This stylish all-girl foursome is one of the coolest things London has seen in a good while, and one more confirmation that in 2009, female artists will be the ones who make the most interesting music in the U.K. With impeccable haircuts and killer tunes, Ipso Facto have slowly but surely swept into the consciousness of the discerning indie rock fans back home. Their gothic pop (for lack of a better term) won't be for everyone, but it's worth a listen.
This looks like an AMAZING movie and I can't wait till it hits theaters August 14th!
The movie is all about the story of Elliot Tiberwho helped to make Woodstock '69 possible. The movie was directed by Ang Lee and stars Demetri Martin, Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, Watchmen’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano, Imelda Staunton and Eugene Levy.
It’s no surprise Alan Mcgee has championed this band — Hatcham Social sound like the most classic Creation Records band that never was. Too bad they arrived over 10 years too late … but those who love true, unadulterated indie music will simply love them. Glasvegas might have reached mainstream success with the Jesus & Mary Chain sound, but it’s Hatcham Social who got the tunes the Reid brothers would’ve killed for.
Compared to Bonnie & Clyde as often as to musical influences such as Jesus & Mary Chain, Dirtblonde are true outsiders, who play loud, raw and unpredictable gigs. They may have been the most rock and roll thing at SXSW this year, and they are quite possibly the best band from Liverpool in recent years. With an appearance at Canada’s North By Northeast already confirmed, it seems North America is bound to hear more from them in the future.
Sounding like a cross between The Distillers, Blondie and Siouxie & The Banshees, this London band is already spreading its name as far as Japan, and had their debut single mixed by Gordon Raphael of The Strokes fame. So far, very promising, and The DeBretts might have been one of the best surprises of this year’s SXSW. If you like simple, fun and spiky rock and roll, you'll love The DeBretts!
The Courteeners mix the macho cockiness of Oasis with a sensibility indebted from The Smiths. After becoming one of the success stories of 2008 in the U.K., with a No. 1 debut album already under their belts, they now seem to be focusing all their energies on breaking the U.S. with tour dates in March and April supporting their idol Morrissey.
Tour Dates (NOTE: All tour dates are with Morrissey EXCEPT March 28th and Coachella)
March 26 7:00 PM Carnegie Hall New York, New York March 28 8:00 PM Tribeca Grand Hotel New York, New York March 29 7:00 PM House Of Blues Boston, Massachusetts March 31 7:00 PM Michigan Theater Ann Arbor, Michigan April 1 7:00 PM Palace Theater Columbus, Ohio April 3 7:00 PM Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, Wisconsin April 4 7:00 PM Aragon Ballroom Chicago, Illinois April 6 7:00 PM State Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota April 7 7:00 PM Midland Theater Kansas City, Missouri April 8 7:00 PM Pageant Theatre St. Louis, Missouri April 10 7:00 PM Dallas Palladium Dallas, Texas April 11 7:00 PM Jesse Jones Hall Houston, Texas April 12 7:00 PM Bass Concert Hall Austin, Texas April 14 7:00 PM Chavez Theater El Paso, Texas April 15 7:00 PM Sunshine Theater Albuquerque, New Mexico April 17 12:00 PM Coachella Indio, California
So SXSW has come and gone, but I just wanted to take the chance to talk about the amazing British bands that made their way to Texas to preform. Every day for the next 10 days, Ruined By MTV will be showcasing (in alphabetical order, mind you) a British band that caught not only my attention, but should be catching yours too! To start off, we have The Answering Machine.
This Manchester band makes high-energy indie pop that’s heavily influenced by The Strokes. Whipping the British music press into a tizzy lately, they’re one of the most promising indie acts of the year. They are part of a new wave of bands from Manchester that finally seem ready to step out of the influence of Oasis and make a more contemporary sound.
Machester Orchestra, an up and coming band from Atlanta Georgia, have a new video out for their song "The Only One" off their new album Mean Everything to Nothing.
The band will have videos for each song off their new CD and will be releasing them one at a time in the same sequence as the album.
Tracklist: 1. The Only One 2. Shake It Out 3. I've Got Friends MP3 4. Pride 5. In My Teeth 6. 100 Dollars 7. I Can Feel A Hot One 8. My Friend Marcus 9. Tony The Tiger 10. Everything To Nothing 11. The River
It's one of those Sundays. You know what I mean, a lazy Sunday where you relax and put off the work that you've been putting off all weekend (or week, or month, or semester for that matter). Well you know what? Enjoy it!
SXSW officially began today, and I am so jealous of all those attending!
So I am a HUGE fan of Indie Rock Cafe. It's a great blog. They have helped introduce me to a lot of amazing music that I might not have found otherwise. That being said, they have a AWSOME playlist up for SXSW...it has everything that you need to get to know this year's performers. So instead of trying to make my own, I'm sending you over to their post here. You'll get everything you need to know, literally from A-Z.
And they'll link you here too (but just in case) here's a link to NPR's 2009 SXSW Sampler. It has 8 songs that you can get off of iTunes, including Thao and Blitzen Trapper.
I'm not going to lie, and I think it's pretty clear anyway: I am a HUGE Bloc Party fan! And if you are too, you know that following a new album release (Intimacy) is a remixed version. So, Intimacy Remixed will hit stores (online and offline) at some point in May, and it will have new versions of all 13 tracks.
Tracklisting for Intimacy Remixed 1 Ares - Villains remix 2 Mercury - Herve Is In Disarray remix MP3 3 Halo - We Have Band Dub 4 Biko - Mogwai remix 5 Trojan Horse - John B remix 6 Signs - Armand Van Helden remix 7 One Month Off - Filthy Dukes remix MP3 8 Zephyrus - Phase One remix 9 Talons - Phones RIP remix 10 Better Than Heaven - No Age remix 11 Ion Square - Banjo or Freakout remix 12 Letter To My Son - Gold Panda remix 13 Your Visits are Getting Shorter - Double D Remix
Bloc Party also just released the video for DJ Armand Van Helden's throbbing remix of "Signs." Be forewarned: at about 1:30 it gets a bit...shocking? Graphic? Disturbing? Probably all three...Let's just say that in the video, humans appear with all sorts of mechanical bits replacing body parts, from disco ball heads to audio jack faces to television dial eyes. So keep that in mind...(and this will never air on television I bet....the FCC would have a fit)
And don't forget, Bloc Party is in the midst of a North American tour! Click here for dates.
here comes Jack White with another band, but I'll tell ya, they have a great sound!
Jack White, Alison Mosshart (the Kills), Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs,) and Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) have joined forces as the Dead Weather. Mosshart will sing, Lawrence will play bass, Fertita will play guitar, and White will be on drums and vocals.
The quartet will release their debut album, Horebound, in June. It was recorded in just three weeks.
Head over to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs official site to check out the new music video for "Zero." I'd embed it here, but that's been disabled on most sites (after their entire album leak, who could blame them?"
See this is what I like to hear. How did An Horse get their first big break? Well the duo made up of Kate Cooper (vocals/guitar) and Damon Cox (drums/vocals) gave their demo to Sara Quin in December 2007 gig in Brisbane. And that all got the ball rolling: An Horse came to the U.S. to open for Tegan and Sara on tour and later with Death Cab for Cutie in Australia. This past Wednesday night (or Thursday morning depending on how you look at it) they were on David Letterman.
I love An Horse’s indie pop/punk sound and energy. Kate’s voice is raw which allows her Australian accent to shine through. I find that quality endearing - contributing to An Horse’s sound and uniqueness.
Give "Company" a listen...you'll see why the band toured with Tegan and Sara and Death Cab for Cutie.
Rearrange Beds (An Horse's debut) physical CD is in stores March 17th (you can already download it on iTunes). And if you're lucky enough to be there, get ready to see An Horse at SXSW!
Amy Winehouse (ew) cancelled, but there are five new bands added to the Coachella lineup:
Devendra Banhart The Chemical Brothers The Orb Murder City Devils Etienne de Crecy
Now I'll admit that I only actually listen to the Chemical Brothers, but all of the five new acts are certainly more than qualified, and I'm sure their fans are very happy! Plus, I rather learn about something new than hear Amy Winehouse any day. More bands may be added to the festival as the date gets closer. We'll let you know!
So I'm home in Boston for a bit over Spring Break, so I thought I'd pay a little homage to a local band, The Dead Trees. They now say they hail from Oregon, but back when they used to be Furvis, they played up their Boston roots....
Anyway, take a listen to one of their songs, MP3: "Shelter." It's one of my favorites off of their King of Rosa album.
The Dead Trees' combination of alt-country, indie rock, and unforgettable melodies is done in the best way - no fancy and slick production, just two guitars, background vocals here and there, killer drums, and an all round great performance. The band sounds like they are a product of the 1990’s Grunge scene that was rooted in the Northwest - their sound is a strong mix of grunge and classic rock and roll.
The Dead Trees really love music, and you can tell that they’re having a lot of fun with it.
Yeah Yeah Yeah have had to change a few dates around. Their new release It's Blitz wasn't supposed to come out till April 14th in the U.S., but because of the album being leaked everything has been pushed up. "Zero" was already available on iTunes February 24th, and now the album's digital download will be available March 10, with the physical CD up for sale March 31st.
Let's face it: Muse is an incredible band. Black Holes and Revelations was epic. I don't know about you, but I am very excited for their next release. According to Spin.com, "bandleader Matt Bellamy has revealed that the trio will incorporate an orchestra into their next release -- and possibly 'move away from rock all together.'"
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that quote scares me a bit, but I trust Muse dearly, and I'm sure that their next album will be brilliant. There's still no title OR release date, but just talking about it makes me all happy inside. Apparently the band is halfway done and will be touring this fall.
I realize that it's March, and March is supposed to mean spring and all, but that's certainly not the case where I am. It's cold! So I don't know about all of you, but I'm still in a wintery mood (not by choice of course...)
The music hosted on this site is intended to be used for sampling only. I hope that by listening to the music, you will go out and legally buy it. Go support bands and artists!
That being said, if I put up a song and you want me to take it down, email me at:
ContactRuinedByMTV@gmail.com
I just want to enjoy music and let others do the same.
