The Arcade Fire- Neon Bible

You're gonna hear this album, you don't have a choice. Let's be serious: The Arcade Fire is the hottest thing to come out of Montreal since smuggled hooch in fanny packs of 18 year old debutantes. There's a good chance you've already procured this album in a decriminalized way and I applaud that, this album should be the perpetual background music of every American patriotic enough to not "wanna live in America no more." Overtly political, heretical and astute, this album is everything you were hoping for in this society of religious spectacle. Though the band may have a propensity for cliche imagery (mocking birds, diamond rings, rising tides), it's still great to see a band to stand up against religion and mock the MTV ideologues knowing full well that their videos will get plenty of airtime.There's a whole lot of cars in this album, whether we keep them runnin' or not whether they are travelling towards some hypothetical state of nature before war-mongering and Neo-Conversative bullshit. And yea, our country's kind of fucked, but indie rock is live and well. This album may seem polemical, but it seems about time that an Indie rock staple like the Arcade Fire made an album not only criticizing war and republicans, but the conservative Christians who've given them this unthinkable political sway. If this album is as widely popular and influential as I expect it to be, it portends well for a new politically motivated popular music that refuses to take any more closed-mind solipsism and paranoia. "Who still believes in choice? Not I!"Still, this album is worthy of forcing itself on the thirsty ears of all of us indie kids. Revolutions may be lies, but this album ain't lyin. Fuck you God, Way to go Arcade Fire.

Bad Medicine at the Campfire

While Bad Medicine at the Campfire isn't local in the sense that they are definetly not from Albany, they are from Detroit but they don't tend to get enough attention outside of their home town which makes them a local band somewhere. Luckily for us we invented the internet which makes everyplace the same place.

Anyway Bad Medicine at the Campfire is half country half indie rock 3 peice out of Detroit that play around a campfire for live sets (hehe not really). Their influences are something like Hank Williams Senior mixed with Modest Mouse and they sing songs about doing LSD and going remembering Vietnam and hating Chritians.

Unfortunately I don't have any mp3's to post of these guys or even someplace to buy their record from by they do have a myspace you can check out for now. I will let you know when there is a way to support these guys.

Canadian Show case

Previously I mentioned the amazing show I saw at the Ironweed Collective house and promised to keep you updated on the goings on there. In that light:
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Canadiana Showcase
March 3rd
6 o'clock potluck, show after
98 grand st.

March 4th
2pm show 383.5 Madison Ave.

from Montreal...

Sarah Mangle: Songs On the Banjolele
myspace.com/buysabear

Old Believer
Songster

Oh Lordy, Love a Duck!
Songs, Stories and the Like

and, from 105 grand, the Tin Horn Collective comes...

Inspacific's
Trash Puppet Theatre
with live musical soundstrack

please invite friends of All Ages to come by bike or foot

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So I think this is the same show twice (I'll update if I hear differently), once on March 3rd at 98 Grande Street and then a second matinée show at The Capital District Federation of Ideas Joint. I would guess that its going to be awesome and if you go, bring money to support the bands and the house although they don't always charge a covers its definetly a cause worth supporting with as much as you can spare.

Kitty Little & Mates of State

Local Prog-Pop-Punk rockers Kitty Little opened this saturday at Valentines for the organ and drums duo of the Mates of State. It was my first time seeing Kitty Little a band of much local repute who have been around for about two years. Their are a solid punk band lead by Matto (apprently he only has one name) who's all energy and talent. His high pitch classic pop punk vocals remind me of some of my high school favorites like Millencolin or Lagwagon. Their songs range from really interesting peices with influences ranging from the Pixies to Coheed and Cambria to more straight pop punk songs that I found a little bit less interesting.
Mates of State were awesome playing songs both from their most recent Bring it Back and their older cd (but my personal favorite) Team Boo. I'm not gonna write a review of the Mates of State, they were awesome and if you want to know more about them there a million reviews all over the internet. Instead I would like to mention h0w cool it is that Valentines is starting to get more and more awesome national indie bands stopping in on tour. Both Mates of State and The Hold Steady who stopped there a few months ago packed valentines upstairs with 300+ people. Just noticing, hopefully this is a trend that will continue.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines day to everyone (especially Christina), here in Albany and elsewhere in the North Eastern and adjacent parts of these United States we got (and are getting) a ton of snow today. If you are snowed in and don't have anything to do today I highly recommend spending at least a little bit of time watching the Valentimes day episode of Teen Girl Squad.

Also since this is a music blog I figured I would also post an appropriate song to share with your valentine today.

mp3:Jeff Mangum - I Love how you love me
a Phil Spector Cover from Live @ Jittery Joe's

You can buy the rest of that amazing album here.

The Press Rock Albany

Its easy to underestimate Albany, sometimes it seems like there isn't really much going on, but the more you look the more you find. Like last weekend I found out about the Ironweed Collective house in downtown Albany which apparently regularly hosts awesome house shows (I will do my best to post any of their future shows here). I was fortunate enough to catch the The Press play there last saturday night with Oddy Gato, and Zahnarzt.

After a slow start on the first song these guys put on the best live show that I have seen in months, and had everyone in the house dancing about . According to their myspace page The Press sounds like this:















I think its a pretty accurate description, their influences seem to include at least Q and not U, Modest Mouse, CYHSY and maybe the Wolf Parade but they are anything but derivative. Their live show is a high energy group effort that has each band member singing at some point. If you ask me these guys are destined for greatness and if you live in the north east you should definetly try to catch them this month

eb 13 2007 8:00P	The Dover Brickhouse	Dover, New Hampshire
Feb 16 2007 8:00P	Manchester American Legion Post 102	Manchester, Connecticut
Feb 24 2007 8:00P	Matchless Bar	Brooklyn, New York
Feb 25 2007 8:00P	Spark Art Space	Syracuse, New York
Mar 2 2007 8:00P	Cousin Larry's	Danbury, Connecticut

before they head around the world for a bunch of dates in Australia.

mp3:Three point Three

You can also get a few more songs at their myspace.

Oddy Gato - Goldslinger (the mix tape)

Oddy Gato spits in the classic genre's of tragedy and comedy and he does them both very well. The 14 track Gold Digger mixtape runs only 24 minutes long but its brevity plays in its favor by keeping the listener paying attention to what Oddy is going to say next.

Although it is not the most technically impressive CD of all time (its only a mixtape after all) some of the beats are real cool and its the honest expression and outlandish lyricism really make this album. Its definetly worth getting your hands on if you get a chance to see Oddy and its only 3$.

For your aural pleasure I have two tracks the reprsent Oddy's Tragic and Comic sides.

mp3:Little Carlos
mp3:Great Grammas House

Scientific Maps - Get off the Moon

The Scientific Maps took their time putting their record out, It was purportedly recorded over a two year period in guitarist/singer Aaron Smith(also of Evolution Revolution)'s basement. I have only been aware of the band for maybe a couple months after a chance encounter while playing music on the streets of Albany but apparently they've been around for at least long enough to win the Metroland's best Pop Band in 2006.
The scientifc maps have a modern pop sensibility a kin to some of the bands affiliated with the Elephant 6 Collective like Apple's in Stereo or Of Montreal and the CD is sprinkled with screaming, wierd synth and theremin. With lyrics ranging from semi autobiographical (Halloween 1985) to silly (the Octopus is going home) this cd is an impressive display of the band's depth with a good number of songs that I've never seen them play live.

The Cd will soon be available here. I think. At least it says so.

In the mean time you can check out these sick mp3s.

mp3: Headstone Amplifier
mp3: The Octopus is going home