Dr. Dog Cover Architecture in Helsinki

In a publicity stunt of sorts, Australian band Architecture in Helsinki have not only commissioned 2 remixes for their upcoming single, "Heart It Races," but they've also outsourced three covers of the song. One of my favorite bands of this year, Dr. Dog, participated in the project and I feel they've delivered the winning version. While the other two bands, Soft Tigers and Hey Willpower! mimicked the danceable beat, Dr. Dog splashed on their own style. Listen to it for yourself:

Coming Attractions: No Age

Another band on tonight's Echo bill has caught my attention today: L.A.'s very own No Age. Dubbed as one of the 'Gum's Bands to Watch, the two piece play a fast paced garage rock frenzy. I've read that it's called "Art-punk," so hey - whatever makes it sound cooler. This is their new video that just hit YouTube for their song "Boy Void." The song comes off their upcoming release Weirdo Rippers via Fat Cat Records. With all the buzz surrounding this release, it should be interesting.

Weekend Concert Roundup: Los Angeles

Friday, June 1st
Deerhoof, Autolux @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Matt and Kim, No Age, Japanther, Mika Miko @ The Echo
The Raveonettes - Special Electric Duo Show, Midnight Movies, The Meek @ Spaceland

Saturday, June 2nd
The High Strung, Brimstone Howl @ Spaceland
Pretty Girls Make Graves @ Glass House
Japanther, DD/MM/YYYY, The Pope @ The Smell

Coming Attractions: Japanther

Brooklyn two-piece, Japanther makes there way into L.A. tonight and they're bringing their noise with them. Don't let the stripped down drum and bass/synth combo fool you, because these guys pump it out. Utilizing tape loops and lo-fi recording techniques, Japanther have made a name for themselves with self promotion and a DIY attitude. They're taking over the opening duties for tonight's Matt and Kim show at the Echo and I can't wait for the high energy set. This homemade video is of the song "Divorce" and comes off the Operating Manual for Life Here on Earth EP. They will also be playing The Smell downtown tomorrow night.

June Mix - 1. Kanye West - Jesus Walks

Nothing says summer like Kanye's smash hit, "Jesus Walks." The first time I heard this song was my first day at work for the summer of 2004 just having moved home from school. Yes, I know this CD was out months before that, but I hesitated to jump on the Kanye bandwagon. This wasn't technically the first single off the record, but I feel this was the song that put Kanye on the map. Anywhere you turned that summer, you could hear this song on the radio, blasting out of cars, at the swimming pool, or anywhere else that pumped out the jam. The tempo and urgency of the song I feel will set a nice tone for the rest of the mix.

June 2007: Summer Anthems

In honor of it being June, the month that summer really kicks off for all you highschoolers and people still on quarters, this month's theme is going to be Summer Anthems. I'm going to try to keep it sort of broad - songs that may not have necessarily been released in the summer months, but got a lot of play during June, July, or August are all fair game. This is going to be a mix full of "that one song" that everytime you hear, it takes you back to those months when homework and long pants weren't an issue. Every song needs to be one you'd blast out your car stereo with the windows down.

May mixes can be downloaded at Rapidshare in .zip format, or you can request a hard copy via email.

Blowin' Up: Coltrane Motion

Everywhere I've turned on the internet this week, I've seen these two words: Coltrane Motion. I finally gave in this afternoon during my lunch break and looked up a couple mp3's to listen for myself and find out what everyone has been writing about. The Chicago band is basically made up of songwriter Michael Bond who plays "everything" with a couple others lending musician hands for live performances. He's been putting out records since 2000 and everything I've heard so far is pretty sweet. Their press statement describes them as, "heartbreak you can dance to, booty breaks dipped in indie guitar fuzz with a mess of synths, samplers, & laptops tearing it all to pieces." You can listen to it for yourself right here:

"How To Be"

"Twenty-Seven"

Both songs come off of Coltrane Motion's 2007 Datawaslost Release, Songs About Music. For more info check out their MySpace page.

Brand New Heartless Bastards Video and Tour

On the heels of announcing their Austin City Limits inclusion, Cincinnati's Heartless Bastards have released their plans for the rest of this summer as well as a brand new video for their song, "All This Time." This song is one of my favorites off the new record (out on Fat Possum) and the video is done pretty well too. During the choruses, the video borderlines Target advertising, but it's still well produced. This video leads me to believe that these guys are going to start blowing up Black Keys style, but I guess only time will tell. Their tour continues tonight in North Dakota and spans the Midwest and East Coast before ending in Chicago for Lollapalooza and Austin for the aforementioned ACL.

Blowin' Up: Sonny Jim

Every blog I've found this clip of Sonny Jim's "Can't Stop Moving" on is calling this the song of the summer - and it's not even June. With a great Jackson 5 sound-a-like sample (and video) you really can't go wrong. This reminds me of a less ADD version of Girl Talk, which can either be a good or bad thing. There isn't much to it, but what there is a great beat and catchy hooks (and that's really all you need, right?) Check out Sonny Jim's MySpace for the whole story, and check out the song "I'm So Heavy" - it's hilarious. The "Can't Stop Moving" single is out on Rough Trade Records.

Modern Cover Songs - Moscow Coup Attempt

This is a cover of the Joanna Newsome song, "The Sprout and the Bean." This is the song that introduced me to Joanna Newsome and it's still one of (if not my most) favorite of her tracks. This cover by Moscow Coup Attempt is pretty spot on. Vocals are sang by Vera Ostrova and she does a good Newsome impression. I almost wish that the vocals would have gone in a different direction than emulating the original (like Colin Meloy's version of Bridges and Balloons), but overall I'd say it works pretty well. The video is either really poignant or just artschool drivel, I haven't figured it out - but I always love hearing covers of modern songs.

May Mix - Honorable Mention - Boyz II Men - End of the Road

I know I promised this song to a couple people to end the mix, but I like the Sufjan pick better. This song had pretty much left my consciousness until about a couple months ago when it ended a drunken evening at a Hollywood 90's night. So here it is in full video glory for your viewing and listening pleasures. This is quite possibly is 3/4 timing in it's most perfect form.

May Mix - 15. Sufjan Stevens - The Transfiguration

So this is the final song for May, and it comes by way of Mr. Sufjan Stevens. I already had a different song planned for the finale of the mix, but I was listening to Seven Swans yesterday driving home from work (since Sufjan has been in the news lately.) I realized that my favorite song on the album is in 3/4 timing and it just so happens to fit in our slot nicely. "The Transfiguration" is a slow building song that starts off with solo banjo and ends with a plethora of Sufjan instrumentations - the perfect endcap. The mix will be presented in .zip format for easy downloading (I'll provide a link tomorrow once I upload it,) burned CD's for people that prefer a hard copy, and of course cassette tape for those who really mean business. I don't mind mailing a few out, so let me know if you're too lazy to make your own hard copy.

Band You Need to Know: The Teeth

So, (to borrow a D. Deacon phrase) I really shit the bed in the New Releases department this week. But as far as I'm concerned the only release this week that matters is You're My Lover Now by The Teeth (sorry to all of you R. Kelly fans.) The Teeth, who are a Park the Van Records staple make music that is fun, gritty, and their own unique throwback style. Over the past year or so, I've fallen in love with the Park the Van aesthetic with bands like The Teeth, Dr. Dog, and The National Eye. All of these bands have their own one-of-a-kind sound to them. For the past few months, their MySpace has been streaming a couple of the new tracks, and I have been impressed. Check out this standout track called "Ball of the Dead Rat." They are slated to play the Echo with Dr. Dog(!) on July 12th.

New New Pornos - My Rights Versus Yours

It seems like only yesterday that the last New Pornographers' record Twin Cinema came out and now it's already time for another release. The new record, Challengers is shaping up to be quite a followup with cool artwork and a Destroyer cover planned. Here is the first listen of anything heard off of it, and it comes by way of a tune called "My Rights Versus Yours." The song itself is full of the same stuff that make the New Pornos great: fantastic melodies, catchy guitar riffs, and compelling lyrics. This is getting me excited (maybe a little too early) for the upcoming release.

May Mix - 14. Beirut - Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

Zach Condon's interesting songwriting contains a handful of songs in unusual time signatures and I picked this one as my favorite in 3/4. "Mount Wroclai" comes from the 2006 release, Gulag Orkestar and displays Zach's ability to play a good number of the instruments on the recording. This song has a nice build to it and I think it works great as a lead in to the last song on the mix - which will be announced tomorrow, completing our month of May. You can hear this song in its entirety at the Beirut MySpace site. If you don't know this band yet, I suggest making yourself familiar because I have a feeling that the next album that they are in the midst of recording is going to own.

Coming Attractions: Matt and Kim

I'm getting pumped for this weekend's featured show, Matt and Kim Friday at the Echo and I wanted to post a video of theirs. This vid comes from an outdoor BBQ in New York that they played last summer and showcases their quirky style and knack for goofiness. I love the chuckles they get when Kim starts playing a turned over bowl as her ride cymbal. Matt and Kim hail from Brooklyn and are currently on a nationwide tour supporting their new self-titled full length. They're playing three L.A. dates this week starting tonight at The Smell, tomorrow in Long Beach, and then Friday at the Echo. Check out their MySpace for more tunes.

In Other Sufjan News...

This video comes from Daily Motion and is part of La Blogotheque's coverage of the MusicNOW Festival in Cincinnati. This is Sufjan Stevens' beautiful cover of The Innocence Mission's song "Lakes of Canada." The surreal video is shot on the roof of Cincinnati's Memorial Hall during a chilly Ohio April. Without safety nets!

New Sufjan Stevens - In the Words of the Governor

I know I'm pretty much just recycling Stereogum posts at this point, but this song is worth the reposting. This recording comes from Believer Magazine's forthcoming compilation CD. It came via the 'Gum this morning as a world premier and I still am kind of confused with it. I really like this song, and I think the garage rock direction is interesting, but it really isn't the reason I listen to Sufjan. I wonder if this is how people felt when Dylan went electric? It does really show how wide of a range he has genre-wise and is impressive either way. Anyways, it's about as interesting as things get on a Monday morning at the office, so give it a listen (or two) and let me know what you think.

Go here to listen, and to see the tracklist for the rest of the Comp.

New Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothin'

I've been reading a lot of haters talking shit about this song, but I kind of like it. Yeah, it's probably a poor choice for his first single, but I think it showcases a lot of the reasons I (and lots of other people) like Kanye. It has a sweet sample and beat, heartfelt lyrics that are a tad preachy but still relevant, and it has that patented Kanye swagger. The only thing I have with this single is that it isn't more upbeat and energetic. But I remember feeling the same way about Diamonds a couple years ago, and then Golddigger blew my mind, so I have faith. This is making me really pumped for Graduation to hit stores.

May Mix - 13. Rilo Kiley - A Better Son/Daughter

The 13th song for May comes from L.A. band Rilo Kiley's 2002 Saddle Creek release The Execution of All Things. I had a feeling that they had written a couple songs in 3, but I didn't go back and listen to them all, (so thanks Colin.) This is one of the classic RK songs from what has become my favorite album of theirs. Being their only release on Saddle Creek, this one sticks out somewhat from the others because of the production guidance from Mike Mogis. I feel that this album is a little more interesting with arrangements and instrumentation than other Rilo Kiley releases - and I have a good feeling that this is Mogis-influenced. This song has a great moment where the drums come crashing in after a building, yet subdued beginning. These are the moments that Jenny and Blake's songwriting has become known for. Saddle Creek has know claimed over 1/5 of this mix. Only two more songs to go.