I was too busy mourning Ed McMahon to realize that we recently lost king of pop bro Michael Jackson, or MJ, or Jacko. Dag, yo. I feel sad and moved by the passing of an icon I haven’t thought about in a long time. Though an autopsy report has yet to be filed, I think [...]
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Because Spitballin’ About Michael Jackson Gets You Blog Hits
Summer Won’t Make Good for Múm’s Latest
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Artist:M�m
Remember when you first heard Múm and there was that trial period where you knew the music was pretty interesting but you weren’t sure if you could deal with that creepy voice? Well, turns out that banshee was holding up her share of the framework, because two albums after the departure of Kria Brekkan and [...]
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Sir Richard Bishop and Oaxacan - Swan Dive, Louisville - 6.24.09
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I’d like to be candid with you all before beginning this review of last night’s Sir Richard Bishop performance, saying that what I’m providing you right now is a piss poor concert review. It’s entirely possible that I might spend the majority of this review discussing how goddamn hot it was instead of the actual [...]
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Early Warning - Dinosaur Jr. Coming to Louisville in October
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My buddy Lizzie over at Production Simple shot me over an email yesterday giving me (and all you all) an early warning on Dinosaur Jr. rolling through town this fall. I’ve seen the might J Mascis before. They are, indeed, as loud as you’ve heard. They’re not My Bloody Valentine loud, but they are Mogwai [...]
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Insane Venezuela Psychedelic Post Rock for Your Thursday Afternoon
It was extremely interesting talking with Mario Anzola of Captan, Obvio over email. Captan, Obvio comes to us from Caracas, Venezuela, where Mario says there is virtually no appreciation for any sort of musical experimentation. In essence, these guys are on their own. This information totally intrigued me to listen to this record. What I [...]
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Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Only a few years into his career, understated folk alchemist Stephen Wilkinson aka Bibio already has three stellar full-lengths under his belt. That’s a tall order to add on, especially considering the most recent one dropped a couple months ago, but I guess Wilkinson doesn’t sleep, because his next installment is already prepped to go. [...]
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Last Call Film Festival with the Octopus Project - 6.26 through 6.27
Even more excellent events coming up around the corner! The Last Call Film Festival, at Old Louisville’s Rudyard Kipling, is one of the only film festivals in the country that does not require a submission fee. As such, I can only imagine some of the insanity that might creep up on the screen. However, the [...]
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[Bootleg] Oneida Live at Primavera Sound Festival
The mighty WFMU brings the goods once again, archiving a soundboard quality recording of Oneida’s insane performance at last month’s Primavera Sound Festival (known for its beautiful ambience along the Spanish Mediterranean and the location where Wavves lost his shit but I totally don’t blame him for it). The recording includes an Acid Mothers Temple-esque, [...]
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[Reminder] Will ‘El Jefe’ Oldham and Bachelorette Tonight!
Yes, Bonnie Prince Billy’s latest releases, Beware and his Among the Gold collaboration with Chyenne Mize, are excellent. But Bachelorette’s My Electric Family (The Deicbel Tolls review) is next level shit. This is your heads-up to arrive early to the show tonight at The Red Mile in Lexington. Doors are at 9 p.m. Get there [...]
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You Kids Like Tonality-Focused Ambient Music?
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Album:Tape Chants
Bay Area drone architect Gregg Kowalsky is one of Kranky’s newest offerings. Of course, Kranky is one of maybe four labels wherein if the skewed rectangle logo is present on any given album’s spine, said record will probably be blazin’. Kowalsky’s Tape Chants is no different.While I enjoy ambient music, there are very few ambient [...]
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No-Fi Rockers Plead the Filth
How can you pass on a band called Psychedelic Horseshit? These Columbus, Ohio psych-poppers are largely dismissive of the shitgaze scene that they are often lumped into, and talk their fair share of trash about its guilty participants. Core member Matt Whitehurst recently chatted with the Washington Post about the current state of lo-fi music [...]
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Save the Date for Sir Richard Bishop and Sapat
This will be a must see show. Sir Richard Bishop, supporting his latest beastly jam hive The Freak of Araby (The Decibel Tolls review), is coming to town with Oaxacan (who also serve as his touring backing band), and local reclusive freak folk collective Sapat. It’s all going down at a newish restaurant/music venue The [...]
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Louisville and Surrounding Areas Summer Fun Guide 2K9
Seeing as it’s June and the weather is getting hot, now is as good of time as any to present our woefully incomplete yet highly selective summer fun guide. I’m still pretty sore that I missed the amazing lineup at Terrastock last year, held here in Louisville (I was living in Chicago at the time), [...]
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Bachelorette - My Electric Family
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Christchurch, New Zealand native Annabel Alpers, known to you and I as Bachelorette, is a quiet, sultry force that you can’t even reckon with. Her debut for Drag City, and second proper album, has been described by a couple of writers as a sort of quirky “bedroom pop.” I wholeheartedly disagree. My Electric Family is [...]
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What Does the Billboard 200 Say About America?
If Wikipedia serves me right, election 2004 saw the birth of the ‘two Americas’ meme - blue state/red state, Democrat/Republican, Target/Walmart, patriot/commie, etc. It seems like so long ago… Joe Lieberman was a Democrat, Usher and Now! 16 (where are we today - Now! 42?) were topping the charts, and your house was worth more [...]
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Bloodsport, Shoegazing for the Punks
I like what I’m hearing on Nova Scotia-based Bloodsport’s debut EP Goodbye to the Holy Mountain. A moody, blacker than black dark pop collection of industrial chanties, Goodbye to the Holy Mountain is breathy and angular, somewhere between the fist-pumping anthems of Magazine and the concise shoegaze of Moose. The gloomy yet soaring “Japanese Democracy” [...]
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Win Tickets to See Bonnie Prince Billy and Bachelorette
Hometown weird beard Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is swinging through the area Saturday, June 13th in support of Beware and Among the Gold, and I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away. Even more exciting is New Zealand native and Drag City representative Bachelorette opening up the show. I’m downright in love with Isolation Loops. [...]
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[Bootleg] Black Moth Super Rainbow - Lexington - 5.19.09
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The folks at the blog Pretty Creatures have a pretty good audience recording of Black Moth Super Rainbow’s tour kick-off show last week in Lexington. Pretty pumped for their show at the Southgate House in Newport on June 21st. Hope to see you there! The rest of the tour:Fri. May 29 Los Angeles, CA @ [...]
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WFMU is Broadcasting Primavera Fest Right Now
WFMU, the freeform radio station that is the manifestation of everything good in the world, is currently broad/webcasting the most excellent acts from the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. Quite jealous, of course, that I cannot even fathom buying a plane ticket to Spain right now. However, I’m totally thankful WFMU has a high bandwidth [...]
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An Epic Reader Comment
Last Friday, The Decibel Tolls received one of the most epic comments I’ve ever seen on a music blog. This bro/broette had a lot to say concerning a rather controversial entry written back in September titled A Pox on Roger Waters. Coincidentally (or synchronistically, your pick), this argument against post-1971, Waters/Wright-helmed Pink Floyd was published [...]
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