July 1, 2006

Today's Hotness: Pre-World Cup Philly-Style Bit-Bit

The A-Sides>> According to their web site, indie phenoms The A-Sides plan a limited vinyl/ITunes release sometime this summer, which follows up their amazing 2005 debut Hello, Hello [Prison Jazz]. We can't wait. Curiously enough, the band played a show in Jersey last night with Cheap Trick (who, incidentally, totally killed on Conan O'Brien Thursday night). The A-Sides site has had a snazzy redesign, to boot.

>> Stop your life right now and go to the Lilys' MySpace joint and stream (and download, if the link gets activated again) an alternate version of "Scott Free," the David Rappaport tune that closes the band's very strong 2006 set Everything Wrong Is Imaginary. The version on the American release is just Kurt Heasley singing and some layered acoustic guitars. The new version posted at MySpace now has piano, drums and bass. It's hot. We expect the same version will be on the U.K. version of Everything Wrong Is Imaginary that will be released on Rocketgirl next week. There has been a message at the Rocketgirl site for weeks indicating the physical store is moving, so mail ordering that joint may be your best bet. Particularly if you are in the U.S. [UPDATE: We just mail-ordered ours during the end of the England/Portugal match -- the cost of the record and shipping to the U.S. is 13 pounds, which doesn't sound that bad until you realize how pathetic the U.S. dollar is against the pound right now. Final tally: more than USD$24. Still, Kurt told us in an interview earlier this year that the U.K. version of the record is going to be off the hook. We're excited about that. End UPDATE.]

>> Rounding out a trio of items about superlative Philly-area indie rock is this bit-bit out of the Surefire Broadcast camp. According to this post at the band's site the trio traveled out to Portland, Ore. recently to record tracks for a 7" release. The band also intends to record a full-length set this summer. If you aren't a beleiver, head over to the band's media page and download the track "Miles Apart."

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