Posted by: Anthony Morrow on April 29, 2009 at 10:00 am
The Ghost Is Dancing, Battles On (Sonic Unyon, 2009)
MP3: Battles On
The previous release by The Ghost Is Dancing, The Darkest Spark, was pure hipster indie pop. But it was excellent. It had great hooks, it was just poppy enough to not be completely offensive, and it seemed to utilize each band member’s talents to their maximum. Their newest release, Battles On, builds on that not-yet-commercial success. The tracks are definitely more polished, cohesive, and mature (mid-album track “This Thunder”, for instance) in the way that Arcade Fire stepped up their game from Funeral to Neon Bible. Unfortunately, in doing so, TGID have glossed over the group’s biggest asset. The blending of Lesley Davies and Jamie Matechuk’s unique vocals have been slightly overrun by Read more
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Tags: Dave Feeny, Golden Silvers, Immaculate Machine, Jens Lekman, Ode to the Inverse of the Dude, Old Empire, Queen City Quandaries, R Kelly, Robyn, The High Strung, The Hives, The Sweptaways, The Sweptaways Show
Posted by: Sam Doyle on April 28, 2009 at 11:06 am
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Tags: Magic Stick, Russian Circles
Posted by: Ryan Allen on April 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm
So. Many. Shows. So, let’s get to it: Friday, you’ve got the Copper Thieves‘ 7″ / album release show at the Berkely Front (along with Royal Bangs, Friendly Foes, and Allan James). Or you could get your dance on at Small’s with Love Meets Lust and Bury Your Burden. But we’re feeling a bit angsty lately, so our pick is the metallic post-rock of Russian Circles, along with Sweet Cobra and Lichens, at the Magic Stick.
Saturday, there’s no question that PJ’s Lager House is the place to be, as the Terrible Twos, Birthday Suits, Javelins, and Teen Anger are set to rip shit up. But we can’t help but be curious about Computer Perfection at the Cranbrook Lounge. We’ve heard good things about this place, and CP feature pretty much everybody from Pas/Cal, grooving on Broadcast-esque psyche, kraut, and pop. So that’s our pick.
Sunday, new-school punk battles it out with old-school, as New Found Glory play the Royal Oak Music Theatre, and Millions of Dead Cops do the Blind Pig. If you’re looking for us, though, we’ll be at the Pike Room taking in the smooth sounds of French Kicks and Mason Proper, probably cuz we’re pussies.
Fri 4/24
Croff Family Band, The Beggars @ The Belmont
Tickled Fancy Burlesque Company @ The Blind Pig
Charlene Kaye, Kelly Jean Caldwell, The Juliets, Light In August @ The Elbow Room
A Second Too Late, I Vs. Poolshark, Hopeless Heroes, Le Shiit, My Early Travels @ The Factory
Firs And Spruces, The Great Fiction, Lightning Love, The Garden Party @ The Pike Room
Flight of the Conchords @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
JSB Squad @ Vernor’s Room
Sat 4/25
The Pat Zelenka Project, Banana Convention @ The Belmont
Great Lakes Myth Society, Matt Jones, Prussia @ The Blind Pig
Children With Hammers @ Corktown Tavern
Elliot Street Lunatic, Georgia Moon, Stockton, Way To Fall, The Riffs @ The Factory
Silverstein @ The Majestic Theatre
Jim Shaw Benefit: Hamtramck Edition w/ The Hentchmen, Fortune and Maltese, The Meltdowns @ The Painted Lady
Sun 4/26
Bledsoe’s Riot, Thethreat, Tightline, What About Caligula? @ The Factory
Mobile Death Camp @ Small’s
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Tags: Birthday Suits, Computer Perfection, Copper Thieves, French Kicks, Friendly Foes, Javelins, Lichens, Love Meets Lust, Millions of Dead Cops, New Found Glory, Royal Bangs, Russian Circles, Sweet Cobra, Terrible Twos
Posted by: Ryan Allen on April 23, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Minimalistic. Lo-fi. DIY. These are all relatively accurate descriptions of Pewter Cub — a local band that’s new to us, but has apparently been around since 2005. Clickity-clack drums, dark melodies, and super-trebly guitars give off a less sing-songy version of Times New Viking vibe — kind of what we imagine Helium’s four-track demos to sound like instead. Either way, it’s pretty cool stuff. Check them out at PJ’s Lager House, along with Black Lodge and Kinetic Stereokids.
More:
Darren Criss, Dry County, Red Arrow Highway @ The Blind Pig
Precise Hero, Shoe., The Sugar People @ Smalls
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Tags: Black Lodge, Kinetic Stereokids, Pewter Cub, Shoe., The Sugar People
Posted by: Adam O'Connor on April 23, 2009 at 10:50 am
Rock Lottery @ The Magic Stick [4.22.09]
Someone took the Sights & Sounds winter holiday quasi-”experience” at the Magic Stick, upgraded it, and presented it to us as the Rock Lottery. People in Detroit obviously take Captain Planet Day seriously, because there were plenty of drunken folks who shelled out $10 to help “green” up the city. With clear conscience, it can be said that every act was entertaining in its own way Wednesday night. Now, whether that’s entertaining in the fact that we cringed at how god awful they were, or that it was clearly impressive that a randomly thrown-together group of musicians was able to put together an enjoyable set (1 original + 1 cover) is up for your interpretation. Two covers (both of ’70s female-led rock bands) stand out in my memory. Randy (Deastro), two Dales (Beavers and Wilson), and Other Dude completely murdered “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. It was single-handedly the most amusing cover of the night, in a horrible, drunken karaoke-esque sort of way. Heart’s “Barracuda”, by Loretta Lucas and company, was fucking magical, and the clear topper for the evening. In all honesty, it was a relief that no band completely ruined both of their songs, but then again, nobody had insanely high expectations entering this train wreck of Save the Planet-ness. It was definitely tons o’ fun for everyone involved, we all had a few good laughs, and anyone who witnessed the entire show got to see 30 songs total. Props to Virginia and the crew at the Stick for pulling this all together. I can’t wait to see what folks are planning for Flag Day on June 14th!!
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Tags: Magic Stick, Rock Lottery
Posted by: Ryan Allen on April 22, 2009 at 11:00 am
Good ideas are few and far between. That’s why Suburban Sprawl’s Instant Album project has always been regarded as so special. Basically, you get a bunch of local musicians together at a house, put their names in a hat, draw said names, and form one-day bands that must create and record an original piece of music in a hour, eventually compiling that music on a website to be cemented in time for all eternity. Also, there’s a bunch of beer involved.
The brains at the Majestic Complex have decided to borrow SubSprawl’s idea and run with it a little further, taking the concept to the stage. Tonight, 60-or-so members of local bands — including peeps from the Sights, Silverghost, Millions of Brazilians, and Magic Shop — will perform with their one-off, randomly chosen bands, and hopefully all hell won’t (or will?) break loose. Expect an original song and a cover from each band (15 in all). And of course, like the SubSprawl project, lots of beer will be involved. Oh! And it’s a benefit for the Greening of Detroit, so you have no excuse not to attend.
More:
MC Chris, I Am The Dream @ The Blind Pig
Jgraves, Royal Bangs, Joelle Maddyson @ The Elbow Room
The Life And Times @ The Pike Room
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Tags: Instant Album Party, Magic Shop, MC Chris, Millions of Brazilians, Rock Lottery, Royal Bangs, Silverghost, Suburban Sprawl, The Life and Times, The Sights
Posted by: Ryan Allen on April 21, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Australia, despite being a gigantic country with tons of uninhabited space, has given the world more than it’s fair share of good bands — INXS, the Vines, Midnight Oil, and, uh, Silverchair (don’t tell us you didn’t own Frogstomp) amongst them. So, does Parkway Drive — a “metalcore” band from the Australian city of Byron Bay — follow in those band’s footsteps? Uhmmm…we’re not totally sure. But hey, they’re the only band playing in town tonight that we think you may have heard of, so perhaps you’ll give them a shot. Stick To Your Guns, MyChildren MyBride, and the Yellow Sign (who, who, and who?) open, at the Magic Stick.
More:
The Madison Opera @ The Blind Pig
The Anvil Experience @ The Crofoot Ballroom
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Tags: MyChildren MyBride, Parkway Drive, Stick To Your Guns, The Madison Opera, The Yellow Sign
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Scott Bragg + Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on April 21, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Art Brut, Art Brut vs. Satan (Cooking Vinyl, 2009)
MP3: Alcoholics Unanimous
Talking instead of singing is Art Brut’s trademark, and while it sounded cute and fun at first, it has ended up just being schtick-y. Their first two releases came out around the time(s) Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand were building their fame. Unfortunately, nobody took Art Brut entirely seriously. Their latest release, Art Brut vs. Satan, while still fun and not taking-themselves-too-seriously, highlights at hits “Alcoholics Unanimous” and “Just Desserts”. Everything on this album is actually joke-y and entertaining. There really is too much ego and not nearly enough Read more
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Tags: Art Brut, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Camera Obscura, Cryptacize, Dan Zimmerman, Firs & Spruces, Japandroids, My Maudlin Career, Mythomania, Super Furry Animals, Tell Em What Your Name Is
Posted by: Ryan Allen on April 20, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Monday’s can be a tough one to fill, whether you’re in Detroit, L.A., or London. People usually just want to chill out after a long, hard weekend of party, party, party, smoke some weed at home, and zone out with some VH1 Celebreality. But the thing is, touring band’s have to play somewhere on Monday night, right? Right. So why not take a break from your regular Monday routine, head out to PJ’s Lager House, and see not only one of Detroit’s best sci-fi punk outfits in SSM, but a band from Italy, for crying out loud!? Italians Movie Star Junkies cook up the kind of punk-informed soul that we all love here in Detroit (think King Khan and Shrines), so let’s show these world travelers a good time, and show up for this shit. Ray J can wait, right?
More:
Unicornium, B-tong, Tamagawa, Oldine, Shit @ The Belmont
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Tags: Movie Star Junkies, Oldine, Shit, SSM, Unicornium
Posted by: Ryan Allen on April 20, 2009 at 11:07 am
Nobody good comes to Detroit? This week’s Monday mix is going to make whoever continuously utters that statement to put their foot in their mouth. There’s tons of good shows happening in the D and beyond; it’s just up to ya’ll to get out there and see what’s happening. The tunes below are from the trusted locals and badass national bands coming to town this week, so brush up on their sounds, maybe don’t spend your cash on those Diesel jeans just yet, and get out to see some shows.
The Birthday Suits :: Slowly Motion
Ripping two-piece punk from Minneapolis. Like No Age, minus the delay, and on speed. Saturday at PJ’s Lager House.
Copper Thieves :: Uptight
Classic rock duking it out with 90s indie. Fans of Thrush Hermit and Bachman Turner Overdrive should take note. They celebrate their 7″ release show Friday night at the Berkley Front.
Fortune and Maltese :: Bewitched
Led by Freddie Fortune, these local garage rock legends are still around and kicking. Nothing short of awesome. Saturday at the Painted Lady.
French Kicks :: One More Time
New York City’s smooth-rock survivors. The hype might be gone, but the tunes are still there. Sunday at the Pike Room.
The Life and Times :: High Scores
Ex-Shiner, from Kansas City. Enough said. Wednesday at the Pike Room.
Lightning Love :: Good Time
Economic indie pop with some of the best lyrics in town. Friday at the Pike Room.
Mason Proper :: Point A to Point B
We heard a rumor these dudes all moved back up to Alpina, so if you forgot that they were a local band before, they’re going to seem like they’re from Alaska now. Sunday at the Pike Room.
Noah and the Whale :: Give A Little Love
Folksy, British, and hauntingly melodic — kinda like Johnny Cash meets the Magnetic Fields and the Hidden Cameras. Sunday at the Magic Bag.
Royal Bangs :: Handcuff Killa
Glitchy indie rawk — with an emphasis on the “rawk” part — on Black Key Patrick Carney’s Audio Eagle label. Friday at the Berkley Front.
Russian Circles :: Death Rides a Horse
Indie-kid approved instru-metal, from Chicago. Friday at the Magic Stick.
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Tags: Copper Thieves, Fortune and Maltese, French Kicks, Lightning Love, Mason Proper, Noah and the Whale, Royal Bangs, Russian Circles, The Birthday Suits, The Life and Times
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