Band of Horses

I know it's been a while and I apologize. Last semester nearly killed me but now I'm enjoying a month off from school so I can focus on things such as updating this blog.

There's no doubt that Band of Horses was one of the most talked about bands of the year. Their album Cease To Begin has been all the buzz on music blogs and in music publications ever since the October 8 release. Their unique mixture of southern country and indie rock combined with Ben Bridwell's haunting and raw voice created a huge fan base that helped sell out their first headlining U.S. tour. I have to admit, I wasn't a fan at first but after listening to the album a couple of times, straight through, I was hooked. The songwriting is flawless and Bridwell's vocals blows me away every time I listen to it. A perfect example of this is their track "No One's Gonna Love You."

Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You [MP3]

The Voom Blooms

When I heard The Voom Blooms on the KEXP Song of the Day podcast, it was love at first listen. Their upbeat, catchy, and energetic brit pop/post-punk mixture led me to do some further research and here's what I found:

The Voom Blooms are made up of four English lads from Loughborough, George Guildford (guitar/vox), Thom Mackle (drums/vox), Craig Monk (guitars), and Brett Young (bass). Their EP, Nine Ships, was self-released and to my surprise, they have yet to sign to any record label. This hasn't held them back though. They've already made a name for themselves opening for the likes of Babyshambles, Boy Kill Boy, Larrikin Love, and The Paddingtons. After forming in 2005, major publications and radio stations such as Rolling Stone, NME, Radio 1, and BBC took onto their sound, causing their first singles to sell out within a couple days.

I am totally diggin' this band. They are going to be HUGE so please, please, please check them out!


The Voom Blooms - Nine Ships [MP3]
The Voom Blooms - By The Seashore [MP3]
The Voom Blooms - Aeroplanes at 3AM [MP3]

Here's their video for Politics and Cigarettes, my favorite song off of their EP:


Official Website
MySpace

Yacht Club!

Besides being an extremely attractive band, Yacht Club! has been rockin' the music scene in Oklahoma for the past year. Although the music scene in Oklahoma is still growing, Jay Caston (vocals/guitar), Patrick Wetwiska (drums), Scott Harper (bass), and Ian Tennery (keyboards) are starting to make a name for themselves. The catchy riffs and rhythms along with Caston's smooth voice make for a pleasurable combination.

I spoke to Scott Harper of the band and asked him a few questions. Enjoy!

How and when did you guys meet?
We started playing about a year ago. We all knew each other through various degrees of separation in high school. Patrick and I became friends in college and started playing in his basement. Soon enough we brought Jay and Ian on to complete the lineup. Pat and I were very limited in what we could do with two people and it became quite frustrating at times.

What are some of your major influences?
For me personally, I would point at bands like can, my bloody valentine, gang of four, the flaming lips, etc etc etc.. For us, we don't look at bands and say "let's write a song like (insert band here). We're doing our own thing but there are certainly times when I hear a song like future days by can and think "holy shit, how did they achieve this texture?" Little things like that have more influence than an overall sound of a particular band.

What's the songwriting process like for you?
Most of the time I'll come to Jay with ideas and things here and there. We'll sit at our space trying it out in twenty different ways until we like what we hear. The music normally comes before lyrics. It's very important to build melodies around the music, not the music around a melody. Like many bands and for better or worse, we feel vocals are just another instrument in the band. We feel its the finishing texture to songs we write.

What's your outlook on the Oklahoma music scene
The Oklahoma music scene is much better than people think. There are amazing bands out here that very few people know about. I could go on and on about bands like the Evangelicals, Colourmusic, Student Film, and El Paso Hot Button. Contrary to what the average joe would think, they're all making music just as important and moving as a band in LA or New York might make. There are also quite a few venues getting nationally touring acts at a much more frequent rate. Andy (of the Starlight Mints) is doing great things with his venue, the Opolis. My favorite record store, Guestroom Records, recently opened another store which is a good sign. The scene is a bit underestimated. Expect big things from bands here in OK!

What are you guys doing currently that we can look forward to?
Well our first EP entitled "The Third Floor" will be coming our October 12th and we're currently working on new material for the next EP. We're also growing as a band and beginning to gain a better sense of each other's next move which really helps when trying to piece together new material.

Do you plan to tour anytime soon?
Right now we're all finishing up school but we're looking to put together a tour this summer.

Any new bands you guys diggin'?
I've really been digging the new Evangelicals record and the new Animal Collective. Some other favorite new(er) bands are the Joggers, 120 Days, and Black Moth Super Rainbow.

What's makes Yacht Club! different from all of the other indie rock/pop bands out there?
I think one thing that may make us different is our camaraderie. We all genuinely like each other and playing music together. We like to think this comes off in our live show but if not, test us!! We'll hug and kiss until the sun goes down! (joke). But seriously, we have no predisposition to "out-cooling" anyone like you see in too many bands today. We're all approachable in our everyday life and wouldn't change just because we're on stage and you're not. It should never be any different in my opinion.

Like Scott said, the band will be releasing their first EP, "The Third Floor," on October 12. If you're in/around the Norman, OK area, I suggest going to their CD release party at Opolis. Support the the band and pick up a copy or two.

Yacht Club! - According To Plan [MP3]
Yacht Club! - How To Get Away Part 2 [MP3]

MySpace

Klaxons @ The Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS

Who is that studly, hunk of man above you ask? Why that is none other than James Righton of Klaxons. Thanks to my wonderful internship, I got a chance to attend their show at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS last night and it was one of the best shows I've been to in a very long time. The UK natives ran through their entire album, Myths of the Near Future and played an amazing show. With the crowd dancing and the infectious beats of their indie/punk/electronic sound, it was difficult not to join in.



The show was filled with many highlights including their performances of Golden Skans, Magick, and Atlantis to Interzone, but the most entertaining and memorable moment occured when two crazy/intoxicated Aussies joined the band on stage. This then led to half of the crowd jumping in stage and dancing. And as you can see by the pictures below, this was a very interactive show.

"Lawrence, KS - You guys are fucking crazier than Germany. I loved ever single second of it."
- Jamie Reynolds

Although the crowd at the Bottleneck was pretty thin, Klaxons did a wonderful job getting the audience involved. The band ended up praising both the venue, the fans, and the city of Lawrence saying "We're going back to England and telling our friends that you haven't played a show until you've been to Lawrence, KS."

After the show, I met the band and we discussed the show and when they were planning on coming back. I asked Jamie to bring their good friend Lily [Allen] (she canceled her show last year) and he said he would but after she sorts the troubles going on in her life. Hopefully Lily sorts things out and the come back soon. They are all very delightful.

Here are some classic Klaxons tunes for your listening pleasure:

Klaxons - Magick [MP3]
Klaxons - Golden Skans [MP3]

Official Website
MySpace

OFFICE

After reading last week's The Daily Graboid on The Yellow Stereo, I instantly fell in love with (and maybe became alittle obsessed) with the band, OFFICE.

Made up of five members, Scott Masson (vocals/guitar), Tom Smith (guitar), Erica Corniel (drums), Alissa Hacker (bass), and Jessica Gonyea (percussion/keyboards), these Chicago, Ill natives have been making regular appearances in music publications such as Filter and Spin and have been all the buzz on countless music blogs. They're music mixes 80s pop with today's indie pop and the end result is A Night At The Ritz, their first album with Scratchie/New Line Records, a 14 track album that is pure bliss. It's the kind of album you can listen to without touching the skip button. They're single Oh My has already jumped into my Top 25 Most Played on iTunes and it's my new ringtone. You may call it an obsession, but I call it love.

OFFICE - Oh My [MP3]
OFFICE - Dominoes [MP3]

Please enjoy their new video for Oh My. It's amazing!


Official Website
MySpace

The adventures of Via Audio in Lawrence, KS

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Via Audio, before and after their September 12th show in Lawrence, KS and it was quite the experience.

Around 5 pm, I headed over to my friend Lauren's house, where the band was staying. As I parked my car and checked my teeth for food, the nerves finally got to me. Was I seriously going to hang out with my favorite band? Yeah, yeah I was. When I walked through the door, Jessica and David were sitting on the couch petting Lauren's cat, J.T.T. (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) while Danny and Tom were at the park playing frisbee. We then decided to fill our empty stomachs with delicious Thai food. After dinner, some conversation, and taking a five minute walk around Mass. St, we headed over to the park for some pre-show jamming where we were eaten alive by mosquitos. Here are some pictures from the night:







The show was everything I expected and more. The band's energy radiated throughout the heavily wallpapered venue. Jessica's rendition of the running man dance and David's constant bouncy-ness added to their already lively show. One thing that really impressed me was the amount of talent the band had. It's hard to label each of the band members "the guitarist" or "the drummer" because each member knows how to play all of the instruments. Their performance of Presents was memorable, as was Oh Blah Wee, a song from Jessica's side project, The Stenographer's Alibi. If you missed this amazing show, here's a video of Presents:



Their new album, "SaySomething," comes out tomorrow, September 25 so please check it out! You can order one at
SideCho Records.

Updates, updates!

It's Labor Day weekend and I finally have some time to post. School has been overwhelming but I'm loving every second of it.

I got lucky and scored an internship with Hunt Industries, who book many of the shows in Lawrence. It's been an awesome experience being surrounded by music all of the time.

Enough about me, back to the music...



I was nearly hospitalized when I heard about this. My favorite band, Via Audio, will be playing at Jackpot on September 12 with White Rabbits. Tickets are $5. Please go, it will be amazing. And while we're on the subject, you can pre-order their upcoming September 25 release, Say Something at SideCho Records.

That's all I got for now. I'll update soon, I swear! In the meantime, enjoy these:

Via Audio - Presents [MP3]
Via Audio - Modern Day Saint [MP3]