new: Ducktails Killing the Vibe 12" w/ Panda Bear

Duck

Ducktails is taking to Kickstarter to make put "Killin the Vibe" with Panda Bear on wax. In addition the 12" features two new tracks from the duck, as well as another rendition of "Killin the Vibe" featuring Spectrals, whom Matt has befriended along his travels. They even recently served as his backing band in the UK.

Pledge to Ducktails Killin the Vibe 12" here.
Ducktails - Killin' The Vibe (Feat. Panda Bear) by weallwantsome1

PHOTOS: Tennis / Family Portrait / Ducktails

Last night Cake Shop played host to the newest member of the Underwater Peoples family, Tennis, for their first ever NYC show. Alongside UP alums Family Portrait and Ducktails (full band) the three acts played to a capacity crowd. DJ Phat Keisha spun the beats. Check out some photos below.

Catch Tennis and Family Portrait tonight at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn. It might also be your only opportunity to pick up Tennis' already sold out Underwater Peoples 7".


Photos by: Chaakles

video: Ducktails on Sunday Brunch

Apple Walk

PT.2

Scorching afternoons spent inside call for Beer and a good soundtrack.

Don't kill the vbe.

Video by Ray Concepcion

video: Ducktails "Apple Walk"

Parasails


Hot on the release of his new 7-inch on SHDWPLY (and just as a tour with Big Troubles kicks off), comes the new video from Ducktails, who is now showing signs of re-emerging into the public atmosphere after a few months of hibernating in Real Estate. While the new live incarnation of Duckies is basically straight ahead indie rock (think Real Estate w/ Big Troubles muscle), this video finds Mondanile falling back into the beach zone. It's literally an afternoon at the beach, but what else would you expect from Duckies?

D-tails playing live this Friday with Julian Lynch, Campfires and La Big Vic at Glasslands. Grab the new "Mirror Image" b/w "Apple Walk" 7-inch here. Meanwhile, peep this live video from a recent show in Portugal.

Northside: 6/26 Ducktails & more @ Shea Stadium

LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM

Despite what Bruar Falls and Oh My Rockness Say (no idea how they got this information), there is no Fluffy Lumbers, Family Portrait, Archers, Dana Jewell, No Demons Here show Saturday Night at Bruar Falls. But there is something similar, and actually way better, going down at Shea Stadium. Same, same, but different:

DUCKTAILS (backed by Big Troubles!)

ANDREW CEDERMARK (1st NYC show in a while)

WOOM (ex-Flying, just finished European tour with Xiu Xiu)

BIG TROUBLES (Debut LP out soon on OESB)

ARCHES (1ST SHOW EVER!)

DANA JEWELL (RARE EAST COAST APPEARENCE)

NO DEMONS HERE (FULL BAND!)

POST-USA VS. GHANNA BBQ TIL 8, show 8PM-1PM. $9 at Shea Stadium

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE FUN ON YOUR SATURDAY NIGHT, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU.

mp3: Matt Mondaile & Julian Lynch cover Neil Young

"Look Out For My Love"

Late last year a good friend told me about a good friend's fell into a dark alley after misjudging a step on a roof in San Francisco. As the story goes, J.M.W., noted board freak, chief and axe shredder, sustained major injuries (fractured skull, internal bleeding, shattered wrist), but it could have been much worse. While the state of California helped gratefully in J.M.W's recovery, mending on a no-frills budget isn't the easiest thing in the world. That's where his friends came together. One night, while sitting besides their narco'd frien, they knew there must be a way to help. While none could afford to contribute what pocket change laid around, they each had a song. Soon after that, a collection was born. In the spirit of J.M.W., each of those tunes happens to be a Neil Young cover. Produced for the A Fundamental Experiment compilation, a limited edition (300), silk-screened LP, from which all proceeds will benefit J.M.W.. Purchase the LP here and contribute to J.M.W's recovery. The phenomeal set includes tracks by Sun Araw, Stag Hare, Sam Goldberg (of Emeralds), as well as Matt Mondanile and Julian Lynch, whose versions of "Look Out for My Love" and "Sedan Delivery" are below.

Purchase the LP here.

SIDE A
1) Julian Lynch - Sedan Delivery
2) Metal Rouge - Helpless
3) Sam Goldberg - Transformer Man
4) Swanox - Thrasher
5) Sun Araw - Barstool Blues

SIDE B
1) Stag Hare - Cortez the Killer
2) Laurentide Ice Sheet - Southern Man
3) Trevor Healy - Round and Round
4) Avocet - Expecting to Fly
5) Matt Mondanile - Look Out For My Love

Matt Mondanile- Look Out For My Love

Julian Lynch- Sedan Delivery

mix: Underwater Peoples Winter Review

"Sun to the Moon"
A quarter pound of green beans, six candy canes and enough beers consumed for my parents to reconsider "creating" me, I came home last night, the eve of the birth of the little baby Jesus, to find the Underwater Peoples Winter Review nestled in my cozy inbox. It was drapped in swaddling clothes...whatever the fuck those are.

In the spirit of giving, it is my pleasure to share this with you, fine citizens of the world, this wonderful compilation. Download it, upload it to your iPizzles, burn a CD, dub a tape, or, if your really cool, copy that shit to 8-track, you'll be the only kid in America with an 8-track of, well, anything worth listening to. Enough of the bullshit, though, as there was lots of hard work put into this hand crafted Christmas gift for you. The UP crew, who is, like, hella International right now, doesn't care if the economy left you delivering papers, they just want you to enjoy whats left of 2009, to roll into the next decade with the momentum of a freight train powered by a vat of Red Bull and an Intervention's worth of crystal meth. Ok, maybe not the meth part, but the full force, straight on til morning vibe is still relevant. Like Sawyer said, 2010 is all about Love. And friends. Think about that while you aurally devour the Winter Review. Also think about how goddamn adorable the infant version of Michael Mimoun was (thats him on the gracing the album art). Goddamn that kid was/is a cutie pie. Hope Santa was good to you. Peace be with you.

Underwater Peoples Winter Review
1. Julian Lynch - Es's
2. Pill Wonder - Restless
3. Ducktails - Apple Walk
4. Fluffy Lumbers - Adoration
5. Big Troubles - Former Selves
6. Andrew Cedermark - Ad Infinitum
7. Frat Dad - Totally Afraid
8. Dana Jewell - My T-Train Girl
9. Air Waves - Sweetness
10. Family Portrait - Killer Statements
11. Alex Bleeker - These Days
12. Mountain Man - Dog Song
13. Real Estate - Orchard
14. Rainbow Bridge - Rain Nair
15. Liam the Younger - Please See

Download Underwater Peoples Winter Review (direct download)

UPDATE: Underwater Peoples Sawyer Live from Vietnam:

mp3: Ducktails "McGuire in the Ocean"

"Future Sounds"

Yesterday Todd from OESB sent over this exclusive Ducktails outtake from the Landscapes sessions. This one takes a particular detour from the Departmentstore Santa's cover GvB posted, and a lot of the Ducktails catalog, and finds Mondanile channeling minimal techno, mechanical krautrock riddims and a sort of ambient wash that'll clear your sinuses, sort of like a neti pot. Oh, yeah, and its called "McGuire in the Ocean," which sounds about right to me. Thinking about heading to Mantoloking tomorrow, anybody wanna join?

Buy Landscapes, and all other OESB releases, here.

Ducktails- McGuire in the Ocean

CMJ: 10/20 Bobka, OESB & UP are Straight Chillin'

"House of Mirrors"
(Big ups to Mimoun of Family Portrait/UP for Poster Art)
The first time I went to Monkeytown I knew I'd have to throw an event there. And now the time has come. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my extreme pleasure to unveil the first of a few Chocolate Bobka CMJ shows. If you've ever been to Monkeytown (peep rad pic here), you know one thing is up; straight chilling. Therefore, it felt pretty logical to call up my favorite super chillerz and see if they would come down to cool out, play some tunes and trip out to some tweaker visuals. And that's exactly what we'll do on Tuesday October 20th 2009. I'll be honest in noting that I basically curated this lineup for myself. Just bands that I want to see while 'laxing out on some of the most comfortable couches in New York, while visual masterminds Richard Law, Alice Cohen and Todd Ledford space my face on the four massive, wall sized projection screens. A little run down of the evening.

Chocolate Bobka, Olde English Spelling Bee & Underwater Peoples are Straight Chilling.
Fluffy Lumbers (rare solo set)
Family Portrait ("Western drone set")
Alice Cohen (solo)
Julian Lynch live via Satellite broadcast on 4 Walls
Ducktails
Africa Germany Germany ETC (Live NYC premiere)

Stoked? Me too! If you've ever been to Monkeytown, then you probably know the drill. Besides the inevitable straight chilling, the venue also offers some of the choicest food in NYC, just take a peep at their Fall Menu. (Different types of Sliders: Elk curry chimichurri, Ostrich bbq’d garlic relish, Venison juniper shallot jam & Wild Board Apple Chutney--are you freaking serious?!) The show will cost a measly $7, and as with all Monkeytown shows, there is a $10 minimum, which means you have to have at least 2 beers. If you don't plan on having at least two drinks, well, this probably isn't your type of show. In order to gain access to the show, which is unofficial CMJ (aka no badges), one will have to make reservations with Monkeytown. (Do so here.) This event will sell out fast, so I encourage you to get on this asap. Peep below for some choice media from participating artists.

PS. Bring medical edibles.

Fluffy Lumbers- Cruisers
Ducktails- Parasailing

Family Portrait w/ Julian Lynch "Super Cool"

Alice Cohen "Black Pepper"

Julian Lynch "Garden 2" (Directed by Richard Law)

video: Ducktails "House of Mirrors"

"Look to Find Direction But All You See is Your Reflection"

After filling the room with light rays, Matt Mondanile stood up from his loop station, grabbed his guitar and took us to the screened in porch. While Ducktails is known for its loopy take on tropical psych, "House of Mirrors," which is probably the most introspective song in the Ducktails canon, is a particularly solemn existential ballad. It's a standout, not just because its based around a quiet, very-straightforward chord progression, but due to its ability to seep into your psyche and help in the examining of life, love, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. "In a house filled with mirrors, it's not easy to see where your going" may feel like an obvious use of the mirror metaphor, and it sure seems that way in retrospect, but without self examination, one would never truly know thyself. It takes a hint, or a house filled with mirrors, in order to delve beneath the surface of everyday existence. It's not easy, and it can be extremely painful, but, like the end of this tune, which finds Matt moving forward and ripping like an everyday Steve Hillage, when one does finally confront the subtle demons, deeply rooted hangups and other mental obstacles, the rest of life is, as Q-Tip said, "strictly butter, strictly butter, baby."

video: Ducktails "Various Songs"

"Surf's Up"

"Hypnagogic Pop" never sounded as good as it did Saturday night at the Underwater Peoples Late Summr Showcase. The festival, held at the Market Hotel, featured an ebb-and-flo of punky no-fi, jangly folk, psychotropic tropicalia, dark folk, surf psych and jungle fuzz pop, lending it a true musical melting pot vibe that even Lady Liberty could vouch for. In between running sound for bands like Big Troubles and Frat Dad, scene leader Matt Mondanile crept on stage as Ducktails for a hypnotic journey to the outer reaches of the milky way galaxy. I didn't know this at the time, but apparently axel's new camera picks up the color of aura's. Matt's is pink.

A Pink Aura indicates that the person achieved a perfect balance between spiritual awareness and the material existence. The most advanced people have not only a yellow halo around the head (a permanent strong point in the Aura) but also a large pink Aura extending further away. The pink color in the Aura is quite rare on Earth and appears only as a temporary thought, never as a strong point in the Aura.

new: Ducktails/Julian Lynch 7"

"Parasailing"

As I sit at my kitchen table in my boxers eating a burnt egg sandwich, recovering from a brutal night of ingesting Maryland style crabs and Sailor Jerry, I could not be more relieved that Sawyer from Underwater Peoples sent over the new Julian Lynch/Ducktails split 7". No surprise here, just like bubble hash, it's all the gooey hydroponic joy you'd expect from the UP crew, who've put out some of the best releases of the year so far. The new 7", which features Ducktails "Parasailing" along with Julian Lynch's "Garden 2" and "Topi", goes on sale Monday, but you can pre-order over at UP. Go ahead and do that so that the rest of your Summer hangovers aren't as bad as the one I'm working off.

Ducktails- Parasailing

bobkast #27: Polaroids at the Beach

"Leave The City Behind"
(photo by margaret zyro)
Ok, here's the plan: We're all going to quit our day jobs and shack up at my grandparent's beach house for the summer. (They're old and forgot they have a beach house.) Then we'll get sweet jobs like, Ice Cream Man, Italian Ice Guy, Fish Delivery Dude and Badge Checker Chick. We'll live off grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. And margaritas. We'll have unlimited ice cream, and freeze pops. You can buy like 500 freezepops at the gas station for like $5. It's sick. We'll just wear Umbro's every day. No shoes. And it won't even matter when you jump into the ocean with your clothes on at 4 in the morning and your cell phone dies, cause, well, it just won't matter. And well ride bikes. It's gonna be so rad.

Boobkast #27: Polaroid's at the Beach


Quiet Village- Victoria's Secret
Real Estate- Beach Comber
Beach Fossils- Vacation
Holiday Shores- Phones Don't Feud
Ganglians- Lost Word
Strawberry Fair- Give Up
Ducktails- Let's Rock The Beach
Juana Molina- No Llama
The Tough Alliance- Hung Up On A Dream (Zombies cover)
The Ruby Suns- Ole Rinka
High Places- From Stardust to Sentence
The Mayfair Set- Desert Fun
Jacuzzi Boys- Island Ave
The Meanest Boys- I Don't
Ms. Tyree "Sugar" Jones- If You Feel It
Rodriquez- Sugar Man
Reefer- Blue Moon
Sore Eros- Whisper Me
tUne-YaRdS- FIYA
Wilson Simonal- Escola em Luto
Sandbar- Fresh Life
Stag Hare- Allah

Download Bobkast #27: Polaroids at the Beach (PC: Right Click + Save As; Mac; option + click)

pics: Northside Fest Night 1

"Nobody Needs Oppression"
Cameo Gallery

Julianna Barwick at Cameo Gallery

Brightblack Morning Light at Studio B

Ducktails at Cameo Gallery

Ducktails at Cameo Gallery

Brightblack Morning Light at Studio B

tonight: Ducktails & Julianna Barwick

"You Can Find Me At The Mall"
(photo by thepiratehat)
The first show I plan on catching at the inaugural Northside Festival might be the show I'm most excited for; Ducktails and Julianna Barwick at Cameo. Both artists, who I've written about in the past, create ethereal post-gaze soundscapes capable of transporting one to an island, a cloud or some near-purgatorial state where angels feed you grapes from the vine. While Ducktails is often noted for his beach-y atmospherics, I find that his loopy ambience is equally as fitting for a misty, cloudy night like tonight. Ducktails is back in the US after a lengthy European tour, and the release of his Not Not Fun self-titled debut LP, which, if you haven't heard already, is ideal for curing summer hangovers and will come in handy really soon when the garbage starts to stank. Think of it as the poor man's air conditioning.

After Ducktails, Ms. Julianna Barwick, who began singing in her father's church in Oklahoma, will take the stage for a set of tunes, which will hopefully cull from the phenomenal Sanguine and the recently released Florine, which will be out soon in physical form (pre-order here). The show is curated by Men & Women, who are playing after Barwick, but if I didn't know any better I'd say I had a hand in putting this one on, as the pairing is right up my alley. See ya at Cameo!

Ducktails- Live on WFMU
Julianna Barwick- Cloudbank

bobkast #26: Another Day in the Park

"Dreaming, Dreaming"
With the thermometer hitting upwards of 85 in Greenpoint the past two weekends, it's safe to say that Summer is almost here. It's also safe to say that you can find me in the park, chilling with friends, soaking up sun and drinking Margarita's in styrofoam cups from the Turkey's Nest. My advice with this mix; burn a copy to CD, then transfer that CD to Maxell XL-II, pop it into your Radio Raheem-esque boom box, pick up a blanket and go lay out in your neighborhood park. Bring booze. Smokes. Buy an ice cream. (or Italian ice.) Stop being so pale.

Bobkast #26: Another Day in the Park
Julie Doiron- The Life of Dreams
Atlas Sound- Springtime Instrumental
Suda Chuenbarn- Jong Wai Korn
Lola Arias & Ulises Conti - Te Voy A Vencer Por Knock-Out
High Places- The Tree With Lights In It
Savath et Savalas- La Llama
Amadou et Mariam - Je Te Kiffe
One Blood- Be Thankful For What You Got
Jackie Paris- Make Me Smile
The Coasters- Down In Mexico
Annette Denvil- Oh So Nice
Animal Collective- No More Running
Yo La Tengo- Dreaming
Ducktails- Backyard

Download Bobkast #26: Another Day in the Park

(PC: right click+save; MAC: Mac Users: hold down control+click the above link and select "Download Linked File")

video: Ducktails "Landrunner"

"Let's Rock the Beach"


From the forthcoming Ducktails release on Olde English Spelling Bee. Is it summer yet?

live: Ducktails on WFMU

"Extended Jam"
I've posted about this Ducktails WFMU performance before but this morning the "Extended Jam" from Matt Mondanile's Christmas Eve live set on Marty McSorley's radio show came on shuffle and literally eased any sense of ill will in my mind. Like some sort of cosmic wave, it seemed to transcend the red brick walls of my apartment, as if it were seeping from the sun dazed clouds lofting above Greenpoint. I make allusions to music soundtracking life/nature rather often, but I'm 100% convinced that Ducktails "Extended Jam" was a curious case of nature soundtracking life, as if Matt Mondanile had found his way into Professor Coldheart's Freeze Machine and rid the world of darkness by showering the planet with sun-washed acid rays and mystical pellets of ease.

Ducktails- Extended Jam

we saw: Real Estate @ Glasslands

"Carry Me Back To Sweet Jersey"
Sequestering the hallucinogenic power of a Grateful Dead "Space Jam" into a tightly knit pop structure, Real Estate meandered through a set of stoney, lackadaisical and utterly refreshing lo-fi pop last night. Playing to a small crowd at Glasslands, their short set, which included a few power outages and soon-to-be bored kid anthems "Suburban Beverage" and "Fake Blues", felt more like a Thursday night at the local teen center than an evening at a performance art space in industrial Williamsburg. Fittingly, the band exuded a sort-of carefree teenage attitude, no qualms or pretensions to their sound, simply four guys who really like playing music together, as if they were still just bored kids practicing in basements and smoking weed from apples and Coke cans behind the shed when Mom left to drop little brother off at soccer practice. With the uncanny ability to sum up the anxieties of suburban life in a three minute pop ditty ("I don't want to live at home"), something tells me we are going to be hearing ALOT from the Real Estate camp in the coming months. Oh, and any band that projects clips from the animated Hobbit behind them is A-OK with me. Real Estate will be back in Brooklyn on Saturday for a show at Dead Herring.

Real Estate- Suburban Dogs

tonight: Real Estate @ Glasslands

"Swimming Beneath the Power Lines"
This evening NJ/BK/QN/JC lazy surf quartet Real Estate will be playing at Glasslands. The group, which features the ever prolific Matt Mondanile of Ducktails, has been picking up a lot of steam lately with a sound Matt Kimmel of Acid Marshmallow described as "Galaxie 500 mixed with the Grateful Dead." Totally on point, Real Estate exude the smokey blah of hazy suburban late nights in basements, on porches, in forests and next to ponds, friends strumming, slightly singing, getting stoned, throwing beer cans in the fire and, eventually, passing out. "Suburban Beverage", for which they've released a 7", sums it up in one line: "Budweiser, Sprite, do you feel alright?" Take it from me, this is exactly what bored Summer days and nights in Northern Jersey sound like.

Real Estate- Suburban Beverage
Real Estate- Black Lake