Yo La Tengo do the Freewheeling Thing

In what has to be the most anticipated tour of the fall, my #2 (maybe #3 at worst) all-time favorite band Yo La Tengo will be hitting the road in the most unconventional of ways on The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour.

What is being dubbed as a show that will be part Storytellers and Unplugged, the band will be playing stripped down renditions of tunes from their entire catalog that spans well over two decades. The band will also be looking for participation from the crowd, so get your thinking cap on and get ready to maybe ask some questions and possibly get your requests honored. Just don't be that guy asking what the band's name means. (Answer: "pass the ketchup!")

Tour Dates:
10/9 - Pittsburgh at the Warhol Museum (2 shows)
10/10 - Bloomington at Buskirk Chumley
10/11 - Chicago at the Lakeshore Theater (2 shows)
10/12 - Milwaukee at the Discover World Museum
10/13 - Grand Rapids at Calvin College
10/19 - Long Island at Jeanne Rimsky Theater
10/20 - Woodstock at Colony Cafe (2 shows)
10/22 - Philadelphia at the First Unitarian Church Sanctuary
10/23 - Alexandria at the Birchmere
10/29 - Portland at the Aladdin
10/30 - Seattle at Town Hall
11/1 - San Francisco at Palace of Fine Arts
11/4 - La Jolla at the Museum of Contemporary Art
11/10 - North Adams at Mass Moca
11/15 - Boston at Museum of Fine Arts (2 shows)

And I know I've posted this before, but still the greatest music video of all-time:

The Saints Reschedule US Tour

After pulling the plug on some dates earlier in the summer, Australian punk legends The Saints have regrouped and have lined up nine dates that find them going all around the east coast, before hopping on a jet plane to do a show in Austin at the Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Here are the dates:
10.25 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
10.26 Columbus, OH @ Bernie's Distillery
10.27 Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
10.28 Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st Street Pub
10.29 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
10.30 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's
10.31 New York, NY @ The Midway
11.01 Boston, MA @ The Church
11.04 Austin, @ Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park

Iceland Airwaves '07: Ampop

Another Monday, another band from Iceland to mention that will be at the Iceland Airwaves Festival next month.

This week: they hail from Reykjavik, they shack up in Glasgow, it's the soothing indie sounds of Ampop. Already a house hold name in their native land, they have been trying to make it in America, thanks to stops at SXSW and having their song "Two Directions" appear in and episode of Kyle XY. They come as a cross of the dramatic dynamics of Snow Patrol, with a hint of Chris Martin's vocals thrown in, and maybe just a dash of the epic sounds of Muse. If that tickles your fancy, do check out the song "Two Directions" available for download on your right.

For even more info than you can imagine on this year's fest, make sure you hit up their official website. You can click here for that.

Jens Lekman Leaving 'Kortedala' For US Tour

In the past week, my iTunes Library tells me I've spun this new Jens Lekman record, Night Falls Over Kortedala, somewhere between four and six times. That doesn't count the three times I know it's been spun in the office. It's such a captivating album: the opening moments of "And I Remember Every Kiss" are the most cinematic moments of music this year. Big brash brass, strings, and Lekman's dynamic and powerful lament open up the strongest album of the fall. It goes right in to "Sipping On The Sweet Nectar" which features more great strings and brass, accompanying what to me is the phattest disco beat. The sampling style is even more prevalent on "Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig," a number started off with Doo Wop's reminiscent of TV On The Radio, before a thumping beat that I could only point to Kanye as a comparison.

His vocals often get compared to Morrissey, and I have denounced that man for centuries. Maybe I should start recanting my feelings and listen to Vauxhall & I. Until then, I'll enjoy Kortedala and you can when it's released on October 9th. I'll see Jens in Boston, where will you catch him?

Touring:
10/23 Bloomington, IN Jake's
10/25 Washington DC Black Cat
10/26 Philadelphia, PA Unitarian Church
10/27 New York, NY Webster Hall
10/29 Boston, MA Paradise
11/02 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium
11/03 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
11/06 Seattle, WA Nectar
11/07 Portland, OR Someday Lounge
11/09 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's 365 Club
11/13 Dallas, TX Granada
11/14 Austin, TX Parish
11/15 Tallahassee, FL Club Down Under

Download: "Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig" [mp3] // [Buy Here]

Jason Reeves Tell Us His All-Time Top 5

In the tradition of High Fidelity, one of the greatest books and films of my lifetime, our first ever guest blogger has bestowed upon us their company and is here to share with us his list of his all-time, top 5 favorite bands/singers.

Living in the great midwestern state of Iowa, Jason Reeves is becoming quite the popular singer on MySpace. To date, he's at #18 on the social networking site's Top 20 unsigned musicians. So, we here at Stranded In Stereo figure to celebrate his feat on making that coveted list, that he could share his list with us.

Take it away, Mr. Reeves:

1. Bob Dylan
Bob's easily the best songwriter in music. Is and was my
biggest, and did what can never be done again.
2. James Taylor
Nobody's smoother; his voice and melodies feel so easy and
free. One of the reasons I started writing songs.
3. Sufjan Stevens
He's the most brilliant, genius of a musician our generation
has seen. Probably one of the most incredible creators music has ever seen.
His songs are tragic and beautiful.
4. Pink Floyd
Nothing can be said about their sound. [David] Gilmour is probably my
favorite guitar player. They are vision and insanity.
5. Michael Jackson
I wanted to be him when I was a kid. His records are
amazing. Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad. He's the King Of Pop for a reason.

To check Jason's music out, and see how he lets his influences play a part in his music, check out his album The Magnificent Adventures Of Heartache And Other Frightening Tales) which is available through CD Baby.

Office really does say "Oh My" in New Vid

Giving Rilo Kiley's "The Moneymaker" a run for it's ... you know, money, Office have made their porn-related music video in the form of "Oh My." Featuring appearances by actual porn stars Peter North and Randy West, it looks as if the midwestern quintet are leading one guy on and them leaving him hanging and wanting more. Good job kids good job.

New Release Tuesday

On first listen, I was a bit underwhelmed by the newest effort from Rogue Wave. I was ecstatic to hear of the prospects of opening track "Harmonium," and its nearly seven minute song length. But it just didn't sit with me well. I made it through the first four songs, up through first single "Lake Michigan," and ended up stopping there twice. Finally, on my third try the record just sunk in and has become a top contender (for me, at least) as one of the top records of the fall. Matthew Caws' harmonies and guitar playing help haunt the beautiful portrait that is "Chicago X 12." Once I finally got passed the first four songs, I found some of the best compositions Zac Rogue put together with the band. "Own Your Own Home" has the great finale of what sounds like controlled calamity, with noisemakers, toy pianos, people making noise: fanfare is the simplest way to state it but why not really explain it. The closing pair of tunes, "Phonytown" and "Cheaper Than Therapy" showcase a Wave crashing on the shores of AM radio. "Phonytown" with it's extended late 70s jam session at the end, and "Therapy" with it's solid guitar solo and synths that are the heart monitor as it flatlines at the finale. Not that it's a terrible album, because it isn't: it's their finest moment.

Download: "Own Your Own Home" [mp3] // [Buy Here]

The movies came out as one big, epic, 3+ hour bloody, campy homage and it didn't go over so well. So when it came time for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez to release their Grindhouse monster on DVD, they went with two separate releases (probably to recup expenses.) Up first is the second half, Tarantino's Death Proof. In a 2-disc set, the film now comes unrated and extended, giving you more Kurt Russell driving his indestructible car; more women beating the shit out of Russell; and most importantly, more of Tarantino's trademark style of dialogue. The extra feature probably diatribes from Tarantino on why Kurt Russell is God and why he made this tribute to Vanishing Point the way he did; I'm just hoping the best trailers are on this one.

Buy: Death Proof [Here]