(compiled June 20, 2012)

Hey Ho- The Lumineers 

*I was initially introduced to this song by my buddy Raudel Hinojosa. The “Hey’s” and “Ho’s” remind me of one of my a recent favorites: Of Monsters and Men, who I saw at a small venue (The Independent) in San Francisco and at Sasquatch music fest this past year. I pretty much STALK THEM…especially the drummer, who is SO SIIIICK and is very much the leader of their group.

Steal Tomorrow- Tallest Man on Earth

*My ADDICTION: Tallest Man on Earth. Thanks to Kyle Findley-Meier and Nick Ptacek for introducing! I have only gotten through his first EP, but digging EVERY song. “Well I have bought a special backpack just to run away from shame…” LOVE IT. I’m super stoked to listen to Wild Hunt after Jana Sax and Andy Aiken both told me it was their favorite of his albums. Giddy up.

On Top of the World- Imagine Dragons

*Imagine Dragons was a band that my buddy Ken Deiner (doesn’t have facebook) recommended to me after seeing them at the BFD music festival in San Jose, CA. Apparently he got to meet the band afterwards and they were super nice. What a treat.

Runner Ups- Kurt Vile

*I initially found out about Kurt Vile from his brother Paul Vile who I met at Sasquatch. Paul was coming around to different campsites selling his BADASS Sasquatch t-shirts that he designed himself. It turns out that he is from Philly (my roots!) and that two of his sisters when to the same art school (University of the Arts in Philadelphia) as my best friend, Amanda Shames. The world really IS much smaller than we think…

My favorite lines from this song are:
“If it ain’t working, take a whiz on the world…”  and “When it’s looking dark, punch the future in the face…”

Shroud- Nathanial Ratcliffe

*I saw that this dude was touring with Mumford and Sons on their new Gentlemen of the Road tour, and I figured he had to have some talent. Turns out he is pretty awesome.

Scottish Winds- Frightened Rabbit (New EP)

*I love the Scottish and I’m not afraid to show it. As one of my favorite Scottish bands, Frightened Rabbit has been on my radar for a while. I was hoping they’d be working on some new stuff so they’d start touring again, and BOOM…here they have a new three-song EP (and they’ve thoughtfully posted it for free download). Even more, they are going to be touring with Death Cab for Cutie (another one of my favorite bands!) Craziness.

Bridges and Balloons- Joanna Newsom

*I initially found out about Joanna Newsom from my friend Cara Bradley, and then later heard about her from my buddy Kyle Findley-Meier at Sasquatch.  It turns out that she’s from Nevada City, CA and went to school at Mills College in Oakland, CA (close to me), where my friend Robin Cumming went (small world!). She’s known to perform impromtu shows at small bars/restaurants in Big Sur, along the California coast. SIIIIICK. Also, Joanna was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel (another one of my favorite artists that I saw this year) to perform at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England. I love her super unique voice that accompanies her amazing harp (yes, HARP!) skills. So awesome.

I Won’t Be Found- Tallest Man on Earth

*I have no idea why, but this song gets me super emotional every time. It might be that it reminds me of listening Bob Dylan for hours and hours back in the day with my dad when we would drive to soccer tournaments together. (Yup, just felt a tear.)

Alone- Trampled by Turtles

*I saw this band at Sasquatch and they KILLED IT. The fiddle player is INSANE…one of the best I’ve seen yet. Give this song a chance. It starts out slow but builds up and explodes around 3 min. Watch out for that FIDDLE. It’ll get ya when you least expect it!!

Foolish Things- The Ultimate Bearhug

*I found out about this band from my buddy Brendan Johnson who saw them at a small venue in southern California. There is no denying that this chick has got soul, and I’m sure we have all done some of the SAME FOOLISH THINGS…

Trembling Hands- The Temper Trap (new album, The Temper Trap)

*After listening to their new album briefly, this was one of the new songs that really stuck. “So throw me a line…Somebody out there help me…I’m on my own” sounds desperate and comforting all at the same time.

Half Moon- Blind Pilot

*I saw this band at Sasquatch (they follow Trampled by Turtles and played right before The Head and The Heart) and they really won the hearts of new fans that weren’t familiar with their stuff. Their whole We Are the Tide album is pretty solid.  I love the line:

“So hold high have faith your reasons
(Or you’ll never get on)
Don’t you forget you come from nothing      (so good)
(Or you’ll never get on)
That wind is calling my name    (follow your bliss and keep those wings IN FLIGHT!)
I won’t wait or I’ll never get on…”

Into the Stream- Tallest Man on Earth

*He is going to be playing at the Fox Theater in Oakland (where I’ve seen many a shows) in September but I’m already gonna be Europe by then. Damn! I’m gonna NEED to make sure I see him when I’m over there.

Fuck this place- Frightened Rabbit (New EP)

*For some reason this song always gives me chills…maybe because it sort of alludes to being “lost” (which often comes in and out of our lives like waves).  It features female vocals from a Camera Obscura (frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell), a fellow Scot.

Peeping Tomboy- Kurt Vile (New CD, Smoke Ring for My Halo)

*One of the songs that really stuck out to me on his new album. I love all the ambivalence: “I’ve been searching, I don’t know what for…” The lyrics are actually pretty clever.

Ancient Sea- Elephant Revival

*The fiddle kicks major ass in this song. Thanks to Kyle Findley-Meier for recommending this band to me. I am seeing them with Tami Turner in Davis in early July (before they head up to play at High Sierra music festival with Ben Sollee)

It Will Follow the Rain- Tallest Man on Earth

*Love the dramatic ending. He is soooooooo freaking good.

Song for you- Alexi Murdoch

*Alexi Murdoch has become of my my favorite singer/songwriters and I really looking forward to seeing him live one day. The part of this song where he says: “You think no one understands…”(3:25) and follows it “Listen to my hands” KILLS ME every time. I would not mind AT ALL if guys would communicate more often with their hands (using an INSTRUMENT, of course…) 
Seriously a heart-warming gem though.

Easy to Love- The Jezabels

*I found out about this band from some chicks I met in Australia. I had never heard of them before but turns out they are huge over there. They’ll be touring this summer/fall with Imagine Dragons. Cool coincidence.

Serpents- Sharon Van Etten

*It was my buddy Andy Aiken who recommended this artist to me. She’s worked on albums with The Antlers and The National (who I STALK thanks to you, Andy), and it turns out that she’s actually pretty good friends with the talented men of The National. Who wouldn’t be?…I mean COME ON. The last verse of this song is pretty killer:

“Serpents in my mind, trying to forgive
Your cries
Everyone changes, in time
I hope he changes, this time.”

The Queen of Lower Chelsea- The Gaslight Anthem

*I absolutely LOVE Brian Fallon’s voice and the hint of THE BOSS (the one and only Bruce Springsteen) that he tries to capture in his songs. I know my friend Robin Cumming is a big fan of his raspy voice as well.  The Gaslight Anthem is gonna be playing at my favorite small venue (The Independent) in San Francisco on July 5th but it’s SOLD OUT.  Maybe I can swing a ticket last minute!  Brian is also part of a spin-off group called The Horrible Crowes that is really good and definitely work checking out. I always smile when he sings: “American girls, they want the whole world.”

Electrified- Ben Sollee

*I am excited to take my friend Tami Turner to see him when he comes to Davis, CA with Elephant Revival on July 6th. She used to play cello and is looking to get inspired…I hope she gets her bow restrung and starts playing again! Ben’s voice reminds me a bit of Paul Simon, who I used to listen to all the time growing up.

**********************

Was also listening to these unreleased Ben Howard gems NON-STOP after his two shows last month: SOOOOOO GOOD.

Depth over Distance- Ben Howard   (he opened with this at The Independent in San Francisco on May 31, 2012)

Soldiers- Ben Howard

FYF Fest is a 2 day event and has a fantastic lineup this year. It’s Coachella good (with a few of the same artists as Coachella, I might add), and for less than 1/3 of the price.

Belgium’s Pukkelpop Festival–famous for the tragic stage collapse last year–is in fact returning, with a nice mix of established artists (Bjork, Bloc Party, Keane, and others) and rising stars (Kimbra, Sleigh Bells, The Jezabels). Check it out.

For the lack of a better word: amazing. 

Oh my love is that a vulture?
Tell me it’s a vulture
Standing beside you
Oh, do you see your own face in his eyes
Do you see him like I do?

It used to be that when you said you believed it
I would believe it too
It used to be that when you said you believed it
I’d wanna follow you

But never where the dogs bark, never where the dogs bark

And I remember, praying at the dinner table
For you to come around
Maybe pat me on the back when your able

I’ve a dream of you with half a face
And you take me to rooftop
And skin me, come on, Abel
Are you going to skin me?

And use it as a mask to keep you in the dark
When the shadow of the moon won’t do.

Cause I knew, the moon is but a pearl
Stolen from your mother’s bedside
The day you came into the world

Still now I can hear the dogs bark
I can hear the dogs bark
And I remember, praying at the dinner table
For you to come around
Maybe pat me on the back when your able
Whole cities light up
But nothing can compare to you, baby
So I stay waiting, laying on the dinner table
Waiting for you to hurt me

Come on, Abel
Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me
Coming down to the world

Hurt me, come on, Abel
Cut me, cut me
Serve Me round the table

And now, it’s laying on the table
Waiting for you on the table
To carve it up and watch the splay go across the river bed

And sweet aromas fill the halls
From all the bodies that came before
And that’s the body
I swear that’s the body

I remember I was laying on the dinner table
And when you came around
You said you’ll be doing fine, when you’re able

Oh, whole cities light up
But nothing can compare to you, baby
So I stay waiting
Laying on the dinner table
Woohh, hurt me, hurt me, hurt me
Woohh, cut me, cut me, serve me
Wooohhhooohhh
Wooohhhooohhh

And The Jezabels live here online. 

A four-piece musical group from Sydney, The Jezabels have already released three EPs and one full length-album as of 2011, and all were engineered and prodder Lachlan Mitchell. Their sounds are a blend of alternative rock, indie rock, and disco pop, but they’ve also summarized their music genre well with “intensindie.” Despite their rather uncommon intensity, their music drew my attention the moment I heard “Easy To Love.” Also, in spite of the ability to understand their lyrics 100%, I am still loving the soul, the mysteriousness, and the varied ways of expression, with The Jezabels’ unique blend of rhythm, voice, and musical interpretation. Definitely support them with their latest album Prisoner!

FYI: The Jezabels’ Wikipedia page

Listening,
91 / Joey Ma

When I first chanced upon The Jezabels a few years ago, in tiny Sydney venues supporting The Wahas and Bridezilla, I always thought they were pretty good. I never dreamed though that, in 2012, they would be headlining the mammoth Hordern Pavilion. In fairness, neither did they.

If, during their seminal hometown gig, the band seemed a little distant, it wasn’t down to a rock n roll persona or through being aloof but rather because they were completely overwhelmed by their surroundings. “This point in the set is when we are supposed to say something,” singer Hayley Mary told the crowd. “But we’re too fucking nervous.”

Her nerves were unnecessary. She is a natural born frontwoman. With a vocal that is incredibly powerful and that transcends into Kate Bush territory on occasions, she is the focus of the entire crowd’s attention and the rest of the band kinda fade into the background in comparison to her sparkling presence (remember the term Sleeperblokes?). That’s not to take anything away from their compositions. These guys know how to craft a song that retains indie credentials while being fit for plenty of radio exposure. Set opener Endless Summer is a fine example of this, with its prominent guitar and massive vocal burst on the chorus.

Obviously, with the band not used to performing in such huge surroundings, they found it a little hard to command the entire, cavernous room, but they certainly connected with the keenest fans at the front of the venue, who blared back lyrics and clapped along as if their lives depended on it.

A success of a homecoming was rounded off with a well-earned two-song encore. Excitingly, this is a band that is clearly continuing to grow in stature. Pretty soon, they’ll be eating these sized rooms for breakfast.

Review and shitty iPhone pic by Bobby Townsend.

The Jezabels- Peace of mind
Lay down and have a good flight

I went to one of their gigs recently. This Aussie band, keep the clean sound from the studio album. They´re fresh and energetic. Great live. Their last LP, Prisoner , goes from the 80´s vibe of Rosebud to an atmospheric Peace of mind. I´d say they like the National, specially for the drum beats and I can´t help to think about Kate Bush at some point. Definitely a band to keep an ear on.

The Jezabels is currently on tour around the UK, Canada and USA

Antes de todo, aclarar que no estoy aquí para hablar de música, no soy un critico, ni mucho menos. Sólo hablo de lo que me llega, de lo que siento. Es mi punto de vista y es muy personal.

Actualmente The Jezabels esta recorriendo UK, Canada y Estados Unidos

If you haven’t heard of seen what Danny MacAskill can do on a bike then I urge you to watch this video of him on his journey ‘back home’. It’s absolutely fantastic and I like the fact that there are some older folks watching his dare-devil behaviour at the start.

There are many more videos of him, just this this one has been perfected and has particularly stunning moments, the parts I enjoy most include the flip of the wall at the start, the scenes at the beach location, the brief moment when he bounces off the side of a house wall and the sign that says “CYLISTS DISMOUNT” has been conveniantly ignored!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw

Stay safe, stay smirt

Pure bliss

The Jezabels

The Hordern Pavilion

June 9

The ending scene was carnal. Hayley Mary tearing through closing song Hurt Me whilst leaning over a swarm of hands that clutched and grabbed at her. Drums and guitar raced towards a fierce crescendo, a huge sonic avalanche that gathered up the space and everyone in it. Four quick beats of the drums and suddenly it was gone, the Hordern Pavilion plunged into darkness as The Jezabels left the stage.

The Sydney show was their last before they head overseas to continue their relentless touring schedule. It was a brief but blinding tour that saw them play the biggest Australian venues of their career to date. And deservedly so, coming off a summer in which they won the Rolling Stone Award for Album of the Year with their debut, Prisoner (which also reached gold status), packed out festival tents across the country, and scored no. 9 in Triple J’s Hottest 100. One gets the feeling they won’t be heading back to any smaller venues.

Melbourne band Snakadaktal cruised through their set of indie numbers, before Canadian support Lights shattered the frequency with some heavy dubstep rock.

A droning inched out from the stage, the bass thumbed a beat that shifted the smoke that cloaked the audience. Light bulbs blew as the band exploded into Endless Summer, singer Hayley Mary punching and twirling whilst the sound grew into a furious jam of clangy guitars, synths and drums. The sound was physical, it flowed off the stage and hit you.

Melting into the scattered drums of Easy To Love, they then burned through Rosebud and City Girl in front of a screen of flashing LED lights. Peppering the set with old favourites and working through their new album, they managed to recreate the depth of their studio sound with little trouble. The crowd lapped up the epics Mace Spray and Trycolour, whilst shimmery Deep Wide Ocean was played against a striking backdrop of coloured jellyfish.

“We just can’t believe we’re playing the fucking Hordern!” Mary yelled before they crashed into Dark Storm. Leaving the stage for barely a minute, they slowed right down for the encore with melancholic Peace Of Mind before closing with Hurt Me.

The house lights were up, house music was playing, but small clusters of people remained to get set lists and guitar picks from the stage crew, finally getting tossed out by security. Ears ringing, we picked our way through the crushed red cups and spilled beer and joined the thousands that poured out into the freezing night.

A phenomenal performance.

Songs off their full-length album operate on nostalgic devices, more akin to the good old western cliché of a stranger revisiting town, only with a richer thread of discovery. Come in expecting sun-kissed indie rock and leave with dramatic noir-pop sensibilities; it’s a rare blend that has had The Jezabels snag two grand ARIA victories, a gold certification and of course, viral success.

COAL reflects with keyboardist Heather Shannon.

“A Little Piece” was featured in Danny MacAskil’s viral video, Way Back Home. What did that do for the band? 

We were very lucky that Danny MacAskil approached us with that. We didn’t actually know who he was at the time and we had been asked by a lot of people doing mountain biking, surfing, skateboarding videos if they could use our music. We didn’t think much of it and then we started hearing from people all over the world on our Facebook. It was one of the contributing factors that lead us to be able to tour internationally.

In mid 2011, you signed with Play It Again Sam. Were there any disparities from running the band without a label?

It was a bit of an adjustment on our part at the very beginning, I guess. PIAS is an independent label so they have very similar values to us anyway. It was frustrating to have to stagger the album releases around the world as the labels had to prepare for it. We have already released in Australia, so we’re a bit ahead of everyone else. I think fans got a bit impatient with that. PIAS is an awesome label though.

The Jezabels released a trilogy of EPs and then a full-length album. Which approach worked better for the band creatively?

We did ‘The Trilogy’ so we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed with an album in the early days. It was a perfect way for us to build up our confidence writing and recording. We could release quick little snapshots of what we did. It was also cheaper for an independent band. We had so much more room to move with the album though. I think it really depends on what you want to achieve. I think it is important for a band to not rush an album no matter what the industry standards are. Do what makes you feel comfortable.

The lyrics to “Prisoner” are written out as letter to a well, prisoner. What’s the full story on that?

Yes, when the title of the album came, Hayley used the word ‘prisoner’ as the theme of the lyrics. We felt the music throughout was very strongly linked thematically and the lyrics followed suit. The title really tied the album together almost in the way of a concept album.

And if the meaning to Citizen Kane’s Rosebud is left forever subjective, what is The Jezabel’s Rosebud about?

I believe Hayley did mean to reference Citizen Kane in “Rosebud”, but I think she goes a little bit further when she sings ‘and all residue’. Rosebud has always felt very nostalgic to me and I think is meant to conjure up memories of childhood and friendships from the past in the listener. It is a very subjective song, just like Citizen Kane’s Rosebud.

We did a quick run through the major festivals this year and found out that you guys are confirmed for Pukkelpop. What’s that feel like?

I am pretty excited. I have heard it is a legendary festival and never thought we would play it this year, so I feel quite honoured.

Any fond memories from your Singapore debut last year? What should we expect from the second coming?

Music Matters was a great festival to play in Singapore. The food is amazing, and the weather is crazy hot. We will be playing a lot more songs off our new album this time around.

And with such a relentless touring schedule, should we expect another album anytime soon?

Not until next year! We are going to spend the first six months writing and recording so should have a new album out by the middle or end of next year.

The Jezabels Live in Singapore
June 15, Friday, 7pm
Home Club, The Riverwalk
Admission: $30 (presale tickets available at Home Club)
$40 at the door 

Images courtesy of: Untitled Records

by JASH REEN

“Endless Summer” is my favorite Jezabels’ song:

1. Tycho – Daydream

2. The Trews – Sing Your Heart Out

3. The Jezabels – Prisoner

4. Young Galaxy – B.S.E

5. The Cool Kids ft. Maxine Ashley – Summer Jam

6. All The Young – Welcome Home

7. Florence & The Machine – Blinding

8. Cadence Weapon – Conditioning

9. The Black Keys -no trust

10. The Shins – Simple Song

11. Metric – The Twist

12. Tame Impala – Expectations

13. UNKLE (ft. Joel Cadbury)

Second Hour

1. Peter, Bjorn & John – Second Chance

2. The Noisettes – Sometimes

3. Young The Giant – Guns Out

4. Arcade Fire – Wasted Hours

5. The Streets – OMG

6. Mother Mother – The Stand

7. The Horrors – Endless Blues

8. Patrick Watson – Step Out For A While

9. Hey Rosetta! – Seeds

10. Daniel Rossen – Golden Mile

11. The Heavenly States ft. Britt Daniel – Berlin Wall

12. Arkells – Tragic Flaw

13. Cooper Thomson – The Summer Rise

14. Little Dragon – Ritual Union

15. Gorillaz – El Manana

The Jezabels…NYC via Sydney.
I see Eno in their future.

And another video from The Jezabels’ debut album. A little disappointing if I’m being honest, but the tune is great, so it’s worth a peak.

The new single is out now on PIAS, and the band has two gigs coming up. Dates below.

Friday 18th May Liverpool Zanzibar
Saturday 19th May Dublin Button Factory

The clip is for City Girl, a track from their #2 charting 2011 release Prisoner.

Directed by Sam Kristofski, the video follows the story of a naive young girl through a psychadelic urban jungle.

Check it out below.

You can catch The Jezabels on the following dates nationally:

Friday 1st June– Festival Hall, Melbourne
Saturday 2nd June– Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Tuesday 5th June– Metro City, Perth
Thursday 7th June– Convention Centre, Brisbane
Saturday 9th June– Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

1. A brief version of Sunriser by Rebel Emergency(oopsy!)

2. Bell X1 – Haloumi

3. Blood Orange – Forget It (Class Actress Rmx)

4. Mesita – The Coyotes

5. Full version of Sunriser by Rebel Emergency

6. King Charles – The Brightest Lights (ft. Mumford & Sons)

7. Foals – Blue Blood

8. Little Comets – Worry

9. Of Monsters and Men – Your Bones

10. General Fiasco – Waves

11. Metric – Youth Without Youth

12. Silhouette – Can’t Keep Up

13. FRED – If Not Now, When

14. The Gaslight Anthem – 45

Second Hour

1. Say Hi To Your Mom – Sweet Sweet Heartkiller

2. The Lumineers – Hey Ho

3. Bikini – American Mourning

4. Half Moon Run – Full Circle

5. The Kooks – Taking Pictures of You

6. Passion Pit – Take A Walk

7. The Trews – The World I Know

8. The Sheepdogs – The Middle Road

9. The Jezabels – Try Colour

10. Zeus – With Eyes Closed

11. Silversun Pickups – Make Believe

12. MuteMath – Odd Soul

13. The Arkells – Heart Of The City

14. Hey Rosetta! – Seventeen

“Follow the Leader” – Wisin y Yandel ft. J.Lo

“Boyfriend” – Justin Bieber

“Easy to Love” – The Jezabels

“Feeding Line” – Boy & Bear

KEANE, DIZZEE RASCAL, OF MONSTERS & MEN AND MORE FOR PUKKELPOP 2012!

Organisers are pleased to present the following freshly confirmed additions to the Pukkelpop line-up!

Keane, the band that has had more hits than members, will play at Kiewit on Friday 17th August. Other groups whose music you can enjoy on this beautiful festival day are Maxïmo Park, Blood Red Shoes, Kap Bambino, Bassnectar, Skindred, Willis Earl Beal, Oberhofer and Pollyn.

On Thursday Pukkelpop welcomes Of Monsters and Men and Lianne La Havas, two acts that succeeded in selling out AB Club this spring, leaving the audience with their mouths hanging wide open. Chiddy Bang, The Jezabels and The Computers will play on the same day.

On Saturday MC Dizzee Rascal will make the entire Pukkelpop crowd go bonkers. He will present some of his latest work. Dry The River and P Money have also found a place on the Saturday poster.

Vondelpark has been moved from Saturday to Friday. Unfortunately, Niki & The Dove won’t be coming to Pukkelpop. The tour schedule has been altered.

For more PUKKELPOP FESTIVAL 2012 information and line up – click here >>>