A buddy of mine recently played for me what he said was an “advance” copy of The Dig’s “Electric Toys.”  (He probably called it an advance ‘cause he knows I won’t listen to leaks, but that’s how much he loves this band—he’s willing to lie to me about it.)  I’d never heard of The Dig before.  There was some band called Dig about ten years ago whose CDs were inescapable if you thumbed through the bargain bin, but this isn’t them.  (As I recall, that band’s album had what looked like a well-carved turd with a stupid face on the cover.)  This is The Dig, a straight-ahead indie rock band who managed to bring, on their debut album, a collection of tunes that are truly amazing.  One song is better than the other, making use of all the indie cred qualifications, styles, and techniques: They’re based in Brooklyn, but come from California and (get ready) Canada.  They waver, go loud/soft/loud, toss in a creeping baseline and bubbly
guitar that never becomes overwhelmingly intense . . . Tastes of Nirvana, Pavement, Spoon, U2, Gary Newman . . . I can’t tell you how much “Two Sisters in Love” rocked my world.  Except that then I heard “You’re Already Gone,” and my world was rocked even harder.

This is an amazing, amazing record.  Truly.

Try the free sample track, and get into it when it comes out in April.

You’re Already Gone

THE DIG  ON TOUR W/ PORTUGAL. THE MAN AND PORT O’BRIEN
3/13 Atlanta, GA The Earl
3/18 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
3/19 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
3/20 Pittsburgh, PA Mr Small’s Theater
3/21 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theater
3/24 Columbia, MO Mojo’s
3/26 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
3/27 Vail, CO The Sandbar
3/28 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen

1.  FLASH NEWS FLASH! Rumor is that before it even hits the screen, the Green Lantern movie is so good that one of its writers, Great Berlanti, has been tapped to make a Flash flick.  And the movie is on the (ahem) fast track.  It’s about time D.C. stepped up.  Of course, it may be too late.  If Kick-Ass is a hit, we may be seeing an end to unrealistic cape capers, and a movement towards neorealism.  (Which would be a boon for a Daredevil reboot!)

2.  LET’S RAP ABOUT CAP. Another rumor says that the Captain America has been put on hold.  I hope they’re firing the director.  The Wolfman sucked, and dude has not been doing the hero justice in his public discussions about Steve Rogers.

3.  GHOSTBUSTERS 3!(?). There have been dozens of rumors about a third “Ghostbusters,” especially around the time the video game came out last year, so it’s hard at this point to give credence to any of them.  But this time it was Bill Murray himself spreading the news that he’d come back for a threequel as the ghost of his character, Peter Venkman.  Who knows if it’s true at this point.  All I know is, Murray was fantastic in Zombieland.

4.  METRIC VS. SCOTT PILGRIM. Finally, a way to combine my two favorite things: Music and comics!  The soundtrack to the upcoming comic-turned-Michael-Cera-film ,Scott Pilgrim, features a band you’ve never heard of, “The Clash At Demonhead,” whose music is actually played by a band you have heard of, on this site, many times . . . Metric!  The band posted a song, “Black Sheep,” on their Facebook page.

5.  MOUSE GUARD. And in a paragraph for my wee ones, the exceedingly high quality kids graphic novel series, David Petersen’s “Mouse Guard,” promises to grow by two titles this year.  First, “Legends of the Guard” will be a gonzo book by Petersen’s friends and associates consisting of one-and-dones.  Second, “The Black Axe” will take place before the first Mouse Guard book and will feature the origins of Celanawe.  One of the Legends tales will be featured on Free Comic Book Day.  Now, when will the movie be developed?

6.  WANTED 2! Apparently, the movie is a go, sans Jolie.  She was hardly the best part about the first one, anyway, which I thought was a really solid action flick.

7.  MORE WOLVERINE! I guess Logan got jealous of all the Deadpool books out there, ‘cause they’ve announced yet another Wolverine monthly.  In addition to Weapon X, Wolverine, X-Men, whatever Avengers book he’s in, and Dark Wolverine.  Oh, and X-Force sometimes, too.  And guest shots.  What makes this one special?  Neal Adams!  I wouldn’t really associate his clear, muscular style with the gritty and dirty Wolverine character, but I’ll take a look at anything Neal does.  He’s a comic God, and he’s been out of the Marvel biz for about three decades now.

8.  PREDATORS. This summer will see the release of “Predators,” and all of my readers who will be at SXSW have a chance to see a preview screening.  It’s produced by Robert Rodriguez, which is a good thing if it’s produced by the dude who did El Mariachi and Desperado, but bad if it’s the dude who made that crapfest with Tarantino a few years back . . . And it stars Laurence Fishburne, which, again, points only to ambiguous potential.

9.  BATMAN AND ROBIN. And not last but least, a brief review of Grant Morrison’s B&R so far: I like the ideas.  The story is cool.  The villains are terrific throwbacks to vintage Bob Kane.  The art is undependable, but when it’s by Cameron Stewart, it’s great.  So why don’t I love this series?  Because, as usual, Morrison expects me to be able to read his mind (and/or know every little bit of Bat-lore) in order to understand the story.  Grant, all the elements of a story are well and good, but they’re just elements.  Story matters.

10.  I’M A BLACK LANTERN . . . WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO BE A LANTERN, TOO?  Done reading?  Go HERE TO find out which Lantern you are!

As an indie-only blogger with five years of webcred, I tend to have a very full mailbag.  I also have this psychotic feeling of obligation to listen to everything I get–or at least to get through the first track.  Sixty percent don’t get me to track 2.  For another twenty percent, I can’t make it through the whole thing.  Then there’s the remaining 2 out of 10, which get reviewed.  Here’s two.

First, I don’t know why I do, but I really dig the new EP from Ela Caspian, “Stars.”  It’s upbeat pop with few surprises, but it’s played well and it’s catchy as hell.  I always look on self-released material with more mercy, particularly when it is released for free, but I’m not sure Ela Caspian even needed such special dispensation.  It’s cheerful party music, with nothing to offend, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a little fun.

Get it at the band’s myspace page.

Stars (YSI)

The second free EP on the menu today is from Jon Hardy and the Public.  Their EP, “Sugar,” is also a free D.I.Y.  And it’s terrific. I really haven’t enjoyed an EP so much in a long time.

The St. Louis band has already established itself on NPR and in No Depression, so you also pretty much know it’s Americana just from the pedigree.  It seems like this is a genre that a lot of new artists play in–maybe it’s easy or something–but that makes it even harder to distinguish a special sound.  Jon Hardy has a great voice–he’s actually a singer–and the songwriting is tight and original.  The music does have that alt-country feel, but there’s enough indie rock in here to make it cool, and there’s no twang to tie it down.  Come for the great cover of “Where Did Our Love Go,” but stay for originals like Hold Your Tongue.

Here’s some samples, but I don’t recommend them.  I recommend going to get the whole thing for free.  Get it free!

Hold Your Tongue

Where Did Our Love Go? (Supremes cover)

I’m not sure that April Smith & The Great Picture Show really need my help promoting their D.I.Y. release, “Songs For A Sinking Ship.”  With April’s girl-next-door looks, come-hither voice, a feature on Daytrotter, and eleven tracks of good comfort music, the band is already on its way.  The music is retro in the extreme–think 1940s and dancing on the Titanic, but well-produced and with wider range and a great sense of humor.  Instrumentally, there’s great variety, too.  It’s not just piano ballads.  There’s an upright bass, a horn section (when appropriate), ukuleles, and accordions.

Drop Dead Gorgeous

TOUR DATES

• 2/08: Casbah—San Diego, CA *
• 2/10: Hi Dive—Denver, CO *
• 2/11: Record Bar—Kansas City, KS *
• 2/12: Off Broadway—St Louis, MO *
• 2/13: The Summit—Columbus, OH *
• 2/20: El Rey Theatre—Los Angeles, CA #
• 2/22: Great American Music Hall—San Francisco, CA #
• 2/23: Doug Fir—Portland, OR #
• 2/24: Crocodile Cafe—Seattle, WA #
• 2/25: Knitting Factory—Spokane, WA #
• 2/27: Urban Lounge—Salt Lake City, UT #
• 2/28: Larimer Lounge—Denver, CO #

* w/ Langhorne Slim
# w/ Fanfarlo

When you listen to Transference by Spoon, the most accessible experimental indie band in business today, you might say, “Wow!” Of course, you might also say, “This will be a great album when they finish it.” Transference has all the elements you expect: Urgent vocals, metaphysical and/or obtuse lyrics, a driving, pulsating beat, tight musicianship, distortion . . . And yet it’s very different from what they’ve done before. There’s no question that Spoon can craft perfect pop songs, but here songs suddenly stop or break left, suddenly and without warning. It reminds me a lot of the way The Beatles, on Abbey Road, used hypnotic rhythm as a way to lull the listener into a trance before jarring the composition with either complete silence or an extended jam. So it’s not that the collage style employed by Transference hasn’t been done before—but it certainly hasn’t been done this well in over thirty years. Unlike previous works, this is an album you have to listen to a few times before you’ll really “get” it. But please (please!) make the effort! It’s almost as if Transference, which is guaranteed not to please casual listeners and is likely to drum up criticism, is a direct response to the band’s wonderful but highly mainstream Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. And lest you think the band has forgotten how to make pop songs, play “Out Go The Lights.” The extended bass jam could easily be mixed out to make this a beautiful single (not that it should be, just that it could be), and other tight songs like Got Nuffin’ show the band’s still got their old skills. They’ve just added some new ones. I can’t recommend this album enough. Here’s some live versions of songs off the new album, and some covers, to get you in the mood to go drop a few bucks on the CD or download.

Who Makes Your Money

Written In Reverse

Rocks Off (Stones cover)

A Good Flying Bird (GBV cover)

Peace Like a River (Paul Simon)

Singer-songwriter and pianist Lucy Schwartz, L.A. born and based, has a little of the ToriAmosReginaSpectorKateNash quirk, but she’s more focused.  Her songs are tightly knit, with sad content and bouncy music.  It’s highly enjoyable, even if it doesn’t have a lot of gravitas, and catchy.  She’s getting play on a bunch of movie soundtracks by Sony these days, so she probably won’t stay indie for long.  In fact, this kind of accessible, high-quality songwriting is exactly the kind of thing that the major snatch up . . . And then squash the life out of.  Here’s hoping Lucy can hold on to herself.  The most fun part is at the end–her cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect,” which turns Aretha’s big, booming demand into a coquettish, sexy plea.

Respect (Otis Redding cover)

BONUS OTIS REDDING COVER!

Sitting on the Top of the Bay-Drive By Truckers

“Memento Mori” is the latest album from Washington, D.C.’s exciting and exclectic pop fivesome, Exit Clov.  They’re pretty well known around here, having opened for Kany West, Cloud Cult, Dr. Dog and Razorlight, among others, and having the could-be-a-gimmick-but-they-actually-have-talent fact that they’re fronted by twin sisters Emily and Susan Hsu.

The music is at first light and transparent, but there’s actually layers to this brand of pop music.  Quick, hooky and catchy but sightly off-kilter, Exit Clov are a band to check out!

District Menagerie

This is so odd.  I could swear I’ve reviewed Cosmo Jarvis‘ double-album debut before, but I don’t see a record of it.  Anyhow, it’s worth another mention.  It takes balls–big balls–to start your career with a double album.  And, incidentally, Cosmo promises to wash his balls if you’ll grab them.  Yeah, it’s lowbrow pop, all hooks and thumping beat, but it’s also a lot of fun.  It made me think of The Darkness with a brain, or Franz Ferdinand without one.  I really wanted to dislike this album.   I mean, it’s UK aggressive postpunk, laced with cheap profanity, sexual references, and well-designed to be popular.  But then, why would I want to dislike this?  This is what teens should be listening to.  If we could get to a place where all pop was like Cosmo Jarvis, we would show great growth as a species.

Jessica Alba’s Number

You Got Your Head

I have a question.  But before I ask it, I want to make one thing clear: I’ve listened to Vampire Weekend’s debut album quite a few times (I’ve played the song “A-Punk” 13 times, according to iTunes) and I enjoy it.  I also enjoyed Contra quite a bit.  But now that that is out of the way, here’s my question: Does anyone really love Vampire Weekend?  And by “love” I mean, does anyone feel an emotional connection to their music?  Does it move you?  Does it speak to you?  I find the music catchy and clever, and it definitely makes me tap my toes, much like The Talking Heads but without the R&B influence.  But David Byrne’s disaffected, disenfranchised pop still managed to connect–with moments of humanity (“Stay Up Late”), vulnerability (“Memories Can’t Wait”) and rebellious alienation (“Burning Down the House”).  I don’t get that from VW.  In fact, I often feel like they think they’re better than me–like they don’t want to connect, they just want to show how hip they are.  Like some of the kids I used to resent in college who never fought for anything but, nevertheless, had their own particular talents.  If I’m writing about it, I must have liked it enough to recommend it, so don’t take this all the wrong way.  The band is a lot of fun.  I guess I would have liked a little more substance to the whole thing, since the individual members clearly have so much talent.

That said, Contra is much like the band’s eponymous debut: It’s a collection of infectious, toe-tapping, perfectly timed and crafted pop songs.  There’s a little more Elvis Costello here than Paul Simon, making this album a little rougher (but only a little) and, in that regard, a little more interesting.  But if there’s one word to sum up the album it would be “cute.”  Very cute, charming pop.

Horchata (mediafire)

BONUS VAMPIRE WEEKEND!

Exit Music for a Film (Radiohead cover)-VW (mediafire)

Pina Horchata (Rupert Holmes vs. Vampire Weekend) (mediafire)

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend Cover)-Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip (mediafire)