Hello music-likers,

Did you guys have fun this weekend? Yes? Why’s that? Went to a party? Oh.
Awesome. When was that party? Friday? Oooooooh. I get it. Wink wink, nudge
nudge.

It’s a weird week for musics. I am tired from work, and we’re gonna get
through this. I have two more meetings to go to before I get to eat
dinner. No time to dink around, friends.

1. Frog Eyes – Tears of the Valedictorian (Absolutely Kosher)
This is one of them Spencer Krug bands (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown). He’s
not chief songwriter, but if you enjoy the theatrics of those other bands,
this may have a little ear-hug for you. Frog Eyes is sort of a halfway
point between Wolf Parade and Xiu Xiu. The indie song-styles of Wolf
Parade, but with some (SOME) of the histrionics and artiness of Xiu Xiu.
This release actually seems less over-the-top than past Frog Eyes
releases, which may have them finding new fan recruits. Recruits in the
Frog Army. An amphibian fighting force of undying loyalty to overly
theatrical indie-rock. (Fun fact: I was salutatorian of my Junior High. I
was close to being valedictorian, though. Do you think I’m smart now? I
need you to think well of me. I NEED IT. I NEED IT.)

2. Karl Blau – Dance Positive (Marriage)
OK. Facts. There was this band called “D+”. It had Karl Blau, Phil Elvrum
(the Microphones/Mount Eerie), and Bret Lunsford (Beat Happening) in it.
They are all from Anacortes, Washington. Karl Blau puts out a MONTHLY CD
in a mail-order club called “Kelp”. For the January edition, he took a
selection of lyrics written by Bret Lunsford and re-recorded them,
transforming them into a bizarre organic-electro hybrid (heavy on the
organic) that only a guy who rolls with Phil Elvrum could really come up
with, and released it on Marriage Records. It’s like an ocean-bottom dance
party up ins. Wanna get your boogie on with some fish? It is my
understanding, darling, that is is bettah down where it’s wettah. Take it
from me.

3. XBXRX – Wars (Polyvinyl)
I don’t know if this CD is going to get any play. It’s a hard left turn
from a lot of the stuff I add/you guys play. If you’re unfamiliar, XBXRX
is some sort of hybrid of, in my mind, Gravy Train!!! and the Locust. The
type of band that opens for the likes of Holy Molar and Peaches. One of
the members, Vice Cooler, is the force behind Hawnay Troof, whose
hypersexual electro-fuck anthems you may be familiar with. XBXRX has
frothing youth-energy and synthesizers and noise and so on, in that
fashion. This is a less new/no-wave affair than some of their previous
work, having more guitars and such, possibly due to the inclusion of
Weasel Walter (Flying Luttenbachers) into the band. I’m just naming bands
and people at this point. Sorry. Funfact: Wesley Willis wrote a song about
this band. God rest his soul.

4. Feist – The Reminder (Cherrytree)
It’s totally pretty lady-singin’ and romantic and emotional and such. (Hey
guys! It’s the new Feist album!). Not to be confused with Faust. That’s
something different.


5. Pterodactyl – Pterdactyl (Brah)
The “Brah” imprint of the Jagjaguwar umbrella is fronted by members of
Oneida, and specializes in ROCK. It’s a sort of fun, drunken,
tongue-in-cheek type of thing. I believe their slogan is “If it doesn’t
suck, it’s probably not on Brah.” I mean. Shit. The label is called “BRAH”
for God’s sake. Anyway. The band. They come out of Brooklyn and the label
compares them to Racebannon, Boris, and Hella. Meaning: it’s a nimble
little noise-making post-punk rock outfit. It’s not nearly as heavy as
those three band comparisons will let on, though. Knowing that Oneida
fronts the label, adding in influences by those bands, you can probably
mentally calculate what this band sounds like. It’s pretty durned legit. I
hope you cats like it. You won’t. But. I hope you do.

6. All Smiles – Ten Readings of a Warning (Dangerbird)
New project of the guitarist from Grandaddy. That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.