Lightspeed Champion: New Song

Feeling a bit wistful, I decided to browse some of the old Lightspeed Champion videos on Youtube, at least the proper ones, as each one of has something special about it that makes me feel all warm inside. "Tell Me What It's Worth" reminds me of walking around London, and the pure joy that it gives me, while "Midnight Surprise" is one my favorite songs. The concept of the video could easily fall flat on its face, but the finished product works brilliantly.

"Tell Me What It's Worth"


"Midnight Surprise"


Mr. Hynes has moved from London to Brooklyn and is working on his second album. "Heavy Purple" is a teaser of what's to come, and while it may exhibit a bit too much of Prince, it's still a killer song. According to him, it "sounds nothing at all like the album, just a bit of fun..."

[mp3]: "Heavy Purple"

Noah & the Whale: New Album

Noah and the Whale are set to release their second album, the excellent The First Days Of Spring later this year. It hits UK shelves on 31 August, while the US will see it on 06 October.

US dates forthcoming.

September
3 London ICA - SOLD OUT
4 London ICA - SOLD OUT
27 Gateshead The Sage
28 Leeds The Cockpit
29 Manchester Club Academy

October
1 Oxford O2 Academy
2 London Koko
4 Norwich Waterfront
5 Cambridge Junction
7 Brighton Concorde
8 Derby Rockhouse
10 Exeter Phoenix
11 Bath Komedia
12 Falmouth Princess Pavillion
14 Sheffield Leadmill
15 Glasgow Oran Mor Auditorium

The album will also be paired with a film, available as a DVD the same day.
You can see the film at the following.
7th + 8th August - Belladrum Festival (Read Bed Stage) - Inverness
9th August - Big Chill Festival (Film Four Tent) - Malvern Hills
10th August - Cameo Picturehouse - Edinburgh*
30th August - Watershed - Bristol*
31st August - Cornerhouse - Manchester*
1st September - Film Theatre - Glasgow*
2nd September - Showroom - Sheffield*
4th September - ICA - London*
* = includes Q&A with Charlie Fink

The track heard is "Blue Skies" and will be the first single off of the album.

[mp3]: "The First Days of Spring"

The Rumble LA: One year Anniversary

Not only is it the one year anniversary of me being in Los Angeles, it's the first birthday of the Rumble LA! Tonight's event is special, and not because of the totally obvious reason of the great bands we have -- Chief (newly minted Domino Records signees), Princeton (our fourth flirtation with a Kanine Records artist), and Cheetahsaurus (Ventura County all stars whom I am very excited to see), but also because of the industry mixer we're having beforehand. Please don't be fashionably late.

Gig starts @ 9 pm with help on the decks from DJ S.I.S.

It all goes down at 3 Clubs in Hollywood (Vine and Santa Monica)

AND IT'S FREE. NO LISTS, JUST SHOW UP!

The Drums

Not quite sure how to pin down Brooklyn's The Drums. Could they funtimecore? The tunes are catchy and fun, but in the least cheesy way possible. It makes you wonder how Brooklyn could ever be grumpy when you have a band this positive, that's shining this bright. They somehow filter Britpop through '60s American garage and make it work.

If Surfside 6 were on the air in 2009, we know who would be doing the theme song.

The band will be having a CD release show at Don Hill's tomorrow night in New York. The gig starts at 11 pm, and the band hits the stage at 1.30am.

[mp3]: "Don't Be a Jerk, Johnny"

SIS At The Cinema: Big Fan

Now that Rusty isn't around here to spout off about Jerry "Look at me" Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, we can delve into more interesting football topics, like the Philadelphia Eagles. While Big Fan, starring Patton Oswalt, is about a 35 year old fan of the New York Giants who receives a beatdown by one of his idols, if you look closely at the end of the trailer, it would seem that Oswalt is wearing a Donovan McNabb jersey.

So what could it be? A dream sequence? Oswalt feels as though the Giants failed him and turns to their hated rivals?

Team allegiances aside, this looks like an excellent film, one that should be worth checking out whether you're a football fan or not.

Danko Jones on Tour

There is a new Danko Jones album out this autumn and to celebrate, the band will be supporting classic punk band The Damned for a string of dates across the US. The Canadian band, who have achieved genuine rock hero status in Europe, will no doubt be adding more dates and more action to support this fifth album.

Wed. Oct. 21 Cleveland, OH x House of Blues
Thu. Oct. 22 Cincinnati, OH x Bogart's
Fri. Oct. 23 Pittsburgh, PA x Diesel
Sat. Oct. 24 Detroit, MI x St. Andrew's
Mon. Oct. 26 Chicago, IL x The Metro
Wed. Oct. 28 Denver, CO x Bluebird
Thu. Oct. 29 SLC, UT In the Venue
Sat. Oct. 31 Seattle, WA x Showbox
Sun. Nov. 1 Portland, OR x Wonder Ballroom

[mp3]: "Code of the Road"

New LoveLikeFire Video: "Boredom"

Bay Area band LoveLikeFire is set to release their third single, "Boredom," on 24 August. The band's debut album Tear Ourselves Away is out 17 September on Heist or Hit Records in the UK.

[mp3]: "Abigail Belle of Kilronan" (Magnetic Fields cover)