[Quickie] Dept. of Eagles on iTunes now

Just a quick reminder that Department of Eagles’ gorgeous debut* In Ear Park was released on iTunes today, including these two songs:

[MP3] Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You
[MP3] Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

In Ear Park is the brainchild of Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen, and includes contributions from other GB members Chris Taylor and Chris Bear. Oh yeah, and it fucking kills (esp “Teenagers,” “Classical Records,” and “Waves of Rye”). Buy it!

* technically not their debut. They’ve released two previous LPs, but In Ear Park marks a vastly different style and sound from their previous work.

[MP3] new Kaiser Chiefs: "Always Happens Like That"

The only ounce of satisfaction that Kaiser Chiefs have ever brought me was my ability to turn around a Yours Truly, Angry Mob promo on eBay for $10. Maybe it’s boredom on a lazy Tuesday afternoon, but I decided to give the brits’ new one a shot, Off With Their Heads. While most of it is bitter swill (as expected), there was one song that stuck out:

[MP3] Kaiser Chiefs – Always Happens Like That

This track sorta comes across as a tame Clash, perhaps intentionally with the “do whatcha like!” chorus (like B.A.D.’s “The Globe”) and the low-key dubbish piano and bass. A good song, and while it probably won’t save Off With Their Heads in the end, at least it shows some potential.

Off With Their Heads is out October 20th on, eek– Universal.

[Video] Jack White & Alicia Keys: "Another Way To Die"

Anyone who was watching Monday Night Football last night probably caught the premiere of the new video (mixed with clips of the film) for Alicia Keys/Jack White’s “Another Way To Die”. Many of you will realize that the video matches the slick corporate appeal of the song – it’s not your typical, freely-creative White tune but for those that enjoy hearing White’s guitar/voice any chance they get, it should do the trick. Yet for some it won’t do the trick and the song will probably just piss you off.. just know you can take solace in not being as pissed as Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher about the whole ordeal:

Noel Gallagher of Oasis previously revealed his outrage when 007 producers hired American artists, instead of British musicians, to work on their movie soundtrack. He is even more disappointed because he had actually crafted some great tunes for the forthcoming film. “I’ve written a couple of theme tunes … The latest one that I wrote, I listened back to it thinking, … That’d make a f***** great Bond theme,” he said.

Do you think Gallagher would’ve been better than White?

[Video] Jack White & Alicia Keys: "Another Way To Die"

Anyone who was watching Monday Night Football last night probably caught the premiere of the new video (mixed with clips of the film) for Alicia Keys/Jack White’s “Another Way To Die”. Many of you will realize that the video matches the slick corporate appeal of the song – it’s not your typical, freely-creative White tune but for those that enjoy hearing White’s guitar/voice any chance they get, it should do the trick. Yet for some it won’t do the trick and the song will probably just piss you off.. just know you can take solace in not being as pissed as Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher about the whole ordeal:

Noel Gallagher of Oasis previously revealed his outrage when 007 producers hired American artists, instead of British musicians, to work on their movie soundtrack. He is even more disappointed because he had actually crafted some great tunes for the forthcoming film. “I’ve written a couple of theme tunes … The latest one that I wrote, I listened back to it thinking, … That’d make a f***** great Bond theme,” he said.

Do you think Gallagher would’ve been better than White?

[MP3] new song from The Anters: "Two"

A bowed banjo doth a good song make.
Back in November 2007 I mentioned The Antlers’ free Cold War EP, raving “Silberman sings like a timid Jeff Buckley over a wall of droning and bending noises and vocal melodies that challenge even my most elevated opinion of In Rainbows.” I just saw that press snippet on Antlers’ website and thought “ok, what the hell was I talking about?? Oh, wait… right… this song:”

[MP3] The Antlers – Apple Orchard (Beach House Cover)

Credit must go to Beach House for constructing the original melody, but chalk it up to the gorgeous music making of Peter Silberman for throwing a Black Widow into the mix, pulling the song into murky subterranean depths that somehow emerge more beautifully than the original.

After the EP release (which you can still grab for free here), Silberman and his bandmates holed up in the studio, recording a follow-up to 2007’s In the Attic of the Universe. The new album is called Hospice and should see the light of day in early 2009. Until then, we’ve got one new song called “Two” to hold us over:

[MP3] The Antlers – Two

A different breed of song from the Cold War tracks, but no less entertaining. Silberman’s storytelling has progressed to form what seems to be an endless ballad, stuck forward-moving like a train with a steam engine, pumping faster and harder as it nears the end of its journey. A metaphor for The Antlers in 2009, maybe?

The Antlers are going out on a 15-date fall tour, so catch ‘em live if you can.

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Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | Buy In the Attic of the Universe

[Video] Golden Animals: "The Steady Roller" (IGIF Premiere)

A couple weeks back we lamented how there wasn’t more blogable swag from SoCal’s arid rock duo Golden Animals. It must be my lucky day, because the awesome folks at Happy Parts Recordings sent us an email about the brand new video for Golden Animals’ “The Steady Roller” (which we first praised back in June).

The video, directed by Rylan Perry (who worked on The Rolling Stones’ Salt Of The Earth), keeps up the band’s dusty aesthetic, bringing us out into the uncertain, forlorn desert before the chorus kicks us back into a kaleidoscopic haze. I’m not sure how the cloud effect was created, but it’s pretty effing badass. Ok, ’nuff said, watch the video:

Golden Animals’ debut LP Free Your Mind and Win a Pony is out now on Happy Parts.

[MP3] Golden Animals – The Steady Roller
[MP3] Golden Animals – Try On Me

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Check out the video for “Big Red Rose” over at YouTube »

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Label Site | MySpace | More MP3s | Buy Free Your Mind and Win a Pony

[Live] Xavier Rudd @ Vic Theatre – Chicago

There are few words that can do justice in accurately describing a Xavier Rudd performance. I’d even go as far to say that no form of technology, be it visual or aural, can effectively capture such an event. Simply put, watching Xavier Rudd onstage is an experience that stimulates all of your senses. Recapturing the energy and atmosphere of Rudd’s Saturday-night performance is as hard as catching your own shadow.. but much like Peter Pan, I’ve managed to pin it down just long enough to give a glimpse of what you may have missed.

The Vic Theatre in Chicago was packed to the brim by the middle of Griffin House’s opening act, chock full of Rudd fans representing every cultural angle from mellow hippies to snobby citizens. After the opening act of House, who was decent but did do a nice job interacting with the crowd, everyone who wasn’t migrating towards the bar to refill their overpriced drinks were simply staring at the stage in anticipation. It’s easy to see why one would look at the dimly lit, albeit empty, stage with such awe.

Aside from a regular drum kit on the right side of the stage, Rudd’s kit is far more complicated than anything you could merely assemble with a t-shaped drum key. The setup, complete with didgeridoo, gongs, bells, djembes, kicks drums, xylophone, and bongos, lay under a black sheet up until the few minutes before his set started. When the stagehand came and whisked the sheet off (to a large ovation) it was like seeing all of these instruments come together and make one giant musical creature (Power Ranger’s megazord, anyone?) that only Rudd could control.

As soon as the peaceful Aussie came on stage and put his mouth against the wooden didgeridoo the place went wild – the audience transformed from spectators to participators not even 10 seconds into the first jam, with bodies flailing about and smiles visible underneath colorful stagelights. Some, like Mr. IAteTooMuchAcid in the balcony, ripped off his shirt in a Hulk-like rage and presumed to primitively scream, dance around, and swing his shirt above his head for the entire gig. Despite the distractive nature of the balcony dwelling Petey Pablo, the core combinations of laid back yet focused and mellow yet rockin’ energy associated with the show were still very much in tact.

Rudd’s latest album, Dark Shades Of Blue, has definitely been his heaviest album to date and I couldn’t help but wonder how it would affect the show. Having only seen him at Bonnaroo twice before (years back), I still managed to find myself consistently surprised and delighted at how well Rudd’s new material and powerful live performances meshed. He immediately dove into the new material with a steel guitar in his lap, churning out “Blackwater” and “Dark Shades Of Blue” back to back before tirelessly jamming out the didgeridoo.

Although he showcased some new tunes, Rudd knew when to get in touch with the crowd and pump out some older songs that inspired both sing-a-longs and rowdy applause. Yelling to the crowd in the midst of a jam with two peace-fingers in the air, “How you feeeeelin?” before taking another breath and rocking the didgeridoos. He played some of my favorites, such as “Twist” and “Food In The Belly”, but the best performance had to be in the fan-favorite “Let Me Be” which broke down during a transition to “Up In Flames” and busted into an incredible cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”.

The show was full of energy and showcased the best of Rudd’s skills – ranging from improvisational jamming to energetic storytelling. The crowd fed off of his untamed energy and he fed off of the crowd, even merrily dancing around barefoot onstage during his drummer’s solo. Behind every great musician there always seem to be some great cause – the way Rudd emphasizes the reckless human harm against our planet and the importance of peace fuel his passion, songwriting, and performances. It was only fitting that the show encore ended with Rudd holding a dreamcatcher up and delivering a spoken verse prayer for the “wondering, nobel polar bear”. Call him a hippy, Australian, or activist.. either way, Xavier Rudd puts on one hell of a live act that everyone should make an effort to catch.

[MP3] Xavier Rudd – Twist
[MP3] Xavier Rudd – Food In The Belly

R.I.P. Paul Newman (1925-2008)

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that Paul Newman died from his struggle with cancer on Friday at the age of 83. There’s a nice obituary here that somehow does the impossible, summing up a man so mysterious in his graceful acting, heartfelt in his philanthropy, and passionate in his political activism. The world will be much less humble without Paul Newman, in a time when honesty and good will are needed more than ever.

Rest easy, ol’ blue eyes.

[MP3] Paul Newman – (Plastic Jesus) (from Cool Hand Luke)

[Contest] Win High Places’ S/T CD + Show Tix!

UPDATE: Congrats to Rinee, who gets to see High Places in San Fran!

Also, congrats to Eduardo, Tug, and Maria for winning copies of High Places’ debut on CD.

High Places‘ label Thrill Jockey kindly gave us three copies of HP’s endlessly replayable self-titled debut to give away for you guys, but that’s not all…

HP is going out on tour soon, and they’ve hooked us up with a guestlist spot +1 for a lucky, show-going IGIFster.

If you want the CD, just leave your name and email address in the comments. If you want the tickets, specify which show you want to attend (click “Read More” below for the dates). You can enter for a CD or the tickets, but not both. U.S. residents only (sorry, world).

Good luck everyone! I leave you with a “Golden” remix by Brenmar that surfaced early this year:

[MP3] High Places – Golden (Brenmar Remix)

Sep 11 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge w/ Crystal Stilts, Breathe Owl Breathe

Sep 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox

Sep 17 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop

Sep 18 – Grand Rapids, MI – Division Avenue Arts

Sep 19 – Madison, WI – Forward Music Fest w/ Dan Deacon, Monotonix

Sep 20 – Champaign-Urbana, IL – Pygmalion Festival

Sep 21 – Rock Island, IL – Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor

Sep 23 – Chicago, IL – AV-aerie

Sep 24 – Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock

Sep 25 – Grinnell, IA – Gardner Lounge (Grinnell College) w/ Ponytail

Sep 26 – Iowa City, IA – The Mill

Sep 27 – Denver, CO – Rhinoceropolis

Sep 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court w/ Ponytail

Sep 30 – Missoula, MT – The Badlander w/ Ponytail

Oct 2 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge w/ Ponytail, Oh Man!

Oct 3 – Anacortes, WA – Department of Safety w/ Ponytail

Oct 4 – Vancouver, BC – Richard’s on Richards w/ Ponytail

Oct 6 – Portland, OR – Backspace w/ Ponytail

Oct 8 – San Fran, CA – Bottom of the Hill w/ Ponytail

Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Smell

Oct 12 – Phoenix, AZ – Modified w/ Ponytail

Oct 15 – Austin, TX – Emo’s

Oct 16 – Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree

Oct 18 – Cincinnati, OH – Weston Art Gallery w/ Burning Star Core

[Video] Choke trailer/clip-show with music by Ben Kweller

Normally I wouldn’t touch Ben Kweller’s music with a ten foot pole. I’ve had a problem with him ever since he ruined a perfectly decent Death Cab concert back in 2004, and his (fading) likeness to snowboarder douchebag Shawn White hasn’t helped either… but when he creates provides a song for the upcoming filmic adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s Choke, I’ve gotta give it props: