pics: Tortilla Factory / Home Sweet Home

"Los Hermanos"

Resting up after an incredibly hectic whirlwind of a weekend, it's hard to even recollect what exactly went down. Bullet points would probably read "Weed Hounds, Twin Sister & Pure Ecstasy played a tortilla factory, then "Pure Ecstasy and Eternal Summers played the Sunday Brunch radio show", and then "Pure Ecstasy and Run DMT turned Home Sweet Home into the mellowest, most psyched out basement bar this side of Moracco." Of course, Erez Avissar was there to capture most of the weekend in glorious hues.

Pure Ecstasy

Twin Sister

Weed Hounds

The scene @ Los Hermanos

PURE ECSTASY & RUN DMT at Home Sweet Home

mix: GAMES Heaven Can Wait Vol. III

"For Blazers Only"

GAMES tracks always hit harder post-midnight. It's, like, a state-of-mind, or something. Narco-zones infiltrating basements MacGuyver'd into mini-disco's, man'd by ecstatic youths hopped up on god knows what. "For Blazers Only" speaks volumes. As does the luded out vocals that dominate and set the 60-frames a second atmosphere.

Heaven Can Wait Mixtape Vol. III by Games

Download the wknd ready Heaven Can Wait Mixtape Vol.III (FBO).

show:4/17 Pure Ecstasy/Twin Sister/ Weed Hounds

"This is How We Do It"

It's been a while since we've thrown a show, but I think this should make up for lost time. We've paired Pure Ecstasy and Twin Sister together before (and it ruled), so when we had the opportunity to reconnect the bands at the famous Los Hermanos Tortilleria, we had to make it happen. As if that wasn't enough for a stellar evening, Weed Hounds will also bring their pop-gaze to the Tortilla Factory, a highly appropriate 1-2-3 punch, if you ask me. Not only that, but DJ Rezound (Cascaders, Men & Women, Group Tightener) will be keeping the party abreast all night long on the ones-and-twos. If all this sounds nice, but you're really looking for an excuse to party, look no further than celebrating the 26th anniversary of the birth of Bobka/The Report videographer C. Axel Poekel III (aka Chaakles). Oh yeah, and there will be free tacos. More details available here. Doors will

INFO

Saturday, April 17th | Doors 8 | Show 9-ish | $7 | BYOB | Free Tacos

Pure Ecstasy

Twin Sister

Weed Hounds

DJ REZOUND

Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos

271 Starr St (btwn Wykoff & St. Nicholas) L Train to Jefferson (Right around the corner)

comp: Various Deficiencies Vol.1

"Hey Sue"
Jonathan from Blackburn Recordings has been telling me about this killer comp he's been set to release since we randomly bumped into each other at the Shake Some Action Ethiopean jam during SXSW. I was pretty stoked about it at the time, but that may have been because the dude manning the keg in the parking lot went inside and I kept pumping the keg myself. Either way, was a real pleasant surprise to get my computer back today and simultaneously get an email from Jonathan with the comp. Various Deficiencie Vol.1 hits like a massive headwind bulldozzing down Norman Ave, a heady combination of rough and tumble garbage blowing amongst the translucent blue radiation spewing from the Newtown Creek. It's tough to pin down, but there are some serious heavy hitters involved, including Big Troubles, Cloud Nothings, City Center, Sleep Over, Coasting, Sore Eros and many more. Peep the tracklist and download the comp below, you won't be sorry. In addition, the comp will also be available as a limited edition cassette in the near future, so keep your eyes/ears peeled for that one too.

Blackburn Recordings Presents...Various Deficiencies Vol.1
City Center - Grow Up Again
Big Troubles - Chalk Circles
Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever
Campfires - Oh Golden Dawn
Sore Eros - Melting
Brett Marren - Love Is A Jawbreaker
Possum - Red Hot
Coasting - Snow Song (Live on WNYU)
Lame Drivers - Working Song
Metal Rouge - Fast Flora Lights
Cursillistas - Trail of Tears
sleep in sundays - Flour
Falsetto Boy - Hey Sue
mountainhood - Coney Island
Sleep Over - The Key
Island's Eyelids - Western Cameo
Sultan - There Goes My Girl

Download Various Deficiencies Vol.1

7": Alex Bleeker These Days

"Never Going Back to School"
Group Tightener are on point again with their latest release, a fresh 7" from lead Freak and Real Estate low-end commander Alex Bleeker. While it's oft silly to judge a record by its cover, the cover of the These Days says it all. Suburban Freewheelin'. Both fitting and touching, the cover transports the listener to a place where rock and roll myth and ethos are mere everyday realities. The Q104.3 classics that built the foundation for much of what we call rock and roll are so ingrained in our minds that its often hard to look away and think of a world where they didn't exist. It's clear Bleeker's got them on his mind, as he unabashedly, and unironically, channels the spirit that birthed so much of the music we now take for granted. Listening to "These Days" it's clear that Jackson Browne's original, written for Nico, is a fond touch point. {ED Note: however, Bleeker's version of "These Days" is not a cover. It first appeared on the Underwater Peoples Winter comp.} It's a tune we all know and love. It's part of our collective cultural psyche, yet Bleeker finds a path in the tune that's never been explored, choosing to wander around the edge, while subtly highlighting his influences and idols. The end result; a brand new, completely different, but still familiar tune that plays with the idea of turning off/on our audio memory. "Getting By" is similar and works in its "I swear to God I've heard this before" head scratchery. Harnessing the vibe of Grateful Dead's late career hit (and most identifiable song) "Touch of Grey" and driving it down the same roads the Feelies explored while recording The Good Earth. Playful and introspective, the new Group Tightener release finds Bleeker moving away from the no-frills Freaks LP and carving a niche for himself as a songwriter unafraid of tackling sounds and ideas many would think cliche, turning them into feel good anthems for youths who only heard "Touch of Grey" years after Jerry passed.

Pick it up at Group Tightener.

Alex Bleeker- Getting By

radio: Sunday Brunch Ep 8

"Trip With Me"

While looking at Charles' records this morning, trying to figure out what to play on Sunday Brunch, I cam across this random Nancy Wilson album. I thought it was Nancy Wilson of Heart, but turns out it was the soul singer. Charles ganked it from his step mom. Looked alright, featured a couple of Burt Bacharach songs and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne." But what really struck me was the last track, "Trip With Me." For a second I figured it was some late period, psychedelic soul from Wilson, but turns out, its really more like a title track to a ficticious jet-set swinging '60s film that never was. Or was it??? Download the entire set, sequenced live on two turntables at Newtown Radio's HQ in the Danbro warehouse. Next week will feature a live set from Pure Ecstasy, and a bunch of other random special treats.

Sunday Brunch Episode 8
Nancy Wilson- Trip With Me
White Rainbow- excerpt from "For Terry"
Grateful Dead- Prelude
Real Estate- Motorbikes
Magic Markers- Tighten One, Loosen the Other
Blood on the Wall- Lightning Song
The Premiers- Farmer John
Silver Jews- Cock Sucker Blues
Bram Rigg Set- I Can Only Give You Everything
The Wizards from Kansas- She Rides with Witches
Caribou- Skunks
Atlas Sound- Axis I (F. Grey)
Muddy Waters- You're Gonna Miss Me
Karen Dalton- Are You Leaving for the Country?
Bob Dylan- One More Weekend
The Kinks- Along Way From Home
Righteous Brothers- You've Lost That Loving Feeling
Velvet Underground- I Found A Reason
The Delfonics- Ready or Not
Tyron Ashley's Funky Music Machine- Gotta Clean Up Pt.1 & Pt.2
James Pants- excerpt from Stones Thrown sampler
Jackie Stoudomire- Invisible Wind
Tom Tom Club- Genius of Love
Mono Mono- Ema Kowa Iasa Ile Wa
"Intro to Funky 16 Corners"Ernie & the Top Notes- Dap Walk
Sarolta Zalatnay- Esy Szot Se Szojl
Children of the 6th Root Race- Go With the Flow
Animal Collective- People (live)
The Zombies- Butcher's Tale
The Mantles- Don't Lie
The Byrds- Space Odyssey
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey- Olu Jeki Ato Agba
Walter Carlos- Spring

Download Sunday Brunch Ep 8

video: The Report DVD- One Week Only

"Epilogue"


As one chapter closes, another opens. And so with Pitchfork.TV now airing the DVD companion to The Report for One Week Only, it's time to look to the future. The next issue of The Report is currently fermenting somewhere North of McGuinness BLVD. In addition, a few editions (roughly 20, give or take) will be available for purchase as of early next week, at which point Volume 1 will cease to exist. Enjoy a few choice selections from The Report DVD.

Pure Ecstasy "You're In It Now"


Javelin "Oh! Centra"


the Report
Vol. 1 - DVD

"Nostrand Ave"
Twin Sister
Above Richie's Gym
January 30, 2010
video by Ray Concepcion

"Unknown"
Three Spanish Gentlemen
Somewhere in Queens
September 12, 2009
video by Chaakles

"Safe At Home"
Eternal Summers
The Delancey
October 23, 2009
video by Chaakles

"Summer" > "Epilogue"
Alex Bleeker & The Freaks
The Studio at Webster Hall
January 07, 2010
video by Chaakles

"Oh! Centra"
Javelin
Under100
November 20, 2009
video by Chaakles

"Blondie"
Family Portrait
Cameo Gallery
August 29, 2009
video by Ray Concepcion

"Halfway To Jackson"
Justin Townes Earle
11th St. Bar
December 09, 2009
courtesy of Bloodshot Records
video by Chaakles

"Opens Arms"
Lux Perpetua
Lutheran Church of the Messiah
December 11, 2009
video by Ray Concepcion

"I'm On Fire"
Alex Bleeker ft Mountain Man
Lutheran Church of the Messiah
December 11, 2009
video by Chaakles

"Dog Song"
Mountain Man
Lutheran Church of the Messiah
December 11, 2009
video by Ray Concepcion

"You're In It Now"
Pure Ecstasy
Above Richie's Gym
January 30, 2010
video by Chaakles

"Droplet On A Hot Stone"
Julian Lynch
Bruar Falls
January 04, 2010
video by Chaakles

"Beach Comber"
Real Estate
The Delancey
October 23, 2009
video by Chaakles

"Epilogue"
Alex Bleeker ft Mountain Man
Luthern Church of the Messiah
December 11, 2009
video by Chaakles

classic: Ship Ahoy

"Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do?"
The demand for album-oriented production in the early seventies had a profound effect on Motown, classic soul, and R&B. While countless acts continued to rely heavily on singles and radio airplay, a few groups took a note or two from prominent rock and folk artists. The Temptations, under the new direction of Norman Whitfield, issued a handful of albums with a more cohesive premise (Cloud Nine, Puzzle People, Psychedelic Shack) drawing countless new fans who otherwise might not have noticed. Thirteen years after forming, Ohio natives The O'Jays released their major label debut in 1972, Back Stabbers, and earned national attention and critical praise. The title track and "Time To get Down" were major hits, and "Love Train" is still played in bars and bar-mitzvahs alike. Back Stabbers put Philadelphia International on the map. However is was their follow-up, Ship Ahoy, that is often overlooked and publicly underrated.

Today, Ship Ahoy is probably best remembered for the single "For the Love of Money" (the theme song from The Apprentice). Like many artists coming off a major success, the group decided to focus on social issues, from racism to greed and most notably, slavery. The album cover features images of half-naked slaves, and the epic title song begins with the sounds of slave ships (breaking waves, creaking wood, and the rhythmic sound of a whip). As the whip fades, an equally rhythmic 2-note bassline takes its place as the rest of the instrumentation slowly emerges, all culminating with an epic vocal barrage. Every track is memorable but other highlights include "Now That We've Found Love" and the super-laid-back nine minute blues ballad "Don't Call Me Brother."

The O'Jays - Don't Call Me Brother

video: Julian Lynch with Family Portrait

"Jam"

Harnessing the rays of a bright sun left stranded over weary plains, this house jam by Julian Lynch, featuring old homies Family Portrait, is the sort of dimly light magic you'd expect to exist only in a place far removed from the grid. The grass is a little longer and the sky is cluttered with massive schools of clouds trotting to their next destination. Subtle and refreshing, the wind blows, shaking everything in its path; hair, weeds, trees, birds. By the time the sun heads over the horizon, the landscape is frozen, serene. Only to be lifted up again in the morning, when the sun rises once again and begins nourishing the seeds its helped grow for thousands of years.

This video was shot at Ben's house in Madison, Wisconsin by Spencer Wells. Wish we could've been there for this one. Thx Spencer.

radio: Sunday Brunch Ep7

"Golden Years"
Took over the air waves this Sunday for the weekly addition of our Sunday Brunch program, but with vibes high and the sun even higher, things swung in an interesting direction. Gone were proto-hypno jams and scuzz-pop balladry, replaced with hi-fi, soul kicking Dad Rock. Swinging from Bowie to Roxy Music to Traffic to Bruce (with Jackson Browne) before finally finishing with a solo set by Alex Bleeker, the afternoon felt like a complete homage to the tapedecks that provided the soundtrack to many family road trips and backyard parties. Come back for more next Sunday at 2pm on Newtown Radio.

Sunday Brunch Ep7- Easter Dad Rock Edition

Ducktails- Surfs Up

David Bowie- Golen years

Nick Lowe- I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

Roxy Music- More Than This

Tina Turner- Private Dancer

The Clash- Straight to Hell

Gnonnas Pedro et ses Dadjes- La Musica En Verite

The Crusaders- Get On The Soul Ship (It's Leaving)

Steely Dan- Hey Nineten

Traffic- The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Dennis Wilson- Pacifac Ocean Blues

Wilson Picket (w/ Duane Allman)- Hey Jude

Percy Sledge- When A Man Loves A Woman

Beach Boys- Surfs Up

Bruce Springsteen- Stay

Fleetwood Mac- Rihanna (live)

T.Rex- Metal Guru

The Feelies- Tomorrow Today

Velvet Underground- Oh! Sweet Nuthin

Silver Jews- Random Rules

--Live Set by Alex Bleeker--

Download Sunday Brunch Ep7- Easter Sunday Dad Rock Edition

mp3: SURVIVE "Lunar Eclipse"

"Holographic Landscape"

Spawned from the birth of star during a nuclear eclipse, SURVIVE dwell in corners neither seen, felt nor touched. Prefering to carve dreams out of the nascent subtlties oft overlooked by mere mortals, the group of knob-heads thrive on putting the beat in imagined future communities, the sort of virtual score music that feels like it should be included in Emilie Friedlander & Camilla Padget-Coles Field Notes. Spacial, and yet ripe for the floor, "Lunar Eclipse" is the result of kids from the Texas hill still hoping their Blade Runner/Demolition Man fantasies will someday be fulfilled. (Fingers crossed.) SURVIVE's self-titled debut is currently available from Light Lodge, the same great Austin label responsible for Silver Pines and Pure Ecstasy, as well as two banging SXSW showcases, and a slew of upcoming releases. Keep yr ears to the ground.

SURVIVE- Lunar Eclipse

radio: Sunday Brunch Ep6

"Rain"

After a bit of delay, I proudly present last weeks Sunday Brunch radio hour. Sequenced live on Newtown Radio, the mix was heavily influenced by two things; torrential rains and a desire to segue Sunday Brunch into Arthur Radio. The later was completely by bellowing out Dream Color's "Spiritual Celebration" tape, effectively entrancing Ivy Meadows & Visitation Rites, who caught the vibe and fleshed it out. A real mellow affair.

Sunday Brunch Ep6

Stars of the Lid- December Hunting for Vegetarian Fuck Face

Twin Sister- Galaxy Plateau

Julian Lynch- Winterer 2

Ravi Shankar- Bangla Dhun

Oneness of Juju- Chants/Don't Give Up

Soul Messengers- Our Lord & Savior

Susan Christy- Ghost Riders In The Sky

Sacred Harp- The Seven Salvations

William Eaton- Untitled

Run DMT- Disaster Babies

Run DMT- Spruce Bringsteen

Atlas Sound- side 4 trac k3

James Ferraro- last american hero

Vashti Bunyan- Wayward

George Harrison- Gimme Love

Bruce Springsteen- I'm On Fire (live)

Kurt Vile- Red Apples

Big Troubles- Grey Dayz

Liam the Younger- 'celebrate today'

Forrest Swords- If Your Girl

Alice Cohen- Anemia

Velvet Davenport- One/Lemon

Marissa Nadler- Mistress (On a Sunny Day)

Mountain Man- Buffalo

Alex Bleeker- Journey Through The Past

Lee Hazelwood- No Train to Stockholm

Michael Parallax- Mountain Girls

Sleep Over- Sun Spots

Alex Bleeker- Time Cloud

Fripp & Eno- Wind on Water

Sun Araw- Beams

Dream Colour- Spiritual Celebration

Download Sunday Brunch Ep6

videos: SwimJams

"Divine Light"


After a string of near flawless releases, OESB hits the proverbial nail on the head once again with the announcement that the label's first double LP (and DVD box set?!?!) will come from none other than Oklahoma's king of paint huffing skurrit riffs, SwimJams. Culled from blood Scott Stapp shed on the alter of Motorhead while smoking sherm with Wayne Coyne and ripping the heads off pigeons for the mere fuck of it, SwimJams take no prisoners harsh-bliss is the proto-Nirvana/Grunge killer to all the hypno-poop Casio obsessed stonejobs have been shitting out for the past few years. It's a throw back, a fuck you to CC Devil and all the washed out Sunkist video obsessing windsurfing posers caught up on Ariel Pink's warped amplitude. OESB offered up a dish of fresh appetizers to get us salivating, but something tells me we're all gonna need lobster bibbs to catch the globs of drool spilling from our unhinged jaws as we induldge in what might be one of the most revolutionary steps music has taken in the past 30 years.

tape: Tracey Trance

"&"

Six occult Iowa corn freakers lurk in the fields surrounding an abandoned carnival. Gased up on NO2 and unknown chemi-bits, tweakers hot wire the Jumbotron and take the old rusty mess for a spin. Wielding crackers and a pinch of fairy dust, a toeless wanderer spin kicks the gears into reverse, sending the gang ass backwards into a time-lapse-tilt-a-whirl. Lost somewhere in the frenetic energy of misaligned molecules, scattered bits of thrown sound ampli-fry in the luminous dawn light comes. The source; their leader, Tracey Trance, riding high on the steel bull, riffing hard on some jack-in-the-box tweakery. "Breaking the Streak."

Tracey Trance brings his three-year (infinite?) "microwavy gravy tour" to Brooklyn next week, with accomplice, and fellow soul child Taterbug.

Tracey Trance- Breaking the Streak

mix: Broken Deer Songs for Imbolc

"Rock-A-Bye Baby"

Crafted "to celebrate the halfway point between the dark and light season," Broken Deer's Songs for Imbolc crawls into ones consciousness like a mistaken memory tiptoeing ever-so-softly down a rickety hallway. "Shh," you tell yourself, thinking you heard something but wholely unaware of what's lurking in the midst. More intimate than being sung to sleep by your grandmother from the old country, Broken Deer's pitched falsetto runs the gamut from obliquey fascinating to borderline annoying before swaying back into utter fantasy, the sort of sure-hearted tonic that drowns all concerns in lust-lorn thunderstorms. She sings the songs you wish you had sung to yourself walking home through the rain in the middle of the night. Songs for Imbolc is perfect for a rainy morning like today, or basically any other solitary moment. Also, be sure to check out Alice Cohen's video for "White Woman", which will be released on Broken Deer's next record, POLARAURA, due out this June on Gandhara Recordings.

Broken Deer- Songs for Imbolc (direct download)

video: Raw Thrills "Komich Traveling with Vampires"

"To Outerspace"

"Komiche Traveling with Vampires," featured on the Report compilation and Raw Thrills Dead Set, hits like a rocket shot into your nasal cavity, only to burn up and fizzle out as it reaches the outer layer of Earth's atmosphere. It exists in a parallel universe where the China Club is inhabitated by junk'd out terrordome fashionistas, ala Escape from New York (or LA), and rocket cars are the most popular mode of transportation. But they ain't nice rocket cars. They suck, actually. In the post-WW7 world, the most advanced technology is rusted over and coroded, fucked up beyond recognition, but still somehow viable. Get all the Raw Thrills hotness, including another recently released CD-R at IMSOSORRYDAD. Weekend...blast off.

tape: Sacred Harp Feast of the Green Corn Tape

When I first saw this on Mirror Universe, I knew I had to have it. A sucker for homespun celestial acoustics, Sacred Harp promised a similar vibe as Numero Group's Wayfaring Stranger: Guitar Soli compilation, a collection which, if you aren't familiar, I highly suggest you spend a few nights alone with, drinking amongst blankets. Cheesy, yeah, but seriously profound. Sacred Harp is quite similar. In an age of scuzzy pop, blistering psych and assualting noise, Sacred Harp plays just like it sounds. Sacred. The sounds of the Gods tinkering with the planet, tilted on its axis, singing to the beat of a star so far away we call it a Sun, and even then, we still don't know anything about it. It's primitive and pure, the sort of wondrous alchemy that could only be harvested by the most righteous of farmers (in this case, Mirror Universe). It's wondrous. I'll say that again. It's wondrous. Purchase a limited edition of Sacred Harp's Feast of the Green Corn tape from Mirror Universe, I swear it'll make the everyday bullshit weighing down on your shoulder feel more like fluff, the type that goes well with peanut butter on a sunny afternoon. (Ed Note: Digitized versions of these tracks do nothing for the way they sound on analog tape.)

Sacred Harp- Feast of the Green Corn

Sacred Harp- Dogwood

post-SXSW: Speculator

"Enjoy"
Been digging on Speculator since Friendship Bracelet first featured his zonked out new(no)-wave grooves on FBC2 (and subsequently FBC3). Last week I had the opportunity to check out Speculator live and in the flesh, tape-decking out in the Austin sun. Flanged grooves woggled over magnetic tape until the grooves just unwound, spitting thousands of manipulated notes into a vast ocean of mega-notes. Regurgitated soundscapes form the basis of highly vibeable car tunes, the sort of wonked out bliss William Basinki would be into if his rotting tapes were Billy Ocean, rather than some avant-experimental whatever the fuck. That said, Speculator's recently released split with Luke Perry is a quintessential sewar banger, the sort of slo-soul that's been devolving in a vile of ooz for years without once being subjected to total darkness (or total light, for that matter). Purchase the Luke Perry/Speculator split tape here.

Speculator- Cruiser

post-SXSW: Big Troubles 7"

"Bat Bomb"

So I went to SXSW. It was fun. I had a good time. Hung with a lot of cool peeps, ate tons of Migas, stayed out of the chaos, and, for the most part, chilled super hard. Not surprisingly, SXSW felt like a vacation home. All Brooklyn & Jersey homeys chilling hard on Spring Break, drinking free Lonestar and trying to find someone with rolling papers. One of the acts I saw everywhere was Big Troubles. Every five feet or so I'd look around and see Sam or Alex or Ian or Luka or Mr. Gooch. Of course, I didn't even see them play, but I did manage to snag a copy of their super limited first pressing of their new 7" on Olde English Spelling Bee. The single is actually the test pressings for their new 7" and comes enclosed in a gold sleeve with custom collage art unique to each disc. Highly limited to 55, it is easily one of the coolest things (along with Sleep Over's erotic art zine) that I picked up in Austin. The 4-track 7" includes Big Troubles live staples "Drastic & Difficult" and "Grey Dayz" on the B-side, while "Bad People" and "Bat Bomb" compose the A-side. This 7" is really wetting my palette for the bomb that is sure to be their debut full-length.

Big Troubles- Drastic & Difficult

Big Troubles- Grey Dayz

mp3: Run DMT "Spruce Bringsteen"

"Take You Under"
Sock hop dodgery and mystical instrospection running wild like a pair of harmone huffing teens heavy petting in the back seat of a rusty MG is sort of what Run DMT's new "Spruce Bringsteen" reminds me of. It's all greaser, head-bobbing with your lady friend in saddle shoes, but beneath it all there's a deep desire to look inward while moving outward, exploring the depths of binges and gorges alike, while moving at the speed of a locomotive, or crawling on the floor. Easily one of the most infectious tunes of the year. (And one of my favorites.) ("Round and Round" included.)

Run DMT- Spruce Bringsteen

tapes: The Curatorial Club

[Ed Note: The Curatorial Club is a new project-based imprint founded by the founder(s) of Chocolate Bobka, which hopes to make available projects that were previously unavailable. We will be working with our favorite artists, labels, creators, etc to bring these little nuggets to life.]

That said, happy to announce the release of three new tapes by three of our favorite artists; Twin Sister, Alex Bleeker & Run DMT. All releases are limited and were created by loving hands at home. As Aquarium Drunkard touched on, Twin Sister's Alternates is a collection of demoes from their old EP, as well as a preview of the material from their soon-to-be-released Color Your Life. Download the A-Side right here. It's a gem.

TCC 002 is a C20 by Alex Bleeker. Mad Dog is an "audio sketch book" that spans a year of bedroom recording Alex did, mostly "lying on my back in bed." The cassette is an invitation to view the work in progress, to hear loose picking evolving into the skeletal framework for songs like "Summer," which Bleeker notes "was literally the first time i had played it." "The first thing ["Mad Dog"] was something I did randomly on Matt's 8-track while I was waiting for him to get ready to leave. Then I found the handheld in my closet a few days ago because I wanted to record the last 'song' on there...It spans from December '08 to now.

The third release in the first batch from The Curatorial Club is Run DMT's physical debut. This C60 collects his initial work, Bong Voyage & Get Ripped or Die Trying, which were initially intended to be released as a two-sided tape. In addition, to the instant classic mixes, the tape is speckled with unreleased, exclusive Run DMT magic dust. Individually designed j-cards by Run DMT himself. Limited run of 20.

Learn more about The Curatorial Club and order releases here.

mp3: Real Woods "No Rain" (Blind Melon Cover)

"All I Can Do"
(Photo by Frankie Pancakes)

After announcing that they would tour together, it was pretty apparent that a Real Estate/Woods tour would birth some serious cross-polination. Birds had been chirping of Real Woods in the weeks leading up to their first show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Rumors of "bongo flying" practices flooded town, and when it came time, during the encore portion of Friday night's show, the bands did not disappoint. Bleeker took to the lead vocal, while the rest of Real Woods got jubilant, as hippie moshpits took over the front rows and tambourine dancing ensued on stage. And then they were called out for another encore, in which they played Graham Nash's "Military Madness". Great show. Of course, NYC Taper was there to capture it all. In other show/cover news, NYC Taper also has Real Estate's cover of "My Molly," which you should definitely snag.

Real Woods- No Rain (Blind Mellon cover)

radio: Sunday Brunch Ep5

"Getting By"Torrential downpours set the tone for yesterday's edition of Sunday Brunch. Dark Nor'Eastern heavyness flooded North Brooklyn, only to be washed out by fuzz'd out lucid pop of the rapid-eye variety and wonked cuts with international flavor. The entire set was mixed live on two turntables, except for the Twerps "Good Advice," City Center's cover of the Grateful Dead's "Box of Rain" and Alex Bleeker's "Getting By," the later two of which are both featured on the most excellent new Woodsist tape comp Welcome Home. If you see a copy at SXSW or on the Woods/Real Estate tour, I highly recommend picking one up. You won't be dissapointed.

Magik Markers- The Diamond Guitar of Tico Feo
The Wizards from Kansas- She Rides with Witches
Kurt Vile & the Violators- Good Looking Out
Vivian Girls- My Baby Wants Me Dead
Crystal Stilts- Sugar Baby
The Pretty Things- LSD
Big Troubles- Freudian Slips (alt version)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti- Evolutions a Lie
The Oh Sees- In The Shadows of the Giant
Pure Ecstasy- Baby
Blues Control- Paul's Winter Solstice
Dylan Ettinger- Smokin'
Lotus Plaza- Quicksand
Panda Bear- Bonfire of the Vanities
Pocahaunted- Veil
Grouper- False Horizons
Pigeons- Envie
Bruce Springsteen- State Trooper
Ioannis Halikias '"Jack Gregory"- The Loser
La Bandas- Waiting
Janka Nabay- Top Suhl Bah (33 rpm)
Rangers- Ross Downs
The Delfonics- Didn't I Blow Your Mind this Time
Yo La Tengo- My Little Corner of the World
John Phillips- Holland Tunnell
City Center- Box of Rain
Julian Lynch- Garden
The Twerps- Good Advice
The Bearies- I've Paid My Dues
Comet Gain- Love Without Lies
Fluffy Lumbers- Mutant Barrymore
Alex Bleeker- Getting By

Download Sunday Brunch Ep5

radio: Sunday Brunch Ep4

"Cat People"
This past Sunday was quite the celebration/burn out zone at Newtown Radio. Our hangover relief special came in the form of a videochat broadcast from Sleep Over. Something tells me two spirits may have gotten loose in Austin and crept into Sleep Over's living room practice zone. After a mystifying set, Charles spun hits from movies that were nominated for Oscars, movies that weren't, and movies that never were, followed by a live in-studio set from Family Portrait, fresh off a particularly fun night and ripe for their first national tour. It was pretty familial, sort of like the riff-raff from the prior nights house show wandered into the studio and sat in a circle around the band, indian style, just trying to get a grip on the day. Good times.

Sunday Brunch Ep4"

Rose Royce - I wanna Get Next to You [from Car Wash]

live Sleep Over set (via iChat)

Tangerine Dream - Betrayal [from Sorcerer]
Giorgio Moroder - To The Bridge [from Cat People]
Vangelis - Wait for Me [from Blade Runner]
Trevor Duncan - Grip of the Law [from Plan 9 from Outer Space]
Pink Floyd - When Tigers Broke Free [from The Wall]
Popol Vuh - Gemeinshaft [from Coeur de Verre]
Quincy Jones - Hangin Paper [from In Cold Blood]
Final Solution - Brotherman [from Brotherman (fake movie)]
Steely Dan - FM [from FM]
David Bowie - Cat People [from Cat People]
Johnny Greenwood - Prospectors Arrive [from There Will Be Blood]
Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind - Main Title Theme [from The Shining]
Gyorgy Ligeti - Overture: Atmospheres [from 2001: A Space Odyssey]
Tex Ritter - High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me) [from High Noon]
Barry Adamson - The Big Bamboozle [from Oedipus Schmoedipus (fake movie)]
Bob Dylan - Billy 1 [from Pat Garret & Billy The Kid]
Giorgio Moroder - The Chase [from Midnight Express]
Ennio Moricone - The Ecstacy of Gold [from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly]

live Family Portrait set

Download Sunday Brunch Ep 4 (featuring Sleep Over and Family Portrait)

video: Candy Claws

"Hidden Lands"

Hibernating in the woods can really pay off. At least, it did for Thoreau....I think. The same reclusive introspection can also be said of Candy Claws, who've been quietly penning and producing their next record in the sylvan wonderlands of grand ole Colorado. Not so secret as it once was, the band is now keeping track of their work on their new blog, and will even leave the confines of their humble abode for the calamities of SXSW. If you're heading to Austin, be sure to catch them as they do not play in public very often, if ever. Expect a forthcoming record this summer on two syllable records.

video: Fluffy Lumbers, Alice Cohen at CMJ

"Back to the Wall"


Lost in some blackhole-time warp, these two recently unearthed videos of Fluffy Lumbers and Alice Cohen live at the UP/OESB/BOBKA really bring me back to that hazy night at the now defunct Monkeytown during CMJ. To view is to be transported back in time to a realm that existed for a few hours on some odd day in October.

mp3: Games "Midi Drift"

"PROGRAM-A-JAM"

Funk me where the pampers is?! It's another GAMES track. The trifecta to join a now holy trinity. Here's what GAMES have to say about it.

this track started w/ a video idea in which joel and i are 90s high tech corporate dads, except our cubicles are party jam stations comprised of drum machines and synths and tactical flowcharts on how to make the best music possible. we meet by the water cooler and i give joel a folder on it that says PROGRAM-A-JAM and i point at my watch, like ‘get it done by 5 dude or my goose is cooked.’ later on joel bumps into a ~really~ fine girl in the hallway and her folders fly everywhere. she ends up taking the PROGRAM-A-JAM folder and he takes one that says TOP SECRET KGB STUFF on it. he takes it back to his desk and send me links to hot pixxx of her getting railed by the boss in the boiler room. we go to chilis at some point probably. the babe keeps getting hotter/more naked and is seen programming hot jams with a Jupiter 8 after-hours. We are wearing uncool jeans and corporate fleece pullovers and have salt & pepper beards. we drive off into the sunset in toyota camrys.

Games- Midi Drift

pics: Real Estate House Party

"These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty"
Photos: Erez Avissar

The so-called 'bloguettes' of the Micro-Pixel-Rites Presents hosted a rager on Saturday night to help raise funds for the porta-potties at their SXSW show and, well, it's Monday and I'm still recooperating. Evening began with a set by Alex Bleeker and the Freaks and continued with pals Family Portrait, freshly reformed for the first time since August. Later the freaks re-configured as Real Estate to close out the evening with an Ariel Pink cover, a cover of the Clean's "Anything Can Happen" and a swooping rendition for "Happy Birthday" for Emilie. The cops came. However, subject to the vibes at hand, they seemed like super chill cops. Must've been the projected Seinfeld.

video: Sun Araw CoCo 66

"The Phynx"

Ray just sent me this recap of the Sun Araw show at Coco 66 this past Sunday, which was, to say the least, some really HEAVY shit. All night. (Aside: Bigs up to Upstairs CDR, the KGB Man himself, and DJ Bryce (?) who was in the front bar spinning shit all slo'd out and drawly-like.) OPN killed a set too, but thats a whole different story. Sun Araw came in from Cali the night before, after getting stuck in LA because of weather, Airline-delays, etc in NYC. Dude took the red-eye and landed at LGA at 9:30 AM Sunday Morning, days after his supposed arrival. Yet somehow, despite delays, Sun Araw instantly cast a mega-aura over the greater Greenpoint area. The sky got all neon green. Except the ooz sky wasn't poisonious, it was just glowing mist. Like tie-dyed fog. Everything was real fresh. Super zones. (RC on a different plane of existence with this one. Right on.)

video: Forest Swords "Visits"

"Miarches"

Slithering like a cobra out of a cave into the desolate streets of some god foresaken place, "Visits" memorializes the striking difference between non-chalant everyday moments and foresakingly dramatic turns. As witnessed in the third installment of the Forest Swords video trilogy, the young boy, once free and full of life, is brought to the ground by his surroundings. They are so pristine, engaging and, perhaps, lethal that the boy literally can't help but keel over. And so is life. As OESB notes, "Visits," like many of the cuts on Dagger Paths, invokes a "Morricone Western flick vibe." The perils are dark, the sun peaking, blistering skin and minds, until falling prey to the inevitable is all that's left to do. If you're wondering to yourself, 'well, self, what DO I DO now?' My answer is (re)view the initial installments in the Forest Swords series, then check out a seperate video directed by Leftist Nautical Antiques Alex Davis, who also release Forest Swords tape earlier this year.

Pick up the new Forest Swords release here.

mp3: John K.

"She's Out There"

John K's "Or We Could Be Lovers" is the initial brain sentiment associated with being lost in the back of a club, clinging to your last drink and trying to come up with something clever to say to that girl in the electric red lipstick. You're certain this particular femme fatale isn't so fatale, and might be someone you'd like to romp around a music video set with. The video vixen, big blown out hair, the smell Aquanet getting you all hot and bothered, while a fog machine pumps out chem smoke that clouds your line of sight.... She's gone.... Never to be seen again. It's all fantasy, of course, well, sorta. In that moment, one wonders "We could be friends, or we could be lovers."

John K. - Or We Could Be Lovers (from John)

radio: Sunday Brunch Ep3

"The Last American Hero"
Another Sunday come and gone, another Sunday Brunch in the proverbial can. Recently back from European tour, Real Estate bassist and lead Freak Alex Bleeker joined me in the studio this week to spin classics by the Feelies, the Boss, and the Zombies, as well as selections from the killer new batch of releases from Olde English Spelling Bee. Specifically, Forest Swords tunnel banger "Hoylake Misst", Rangers "Bel Air" and an excerpt from James Ferraro's The Last American Hero. Download the two-hour all vinyl mix below, and be sure to tune in next Sunday at 2pm on New Town Radio.

Sunday Brunch Ep3
James Ferraro- The Last American Hero (excerpt)
Islaja- Pysähtyneet planeetat
Damon + Naomi- This Car Climbed Mt. Washington
Bonnie "Prince" Billy- Senor
Bonnie "Prince" Billy- Going to Acapulco
The Zombies- Hung Up On a Dream
Ganglians- To June
Sun Araw- Hey Mandala! (excerpt)
Forest Swords- Hoylake Misst
The Millenium- The Island
Woods Family Creeps- Twisted Tongue
Vashti Bunyan- Jog Along Bess
The Incredible String Band- The Mad Hater's Song
George Cromarty- Flight
The Feelies- High Road
The Oh Sees- She Said to Me (Demo)
Fleetwood Mac- Over My Head
John Lennon & Yoko Ono- (Just Like) Starting Over
Joseph Bentley & Al-Hammel Rasul- Don't Give Up (from Oneness of Juju)
The Righteous Brothers- You've Lost That Loving Feeling
Rangers- Bel Air
Sunbirds- Ocean Song
Yo La Tengo- Spec Bebop
Koushik- Corner of Your Smile
Ariel Pink- Can't Hear My Eyes
Kate Bush- Running Up That Hil
Dennis Wilson- River Song
Bruce Springsteen- Prove It All Night

Download Sunday Brunch Ep3