new: Girls "Life in San Francisco"

"La La La La La"
(photo by sandy kim)
Girls Album just arrived on my door step, along with the new "Lust for Life" b/w "Life in San Francisco" 7-inch and, of course, a Girls poster. This is how records are supposed to be packaged. (Big ups True Panther.) At first spin, the record sounds absolutely gorgeous. Really dense and warm, which is no surprise considering Album was "committed to an analogue recording tape via a mess of cables run into a single channel r.n.p. preamplifier into a distresser generally set up at 6:1 ratio with 6db of gain reduction followed by a soundworkshops spring reverb." A note inside the record goes on to read "We have no chairs in the studio and usually the tracking and mixing process is done sitting cross legged on the floor or lying on our stomachs. On most occassions the progressive metal band which practices at un-godly volumes next door also makes it's way into the following recordings. Sleeps is generally a luxury..."

After spinning the B-side of the "Lust for Life," "Life in San Francisco," a non-album track that finds the band indulging in a playful ode to their hometown, I was baffled to find the tune on LaLa. Peep it below, then have fun trying to get it out of your head for the next two weeks.

Life In San Francisco - Girls

reminder: ChocBob Show at Cameo Gallery

"And Later On"

Being that its rainy, a bit chilly and the forecast for the weekend "blows," you might as well come to Cameo Gallery tomorrow night for one last pre-Labor Day, post-fuck this humidity party. A rager it shall be, with my boys Family Portrait kick starting the evening, which will sway from the hypnotic folk of Sore Eros to the wondrous Floridian pop of Holiday Shores to the vibrato-inflected surf psych of Beach Fossils. As usual, there will be cookies. So yeah, come out, its only $7 and if your nice, maybe we'll draw a moustache on your face. (Warning: Only nice people will be violated with magic marker moustaches.) Peep chronic videos below for a preview of what will mark the end of our summer, and the beginning of the autumnal transition.

In other news, our friend and pseudo west coast corespondent J. Spacecakes will be on location in San Francisco, a small psychedelic fishing village in Northern California (maybe you've heard of it), at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. In what is surely to be the best piece of web reporting in the micro-blogging age, Spacecakes will be live tweeting the musical styling, while sampling copious amounts of medical edibles. Being that Spacecakes is, well, the greatest stoner in the world, the worlds most absurd tweeter (not counting Ron Artest), and the most gracious dude left of the Mississippi, I highly recommend following his tweets this weekend, especially if your on the trapped indoors on the East Coast watching old movies on AMC while rain streaks down your windows. The party kicks off in Golden Gate Park today at 1pm pst. Follow J. Spacecakes on Twitter.

video: new Girls "Ghostmouth"

"And Get To Heaven"

In my excitement that Bill captured Girls covering Vivian Girls "Wild Eyes" at Cake Shop the night after they played it at Monster Island, I failed to notice that he also shot video of Girls performing "Ghostmouth," a new personal fav in the Girls repertoire. "Ghostmouth" is a woozy, narcotic ballad similar to "Solitude," but slightly more hopeful, as Christopher Owens pines over a chance to pick up all the pieces and head toward salvation. I should also note that Girls 10" should be available for purchase today, although I've yet to see where. (True Panther? Matador? Bueller?)

BTW, if you don't follow SoundBites on YouTube, now may be the time to rectify that situation, as Bill has been consistently posting video of the some pretty fresh acts.

Girls "Ghostmouth" at Cake Shop

live: Girls at Mercury Lounge

"I've Got A Substance That'll Cure Everything"
Opening with a gorgeous, incredibly surreal version of Michael Jackson's (R.I.P.) "Heal The World," it was clear from the get-go that Christopher Owen and Chet White Jr's band of San Fran pop outsiders were going to deliver on the promise of their incredibly sold out, corsage laden debut 7" single. For a band that has only "officially" released two songs, I hesitate to say that Girls played all the "hits" last night at the Mercury Lounge, but, fact of the matter is, they did.While "Morning Light", "Lust For Life", "Hellhole Ratrace" were presented in all their well-worn, fuzz'd out-wah glory, the highlights of the evening were the unknown jawns the band has been testing at places like The Eagle, a leather-clad gay biker bar in their hometown of San Francisco. It should come as no surprise that cuts like "Substance", "Solitude" and "Alright" embody the entirety of California's musical history; from boxcar blues to groove oriented surf-psyche to opiated balladry, not to mention some of the best use of the whammy bar since Wayne's World, it's almost as if Girls liquefied a century's worth of California music, cooked it in a rusty spoon and shot it directly into the mains of the Mercury Lounge. Maybe its the water because while Brooklyn is considered the hot bed of buzz-worthy indie bands, no one, and I mean no one, in Brooklyn is crafting tracks like "Alright", a funky groove oriented surfabily psyche jam that, as Chris Owens said, doesn't need to be played perfectly, because it's just fun. I have nothing else to say, except if you're reading this and do not show up to Monster Island Basement tonight, well, you are a fool.

Oh, and Girls will release a 10" (not 7") of "Hellhole Ratrace", presumably backed with "Solitude" (and others?) on July 6th. Save the date.

Girls "Carolina" from the Midi Fesitval.

video: Girls "Hellhole Ratrace"

"Wanna Do Some Dancing Too"

If you've ever been to this site before than this clip should need no introduction. Girls will release a 7" for "Hellhole Ratrace" b/w "Solitude" sometime in the near future on True Panther Sounds. They've also completed work on their debut full length, which, hopefully, will come out by the end of the year on True Panther (?). In addition, Girls will be in NYC next week for a shows at the Mercury Lounge, Cake Shop, and a slot on one of the best bills of the year; Monster Island Basement with Real Estate, Beach Fossils, and Kurt Vile & The Violators. Hell fucking yeah.

Check out my Polaroids of Girls from Primavera, as well as a live review of their stellar set from the festival.

pics: Polaroids from Primavera Sound

"I'll Tell The World"
Chris + John from Girls during Spiritualized.

John from Girls + golden pom pom girl during "Walk With Jesus."

Vivian Girls on the Pitchfork Stage. "My Baby Wants Me Dead."
Drummer from Girls leaving Vivian Girls

Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin, murdering the crowd post- MBV.

Dan Deacon clearing the floor late-night.

Dan Deacon Ensemble member, in red M&M costume(?), instructing the crowd.

live: Girls at Primavera Sound

"I Don't Wanna Die"
(photos: craig loschmann)
Barcelona's Primavera Sound sort of played like a list of bands who have literally been in Brooklyn in the past month. For many acts, including Wavves, Vivian Girls, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Vaselines, Bat For Lashes, and Crystal Stilts, this couldn't have been truer, and as fellow Brooklynite and Vice photographer said to me, "we're really spoiled." Sure, it's NYC and all, but there are still acts that we don't get to see very often, and one band, Girls, made it well worth the trip across the pond. San Francisco's Girls played one of the earliest sets on the P4K stage, coming on right after Women, coincidence...I think not. Humble, visibly anxious, and noting that "This is just the beginning", the psych-revival/drug pop band blasted through a set of new material from their now complete, yes complete, debut full length, which will see the light of day by the end of the year via True Panther. While their biggest show ever, by far, was plagued with some technical difficulties (bad cables), they managed to set aside early problems and showcase mostly unheard new songs in front of the dense Mediterranean crowd. The highlight of their set was the first Girls song I ever heard, "Hellhole Ratrace", which will soon be released on seven inch b/w of "Solitude", a new song the band has yet to play live. With all this Girls output set for the rest of 2009, I think its safe to say that the rest of 2009 is going to be, ahum, "totally rad."

upcoming: Girls 7" & Album

"I Wish I Had A Pizza & A Bottle of Wine"

With only one official release under their belt, we're getting sort of antsy for some more Girls. Certainly the Morning Light/Lust For Life 7" is a doozey, but its been over half a year since the band released it (and sold it out) on True Panther. Luckily good news is on the way. Last week the band posted this message on its MySpace:

The album is oh so close guys and girls... We just got back to San Francisco from our own studio in my parents house in Santa Cruz... The future is very exciting this album is a great album its honest, loose, ethereal, obnoxious and perfect. We cant wait for you to hear it.

Not long after, I received an email from Dean at True Panther, noting that "The next Girls release will be a 7" of Hellhole Ratrace along with a brand new song. The LP should be coming near the end of April or the beginning of May." Super good news for all you pop savvy, navel gazing boys and girls with major crushes and some handshake drugs. If you find yourself in the Bay Area, you can catch Girls tomorrow with Hospitals at The Eagle, which is apparently a Gay Biker bar home to the "nouveau leather boy crew." Sounds like the perfect place to see Girls.

Girls- Morning Light (vinyl rip)

Girls- Carolina from Midi Festival

CMJ filler: Girls

"It Won't Last Forever"

I thought Girls were playing CMJ. Turns out they are, just not San Fran's Girls, but NYC's Girls. Bummer. Anyway, SF's Girls, on True Panther Sounds, is easily one of my favorite new bands of 2K8. The Morning Light/Lust For Life 7" is epic and they've got great videos taboot. For instance, "God Damned"(above), which takes on a a very-Full House opening credits type feel, even down to the blonde baby girl getting ice cream. And if you haven't seen it yet, the stellar "Morning Light" video is below.

"Morning Light"

classic albums: The Millenium- Begin

"The Island Is Calling"
The brainchild of Curt Boettcher and Gary Usher, The Millenium were a California super studio group affiliated with the Association and Sagittarius. The band only recorded one record, Begin, and were immediately dropped by Columbia Records. Ironically, Begin had been the most expensive album Columbia ever produced at the time. Too pop for the psych kids and too psych for the pop kids, The Millenium had trouble finding an attentive, commercially viable audience. In retrospect, its this juxtaposition of accessible pop and far out psych that makes them so wonderful.

A warm, enlightening mix of sun washed harmonies, glockenspiels, sky high production and even a harpsichord pounding loopy beat that could easily be sampled (and I'm surprised it hasn't been) by any number of retro-leaning electro-hop producers, The Millenium sounds like the Beach Boys doing acid with Sufjan Stevens' band (wings et all), or Tower of Power killing some day-glo drenced, Aquarius living hippies with kindness. For instance, every time I hear "The Island" I literally drift off to a deserted island where seagulls poop mescaline on my head and transform me into an all seeing, all knowing, all nude shaman capable of healing tree's and understanding dolphin speak.

When they aren't tripping out the happiest harmonies I've heard in a long time, they craft poignant bossa-nova influenced pop like "5 AM", which is the quintessential song about not being able to sleep, realizing that it's 5 am and that the world is about to wake up. And just so you're not misled by the pop, peep "Karmic Dream Sequence #1", which sounds exactly like you'd think "Karmic Dream Sequence #1" should sound...siiiick. See for yourself, then head over to Sundazed and buy this immediatly and make sure you listen, constantly, for the rest of the summer (and beyond).

The Millenium- The Island
The Millenium- 5 am
The Millenium- Karmic Dream Sequence #1

we love: The Dodos

"We can do this on our own..."

Shame on the Bobka for not mentioning them earlier, but we just can't get enough of S.F. duo The Dodos. After having originally listened to their album, Visiter, a few months ago (without properly paying attention), I gave it another spin last week and haven't really stopped, sometimes listening to it thrice a day. And while at this pace I'll no doubt burn out on it too quickly, (hellloooo Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), I just can't help myself. The music itself, which combines pop melodies, furious percussion, and the occasional full band presence, will no doubt fall into the sadly broad "freak folk" category, so I propose we coin the term "fuck folk", as this album sounds like what I imagine having sex with folk music feels like. Who's with me? No one? Ok, bad idea.

Here's the first single off the album, "Fools", live on NPR. Totally killer.

hot: Girls

"I Wish I Had A Pizza And A Bottle Of Wine"
Just like the rest of their stuff, this Girls video is awesome. Can't wait to get the Lust For Life 7" (True Panther) in the mail...complete with custom corsage.

Girls "Morning Light"