Christmas in April: Saturday is Record Store Day!

As many of you are aware--this Saturday--April 17--is Record Store Day. What does this mean? Many great things! Labels big and small, like Seattle's prolific and always reliable Sub Pop, put out special edition vinyl to get us music nerds to spend our dollars at our local shops. Everyone wins! Also, it is a day full of some kind of incredible artist in-store appearances, gift bags, and a multitude of other special surprises. Here's SFCritic's handy guide to the highlights of Bay Area Record Store Day 2010. The weather report calls for sunshine, so walk or bike around and get some good stuff. Don't forget to bring your own bag (we keep it green).

Complete National details and listings here.

Ameoba San Francisco
Charlotte Gainsbourg (signing)
Jonsi of Sigur Ros (performance)

Aquarius Records
A great selection of rare releases.

Creative Music Emporium
Lots of contests and giveaways!

Forces of Habit Records

Medium Rare Music

A&R: The Music Submissions

It's full-on San Francisco springtime, and this week SFCritic has been listening to some totally weather-worthy EPs out of the UK. Sip something, sun yourself, and check out the goods.


Building Pictures - Joey and the Moon EP

John Gribbin, a 23 year old from Northern Ireland, is the one man behind the band, Building Pictures. Joey and the Moon is his second EP release, though he has been writing in the UK and Brooklyn for other artists, while doing gigs for various bands. There are no surprises on the EP, just good songwriting and subtle touches that make each song distinct from the rest. It's full of the kind of songwriting and earnestness, barely scuzzy-sounding guitars, and slacker vocals that make an artist destined for shoe-gaze stardom. "I'm Serious" has harmonies and a catchy chorus, while "Building a Picture" (calm down, Gribbin) is the kind of coming-of-age ballad most people ruin. Nothing is ruined on Joey and the Moon--doing just enough to stand out from the pack of male singer-songwriters and not much more. It won't inspire raves, but boy is it likable.

Sounds Like: Jamie T's less street-wise little brother. (Note: Check out Jamie T.)
Listen To: I'm Serious, On Our Own


Bare Threads - Wasted Nights EP

Bare Threads is a Bristol-based, bluesy rock band. Their latest release (March 29th) Wasted Nights EP was released on their own label Beats Harder recordings. The vocals, provided by the lovely Joanna Bennett, are totally lounge-worthy and supported by the richness of a stand-up bass and a trumpet. The one aspect lacking on the recording is the recording itself. The songs come off a little muddled and far away. On some tracks, like on the more electric "Under Your Shoulder," it's as if Bennett's sultry voice is floating through a smokey jazz club or across the lawn at an outdoor concert. The whole EP could benefit from higher production standards. Wasted Nights is an expression of Bare Threads' DIY ethos, acting as the kick-off for a Bare Threads-created ongoing collaborative art and music project. The artwork brief for the EP is available here.

Sounds Like: Letters to Cleo for the jazz inclined.
Listen To: Wasted Night, Under My Shoulder

Upcoming Concerts 4/7-4/14

I hate to say it, especially since there are some great shows this weekend, but save your pennies (and stamina) for next week. On route to Coachella (in LA), SO MANY good bands will be coming through San Francisco both before and after the festival. At SFCritic we will be binging on a feast of bands...

We are Wolves @ Bottom of the Hill. Friday April 9th, 9pm ($10, AA)
Montreal-based indie rockers bring their pared down sound to one of SF's best little venues. If you haven't heard them yet, this is a great place to check them out.

Spoon with Deerhunter @ Fox Theater April 13th, 7:30PM ($32)
The Austin, Texas-based Spoon began as an indie rock band heavily influenced by the jarring melodic dissonance and loud-soft dynamics of the Pixies, but by the early 2000s had developed its own sound and style owing as much to angular British punk-era bands like Wire and Gang of Four as to the music of the Nineties alternative boom.

V.V. Brown @ Independent April 13th & 14th, 9PM ($20) Under the moniker "VV Brown", she released her debut album, Travelling Like the Light, in July 2009 ^[1] by Universal Records. The album was preceded by a limited non-chart eligible release of "Crying Blood" on 7" vinyl and digital download. Brown wrote the music and plays instruments on the album.^[1] The album is inspired by 1950s and electronic music as well as sounds emitted from Game Boy and Nintendo.^[1].

Atoms for Peace @ Fox Theater April 14th & 15th, 8PM ($50) Thom Yorke's side project previously known as ???? will hit the road this April under its new official name, Atoms For Peace. Yorke assembled the live outlet to bring his 2006 solo album The Eraser to the stage, and debuted the band - which features Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, producer Nigel Godrich, Beck drummer Joey Waronker and percussionist Mauro Refosco - during a string of shows in Los Angeles last year.
Thom Yorke's much anticipated side project making two nights of it at

Whitest Boy Alive @ Slim's April 14th, 8PM ($16) Formed in 2003 as an electronics-based group with an emphasis on the dancefloor, the Whitest Boy Alive eventually abandoned all programming and most other forms of synthetic instrumentation for a typical rock band setup. Guitarist/vocalist Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience), bassist Marcin Öz, drummer Sebastian Maschat, and keyboardist Daniel Nentwig began playing a form of straightforward and stripped-down indie rock informed by early Talking Heads (particularly the spindly sound of "Talking Heads: 77") and Josef K.

Maybe "Congratulations" or Maybe Not: MGMT's New Album

MGMT's new album, Congratulations, has received mixed press. The album is stirring the critic pool, causing wakes which might be intended. As Michael Roffman from Consequence of Sounds wrote in his review, "The boys behind MGMT want to tell you something. It’s short and to the point. That message? Thanks for listening, but fuck you." In comparison Culture Bully stated "the record is hardly as unlistenable as some have made it out to seem; the album retains a continuous flow and offers a variety of different sounds within the larger umbrella of modern psychedelic rock."

It's hard to say whether Ben Goldwasser's apology in an interview with Spinner Magazine is sincere, and why should it? Regarding their fans' negative response towards the first single "Flash Delirium," Goldwasser told Spinner, "I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's completely weird and not what they were expecting. I'm sorry." Sorry won't cut it bub, I want another "Kids," make me dance!

All the hoopla and critique have left SFCritic wondering: What's the big deal? With Oracular Spectacular, MGMT took the world by storm and soon after (and in this order), Rolling Stone magazine awarded the album eighteenth best of the decade. In essence, if a "music critic" didn't review this album it ought to be for the reason of political resistant, or a death wish to one's general credibility. But in this instance, when an album like Congratulations winds up on your doorstep, it's like that baby you never intended to adopt: it could change your life, for better or for worse, or it could be just a story. I mean the album is THAT important to everyone, right? Who cares about waiting to review the album after the scheduled release date?

In the Spinner interview, Goldwasser stated that fame is "not our world. We don't feel comfortable in it. But we didn't want to make that typical second album either, about fame. So we're definitely observing it, as opposed to reveling in it."Kudos sir. Who needs those "I love MGMT" fans who knew only three of your songs ("Kids," "Time to Pretend," and "Electric Feel"). I'm sure Milli Vanilli would roll in his grave over your career decision, Congratulations.

All things considered, MGMT might be saying "fuck you," but who are we to tell them what to say? Who wants a fair-weather fan? Who gives a shit what such and such blog has to say? "Here you go blogs, Congratulations. Here's out album, whatever, fight amongst yourselves for editorial supremacy, see if we care!" So being SFCritics, we feverishly debated over a cold one and thought to share bits of our conversation--not because it makes a difference, but because we like to read our thoughts. Congratulations for reading.

*While listening to the album*


Eve: Why make a such a huge departure from the first album? Why not have singles? You were actually really good at singles MGMT. What's wrong with being good at something, huh?

David: Yeah, I'm not good at anything. I don't think they should be sorry though. I mean, I doubt they're really sorry, but even so--their job is to make music, not win a popularity contest.

Eve: Making something totally different is one thing; it doesn't have to be bad, it could be great--but it's not. It sounds like a musical, like the Wiz or some horror score. ["Lady Dada's Nightmare" plays] I've been listening to it all day. This song sucks too.

David: Why is a wretched woman screaming off at the top of her lungs? I was scared when I was eight and heard "Thriller," but this is ten folds more intense. Whether it's one in the same maybe after fifteen more plays I'll have a better answer, but why give it fifteen plays?

Eve: I suppose I can respect them if the point is doing something creative. Oracular Spectacular had these three really great singles, and for many people that's MGMT. Now, this album doesn't have really any stand-out singles, which they communicated on NPR. Unfortunately it also isn't very good.

David: If they had put out an album that sounded just like the last one, and then on top of that it was awful, that would be tragic. The album is either like a bad joke, and the jokes on us for either liking it or hating it--or well, I don't know--it's a bad joke right?

Stream MGMT's New Album "Congratulations"

Last week, following the leak of their hotly anticipated sophomore release, MGMT decided to stream Congratulations in its entirety over at WHOISMGMT?.The site also features the video for "Flash Delirium." The album itself leaves behind the epic electro-rock singles of Oracular Spectacular, in favor of a more subtle surf rock-influenced sound. The scheduled release is April 13th. Stay tuned for the full SFCritic review to come.

A&R: The Music Submissions

Battle Flags - Color Engine

The email I received from artist Jack Budd, the solo artist known as Battle Flags, was, puzzling at best, off-putting at worst. Budd stated that the album itself began as a stencil graffiti in what I assume was a dorm room in Richmond, Virginia. He described the music as a mix of sounds from "stolen pots, pans, shovels, empty kegs, and living room chairs." I have listened to the album and find this an entirely inaccurate description of its sound. The whole thing has a lot more polish, a diversity of sounds borrowed from hip-hop, Daft Punk, than such a description evokes. "Her" is a simply breezy love song, filled almost to the brim with horns and hand-played percussion. More highly produced, synth-based tracks evoke hints of Justice as on "Catch a Fire." The military-style drums, most effective on "Siren Sounds" and "Won't Come Around Here," lend a cohesiveness that lacks in the album's overtones. When almost everyone can whip up an album with a Macbook Pro and a microphone, Color Engine shows that sometimes the results can be worth checking out.

Sounds Like: A pleasant stroll through his musical influences.
Listen To: Her, Siren Sounds, Won't Come Around Here

Fate Lions - Good Enough for You

While it would be easy to say that the Texas-based Fate Lions had me at the witty copy splashed across their website, that's not really fair. Yes, they have crafted a smart voice, and I appreciate that. But is their, ahem, "wannabe smarty pants fist pumping roller rink bubble gum downer pop" any good? Thankfully, the answer is yes. It is pretty good! The production is ultra-smooth, the arrangements lush but uncomplicated. Album-opener "Seen it All" energetically sets the stage with classic rock guitars and hand claps. If you like it, chances are you will be delighted the whole way through. Fate Lions clearly have a firm grip on their sound, and are not trying to reinvent the wheel. When "The Queen Himself" begins you fear you are about to hear a misguided Bowie homage, but the song stays true to their talents and might be my favorite on the album. "All You Do is Crazy" subtly showcases really lovely harmonies, which are another of the album's stand-out highlights. There are, naturally, a few moments it could do without, including most of "Our Song," which feels flat and borders on Junior Prom slow dance. For the most part, however, the album is full of the type of sunny, juicy arrangements for which the term "summer jam" was coined.

Sounds Like: The Foo Fighters, Weezer, and Ben Kweller's love-baby.
Listen To: The Queen Himself, Seen it All

News in Music Blogs

In an effort to define SFCritic into a streamlined, user-friendly content, we will be running the "News in Music Blogs," a weekly update of interesting blog posts, discussion topics, and event listings in the music blogging community. Think Largehearted Boy with a focus on San Francisco events, and only music topics. The catch, we want your voice. Read a post you want to share, have an event you think is appropriate for SFCritic, interested in continuing a larger online discussion, email us links, or comment below!

Bay Area

SFCritic recently caught up Sila and The Afrofunk Experience, who recently were awarded best "World Music" by the NAACP. Check back for the interview!

Epicsauce.com, one of our favorite Bay Area show lists, is debuting a hot new event series at Milk (1840 Haight St - across from Amoeba Records). The kick-off is Thursday, March 11th and will feature local bands French Miami, White Cloud and Silian Rail. The show is free, and there will be awesome drink specials ($1 PRBs and select $3 pints). More information and an official RSVP can be found at: http://bit.ly/ccrEW7 and http://epicsauce.com/party

Radiohead's Thom Yorke's much-anticipated solo project Atoms for Peace has announced a handful of dates with Flying Lotus. The tour is visiting Oakland's Fox Theater April 15, among a handful of others.

General

Hole, lead by the much maligned Courtney Love is planning their first big come-back show at SXSW this year. SFCritic will be there to cover it!


Broken Bells (consisting of Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins) a new SFCritic favorite, brought their first single/video "The High Road" to Letterman.

MGMT announces secret events around the country, which apparently should be entitled, "big fail."

Yeasayer's video for the stand-out song on their album Odd Blood is out. Popjustice got the exclusive yesterday.