Who feels right rough today? CMJ blistered, deafened, and ran me over, but it was my own fault. I asked for it. What bands made it worth it?
French Horn Rebellion: color me surprised that an actual French horn was played during these disco kids’ set. Given that irony can camouflage all sorts of bad taste, FHR are unabashedly reviving 70s dancefloor. Against your better judgement, you will be seduced by their whispered plea: “Baby, we just want you to dance… will you dance with us?” And wow, if you don’t find yourself vibrating with bass in the middle of the dancefloor, you are made of iron. Heavy with synthy, fat beats, FHR is silly, yes, but highly addictive.
Wild Nothing: caught them twice, hard not to, since they, along with Oberhofer and Surfer Blood, seemed to be everywhere at once. Good on them, since their hazy, upbeat, 80s-revival pop grew on me the second time round at the Bowery Ballroom Saturday night. Part surf anthems, part John Hughes prom scene score, Wild Nothing’s songs are wistful little gems and conceal a serious soul beneath surface delicacy. Tunes for daydreamers.
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Catch both acts at:
9/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Making Time
9/11: Providence, RI @ Jerky’s Live Music Hall
9/12: Washington, DC @ The 9:30 Club
9/13: Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
9/15: Atlanta, GA @ Loft
9/17: Orlando, FL @ Social
9/18: Miami, FL @ Grand Central
9/19: Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
9/20: Gainesville, FL @ Common Ground Coffeehouse
9/21: Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
9/27: Phoenix, AZ @ Clubhouse
9/28: Pomona, CA @ Glass House
9/29: Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box
10/1: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
10/3: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
10/4: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/5: Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore
10/7: Boise, ID @ Neurlox
10/8: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/10: Denver, CO @ Bluebird
10/13: Minneapolis, MN @ The Varsity Theater
10/14: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/22: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Earlier this month, The Drums dropped by Daytrotter.
View our photos of Surfer Blood @ Siren Festival 2010 here.
MP3: The Drums – Down By The Water (Soundmen Mix)
Pat Duffy, formerly of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted (RIP), checks in for us! For most of Sunday, the B stage was the place to be. Not only was it the shadiest of the three stages, it also had lush lawns for sitting and some of the best up-and-coming buzz bands around. Balance Stage also had the least amount of room to handle the crowds that came to see these buzz bands making the trek into and out of the area a bit daunting for anyone trying to catch acts on the other two stages. That forced my hand, making me miss bands like Local Natives, Here We Go Magic, and the stage’s headliner – Sleigh Bells. Luckily I did manage to catch my boys, Surfer Blood. Okay, they’re not just my boys but after playing my CMJ show last October I like to think of them that way. Anyway, Surfer Blood has really perfected their surf rocking sound in all the time they’ve spent on tour lately. They have taken what was a messy but fun sound and cleaned it up a bit, keeping the rocking elements but getting rid of any sloppiness that might have plagued them early on. Still sticking to the tunes from their breakout record Astro Coast and those tunes are still enough to excite the crowd. It’s pretty amazing considering how far Surfer Blood has come in just a couple of months. From a CMJ set at the tiny Cake Shop to a slot at a massive festival, and considering all the growth in their performance there’s no telling where these guys will go. For Surfer Blood the sky is the limit, no we just have to see if they can follow-up their debut with something as good or better. Slutty Pop Tarts Rating: 8.6.
View more photos & download a Surfer Blood tune AFTER THE JUMP…
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The release (exclusively sold at London’s Rough Trade Shop) features:
1. Swim
2. Swim (Allen Blickle [Baroness] Mix)
Wanna own it?
If so, then leave a comment on this post!
A winner (US only) will be randomly chosen on 7/15 @ NOON.
Surfer Blood’s debut album, Astro Coast, is out now via Kanine Records.
View all upcoming tour dates at Surfer Blood’s MySpace page.
MP3: Surfer Blood – Swim
Enjoy last week’s performance of ‘My Own Worst Enemy’ in the clip below.
MP3: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Higher Than The Stars
Enjoy the just-released performance of ‘Floating Vibes’ below. RIP WOXY.
MP3: Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes
