Everyone Everywhere Blog Tour: "Obama House, Fukui Prefecture"

So, seriously, have you been on the Everyone Everywhere blog tour yet? 10 blogs united to debut one each of the 10 tracks comprising the Philly-based indie punk act's superlative self-titled set due next week? We're the final piece in the puzzle: if you hit all the links below you'll be able to consume some nice bloggin' and pick up the first nine songs from the forthcoming full-length at one and the same time. It's so win-win, we think we should call it win-win-win. MP3s for all the songs will be available at the individual sites for download until May 4, at which time the files get yanked and Pun Canoes begins streaming the record. Clicky Clicky is the last stop on the tour, so if you haven't circumnavigated the links below yet, we'll wait.

01. "Tiny Planet" @ The Ripple Effect
02. "Raw Bar OBX 2002' @ Can You See The Sunset?
03. "From The Beginning To The Tail" @ Built On A Weak Spot
04. "Tiny Town" @ Dryvetyme Onlyne
05. "Tiny Boat" @ Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives

06. "Music Work Paper Work" @ Deckfight
07. "Blown Up Grown Up" @ The Album Project
08. "Fld Ovr" @ Familiarize Yourself
09. "I Feel Fine" @ Reviewsic

Which brings us to track 10, the amazing "Obama House, Fukui Prefecture." This song, perhaps more than any other on Everyone Everywhere's stellar debut, hits a well-defined musical sweet spot of ours: the juxtaposition of almost detached, murmured vocals underpinned by driving, heads-down rock. When fronter Brendan McHugh dreamily professes "I've never built a house myself..." as the band bashes away, guitars blazing, it's magic. It also sort of winks in the direction of the close of the excellent track "Thermal Dynamics" from the act's 2008 A Lot Of Weird People Standing Around EP.

The icing on the cake that is "Obama House, Fukui Prefecture" is a sly little production touch, first encountered by us in the opening track of Death Cab For Cutie's wonderful We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes, wherein the equalization or mix on the drums shifts from your typical pop sound to a clobbering, roomy treatment. Rather than throwing the switch after the opening verse as Death Cab did, Everyone Everywhere waits until the thundering climax of "Obama House, Fukui Prefecture," knocking the proceedings slightly sideways to delicious effect. Anyway, grab the track at the link below for a limited time, then pre-order the collection at the other link. Everyone Everywhere is available digitally and on limited-edition, colored vinyl (350 maroon, 150 white). The band launches a short strand of tour dates May 7 that includes a Memorial Day weekend stop at Boston's O'Brien's Pub; all of the dates are listed below.

Everyone Everywhere -- "Obama House, Fukui Prefecture" -- Everyone Everywhere
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[buy Everyone Everywhere music from Tiny Engines right here]

ON TOUR:

05.07 -- Fennario -- West Chester, PA
05.08 -- Charm City Art Space -- Baltimore, MD
05.11 -- Kung Fu Necktie (Record Release Show) -- Philadelphia, PA
05.22 -- Bushwick Music Studios -- Brooklyn, NY
05.29 -- O'Brien's Pub -- Boston, MA

Today's Hotness: Tre Orsi, The Boo Jays

>> You'll be excused for mistaking Tre Orsi's exceptional new rocker for a new, more aggressive track from California-based indie concern CoCo B's. Or even an old track from the late, lamented Lefty's Deceiver. But no, in fact Tre Orsi is Tre Orsi, and you will likely start hearing the name more and more with the release of the Denton, Texas-based indie rock act's debut full length. The collection is titled Devices + Emblems, and it will be released digitally by the rock-solid Comedy Minus One label June 8; the LP version of the record has been available from the band since late March. Devices + Emblems was produced by Bubba Kadane of Bedhead/The New Year fame, which may account for the transcendent guitar tone in the wonderful preview track "The Engineer" that we have posted below. Or maybe it does not account for that, perhaps the Tre Orsi chaps know from transcendent guitar tone, we don't want to short change them. "The Engineer" featured on the recent Matador scene comp Casual Victim Pile, and the band previously released a single "No. 7." The single is appended to the digital release of Devices + Emblems as bonus tracks. Pre-order the record right here.

Tre Orsi's "The Engineer"

>> In addition to being a holiday and a time of year, Halloween is also a state of mind. We know this because Mrs. Clicky Clicky is all about Halloween no matter what the calendar says. She would seem to have a kindred spirit in Naveed Mir, the sole proprietor of the Portland, Ore.-based spooky surf-psych band The Boo Jays. Mr. Mir's own Astrodorque Records will issue June 24 The Boo Jays' four-song single Happy Halloween on cassette and 7" glow in the dark vinyl. It's a little B-52s, a little Bauhaus, and more than a little awesome. Reverbed, bending guitar chords, eerie vintage synth and quietly growled vocals are the pleasantly recognizable psych signifiers for "Creepy Crawlin'." But the song we like best is "We Drank Your Blood With The Owls," which leads off side B of the planned release. The uptempo track rides breakneck drumming while Mir offers some of his hookier vocal and organ melodies. All the while a lead guitar line ripples under the weight of something like overdriven Small Stone under a canopy of crash cymbal. It's a hot track. Mir has graciously consented to let us give the track away here. Check it out, and if you dig it, order the vinyl here.

The Boo Jays' "We Drank Your Blood With The Owls"

Today's Hotness: Pernice Brothers, Yuck, White Laces

>> The muse has led indie rock veteran Joe Pernice from the damp, nicotine-stained Americana of Scud Mountain Boys through lush and crystalline New Order-influenced territory and into the singer-songwritery companion album to his charming 2009 novel "It Feels So Good When I Stop." Little did we expect that the Toronto-based artist -- who once called Massachusetts home -- would come roaring back with the rocker posted below, "Jacquline Susann." The tune, from the forthcoming fifth Pernice Brothers set Goodbye, Killer is long on organ drone and jangly guitar and touts a fringe of straight British Invasion pop sounds. It reminds us of the stark stylistic change Lilys underwent between the mind-alteringly good Eccsame The Photon Band and the vintage Kinks-channeling tour de force Better Can't Make Your Life Better. Ashmont Records will release Goodbye, Killer June 15, and we have no way of knowing whether the 138-second rocker "Jacquiline Susann" is representative of the entire set. But we really don't care -- it's great. Have a listen.

Pernice Brothers -- "Jacquline Susann" -- Goodbye, Killer
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[buy Pernice Brothers music from Joe Pernice's site right here]

>> Impressive young London-based indie rock quartet Yuck totally has our number, having hit us square between the heart and soul with each of the four demos we've heard. The band's latest effort is the ballad "Suicide Policeman," and it was posted for free download at its web site earlier this week, and it is brilliant. We have here yearning Yo La Tengo-esque vocals, tremelo'd guitar, enough grit around the edges to make the entire proceeding evoke all the best in early '90s indie rock. And then when you think you've got the track pegged, enter the horns! According to It's Getting Boring By The Sea, our source for all news Yuck, the band has just been brought on to support a Dinosaur Jr. tour date in the U.K. Not too shabby, particularly since this act only has one single to its name right now to our knowledge (and it is only a split). But we love what they are doing, and we love "Suicide Policeman." Download the track below.

Yuck -- "Suicide Policeman" -- Demo
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>> Devoted readers may recall our review of Virginia-based indie rock concern Cinemasophia's third and final full length Fits + Cycles last year. The band has since splintered and singer/guitarist Landis Wine has launched a new project, White Laces. Based on what we've heard, White Laces is a little more aggressive, a little more lo-fi and a little more tuneful than Cinemasophia. Mr. Wine has graciously consented to allow us to offer a stream of the new track "Motorik Twilight," which will be released on an EP digitally and on audiocassette May 11 by Lynchburg, VA-based micro-indie Harding Street Assembly Lab. The noise-pop song, which throbs in 3/4 time and touts a lo-fi attack that suggests Guided By Voices under a crippling load of psychedelics, is one of four on the HSAL #9 EP. Curiously, we don't perceive at all the Teutonic rhythm that is the song's namesake, but even so we think you'll enjoy this freak-out a great deal. The rest of White Laces' year sounds busy; it includes some short stints on the road as well as getting back in the studio to record a planned 10", as many as two 7" singles and perhaps another cassette release. For now, catch the stream of "Motorik Twilight" below.

Rock Over Boston | The Low Anthem | 4.20.10

[The Low Anthem and David Wax Museum at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA 4/20/2010. Photos by Michael Piantigini]

Still riding the cresting wave of well-deserved acclaim for Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, the album they self-released in 2008 and later re-released on Nonesuch in 2009 (and this humble blogger's favorite album on last year), The Low Anthem returned to Boston's Paradise Tuesday night as headliners after supporting Blind Pilot at the same venue just a few months ago.

Spreading out on the Paradise's stage, Low Anthem's junk shop goldmine of instruments traditional and odd painted a unique picture warm and familiar enough to feel classic, but evolved enough to feel like they've found a new way into your soul. Their amazing field organ, harmonium, singing saw, and Jocie Adams' clarinet and ghostly bowed crotales over Ben Knox Miller's gently plucked acoustic guitar and Jeff Prystowsky's stand-up bass are all arranged with wise economy.

They're not simply milking Charlie Darwin on this tour, either. There's a new album apparently planned for fall release, and the band previewed several of these beauties as well, most notably the handful that had the band huddling around an old-time single mic setup at the front of the stage that emphasized their easy harmonies. After laying this meditative groundwork, the moments where the band cuts loose, like on their amped up cover of Tom Waits' Jack Kerouac cover, "Home I'll Never Be," were welcome and elating relief, with Adams revealing herself a belter.

Low Anthem draw you in with whispers and connect with quiet intensity in that rare way that lulls rock clubs. All that shattered the rapt silence was a couple of particularly prolific photographers with sharp elbows and the loudest imaginable shutters, who took what sounded like 8000 shots over the course of the 90 minute set (really? Still taking shots by the dozen during the encore?). But even this wasn't enough to break The Low Anthem's deep spell.

-Michael Piantigini

The Low Anthem: Intertubes | MySpace | Twitter

That Was The Show That Was: A Weather at P.A.'s Lounge

It's rare that we see an act struggle with deficient live sound because it is too quiet. But despite a rough start mapping the shortcomings of the house sound system, A Weather's show at P.A.'s Lounge last night was uplifting, mesmerizing and poignant all at once. The Portland, Ore.-based quintet was touring as a trio using freshly hatched live arrangements situated around guitarist Aaron Gerber and drummer Sarah Winchester's murmured harmonies and Mr. Gerber's finger-picked guitar arpeggiation. Its hour-long set passed without any sense that the band was lacking component parts. If anything, playing as a lean, taut three-piece reigned in the relatively lush arrangements from A Weather's excellent, recently released sophomore record such that the songs were more in line with the sparse, haunting music from its 2008 debut Cove. The new collection Everyday Balloons was released by Team Love March 2 [review here].

The set largely drew from Everyday Balloons, and opened with the song "Giant Stairs." Highlights included the stunning closer "Lay Me Down," which dramatically heaved and sighed as the song collected and dispelled tension. The re-arranged "Midday Moon" was absolutely spine-tingling. The performance featured Ms. Winchester standing behind her spartan drum kit clutching her hands as if in prayer while Gerber and bassist Lou Thomas laced together accompaniment that on the record is solely piano. A Weather also played "Spiders, Snakes," the opening cut from Cove, the Codeine-esque "Seven Blankets" and "Happiness," among other tracks. One beautiful song caught our attention because it was unfamiliar with us, and featured a line something like "if this is going to make me stronger, I'd rather stay weak a little longer." We look forward to discovering what that is.

A Weather's tour continues through April 30; all of the remaining dates are posted below the interview with Gerber we posted here last week. A final word about the show: we think it is safe to say you know you have proverbially arrived in the Boston scene when scene-maker Billy Ruane interrupts your set to offer some comments and make an announcement. Welcome to the scene, A Weather. We very much look forward to seeing you again.

A Weather: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Previous A Weather Coverage:
Today's Hotness: Calories, William, Lali Puna, A Weather
Be Prepared: A Weather | Everyday Balloons | 2 March
Clicky Clicky Music Blog's Top Albums 2000-2009
Clicky Clicky's Top Albums Of 2008
Review: A Weather | Cove [MP3]

Everyone Everywhere Everywhere With Everyone: Blog Tour Starts Today

We're batting clean-up for a blog tour promoting the forthcoming, superlative full-length debut from Philadelphia-based emo superheroes Everyone Everywhere. Readers may recall that we've been anticipating this one for about six weeks, and while the May 4 release date draws nearer, there is still waiting to be done. But the quartet's label Tiny Engines has come up with a jazzy way to promote the release: namely, 10 blogs over 10 days will each post one of the 10 tracks from the self-titled set. "B-b-b-but Clicky Clicky," you are saying, "doesn't that mean they are giving away the whole damn record before it even comes out?" Well, yeah, it does mean that. But the tracks will all come down on or before the release date proper, so you have to stay on top of this thing. Which you will, because the record is awesome; Tiny Engines is doing you a favor, and who are you to look a gift horse in the mouth?* Anyway, we'll be posting our favorite song from the record, the closer "Obama House, Fukui Prefecture," Friday April 30. But the blog tour begins today at the blog The Ripple Effect. Other participants include Can You See The Sunset From The Southside?, Built On A Weak Spot, Dryvetyme Onlyne, Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives, Deckfight, The Album Project, Familiarize Yourself and Reviewsic. Everyone Everywhere has booked a fistful of live dates between now and the end of May, and we're posting them below for your reference.

04.23 -- (House Show) -- Malvern, PA
05.07 -- Fennario -- West Chester, PA
05.08 -- Charm City Art Space -- Baltimore, MD
05.11 -- Kung Fu Necktie (Record Release Show) -- Philadelphia, PA
05.22 -- Bushwick Music Studios -- Brooklyn, NY
05.29 -- O'Brien's Pub -- Boston, MA

(* Seriously, what's your problem?)

Today's Hotness: Projekt A-ko, Superman Revenge Squad

>> Fans of Glaswegian indie rock heroes Projekt A-ko received a thrill Sunday when an email went out to purchasers of the band's towering 2009 debut Yoyodyne. The email included a link to an only-recently completed cover of Drop Nineteen's landmark tune "Winona," which was featured on the erstwhile Boston band's 1990 Caroline Records debut Delaware. The email from Projekt A-ko also announced the band was taking pre-orders for a planned sophomore set that is to be complete by the end of the year; 10 pounds gets the you the record shipped anywhere in the world. If you want to get in on the pre-order action, here is a Paypal link. Buy early and buy often! The Scottish trio released its debut full-length almost exactly a year ago on April 20, 2009.

>> We saw some message board chatter earlier this month that the planned new EP from superlative English songwriter Ben Parker's Superman Revenge Squad will be issued by the label Smalltown America. And it turns out that chatter is in fact true, according to Mr. Parker, who we emailed for more information. Parker reports that Smalltown America is definitely interested in releasing Superman Revenge Squad's planned Dead Crow EP, which we first wrote about here in March. However, the EP had yet to have been recorded when we corresponded with Parker, and he noted that there's always a possibility the label might not like it once it's done ("it's probably the most down-beat stuff I've written," says Parker). We're thinking that's fairly unlikely. Superman Revenge Squad released two records last year, Hmmmmm... Meet the 'All New' Superman Revenge Squad and We're Here For Duration... We Hope! Additionally, the sole full-length recorded by Parker's prior act Nosferatu D2 was finally issued to substantial acclaim the same year [review here].