New Frightened Rabbit track called ‘Nothing Like You’. It peddals along at a furious pace, searching for answers to the questions about girls and why they’re out of their minds. 

I’m off to a Grammy party in LA: day 3, you’ve gotta be kidding me. I don’t know how I scheme my way into these things, I have a feeling that just about everyone can sense that I’m not of their kind. Maybe I’ll be back with fun stories about Tyson Ritter dressed in drag at a Jersey Shore party. Wait.. that was last night. 

Enjoy!

Frightened Rabbit- Nothing Like You (Live Version Sessions)

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Hey there pals,
Turn your expectations meters down, it is Brooks again. Writing in the shoes of Andrea & Nada, I’m here to give a little shout out to my friend TJ’s band!

A few years ago, I took on the role of tour managing a band called Sydney. My first tour with them worked our way across Canada with some of the finest in Canada’s scene of those days. From West to East we had Ten Second Epic, The Holly Springs Disaster, Sick City, Sydney and Cancer Bats weaving our way West bound. Come to think of it Wish For Wings from Australia were tagging along too (long story). So many friendships were formed. We were so alive that summer. TJ plays bass in Sick City and was one of the nicest dudes I met that summer (not to say everyone didn’t rule). Winnipeg would have been a much lamer experience if it wasn’t for Sick City’s Motely Crue covers and pool parties.

Thanks to the wonders of modern day social networking, TJ and I have kept in touch here and there to see what was new. About a year ago he showed me some his new bands stuff and I immediately liked it. Of course my forgetful mind got sidetracked and I forgot to keep tabs on all there stuff. Then this week, on that little facebook chat thing, TJ popped up again so I could check out another new song. This is when I realized what I disservice I had been doing myself by not listening to them for the past year.  The band is called Hope Atlantic. The music is catchy, nostalgic piano based rock. There are soft elements and sing-a-longs. You basically have to be Ebenezer Scrooge to not enjoy it in some way.  Below is a little video comprised of footage of them recording and one of my favorite songs of theirs ‘Boxes’. Here is their myspace – Hope Atlantic

Until next time,
-brooks-

Although I didn’t exactly make the conscious effort to reside in the middle of the wellspring of the music and other cool shit, I guess I lucked out with Long Beach after my first attempts to find a home failed (Flordia, really?) Long Beach bands are most recognizeable by their denim on denim getups.. This is a real thing, someone told me I should be into it because it’s called the Canadian tuxedo. I knew there was a reason. 

Anyway, the other night I went to see Delta Spirit play at the Prospector- they were added to the bill the night before and still managed to pack the place beyond reasonable comfort level. It’d been nearly a year ago when my good friend Taylor, who works for the band, saved my friend Whitney and I from what would’ve otherwise been a sleepless evening in Austin, TX. These guys are awesome for too many reasons, they back Invisible Children and took us out on the road this passed year, they are about to put out an incredible album, and they can do full denim and still attract multitudes of babes. 

The show was awesome, and I’m writing this post mostly to annoy Alex Collins who wussed out from driving up from San Diego because it was ‘too late’.. They played a ton of new stuff, and despite the cramped space and sub par sound of the venue- their energy compensated for it. If you haven’t heard about these dudes, it’s like being invited to the protest rally where whiskey is the only drink being poured, rattling drums are pounding your ears, and the of soul incarnated out a coarse mouth and harmonica make you dance like you’re at a southern revival. Better put- it’s like if Dylan and Springsteen got awesome again.

Delta Spirit- Strange Vine

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Delta Spirit- Children

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Super exciting announcement- La Blogotheque is teaming up with my friends at Invisible Children to film a music documentary this March, ala their widely popular Takeaway Shows with The Polyphonic Spree and two other surprise bands in Uganda, Africa! There they’ll show the 24+ member group the devastation and the hope in the region, the film will include gorgeous performances in Uganda’s vast and scenic locale, along with exclusive interviews and raw footage.

They need YOUR help to make this happen. Go to kickstarter.com and pledge your donation to become apart of the making of this incredible film. For every donation, you’ll receive a piece of the film in the form of exclusive digital downloads, signed copies and even props in credits. 

This is a cool opportunity to get involved, help make a kick-ass music doc and show IC some love. Check out our Pitchfork Plug HERE! And watch the trailer below:

La Blogotheque / Invisible Children from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Phoenix covers Bob Dylan? Yes. This is what Dylan’s ‘Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands’ would’ve sounded like if he were a hip Parisian band. 

Click HERE to download the track. (I have to maintain my ghetto meter on this blog, I can’t have this track so easily accessible, otherwise you’d start thinking this was a real music blog

The sun was a warm welcome this morning, finally making it’s appearance after a week’s worth of apocalyptic storms in California- and I rode my bike around listening to some new stuff I wanted to share with you guys. I’ve cheated nature, you know- leaving Canada during it’s cruelest months- I’ll be due for a tornado sometime soon so that the universe can balance itself out. But for now, I’m enjoying the rays like a spoiled child complaining about sunburns. 

The following bands are dedicated to my friend, Andrew Collins for being an awesome videochat friend with only SOME OF THE BEST stories to tell me. 

Warpaint

LA’s Warpaint is like a living, breathing American Apparell ad. With low-fi videos dancing half-naked with sparklers and minimalistic shots. They are like beautiful hippie hedonists that kiss eachother, always have perfectly unkempt locks and body suits. And unlike most babely girl bands, their music is their redeeming quality, but should they entirely blow- at least their videos are fun to watch. 

jj

I’d like to think that this isn’t a case of Vampire Weekend, and that I genuinely enjoy the band jj because I immediately loved their stuff before I learned that they are super hip right now. I guess I’m just that cool, huh? Pshh.. you guys don’t even know. Anyway, they are a gorgeous Swedish band that recently signed to Secretly Canadian with their second album on the way. So listen to them… because everyone else is doing it.

jj- My Hopes and Dreams

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jj-From Africa to Malaga

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Heartsrevolution

Is this not the cutest song you have ever heard? Alright, so heartsrevolution isn’t entirely new, but I never really gave them a listen until just recently and they’re so adorable. This video is like a poor man’s Ambling Alp meets anything LIGHTS. 

Citay- 

I wrote about this band a little while back, and have been meaning to share some of their stuff with you. They’re very surrealist dreamy pop. I like ‘em!

Citay- Return from Silence

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Citay- Dream Get Together

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Bachelorette-

Hypnotic, expansive, sweeping. They’re cyclical, enough to lull you into another consciousness and make you do things like quit smoking. But, imagine?

Bachelorette- The National Grid

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Bachelorette- Her Rotating Head

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Small Black

I love this song. gahhhh!

Small Black- Kings of Animals

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I’ve realized that towards the end of this post I was at a loss for words (back story.. I’m incredibly tired AND ate way too many nachos.. also Brandon and the ‘fam’ are being disruptively loud downstairs) Enjoy!!

I first heard about Boy Without God on WGWB and I always love all the stuff he posts- so of course I was really digging this Boy Without God track called ‘City Kids’ and then, of course I was unable to throw it up here, so check em’ out and listen to that song. This one isn’t bad, and it’s kind of adorable, “if you play an instrument I’m probably a little bit in love with you”. This is the solo project of Boston musician Gabriel Birnbaum, and I am in love with his voice.

Gosh.. I used to play piano, I mean- does that still count? I could probably play it again if I tried. On that note, don’t you ever feel like time is like this elusive thing that just never stays when you want it to? If I had all the time in the world, I’d probably start a band with myself and put out a record and never share it. Or if I knew it was good, I’d say, ‘ah, they’re just demos, they’re not any good..’ 

Boy Without God- If You

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I made my triumphant return to San Diego this passed week and checked out A A Bondy at the Casbah- successfully blowing my mind and getting me nostalgic all at once. There is something about his coarse voice, his tired eyes, his soft face- it makes you feel bad for putting him through the agony of revisiting these songs, these places right there in front of you. But he does- he puts himself through it every night in every city. The only song that has a beat, a little blood coarsing through it is, ‘Killed Myself When I Was Young’ as he sings, “and I will come back someday, if I do not lose my way” and when he says those words he means them. He holds on to every syllable furiously. He makes you think about home and where that is for you, and the harmonica starts whailing and everything feels warm and you look around and see some of your favorite faces and you feel safe. That’s what his music does to you. Its the collective exhale. 

Afterwards we all stood out front and he was loading his gear out and he accidentally spit on my friend Noelle, which is hilarious and I really wish I were there to see it. No one messes with Noelle, good thing he meant no harm, that girl can hurt someone. I love Noelle. 

A A Bondy- Killed Myself When I Was Young

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New Cold War Kids video for their track- Audience off their latest EP- Behave Yourself. According to their Spinner Exclusive, Willet claims, “”The ‘Audience’ video is superior to any other video done by a sweet rock band in some time”. Touche.