The Shout Out Louds are really rolling out the marketing tools in support of this February’s Work. After receiving an advance copy of Work, “Walls” was undoubtedly the single and stand-out track. “Fall Hard” is an interesting song in the mix . . . a bit mellow and more vocal cadence than most Shout Out Louds work.
The video for “Fall Hard” finds the band backstage before a late-night, european talk show, waiting to perform in the murky smoke of the show’s host
Shout Out Louds – Fall Hard from Merge Records on Vimeo.
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TrendRobot Rating: 9/10
Listen to “Walls” from the upcoming (February 23, 2010) Work
There are few bands that I get downright excited about receiving an advanced copy from these days. The Shout Out Louds, after taking a short hiatus in the latter months of 2008, returned to Stockholm to re-invent themselves on an upcoming project. Later, turning a barn into a full-on, musical temple, the band mixed-down what would become Work, to be released this February.
Work finds the Shout Out Louds in a different mode than they were on Our Ill Wills, but still as vibrant and angsty as ever. This track, “Walls”, has been on constant repeat since I received the advance. Review soon to follow.
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Listen to “Trouble Comes Running” from Transference
Spoon has become the stuff of legend. Throwing together post-punk/R & B styled rock ‘n’ roll from the 70’s, Spoon rode what was arguably the longest winning streak in modern rock history. From the storied battles with A&R managers nearly a decade ago, to their rise from Saddle Creek records, Spoon has always found a place in indie critic’s hearts despite being one of the most recognized bands in pop culture. A catalog of records on “best of” lists, the world over, Spoon was the band that could do no wrong. However, on their latest record, Transference, the band seems to be throwing the creativity-transmission into neutral and chose to cruise with what they’ve got. This isn’t a bad thing . . . it’s Spoon for god’s sake . . . but at some point, we’re going to get sick of listening to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.
Listen to Let There Be Horns from The Colossus
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Ladies and Gentlebots, RjD2 has a new album and if you haven’t heard it in the two weeks since it’s release, it’s time to get on the wagon. Or get down off it and boogie. The master of beats, drum slayer and beat maker is back, and has blessed us with his greatness. Opening with “Let There Be Horns”, it forces you out of your seat and demands that you boogie-oogie-oogie. Percussion is the name of the games, jive cats and kittens and RJ knows how to play it in spades. With solid sampling and delicious drumming this album will redefine your view of electric music and open your eyes to what you could have been enjoying all these years.
Including a sample of the ever enjoyable “Salad Fingers” in “Salud 2″, the album is replete with old and new, shiny and downright dirty… and the dirty is so so good. All at once soulful and robotic, this album is what the year needed to start out right. We can now expect so much more from a year with a beginning like this. Go ahead listen to it all, or, “Let There Be Horns” and then take some time to smell the “Tin Flower” where the album really hits it’s high, the kind of music you could walk down the street to in bellbottoms and star shaped shades, platforms and all. Enjoy. Do it for you, do it for me, just don’t do it for free, Artists like this are one in a million, they deserve your funding and believe me, they give back in droves. If you don’t know who RjD2 is already (FOR SHAME) get in touch and download his newest work, The Colossus available on iTunes for a mere 10 dollars. It’s going to be possibly the best thing you’ve done on the internet since you typed Trendrobot into your browser. After you’ve acquainted yourself with the new, get down to the old and start listening to Deadringer.
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I feel the quote from Yojimbo (directed by Akira Kurosawa… go watch it, edify) is especially fitting to introduce what is possibly the best comic I’ve read… period.
Vagabond follows the story of two young ronin. The main character Takezo and his semi-sidekick Matahatchi, childhood friends, have left home to become men of the sword. They separate, after Matahatchi takes up residence with a mother and daughter who take the young men in off a bloody battlefield. Takezo begins his journey on the path to becoming a legendary samurai. After returning home and being shunned he takes on a new name Miyamoto Musashi, who is based in reality. He is a legend in Japan, and was said to have won 100 duels consecutively. The story follows in the footsteps of the greatest samurai stories we have, and while it’s a story arch that has been told, and retold, and then told some more, it’s just as enthralling now as it ever was. Repressed love stories, sake abuse, and cold eyed swordsmen abound, and you’ll be asking for more at the end. Ending on a cliffhanger with each book these are impossible to put down, as I write I’m on book 4 after starting yesterday. It taps into the most simple human emotions and grabs them, twists them, and strokes them.
I learned first-hand last week how insane trade shows can be. When you get together an industry of hooligans, nothing but craziness is expected. Of course, what I was privy to was only the snow show (SIA’s first year in Denver), I could only imagine what a skateboarding trade show in San Diego would end up like. A circus, no doubt.
Every year, Volcom invites everyone to their mini ramp jam to highlight the ASR experience. A long, obstacle-ridden ramp, there’s a little bit of flair for everyone. Rippers like Chris Cole, Marc Johnson, Johnny Layton, and others always show up and bring down the house.
There are apparently best-trick formats for every part of the ramp. Besides the big winners, guys were handing out 50’s and 100’s every time something rad went down. I could imagine what it would be like to be snaked on this ramp. [SPoT]
Overall
- 1st – Brad McClain – $800 – who is this dude?
- 2nd – George Evans – $500 – kickflip from extension into ramp
- 3rd – Shawn Hale – $300 – killing it
- 4th – Gershon Mosley – $200 – bs heelflip 360 two feet out
Barrier
- 1st – David Loy – $1,500 – fs blunt on barrier and lipslide from barrier to lipslide on extension
- 2nd – Willy Akers – $1,000 – fs tailslide to fakie on barrier and fs smith on barrier to tailslide on extension
- 3rd – Timmy Knuth – $500 – fs nosegrind pop-out on barrier
Volcom Stone
- 1st – Shawn Gutierrez – $1,500 – C onsolidated’s finest did a fs 5-0 of f the Stone
- 2nd – Andrew Langi – $1,000 – fs smith to fakie on the Stone
- 3rd – Div – $500 – straight from Scotland to bs tailslide off the Stone
All results and video courtesy of Skatepark of Tampa
Amidst making the rounds for Transferrence, Spoon stopped by Conan on Jan 19th to drop off a performance of the blog-busting, “Written in Reverse”. This song has been lighting up blogs for the past 3 months and continues to gain steam. It is, perhaps, the best song off of Transferrence. Enjoy.
Whether or not 2010 will be the untimely end of the wonderful Yeah Yeah Yeahs remains to be seen. Recently the video for “Skeletons” has been making the rounds on the internet and has the band showing at least a little bit of life, despite rumors of recent, in-house squabbles.
“Skeletons” is a great, artsy, jaunt through a graveyard. Karen O and Co. haunting the graves as they triumphantly play their tune. Great imagery. Great video.
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TrendRobot Rating: 7/10
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Listen to “The Hardest Button to Button” from The Golden Filter
The glitz and the glamor of the New York music scene. Always first to produce a dingy, yet gleeming sound, the New York clubs are constantly buzzing with great dance music, and endless artisan renaissance. The Golden Filter, a two-piece from the big apple, thrive on sensuality, a “Yeah Yeah Yeah’s with a chaser” type effect. Lead singer Penelope Trappes croons over Stephen Hindman’s air-tight arrangements to create some beautifully accessible electropop. The band, formed in 2008, opened for The Presets on their 2009 United States tour and created quite a bit of buzz on the internet. Besides, covers are hot right now. The bottom line being though, whether or not New York wants the sound to be accessible . . . it’s too good to ignore.
The White Stripes has never felt more brooding and dark. The thumping of Meg’s drums gives way to Hindman’s soft-touch, house beats. Trappes whispers her lyrics into the voice module until you’re entranced into believing this isn’t a cover at all.
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Listen to “Analog” from Exile In Oblivion (2004)
TrendRobot Rating: 8/10
Sometimes there are days when the Zen stops flowing, and you just need to breath absolute fire. There’s a certain method to the madness of Jason Cruz, however, that breeds a calmness in his listeners. The fury mounting behind him, Jason Cruz has always fronted a revolutionary storm of punk-rockers, that, now, are starting to age into their late-twenties and early-thirties.
Being one of those nostalgic moments when you realize that you’re excited to listen to a record that you’ve already been listening to for 10 years, you wonder where the fire went . . .
. . . it never left. Despite releasing a few mediocre albums over the course of the last 5 years, Strung Out’s live performances are always sights to behold. Visceral madness, as chaos ensues in a dingy venue in the heart of a metropolitan area. Swaying like a vulture from the stage monitor, Jason Cruz has always been the calm, voice of reason in the madness. A channeling factor that focuses the force, Strung Out can still claim the title as kings of their land, the territory that barely separates band and audience.
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