December 5, 2008

Today's Hotness: Dirty On Purpose, Frightened Rabbit

Dirty On Purpose, Middle East, September 29, 2007>> We join the chorus of outlets expressing disappointment at the breakup of Brooklyn-based nu-gaze superlatives Dirty On Purpose, who disclosed their demise via presser this afternoon. The quartet, which formed in 2002, will play a final show on New Years Eve at Manhattan's Mercury Lounge, where it will open for the purportedly "loudest band in New York," noiseniks-in-arms A Place To Bury Strangers. According to the statement, the band returned from tour a month ago, discussed making another record, and ultimately decided that was something it didn't want to do. Dirty On Purpose is survived by its members' various extra-band endeavors, which include Neckbeard Telecaster, Coin Under Tongue, Joe And The Flying Spoons, Purse Snatchers and Black Acid. All of the members will continue to live in New York, and the band quipped that it reserves its right to reform. Which would make a bunch of us pretty happy. We reviewed Dirty On Purpose's Oct. 2007 Middle East show right here. We also reviewed its two full-lengths Sleep Late For A Better Tomorrow and Hallelujah Sirens here and here respectively. We leave you with the song that we think first turned us on to the band, the early track "Practice For Having Sex." Thanks for all the indie rock, guys.

Dirty On Purpose -- "Practice For Having Sex" -- Show-Only EP
[right click and save as]
[buy Dirty On Purpose records from Newbury Comics right here]

>> Selkirk, Scotland-based indie rockers Frightened Rabbit will issue an updated version of its 2007 holiday single "It's Christmas So We'll Stop" Dec. 16, exactly 364 days after releasing the original version. The track has apparently been "reconstructed" by Oregon-based label mate David Karsten Daniels, who has adorned the spare ballad with a choir, horns, Fender Rhodes piano and strings. We wrote about version 1.0 of the single last November here. The new version has been dressed up with better cover art, which you can ogle here, and the b-side this go-round is not music but an etching by none other than band fronter Scott Hutchison. And there is even more FR news -- there is a brand new video for "I Feel Better," right here. Frightened Rabbit recently completed a European jaunt opening for Death Cab For Cutie (if you have read the band's recent tour diary for DIS regarding same here, you are missing out on some comedy gold). As we've alluded to previously, Frightened Rabbit return to the U.S. for a short stack of dates next month, which you can inspect below.

01/16 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Johnny Brenda's
01/17 -- New York, NY -- Bowery Ballroom
01/18 -- Allston, MA -- Great Scott
01/19 -- Washington, D.C. -- Rock and Roll Hotel
01/22 -- Urbana, IL -- Courtyard Café
01/23 -- Ames, IA -- Maintenance Shop
01/24 -- Chicago, IL -- Empty Bottle

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