This is fine.
Friday was Alvvays going to be Nathan’s favorite day, even if he was never a Beatles fan.
Saturday did give us a treat in the form of Durand Jones and the Indications. There were a few other lovely highlights for the fam.
Only a few short days now ladies and germs. Only a few short days away from the glory that is Austin City Limits Music Festival. We’ve been doing things a little differently this year and changing up our coverage with unique previews and playlists in place of our usual interviews and band previews. Hopefully you’ve found something interesting to prepare you or a loved one for the upcoming weekend. I spent most of my morning compiling a huge playlist of bands I plan to see over the course of the festival and yes, Disturbed is on the list. And Lisa Loeb…Fight me. Consider yourself prepped.
You can trust my genius musical skills and play in the given order, or click on the first video and shuffle the order to your liking.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFKfcEIQB2Zx2xDkPlOYP8OE-geWLkS2A
ACL season is here sports fans, and as always, ATH will be doing everything in our power to prepare for the festival. A couple of years ago I started a new concept of asking bands to create a short 5 song playlist filled with songs featuring only artists playing the festival. Lucky for us, my dear friends in Atlanta based band Neighbor Lady thought this was a great idea and made a playlist for the site. If this sounds intriguing to you, which it should, hit the jump for the songs and for short blurbs about each.Neighb
Well ladies and germs, it’s here, our friends over at Margin Walker have yet again outdone themselves this year with an incredibly impressive lineup. Simply looking at the big names of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear, Iggy Pop, and The Shins should be enough to get your butt out there. Digging deeper we’ve got Cloud Nothings, Japandroids, my teenage self in various forms via Taking Back Sunday, and holy hell… Cannibal Corpse! Even the small names near the bottom are impressive with Hoops and Girlpool just to name a couple. Something here for everyone. Well done guys, well done. The festival will again take place out in Sherwood Forrest on November 10th-12th.
GA tickets and more can be found here. Full lineup also on SOS site or can be seen by clicking the poster on your left.
Nathan has our summary post duties. Nailed it.
Day for Night is a very ambitious festival; it over-reached a couple times this year, but all in all, it was a success. We’ll be giving the organizers some real talk feedback, but hot damn, last weekend was photogenic AF. The giant LED backgrounds used either for artists synchronized art or for excellent festival graphic design or complimentary colors to appease the lighting directors whims, all with a Houston skyline looming.
Aside from tons of environment pics, Saturday’s gallery features Lower Dens, Jesus and Mary Chain, Blood Orange, Tycho and Aphex Twin. I mean, look at that list. And this was the easy and chill day.
Click through y’all. Please?
I am sure all of you have posted this on Facebook, but I figured we need to add it here just in case someone can’t find the pic later on…
Coachella is again using the two weekend format and will feature Outkast, Muse and Arcade Fire as headliners. I get Outkast and Arcade Fire, but please stop booking Muse at every festival. Please. It has to stop. I walk out when I hear Muse; it is my “you’re drunk, go home” alert. Or maybe that is why they are booked as headliners. “Hope you had fun, this is your queue to leave and rest up for tomorrow.” So many lasers. So many.
The festival is getting spendy, passes are $375 and $435 with daily shuttle service. Yikes. Weekend One only has the passes with shuttle service available. VIP will run you $799 with $150 more for parking.
Notables for me on the lineup, as with most festivals, are further down the list: Flume, Jagwar Ma, Dum Dum Girls, Wye Oak, Holy Ghost!, Blood Orange, Mogwai, Chvrches, STRFKR, Daughter, Poolside, Surfer Blood. Mid-levels I’d be stoked on are Bryan Ferry, The Knife, Pet Shop Boys, Beck, Neutral Milk, Motorhead and Little Dragon. You going to the desert? You wearing flip-flops?
It’s great when you get awesome tips from musicians you love, and so I was pleased to stumble upon Bleeding Knees Club when they were referenced by Dev Hynes…most recently of Blood Orange. They’re just a duo, but they’ve got a pretty powerful bit of sound. Their record, Nothing to Do, just came out today, and surely they’ll find a huge audience for themselves here in the States. I guess you could throw it into the pile with the rest of the garage rock genre, but for me, there’s a bit more youthfulness (innocence if you will) that makes it a pure fun. Have fun bouncing around to this number all day!
Download:Bleeding Knees Club – Same Game [MP3]
Rating: 
Dev Hynes changes names like most of us change pants, you know, once or twice a week. First there was Test Icicles, then Lightspeed Champion, and now Blood Orange. While names may come and go, Dev will always be the same, and Coastal Groove, his new record, finds him sort of running in place, albeit a more 80s influenced place.
When “Forget It” hits your speakers, those familiars won’t find too much different than the most recent Lightspeed Champion record. But, the slightest nuance can change things; you’ll notice a more electronic beat driving the track, but Dev’s sultry voice is always front and center. Moving right into “Sulphin Boulevard” will have you catching the essence of the entirety of Coastal Grooves. There’s a delicateness to every musical note, breathing sexuality over electronic down-tempo tunes a la Twin Shadow.
It’d be real easy to throw lots of Prince allusions throughout this first record by Blood Orange, especially if you catch the vocal performance on “Instantly Blank,” but that’s probably selling Hynes short, as he’s always had this odd combination of indie rock and R&B; this is one of the reasons I’ve always adored his work. But, for the majority of the record this sort of feels like his attempt at mediocre bedroom pop, and that might not be his foray; if you strip him of his orchestration, he seems less dramatic, less artistic even.
One of the saving graces about Mr. Hynes is that he’s always been fairly open about his projects, willing to do pretty much anything he’s asked, just for the sake of it. That being said, there are some successful tracks that I’ve found myself jamming to throughout the day, such as “The Complete Knock” with its steady stuttering guitar line kicking off a nice little groove throughout. “Are You Sure You’re Really Busy” seems like the track where he could take off into a different level, as the drama in his voice, wavering ever so slightly gives this track an extra step above the rest of Coastal Grooves.
For what it’s worth, this isn’t a bad record at all; I’ve heard much worse (from the Foo Fighters) this year alone. Yet, having followed Dev for quite some time now, I can’t help but be a little let down by the entire Blood Orange project. He’s missing something here, such as his orchestration or his flare for spinning words into new melodies mid-word. Coastal Grooves seems to lose a bit of focus, turning out the same guitar line over and over, but I’m still going to get into it over time because that’s just what Dev deserves.
Devonte Hynes is the former Test Icicle who has now gone on to fame of his own accord with Lightspeed Champion, and he now has some new tunes for us to listen to whilst he puts the finishing touches on his new LP. But, he has opted to release this piece of tunes under the Blood Orange moniker, which is probably due to the fact that it doesn’t sound quite like his other works, but definitely wears the influence of his new home in Brooklyn. Enjoy this track from Blood Orange (not Lightspeed Champion).
Download: Blood Orange – Said No [MP3]
