it was all the Brooklyn influence (that might be a good educated start), but everyone seemed to be quite the fish out of water. Between the skinny jeans and the Wayfarers, Greenwich Village was well represented here, with artist types up the ying yang. Some were acts waiting off to the side to play, which included the very posh Hymns, who would go on to back Daniel Johnston on a few tracks. The New York quartet looked like four Jason Schwartzman's, only slightly taller with more of the silent treatment. Their jangly sound seemed to combine '60s Rolling Stones and Gimme Fiction-esque Spoon. It was a lovely sound for the afternoon, though cut short with the inclusion of legend Johnston, who started with "Mean Girls" and digressed into something else altogether. The wild songwriter looked wild in general, with color-streaked silver hair and a tense, apprehensive stare. With his songbook in tow, the West Virginian held his own with the crowd, though his popularity was unmeasured with the acts present. Back inside, things, to quote the late Johnny Carson, got a "lil crazy, a lil wild", as These Arms Are Snakes pretty much destroyed the indoor stage. Despite hailing from Seattle, the amicable-if-not-highly-disgusting quartet held a somewhat hillbilly look, perhaps in honor of the Texas spirit. The skeleton skinny frontman Steve Snere battled the stage himself, jumping over amps, gyrating stupendously, and kicking over various chairs off stage. At one point, the bratty frontman spit up a loogy, only to catch it on his hand and lick it up again. Think that's gross? How about the moment he pulled a Jim Morrison by sliding his fingers down his pants, only to kick it up an extra notch by licking 'em after. Everything about this act was performance which is unfortunate because their music isn't interesting in the slightest. It's unfocused distortion without being shoegaze, which in other words, is somewhat irritating -- especially with the sprawling screaming that seems to pre-date them to 2002. On a good day, they could be likened to At The Drive-In, but that comparison stems from the fact that both Snere and guitarist Ryan Frederiksen seem to play the Cedric Bixler/Omar Rodriguez playbook note for note. If anything, they're fun to watch on stage, but hardly a logical act to get behind. Call it what you will, but Cursive's live show is one of this year's best on the scene. Vocalist and guitarist Tim Kasher is quickly becoming one riotous hero in the indie community. His vocals have grit, his movements are concentrated and fitting, and the emotion is always raw and vital. Under a thick mop of sweaty hair, Kasher led a jagged, if not downright exceptional rendition of "Art is Hard", one of the band's best tunes live. The swinging violins, the dancey drums, and the crunchy guitars are too addicting. While playing a great deal of their latest record, Mama, I'm Swollen, the Nebraska heavies kept it "old-school" with plenty of old time favorites, too. While an early set, and the first of many SXSW appearances, Kasher & co held a larger than expected crowd, with a line coming in that sweltered by the minute. To be fair, it wasn't just Cursive picking up the pace, and Kasher took note of this: "The Wrens are playing outside. I'd much rather be there right now, but I'll have to catch them another time." Fortunately for the crowd, Kasher stuck around and punched in an exceptional set, rewarding the Brooklyn blog with some very necessary props. So, The Hold Steady took to Red 7 in the late afternoon as part of the Found Magazine and Quackmedia Day Party. Or, at least we think... Kidding aside, The New York Times was there, as was Tiny Mix Tapes. So read about it there. Is 80s influences, electro infused, synth heavy, Apple approved music your thing? Then Emo's Annex was the place to be on Thursday evening for The Windish Agency official showcase. With their new album, Bitte Orca, set to hit record stores in a couple months, Dave Longstreth and the Dirty Projectors took to Emo's to offer fans a taste of what is to come, and on first listen, it's pretty damn solid. Cool and funky are some words that come to mind in describing the poppy, yet heavy, R&B, yet artsy nature of the band's 45 minute set, but in this case, maybe it'd be better to just take a listen yourself. NPR is currently streaming the entire set right this second. Based off their recently released debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, there was probably no act more anticipated at this year's than N.A.S.A. Draped in space suits and backed by a barrage of movie clips from who knows where, the DJ duo of Squeak E. Clean and Zegon had both a successful lift off, and minus a few rough patches (was it just us, or was 30 minutes of dancing aliens just too much?), their expedition proved to be quite successful. Highlights included remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kanye West, and Nirvana, along with a Girl Talk-like on stage danceapalooza that left Emo's sole bouncer in a state of sheer pandemonium. Since stumbling upon Little Boots at Brooklyn Vegan's day party at CMJ last fall, we have been pretty big fans of the 25-year-old Brit. Ok, we've been obsessed. But even that didn't stop us from noting the changes in both Little Boots' on stage performance; in just six short months, her vocals have transcended from cute and innocent to powerful and engaging, while her sways behind the microphone have been replaced by confident crowd interactions. This Madonna Jr. now not only exuberates potential, she is finally beginning to realize, and in the end, it's only a matter of time before the entire world knows the name Little Boots. To be continued... ]]> http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/03/sxsw-09-in-review-tuesday-thursday/feed/ 1 http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/03/album-review-cursive-mama-im-swollen/ http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/03/album-review-cursive-mama-im-swollen/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:35:53 +0000 Luke Johnson http://consequenceofsound.net/?p=13021 Disclaimer: Bias will follow anything I write about Cursive. The Ugly Organ stubbornly protects the top spot on my “best of” list for the twenty-first century. I picked up the album a year or two after it came out. On a whim I mostly chalk up to the cool cover art, I popped in the disc.

Regardless, The Ugly Organ sunk its teeth into me the first time around. Deep. It ripped flesh out when those teeth pulled back — a good album makes you bleed a little bit and takes a little piece of you with it. To this day, when I listen to “Butcher the Song”, more often than not, dread crawls up the back of my neck when I hear, “‘What a lovely day,’ says the butcher as he raises his arm.” And the strident organ fades out with the song.

Cursive has always been a heady band, with double entendre always around the corner, but above all, Cursive is earnest. Tim Kasher revels in painful honesty whether it be a dissolved marriage (Domestica), religion gone wrong (Happy Hollow), or in this case, existence itself on Mama, I’m Swollen, Cursive’s latest and (nearly) greatest.

“From the Hips” deconstructs and laments the state of communication and knowledge itself. (“We’re at our worst when it’s from our lips”). Semantics and post-modernism have made conversation tiring and difficult for Tim Kasher. “I hate this damn enlightenment / We were better off as animals / We’re at our best when it’s from our hips” brings a new spin to the maxim “Make love not war.” If words make war and our hips make love… A hopelessness pervades the tune.  Is the best we can expect a roll in the hay, a chemical explosion in our brain that keeps us in a moment where we don’t have to think anymore? The song strips away any semblance of pretense. It’s hard to tell if Cursive is questioning post-modernity itself or simply lamenting that we ever became aware of such ways of thinking.

All this thinking and honesty can weigh a song down–but not “From the Hips”. Watch Cursive rip apart the stage on Letterman. It’s a song that feeds on a live audience. When Kasher first sings, “I want to scream it from the foaming mouth,” he’s not foaming or screaming. By the time he’s made it through the chorus a couple of times, he sounds like he’s exorcising demons: a conversation turns into a shouting match. When his voice starts to break, and he continues to push it to see how far it’ll go, you can hear the agony. Cue the horns.

On The Ugly Organ, the strings made the difference. On Happy Hollow, it was horns. The tradition continues with horns on Mama. The ace in the hole for Cursive has always been there inventive instrumentation. Without diving into math rock, Cursive keeps a listener guessing. There are days when I wonder if Cursive sold their soul for a page out of the Brian Wilson playbook.

The album begins with a mantra. “Don’t want to live in the now / Don’t want to know what I know.” It repeats and repeats on “In the Now”. Cursive has never been a sunny band, but they are at their darkest – which should send off warning bells – to long-time followers. This isn’t an album for suicides, Prozac patients, or hopeless nihilists. Hide the razor blades and lengths of rope. Call the group therapy hotline.

Where Happy Hollow suffered from a lack of subtlety, and The Ugly Organ fed off of it, Mama, I’m Swollen is somewhere between the two. Kasher is at his best lyrically when he turns the pen on himself. It’s rarely pretentious or overly self-involved, and he has an eerie gift for taking the pulse of his listener simultaneously with his own. The first half of Mama, I’m Swollen is fairly straightforward, but it revels in painful honesty. The second half is more obtuse, but it recalls some of the better stories Kasher told on The Ugly Organ.

Mama, I’m Swollen is without a doubt Cursive’s best since The Ugly Organ; however, Mama is not the monument that Organ is. A band will very rarely make more than one perfect record. The fact that Cursive has already made theirs is a strike against Mama in that regard. In other comparisons, Mama, I’m Swollen is in the top two or three albums (out of twenty-plus) I’ve heard since January. It’s solid; the kind of album that really deserves to be picked up at your local indie record store (if you still have one) instead of downloaded from iTunes. Mama‘s the kind of album where you need to thumb through the cover art the first couple of times you listen to it; a CD that scratches quickly from being passed around between friends, and one of the few CDs that still deserves to be paid for in full.

Check Out:

Tim Kasher clearly believes in every word he sings, as he becomes an orator behind the mic. You can catch this madness on the road right now and buy Mama, I’m Swollen, which is out now via Saddle Creek.

Cursive 2009 Tour Dates:
03/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad ^
03/18 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit ^
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (Village Voice Party)
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (Saddle Creek Showcase)
03/21 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
04/24 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
04/25 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
04/26 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *
04/27 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree *
04/28 – Pensacola, FL @ Sluggos *
04/29 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
04/30 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
05/01 – Atlnata, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
05/02 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
05/03 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel *
05/06 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
05/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
05/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/09 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge

^ = w/ Ladyfinger (ne)
* = w/ Man Man

In support of its recently released sixth studio album, Cursive has announced dates for a spring tour. Following next week’s fun in Austin, the band will take to the road for a 15-date endeavor, 10 of which will be spent with Man Man – talk about an odd combination! As of now, the fun only lasts until mid-May, but with an All Points West appearance rumored, it looks like Cursive should be touring throughout the summer months.

Cursive 2009 Tour Dates:
03/09 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
03/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour ^
03/14 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah ^
03/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room ^
03/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad ^
03/18 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit ^
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (Village Voice Party)
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (Saddle Creek Showcase)
03/21 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
04/24 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
04/25 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
04/26 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *
04/27 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree *
04/28 – Pensacola, FL @ Sluggos *
04/29 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
04/30 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
05/01 – Atlnata, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
05/02 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
05/03 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel *
05/06 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
05/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
05/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/09 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge

^ = w/ Ladyfinger (ne)
* = w/ Man Man

Well, by heading over to Saddle-Creek.com – yes, you don’t have to even move! – and pick up a copy of Cursive‘s brand new studio album, Mama, I’m Swollen. Yes, even though the 10-track effort isn’t officially due out for another week (March 10th), the record company is currently selling digital copies on its online store. And the best part? It will only cost you a buck! But you better hurry, each day that passes means another to the price (March 2nd = $2.00, March 3rd = $3.00, etc.). Still, based on the early previews, any price is worth it!

Check Out:
“From the Hips”

Cursive 2009 Tour Dates:
03/09 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
03/14 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
03/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/18 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 – Austin, TX @ SXSW

When the Omaha based rockers announced the album, they described it as “brimming with the universal, questioning the human condition, social morality, and the ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ of grown men.” If the newly unveiled “I Couldn’t Love You,” says anything, then the aforementioned description is probably right on. As is the fact that the track, one of the ten set to appear on Swollen, is beaming with some pretty rich instrumentation – do I hear trumpet?

Check it out for yourself below. You can also hear another new selection, “From the Hips”, on Absolute Punk beginning tomorrow.

Check Out:
“I Couldn’t Love You”

Cursive 2009 Tour Dates:
03/09 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
03/14 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
03/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/18 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 – Austin, TX @ SXSW

Entitled Mama, I’m Swollen, the 10-track effort looks to be the next chapter in Cursive’s ever evolving style. As our Michael Roffman noted in his review of the band’s performance at TNK last month, of the new material offered, “the sound has really found a new bottom to work from, and what’s surprising is how cohesive and attentive the set managed to be in light of that.” Lyrically, Mama appears similarly in depth, described as “brimming with the universal, questioning the human condition, social morality, and the ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ of grown men.” From the sounds of it, this record might be touching on a new era for the band.

For those looking to get an early jump on the game, check out a video of one new song, “What Have I Done?”, and head over to Saddle Creek Records to pre-order the album.

Mama, I’m Swollen Tracklist:
1. In The Now
2. From The Hips
3. I Couldn’t Love You
4. Donkeys
5. Caveman
6. We’re Going To Hell
7. Mama, I’m Satan
8. Let Me Up
9. Mama, I’m Swollen
10. What Have I Done?

Cursive 2009 Tour Dates:
03/09 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
03/14 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
03/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad

The Alabama shoegazers, All the Saints, who opened the night, benefited from the dense crowd. Although a trio, the band’s overall sound was so heavy that it sounded much like a quintet. The bass, while muddled, offered an ambient backbone for the guitarist and drummer to scrape away at, which together blended into a beautiful sonic painting. Unfortunately, much of that energy was unused by the group, which remained static throughout the thirty minute set. The crowd seemed behind the act however, and with good reason.  The trio of feedback enthusiasts have a pretty wild thing going here. They just need to exhibit it on stage.

Between sets, the crowd thickened some as more bar patrons left their drinks-or took ‘em along-and honed in on the white-suited quartet. While they could have been mistaken for one-fourth of the Polyphonic Spree, Oklahoma indie-poppers Colourmusic held some of their own. “Tonight’s show is brought to you by…the color orange,” someone announced on the PA. Immediately after, melodies, dreamy harmonies, and machine gun distortion followed suit, all to accentuate what is commonly referred to as indie pop. A few more flocked in mid-way through, if not for the sound then for the radical performers, who scuttled about on stage.

One would be hard pressed to know it was close to sub zero temperatures outside as the venue became warm, balmy, and awkward. Warm because of the few hundred in pea coats, balmy as they all started breathing on one another, and awkward as discussion flared through Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson‘s set. Regardless of the audience, the Oregon songwriter carried out an amicable forty-five minute set. When he wasn’t strumming away at his accessible brand of folk rock, the humble yet benevolent singer threw out a few Leonard Cohen covers, which went over well. When he wasn’t joined by his pianist, he was rocking solo, and there’s something admirable about that, especially in light of all the surrounding acts.

If it was awkward before, it was downright pitiful throughout the moments leading up to Cursive’s set. Fans continued to flood the bar’s adequate yet not so spacey environment, coughing and spitting up whatever brew they downed minutes before. One sweaty and exhausted fan popped out of the mass and back into the bar, where she fell down in a two minute coma. Some joked about Great White’s fiery debacle years ago, which followed with nervous laughter. However, when the Saddle Creek heroes took the stage, there was a relative cool that permeated throughout the audience.

As if to save time, vocalist Tim Kasher slammed right into a torrential set, which included a healthy and wholesome collection of the band’s back-catalog. During the hour-long performance, Kasher and co. exhibited some emotional energy that roped in the sold out crowd, who clapped, screamed, and cried along. There wasn’t a moment lost on the quintet and seconds after each song, they were headstrong into the next. Some highlights included the rich and vibrant “Art is Hard”, off of 2003′s The Ugly Organ, the speedy harmonics of Happy Hollow‘s single “Dorothy at Forty”, and the hammer and wail of “The Casualty” from 2000′s Domestica.

It was obvious the band were stretching their legs some, itching to go back to the new school hardcore of late, but don’t write them off as nostalgic artists just yet. They were debuting new material left and right, packing the set with tunes from their upcoming, and long-awaited, follow-up to 2006′s Happy Hollow. Since the addition of the horn sections and organ pieces, the band’s sound has really found a new bottom to work from, and what’s surprising is how cohesive and attentive the set managed to be in light of that.

Sixty minutes and some fifteen songs later, the Omaha quintet said farewell to Chicago and whisked off the intimate stage. Though most of the audience was asking for more (“The Recluse”, anyone?), there was hardly any grumbling as they made their way towards the exits. Three days in and Schubas’ winter music festival finally found its legs. Here’s to Saturday and Sunday!

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