Best New Music: Dirty Beaches

It's like a gritty, basement bastardization of Elvis Presley meets surf pop, and that's precisely why it's awesome.

Jailhouse rock

No, really. Vancouver-based electro rocker Alex Zhang Hungtai crafts fuzzy, purposefully distorted records that pair low, yelp-y, rockabilly vocals with vintage melodies and sparse, repetitive guitar+drum loops -- for a result that draws on nostalgia, while still being firmly rooted in the now. His third full length, Badlands, dropped Tuesday on Zoo Music -- read my full review at Phrequency.com.

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YRock on XPN Playlist, 3/28/11

Smorgasbord!

6:00

The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army”
Album: Elephant

Infadels, “Circus of the Mad”
Album: Universe in Reverse

Cloud Nothings, “Not Important”
Album: Cloud Nothings

The Vaccines, “Wetsuit”
Album: What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?

BOAT, “Frank Black Says”
Album: Dress Like Your Idols

Creepoid, “Staircase”
Album: Horse Heaven

The Wedding Present, “Corduroy”
Album: Seamonsters

The Dead Trees, “Shelter”
Album: Fort Music

The Booze, “Kick Me Where It Hurts”
Album: At Maximum Volume

The Cinnamon Band, “Buena Vista”
Album: All Dressed Up

Good Old War, “Looking for Shelter”
Album: Only Way to Be Alone

Love, “Alone Again Or”
Album: Forever Changes

Fanfarlo, “I’m a Pilot”
Album: Reservoir

The Polyphonic Spree, “Section 28 [Guaranteed Nightlife]”
Album: The Fragile Army

Finn Riggins, “Dali”
Album: Vs. Wilderness

Werewolves, “Two Weeks”
Album: Someday We'll Live in the Forest


Werewolves (From their Myspace.) True story: they are actually werewolves. (Maybe.)


7:00

The Kinks, “Till the End of the Day”
Album: The Ultimate Collection

The New Motels, “Modern Thinker”
Album: Domestic Life

The Swimmers, “Nervous Wreck”
Album: People Are Soft

Elton John, “Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting”
Album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

The Doobie Brothers, “Jesus is Just Alright”
Album: Toulouse Street

Taken by Trees, “Lost and Found”
Album: Open Field

Obits, “You Gotta Lose”
Album: Moody, Standard, and Poor

Wipers, “No Generation Gap”
Album: Over the Edge

Gonjasufi, “She Gone”
Album: A Sufi and a Killer

Phoenix, “Lisztomania”
Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Parenthetical Girls, “The Pornographer”
Album: Privilege, Pt. III: Mend & Make Do

Wolf Parade, “Shed a Light”
Album: Apologies to the Queen Mary

Blur, “Girls & Boys”
Album: Parklife

Cassette Kids, “Lying Around”
Album: Nothing on TV

Black Lips, “O Katrina!”
Album: Good Bad Not Evil

The Gaslight Anthem, “The ’59 Sound”
Album: The ’59 Sound

Tune in again next Monday from 6 to 8 for more kicking tunes!

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Music Video Mondays: The Vaccines

Breakout London rockers The Vaccines might be newcomers to the scene, but already boast major bragging rights, having sold out their first-ever hometown gig; placed third in the BBC "Sound of 2011" Poll; and even scored a VMA nom for "Best Band of 2011." "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)" is their first single, and just 84 seconds of pure, vintage rockness.

Check out the sweet vid above, then tune in to my radio show, tonight from 6 to 8 p.m., to catch another hot track from London's newest bad boys.

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Spring fashion: 6 trends to rock, and avoid

The weather outside might belie it, but the calendar proves: it's spring!! And no season makes a fashion-conscious Kate more excited than the opportunity to shed the bulk and try out some fab new trends. Here are 3 I'm super pumped about -- and 3 more to avoid at all costs.


1. Formal Shorts. Ok, so technically this trend has been around for a while now, but who wants to wear shorts in the winter? Not me. This spring however, I'll be rocking the f.shorts every chance I get (which is only on weekends, since shorts are banned at my "business casual" [whatever that means] office.) This season's variety are simple, sleek, and more flattering than the clunky Bermudas of years past. Pair 'em with tights for a slight rocker edge, or go bare-legged. A sweet alternative to skirts that actually lets you move around!

Lookbook user Mira B.

From Face Hunter.

2. Jean shorts with tights. Ok, so this is kinda similar to formal shorts, except for wayyyy more punk rock. For weekends when pants are too warm, but bare legs too cold. Or maybe just when you wanna look bad-ass, and drink beer in a basement. Also a good use for ripped tights (the rips give you extra credzzzzz.)

Lookbook user M. K.

Lookbook user Arizka S.

3. Color-blocking. I've always loved bright colors, and this is such a simple, cute way to make outfits pop.

Lookbook user Angelica L.

Urban Outfitters colorblock dress.

...Of course, spring isn't ALL about quirky shorts and delightful colors. Here are 3 trends to avoid at all costs:


4. High-waisted "Mom" pants. I don't know what the deal is this season with slouchy, high-waisted, pleated pants popping up everywhere -- but all I can say is: Noooooo!! Unless you're tall, slender, and ridiculously pretty (like Martina, below) you end up looking like a relic from an '80s PTA meeting.

Lookbook user Martina V.

American Apparel high-waisted pleated pants.

5. Crop-Tops. Oyyy. Why is the fashion world trying to bring back crop-tops, rather than letting them die a natural death along with other horrific '90s fashions like day-glo and MC hammer pants? Come on people. Unless you have a perfectly flat stomach that doesn't bloat after a couple of beers (in which case: I hate you!!) -- AVOID THE CROP TOP. It's for your own good.

Lookbook user Olivia L. She looks awesome -- but that doesn't mean YOU will.

Urban Outfitters Cheap Monday crop top.

6. Backless pants. I think I'll let the photo speak for itself here...

From Refinery 29

'Nuff said.

What trends are YOU most looking forward to for Spring? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Previously on Underwater Explosions: Fall Fashion Watch: Return of the '90s!

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Best New Music: BOAT

Seattle rockers BOAT might be an obvious favorite for me, as they combine 2 things I love more than almost anything else in the world: bouncy garage pop and ridiculousness.

Consider:

And while their new LP, Dress Like Your Idols (which dropped yesterday on Magic Marker) shows the band growing up a LITTLE...you can never outgrow a love of power pop. (Or at least: I really hope you can't! [because then my future would be bleak!])

With rollicking melodies, post-punk guitars, clanging percussion, and quirky, sardonic lyrics about life, love, and the lessons of Frank Black -- Idols storms through 13 songs in 30-some-odd minutes, and does so with ferocity, conviction, and more than one '90s throwback reference. (Ohhhh yeahhhh.) Check out my full review at Phrequency.com -- then get ready for their Philly show April 1 at Pilam. Nautical wear suggested, but not required.


Previously on Underwater Explosions: They're on BOAT, motherf*ckers, on a BOAT

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Y Rock on XPN Playlist, 3/21/11

Music for the first day of Spring!

6:00

Pomegranates, “Everybody Come Outside”
Album: Everybody, Come Outside!

Rainbow Arabia, “Nothin' Gonna Be Undone”
Album: Boys and Diamonds

Dinosaur Feathers, “Vendela Vida”
Album: Fantasy Memorial

The Lucksmiths, “T-Shirt Weather”
Album: Where Were We?

Tennis, “Seafarer”
Album: Cape Dory

Buddy Holly, “Everyday”
Album: Buddy Holly

Beach Fossils, “Daydream”
Album: Beach Fossils

Chalk and Numbers, “Let’s Go Away”
Album: He Knew

Animal Collective, “Summertime Clothes”
Album: Merriweather Post Pavilion

Broken Bells, “Your Head Is On Fire”
Album: Broken Bells

Tame Impala, “Solitude is Bliss”
Album: InnerSpeaker

The Aliens, “Magic Man”
Album: Luna

Flaming Lips, “Silver Trembling Hands”
Album: Embryonic

13th Floor Elevators, “You’re Gonna Miss Me”
Album: The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

Wild Nothing, “Summer Holiday”
Album: Gemini

Birdie Busch, “Mystical”
Album: Penny Arcade


The Lovely Birdie Busch, live at Kung Fu Necktie
(Photo Kate Bracaglia for Phrequency.com)


7:00

The Strokes, “Gratisfaction”
Album: Angles

Thin Lizzy, “The Boys Are Back in Town”
Album: Jail Break

The Rolling Stones, “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”
Album: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Single)

Orange Juice, “Flesh of My Flesh”
Album: Rip It Up

Bishop Allen, “Like Castanets”
Album: The Broken String

The Boy Least Likely To, “A Balloon On A Broken String”
Album: The Law of the Playground

The Music Machine, “Talk Talk”
Album: Turn On

The Capitol Years, “As The Terror Dances Your Way”
Album: Dance Away the Terror

Cajun Dance Party, “Colourful Life”
Album: Coulorful Life

Positions, “The Real Thing”
Album: Tonight

Rachael Yamagata, “1963”
Album: Happenstance

Peter Bjorn and John, “Second Chance”
Album: Gimme Some

The Love Language, “Brittany’s Back”
Album: Libraries

Hungry Kids of Hungary, “Scattered Diamonds”
Album: Mega Mountain

Trolleyvox, "Just You Wait"
Album: The Karaoke Meltdowns

The Cribs, “We Were Aborted”
Album: Ignore the Ignorant

Antarctica Takes It!, “C&F”
Album: Constellations

Headlights, “Catch Them All”
Album: Some Racing, Some Stopping

Missed the show? Fear not, Music Lover! Tune in again next Monday from 6-8 p.m. for more sweet, spring-y sounds.

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Best New Music: PB+J

Swedish pop trio Peter Bjorn and John have always held a special place in my heart -- or at least since 2006, and the greater world's discovery of "Young folks." (Seriously, no one does whistle pop better!)




Since then, they've led listeners down many a wily path -- from the dreamy soundscapes on Seaside Rock to wonky remixes of just about everything -- and now -- FINALLY! -- they've returned with Gimme Some, a straight-forward, pop-tastic full length that is no doubt the best thing they've released in years.

Check out my full review of the album over at XPN's All About the Music blog -- then tune in to my show tonight from 6 to 8 to catch some choice cuts from Gimme Some!

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Music Video Mondays: Rainbow Arabia

Rainbow Arabia have been around a few years now, but my first taste of the LA-based dance-punk duo came just recently, when I scooped up a copy of Boys and Diamonds lying around the Y Rock studios.

A mix of post-punk, world, bossa nova, synth-pop, yelp-y vocals and percussive thumps -- Rainbow Arabia exist somewhere between the raw rhythms of M.I.A. and Sleigh Bells, the quirk boogie of Tom Tom Club, and the gothic worldliness of Siouxsie Sioux. "Without you" is the first single from Diamonds and comes complete with this bizarro video -- described by Pitchfork as "so consciously oddball, the music so artfully spiky, the energy so telegraphed, and the global aspect so clearly worn like a badge -- that it's hard not to feel like it's some sort of nadir."

I say...but maybe that's the point (The artsiness, not the the nadir.) Decide for yourself below -- then tune in to my radio show this evening from 6 to 8 p.m. to catch another new tune from Diamonds.

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Best New Music: The Strokes

There's a new Strokes album out in just 6 days, and you can stream it for free right now. So what are you waiting for? DO IT....then head over to Phrequency.com to check out my review/add your own thoughts to the conversation.



It's been such a long time since NYC's original hipsters have graced us with an LP...and to that I say: Welcome back guys! I've missed you!

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Y Rock on XPN Playlist, 3/14/11

The Garage Rock Show!

6:00

Art Brut, “Good Weekend”
Album: Bang Bang Rock and Roll

Eternal Summers, “Disciplinarian”
Album: Silver

Gentleman Jesse and His Men, “Highland Crawler”
Album: Gentleman Jesse and His Men

Gospel Claws, “Walk Me Down”
Album: C-L-A-W-S

The Minders, “Golden Street”
Album: Golden Street

Math & Physics Club, “Baby I’m Yours”
Album: Baby I’m Yours

Morning Teleportation, “Expanding Anyways”
Album: Expanding Anyways

Jay Reatard, “Man of Steel”
Album: Watch Me Fall

Be Your Own Pet, “The Kelly Affair”
Album: Get Awkward

Green Day, “One of My Lies”
Album: Kerplunk!

Sebadoh, “The Freed Pig”
Album: III

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”
Album: War Child Presents Heroes

Times New Viking, “(My Head)”
Album: Rip It Off

Strapping Fieldhands, “The Author in Her Ear”
Album: Wattle & Daub

Grifters, “Bronze Cast”
Album: Crappin' You Negative

Yuck, “Shook Down”
Album: Yuck

Tapes ‘n Tapes, “Freak Out”
Album: Outside

The Good, the Bad, and the Queen, “80’s Life”
Album: The Good, the Bad, and the Queen

Razorlight, “Rip It Up”
Album: Up All Night


Razorlight, from their Last.fm page (Who gave this
guy permission to wear those pants, I don't know.)



7:00
Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, “Venus Shaver”
Album: Teenage and Torture

The Walkmen, “Another One Goes By”
Album: A Hundred Miles Off

My Bloody Valentine, “Blown a Wish”
Album: Loveless

Guided by Voices, “Liquid Indian”
Album: Do the Collapse

Teenage Fanclub, “Star Sign”
Album: Bandwagonesque

Blue Magoos, “(We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet”
Album: Psychedelic Lollipop

The Syndicate of Sound, “Little Girl”
Album: Little Girl

Castaways, “Liar Liar”
Album: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

The Five Americans, “Western Union”
Album: Lost Hits Of The '60s: 40 Solid Gold AM Classics

Knickerbockers, “Lies”
Album: Party Rock Juke Box Hits 1958-1968

The Black Keys, “Yearnin’”
Album: The Big Come Up

Victor Victor Band, “Lost & Found”
Album: Chatterbox

Pavement, “Conduit for Sale!”
Album: Slanted & Enchanted

Voxtrot, “Brother in Conflict”
Album: Voxtrot

The Thermals, “I’m Gonna Change Your Life”
Album: Personal Life

The Ramones, "Do You Wanna Dance"
Album: Rocket to Russia

Dinosaur Jr., “Almost Ready”
Album: Beyond

Sweet, “Ballroom Blitz”
Album: Desolation Boulevard

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, “Walking to Do”
Album: Shake the Sheets

Missed the show? No worries. Tune in again next Monday (and every Monday after that) from 6 to 8 p.m. for more rocking tunes.

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Telekinesis, Love Language cause dance riot at Johnny Brenda's

12 Desperate Straight Lines, the newest LP from fuzzy popsters Telekinesis -- might be a break-up album -- but that doesn't stop front man Michael Benjamin Lerner from throwing himself into the tunes night after night.

" I am not afraid of the past," he tells The AV Club. "[These songs] mean something different now. Songs are snapshots of things—it’s likened to looking at pictures. It will never feel like it felt in real life... It’s sort of the same with songs."

Lerner, Friday night, at Johnny Brenda's. (Click any photo to enlarge.)

And thank god for that (because no one wants to recreate painful memories, while we ALL enjoy recreating awesome songs.) The emotive songster riled crowds Friday night at Johnny Brenda's, zipping through a punchy set of new and old faves with ferocity and passion.

Joined by touring band members Jason Narducy and Cody Vololato (Ex-Blood Brothers), the trio seemed in high spirits -- perhaps because it was Lerner's birthday; perhaps just because. (Perhaps because the audience was drunk, happy and clapping?) Lerner himself proved a bastion of energy and manic drumming -- switching to guitar for a couple slower numbers, including a soft, acoustic-y dirge that "didn't make it on the album."

To close, the band invited openers The Love Language to join them on stage in a raucous singalong of "Coast of Carolina." Eventually, audience members joined in; and at one point, yes, somebody stage-dove and body-surfed their way through the crowd. You know it's a good show when indie rock leads to body-surfing.





But if the crowd was pumped for Telekinesis, they went WILD for openers The Love Language, whose earnest, rollicking pop had them dancing with abandon.



The brainchild of one Stuart McLamb, a North Carolinian who augments his melodious songwriting with grand, sweeping instrumentation -- the 5-piece filled with the venue with sunny harmonies and lush soundscapes.









Local rockers Creepoid opened the show, transfixing the crowd with their heavy, moody tunes. Part gauzy dream pop, part head-y, jam-y freakouts -- the band enveloped the venue in boy/girl vocals, fuzzy guitars and billowing, smoky haze. Friday night marked their last home-town performance before SXSW -- where I can only imagine they'll come back super stars.





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Music Video Mondays: Tiny Animals

A pop-tastic, storied, fairy tale explosion, from MTV it-band Tiny Animals.

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Wait, did people actually like the TV show Rugrats?

There's been a lot of buzz in the greater blogosphere these past few days about Nickelodeon's move to bring back '90s TV programs, and why it's wonderful, and nostalgic, and kitsch-y and All That. (See what I did there?)

All That!

And while I generally agree (nostalgia rulez/takes the sting out of youth and replaces it with nice thoughts) I have to say: whoever was responsible for this "new" line-up kinda sucks. I mean, Pete & Pete? Ok, sure. This is an obvious choice. Pete had a tattoo and wore flannel and was sorta an early hipster anyway. Seems like a perfect choice. Ditto with Clarissa Explains it All, who was probably the most bad-ass 13-year-old out there. (The AV Club has a great story on why this show totes rules, and I agree.) But...Rugrats? The Amanda Show? I felt ashamed about watching these shows when I was 10 (it's like...you can FEEL them making you stupider) and I certainly don't need to watch them now. I think the nostalgia factor only really works --or at least works BEST -- if watching these programs now we can take away something DIFFERENT. Or at least relive FOND memories. I feel like I'm about as likely to re-watch Rugrats as I am Barney. Or if you're gonna go the stupid route why not really embrace it and bring back Catdog. Or Weinerville!!

Weinerville.

Then again, maybe I'm just bitter because my fave 3 are not on the list of returners. You know the block, that ran Wednesday afternoons, 4.30 to 6ish. We're talking 1994 or so. I spent my afternoons geeking out to Legends of the Hidden Temple, Salute Your Shorts and Hey Dude. Where are these stalwarts in the programming? Bring back Olmec and then we'll talk.

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Best New Music: Morning Teleportation

If Morning Teleportation were a service, I'd totes buy into it (esp. on cold rainy days when work feels impossibly far); but since it's not, I suppose I'll settle for the band with the same name instead -- whose music really isn't SETTLING at all.

A breakout Portland act singed to Modest Mouse front man Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace label -- Morning Teleportation are served best with a side of wacky. Which is to say: this band is really wacky. (Just look at their photo and tell me it's not true!) A four- and sometimes five-piece with a barrage of unusual instruments (talkbox, theremin, banjo, thingamabob); disdain for straight-forward structure; and throbbing passion for singalongs -- Morning Teleportation have ricocheted into the spotlight, and won't be leaving any time soon.

But don't just take MY word for it. Check out a video, along with my full-length review, at Phrequency.com.

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YRock on XPN Playlist, 3/7/11

The No Lo-Fi show!

6:00

New Young Pony Club, “Get Lucky”
Album: Fantastic Playroom

The Long Blondes, “Lust in the Movies”
Album: Someone to Drive You Home

Janelle Monae, “Tightrope” (feat. Big Boi)
Album: The Archandroid

Le Tigre, “After Dark”
Album: This Island

Maximum Balloon, “Communion” (feat. Karen O.)
Album: Maximum Balloon

The Very Best, “Warm Heart of Africa” (feat. Ezra Koenig)
Album: Warm Heart of Africa

Santogold, “You’ll Find a Way”
Album: Santogold

Annie, “Sweet”
Album: Don’t Stop

Yelle, “Ce Jeu”
Album: Pop Up

Justice, “D.A.N.C.E.”
Album: †

Humans, “Avec Mes Mecs”
Album: Avec Mes Mecs

STRFKR, “Death as a Fetish”
Album: Reptilians

Cold Cave, “The Great Pan is Dead”
Album: Cherish the Light Years

The Cure, “Wrong Number”
Album: Greatest Hits

Javelin, “The Menkin Jerk”
Album: No Mas


From Javelin's Myspace. You tell ME what it means.


7:00

Sleigh Bells, “Tell ‘Em”
Album: Treats

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Dig Lazarus, Dig!!!”
Album: Dig Lazarus, Dig!!!

!!!, “AM/FM”
Album: Strange Weather, Isn’t It?

Beck, “Mixed Bizness”
Album: Midnite Vultures

Yeasayer, “Rome”
Album: Odd Blood

LCD Soundsystem, “North American Scum”
Album: Sounds of Silver

Architecture in Helsinki, “Do the Whirlwind” (Halma’s Remix)
Album: Do the Whirlwind

Vaughan Mason & Crew, “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll”
Album: The Rapture !K7 Tapes

Lightspeed Champion, “Xanadu” (Olivia Newton John Cover)
Album: Falling Off the Lavender Bridge

Black Kids, “Listen to Your Body Tonight”
Album: Partie Traumatic

Super Furry Animals, “(Drawing) Rings Around the world”
Album: Rings Around the World

Tears for Fears, “Everybody Want to Rule the World”
Album: Songs from the Big Chair

The Cars, “Let’s Go”
Album: Candy-O

Chairlift, “Bruises”
Album: Does You Inspire You

Free Energy, “Free Energy”
Album: Stuck on Nothing

Tune in again next Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. for more cool jamz!

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Dum Dum Girls revive the lost art of showmanship

In today's fast-paced, buzz band-obsessed Internet world, where the "next big thing" is often formed overnight -- on the basis of a cool name and some Bandcamp demos -- and teenagers with little experience are yanked from their bedrooms and sent on tour armed with only a Macbook and DIY ethic -- the arm of showmanship is often forgotten. So it's nice to see a band like Dum Dum Girls -- lo-fi, DIY, buzz band heroes if they ever were them -- really step it up and revive this lost art. The "blissed out buzzsaw" foursome mesmerized and inspired audiences Saturday night at Johnny Brenda's, with a tight, multi-dimensional performance that left me (+ 200 others) yearning for more.

Dum Dum Girls! (Click any photo to enlarge.)

In the however many years I've been reviewing and photographing shows, I've seen many buzz bands. Some kill it with youthful enthusiasm; some crash and burn. But nothing bothers me more [note: this statement probably not true] than watching bands mill around the stage unsure: taking long pauses between songs, and filling the space with awkward chatter. It's called . . . PRACTICE BEFORE YOU GO ON TOUR. But you don't have to tell Dum Dum Girls. From the second the four-some took the stage (clad in black minidresses and fabulous black tights) they were on -- running through tunes with ferocity and precision, bathed in the filmy light of screen projections and a spiraling strobe.

Front woman Dee Dee Gundred (who also writes the songs) was a feisty, snarly, rock seductress, purposefully over-enunciating each word to be understood through the haze. The band's 50-minute set spanned their short discography -- placing well-known singles like "Bhang Bhang I'm a Burnout" (which rocked SO hard) and "He gets me high" (god this song rules!) alongside older material -- like the fabulously snarky "Catholicked," off their Yours Alone 12". Harmonies were tight and piercing and the whole thing oozed that sort of vintage appeal -- as if Dum Dum Girls are this generation's response to the Shangri-Las (or later: The Pretenders), drenched in feedback and that too-cool-to-care attitude.



Dum Dum Girls closed out the night with an encore performance of the Smiths' "There is a light that never goes out" (which also appears on the new EP) then left the stage suddenly, the audience still hanging on every note. But there's no better place to leave your fans than Satiated and Wanting More -- proving Dum Dum Girls are truly masters of show.




The early part of the night saw sets from Minks and Party Photographers, both of whom proved hazy, but perhaps not quite as engaging. [Note: The impressively grime-y, retro Dirty Beaches played too, right at 9:00, but unfortunately I was unable to control the Market-Frankford line and thus missed it.]

Philly's own Party Photographers were up first, and enveloped the venue in smoky echoes. A new stalwart on the scene and a Force of Feedback to be reckoned with -- the trio proved that, yes, it IS possible to make loud, shoegaze-y rock music using only a guitar, bass and set of floor toms.

Party Photographers

Next up: Minks, the hazy, '80s-influenced post punk revival act, who wooed the crowd with a perfectly nonchalant set of woozy, dusty jams. Front man Shaun Kilfoyle's vocals were understated but effective, and the set ebbed nicely, starting sedate, then rousing for poppy single "Funeral song" before fading into dusk once more. All in all, a rewarding night of lo-fi, for haze-lovers far and wide.

Minks

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I promise this is my last ironic hipster post for a while, but....

click to enlarge

Thanks, TPFD. You've been super funny lately.

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Best New Music: Starfucker

It's dance music for people who like indie rock, or maybe just like music. It's dreamy and lush and encompassing and insatiable...and pretty much my favorite thing ever right now. (NOTE: this statement may not still be true tomorrow.)

A four piece who combine club-worthy beats with hazy vocals and perfect pop song structures -- Portland's Starfucker have been turning heads for years with their wacky, sometimes crossed-dressed live performances -- and this month, set the bar even higher with the release of their dance-tastic new record, Reptilians.

Hi-five!!

As for the totally-scandalous-oh-my-god-there's-the-f-word-in-it name? The band's adopted a clever alias, STRFKR, for occasions that call for such decorum. And because every knows band names are cooler without vowels anyway.

Want to hear more, and maybe check out a sweet vid from Reptilians? You know where to turn . . . Phrequency.com!

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YRock on XPN Playlist, 2/28/11

Hazy mellow tunes for the last rainy Monday in February.

6:00

Illinois, “Hang On”
Album: The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe

I Monster, “A Sucker for Your Sound”
Album: A Dense Swarm of Ancient Stars

The Elwins, “Time to Kill Time”
Album: The Elwins

Ghosty, “Dumbo Wins Again”
Album: Answers

Smog, “Cold Blooded Old Times”
Album: Knock Knock

M. Ward, “Epistemology”
Album: Hold Time

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, “Is This Love?”
Album: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Gary Brooker, “Low Flying Birds”
Album: Lead Me to the Water

Creeping Weeds, “Sirens”
Album: See Through

She & Him, “Gonna Get Along Without You Now”
Album: Volume Two

Saturday Looks Good to Me, “Meet Me by the Water”
Album: All Our Summer Songs

Grandaddy, “I’m on Standby”
Album: Sumday

Pants Yell!, “We’ve Got History”
Album: Recent Drama

Papercuts, “Do You Really Wanna Know”
Album: Fading Parade

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Come Saturday”
Album: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Electrelane, “To the East”
Album: No Shouts, No Calls

Two Door Cinema Club, “Something Good Can Work”
Album: Tourist History



From Two Door Cinema Club's Myspace. (Don't worry, I don't understand it either.)



7:00

Asobi Seksu, “Deep Weird Sleep”
Album: Fluorescence

Gorillaz, “Empire Ants” (feat. Little Dragon)
Album: Plastic Beach

Arcade Fire, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
Album: The Suburbs

Blondie, “Heart of Glass”
Album: Parallel Lines

Hercules and Love Affair, “Hercules Theme”
Album: Hercules and Love Affair

Casiokids, “Fot I Hose”
Album: Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar

Morcheeba, “Blood Like Lemonade”
Album: Blood Like Lemonade

Ellie Goulding, “This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)”
Album: Lights

Starlight Mints, “Black Champagne”
Album: Change Remains

The Oohlas, “Smart Parts”
Album: Small Parts

The Fratellis, “Chelsea Dagger”
Album: Costello Music

Spoon, “The Way We Get By”
Album: Kill the Moonlight

The Brother Kite, “Searching for the Light”
Album: Isolation

Modern English, “I Melt With You”
Album: After the Snow

Sondre Lerche, “Modern Nature”
Album: Faces Down

Tune in again next Monday for some "it's no longer winter let's party!!" tunes. 6 to 8 p.m. on Y Rock on XPN.

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