DUM DUM GIRLS

It's blowing my mind how many new artists right now sound like The Primitives, one of my favorite late 80's shoegazer/pop bands who similarly kind of sounded like Jesus & Mary Chain. Dum Dum Girls are the latest to emerge from the pack (ie; Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Wavves, Vivian Girls, etc.)

With that said, this is some great stuff. Dum Dum Girls are actually one girl, a librarian from LA who clearly had a moment listening to Talk Talk. I should also mention the many comparisons that have been drawn to early 90's band Black Tambourine. Ironic that she has a forthcoming release on said band's label Slumberland. The debut CD is already sold out and the Catholicked 12" is nearly out of print as well. But check out tracks like "Don't Talk To Me", "Jail La La" and the heart melting cover of Sonny & Cher's "Baby Don't Go" here.

Catholicked - Dum Dum Girls

*****

And if you're not familiar with The Primitives or Black Tambourine, check out these videos...

The Primitives - Really Stupid (live 1986)


Black Tambourine - Throw Aggi Off the Bridge

In Shoegazer News - JESUS & MARY CHAIN, MY BLOODY VALENTINE

According to Billboard.com, Jesus & Mary Chain "...are now whittling down dozens of new songs to 12 or so for the new album." That 'new album', their first since 1998's "Munki", is tentatively set for a late spring 2008 release. Some tracks that could make the cut are 'All Things Must Pass', which they performed earlier this year on 'Late Night with David Letterman', and 'Dead End Kids', a track that was played live on their 2007 reunion tour. A label has yet to be selected to release the new album.

A new Jesus & Mary Chain 4-disc box set is expected to be released though Rhino Records in March. Kevin Oberlin, the manager of JAMC says of the collection, "There are some great finds -- demos of a couple songs, alternate takes and rare acoustic versions."


As previously reported, My Bloody Valentine are readying their first album in 16 years. It has just been announced that the set will be released digitally (ala Radiohead-style, though a price will be set) in 2008. A vinyl release is also being discussed.

**UPDATE** - The MBV album will not be released digitally and will be completely unlike the Radiohead approach with its release. Read more about this here.

IN THE WORKS: A Round-Up of Bands Going Into the Studio - Metric, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jesus and Mary Chain

According to a recent article in NME, JESUS & MARY CHAIN are finally making plans to head into the studio to record the long anticipated follow up their 1998 release "Munki". This is the best news I've heard...well, at least this week.

NME also reports that Emily Haines and her band METRIC have set up camp in Toronto, where they are already in the process of recording their next album. They apparently already have 15 songs written, which I find remarkable. Emily Haines has got to be one of the most prolific figures in music right now. Does she ever sleep?

You may already know by now that the YEAH YEAH YEAHS are doing two free shows Monday night at Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg for a very special audience of 250. The whole idea sounds like wonderful chaos to me. But even more exciting, the YYY's have announced the release of a brand new EP! No further details can be found, but chances are it will be released very soon.

COACHELLA COVERAGE

Coachella 2007 is happening now and reports of the first day are all over the internet. For those of you (like me) who stayed up until 3AM (eastern time) watching the simulcast last night, you probably agree that BJORK gave a spectacular performance, the highlight of which was the bleedingly urgent and apocalyptic version of "Army of Me".

The AT&T Blueroom simulcast is really awesome. My only complaint is the omission of some of the more exciting performers. Why no JESUS & MARY CHAIN?!!! Tonight they have REGINA SPEKTOR and ARCADE FIRE, starting around 9 pacific and midnight eastern.

For loads of reports, photos, and everything else Coachella, check out some of these blogs - Stereogum, ProductshopNYC, and Brooklyn Vegan.

In not-so-releated news, it looks like The Sky Report isn't the only one NOT at Coachella this year. Just yesterday I rode the L train into Williamsburg with none other than KAREN O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), who ironically headlined Coachella one year ago this weekend. She looked awesome. Try as I did, it was difficult not to stare at her.

JESUS & MARY CHAIN NYC!

Tickets for the two JESUS & MARY CHAIN dates at Webster Hall went on sale today. I got mine...did you get yours?

Countdown to Coachella part 1 - 11 Days...

This year will mark the first time in four years that I WILL NOT be heading out to the desert for the Coachella Festival. As depressed as I am about this, I still find the need to torture myself with this two week series, highlighting the bands that I would have caught during the three day weekend. Here goes...


THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Probably one of my top 5 all-time favorite bands emerges from a nine year hibernation to headline Day 1. "Stardust Remedy" is one of my favorite tracks off their last album "Munki", released back in 1998.
DOWNLOAD Jesus and Mary Chain - Stardust Remedy

*****

OF MONTREAL
Their recent album "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" is by far one of the year's best as of yet. But I still love the bouncy fun single "The Party's Crashing Us Down" from 2005's "The Sunlandic Twins".
DOWNLOAD Of Montreal - The Party's Crashing Us Down

*****


FELIX DA HOUSECAT
One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the 2004 release by Felix da Housecat "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever". Check out the track "What She Wants", featuring James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem.
DOWNLOAD Felix Da Housecat - What She Wants

For those of you who are lucky enough to make it to Coachella this year, please share your stories as I will live vicariously through you.

Coachella.com

(NOT SO) NEW VIDEO FRIDAY - Vintage 90's Edition

For lack of any exciting new videos this week, here are four of my favorites from the late 90's.

GUS GUS - "Polymovie"


LAMB - "B-Line"


JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - "I Love Rock N Roll"


FAITHLESS - "Insomnia"

STRAWBERRY WHIPLASH

In the wake of my current obsession with THE MANHATTAN LOVE SUICIDES, here comes another gem of a fuzz-guitar, JAMC-inspired band STRAWBERRY WHIPLASH from Glasgow. SKATTERBRAIN has a couple tracks for you to download. Be kind to him, he's pretty awesome.

Strawberry Whiplash on Myspace

On the Topic of Shoegazer

With the mind-altering news that JESUS & MARY CHAIN will be headlining Coachella this year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at bands on the current scene whose sound is directly influenced by the seminal band and/or the movement they came from.

The sound actually dates back to the 60's with THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. Many years later, 1984 to be exact, a new band exploded with a fresh new sound that drew elements of The Underground's heroin-tinged guitar noise. That band was Jesus & Mary Chain. But ultimately, the genre's most defining album didn't come out until 1991, when MY BLOODY VALENTINE's 'Loveless' was released.

Over the last decade, a whole crop of bands have found a niche in reviving the 'shoegazer' sound - ultimately fuzzy electric guitars, lots of drone, a melancholy voice and a hint of Spector-era melody - including, but not limited to BRMC, RAVEONETTES, AUTOLUX and THE KILLS. EDITORS and INTERPOL also incorporate the sound, but draw more heavily from the post-punk goth hues of JOY DIVISION and ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN.

More recently, a new wave of bands have come onto the scene, solidifying the power of JAMC's defining sound.

THE RADIO DEPT. - recently made famous by Sofia Copola's MARIE ANTIONETTE soundtrack, are as shoegazer as it gets today.

ASOBI SEKSU - at times this NY based band sounds like THE CRANBERRIES modernized, but their overall tone is one of dream-pop, a genre basically spawned by shoegazer, culminating in bands like GALAXIE 500 and COCTEAU TWINS in the early 90's.

SERENA MANEESH - Sweden has a thing for shoegazer right now. These guys probably hit the sound most on the mark as of late. Playing their CD is like stepping back in time to 1991.

DEERHUNTER - an Atlanta band that I discussed previously. Just today one of their songs came on and I thought it was CHAPTERHOUSE for a second.

THE MANHATTAN LOVE SUICIDES - their Myspace page lists a who's who of shoegazer bands as influences, and from the sound of their song 'Skulls', I can see why.

COACHELLA LINE-UP REVEALED, Blows Many Minds

They had me at THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN...oh my fucking God!

The added surprises of PEACHES, FELIX DA HOUSECAT, JOSE JONZALEZ, NEW PORNOGRAPHERS etc. has me second guessing my cross-country move to NYC next week.

Damn...I may have to move some mountains for this.

DEERHUNTER - Cryptograms

Another great new band from Atlanta...DEERHUNTER's new LP 'Cryptograms' will be released on Kranky on January 29. I'm really into the title track and I love that they so forthrightly admit their influence...THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, who are probably my favorite band ever...well, that's a big statement, but still...

Deerhunter website
Deerhunter on MySpace

Here's the video for 'Strange Lights" from the new album: