Who doesn’t love Fridays, right? And what better way to end the week than checking out a new band? In this case, it was Two White Horses at the Mercury Lounge, perfect for unwinding after a long work week.
It’s always nice to see a band that puts a little effort into their presentation onstage–coordinated outfits and all aren’t entirely rare in the post-White Stripes era, but studied indifference is more the norm these days than a solemn approach to the stage with two matching white horse-head cutouts to go with all-white outfits, his an almost militaristic uniform and hers a debutante-fresh white ruffled dress.
Two White Horses are from Sweden, but they don’t sound like any of the recent Swedish imports that I’ve heard, producing instead a dreamy folk-pop with a slight sixties feel but an electronic pulse underneath their deceptively simple tunes.
Siblings Jakob and Lovisa Nystrom trade instruments and vocals, switching places behind the keyboards and taking turns singing in English and French. Her voice is smokier live than on their self-titled record, sweet and sultry, somewhere between Fiona Apple and Feist, and their lyrics are alternately straightforward (Good times are gone forever/gone forever) and witty (So instead of seeing Jesus/She began to see a lot of other men).
They put on the kind of show that you want to sit back and watch rather than stand and dance to, a performance that rests on their dramatic appearance and old-timey look, their sound that manages to be retro without being kitschy and sweet while skirting twee. It’s music for a sunny summer day in the park, even if their outfits and accents evoke Swedish winters instead, and I urge you to check out their record (or their MySpace page) and catch Two White Horses next time they’re on our side of the Atlantic.
I don’t know about any of you peeps, but I love the Fleet Foxes. Their self-titled album and Sun Giant EP are both great, plus they are fantastic live. If you haven’t had the chance to see them, you totally should. They’re playing at All Points West in about a month (along with Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot and the Beastie Boys), plus a whole host of other tour dates including Chicago, Philly, DC and Toronto. If you get the chance you should definitely check them out in concert.
In the meantime, Pitchfork has a link up to their new single, ‘Blue Spotted Tail,’ which you can download for free (just go to the page and right click then hit ‘Save Link As’ to download). They recorded it for a BBC live session. It’s a really good song. Enjoy. -Liza
BUST’s very own rock star editor Emily Rems will be getting interviewed with her band, Royal Pink, today on RewBee*s World.
RewBee*s World is a new indienet radio show on AriZZma Radio. It’s hosted by Rew and Bee of RewBee, a female fronted NYC rock band. They interview rock bands from the Tri-State area. The show is every Wednesday from 4-6 pm. Be sure to check it out! -Liza
The Georgia Theater, which hosted bands like REM and the B-52s in their early days, burned badly today. It was basically gutted by fire damage, though the building is still standing. It’s located in the heart of downtown Athens, right near the University of Georgia campus.
Back in their early days, the B-52s paid the venue to be allowed to play there. The first show after the theater opened in 1978 was Sea Level, which formed out of remnants of the Allman Brothers Band. After REM formed in 1980 they played there regularly and still occasionally came in to play benefits and hold record release parties.
On a personal note, I’m a UGA alum. I walked by the Georgia Theater all the time; that big marquee is as much a staple of Athens as college football or drunken frat boys. The last time I was there was right before I graduated in 2006. I saw Collective Soul (it was awesome). It was a great little venue and really important to the history of alternative music. Here’s hoping they’ll be able to rebuild and restore it to its former self. Cheers. -Liza
(photo via www.dawgfan.net)
Everyone has that one friend who knows way too much about music. You know who I mean (if you don’t, then maybe you are that friend). They are always the ones who have an iPod full of bands you’ve never heard of, they tell you who you might like (and are usually right) and let you know what concerts you just need to go to. They take one looks at your music collection and, stifling their snobbish laughter, tell you exactly who your next favorite band will be. They’re like the Genius Playlist of real people.
Why not skip the middle man altogether, then, and have your favorite bands tell you who you should be listening to? That’s what happens on My Secret Playlist. Artists compile lists of their 8 favorite songs of the moment and tell you why they are awesome. So far the site has lists from artists like Metric, Katy Perry and Better than Ezra, just so you can try and be as cool as your favorite band. Rock on.
For your viewing/listening pleasure, here’s the debut video from Sonic Youth’s latest record, The Eternal. The song is ‘’Sacred Trickster.'’ Enjoy. -Liza
After the success of the most recent Belle and Sebastian album, The Life Pursuit, band leader, main singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch decided to take some time to pursue his dream of writing a rock musical scored for female singers. After auditioning dozens of talented vocalists from around the world via internet contests, he chose winners and, with all of the members of Belle and Sebastian backing him up, recorded this breathtaking record from one of most singular voices. It combines the strengths and feel of the early Belle and Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, which draws equally on musicals, sixties girl groups, eighties indie and, most of all, classic pop records. And, in Catherine, Stuart has found a rare talent - her clear, lilting vocals bringing to life the characters in Stuart’s imagination. Plus Stuart singing on some tracks, and a 45-piece orchestra. We love this. You should really take a moment to check them out! You can also buy their music here at Matador, iTunes, and Amazon!
But here is the playlist -it’s FREE to listen-all you have to do is sign up (also FREE!)
And listen up below!!!!
The indomitable Grace Jones is currently on tour. The impossibly glamorous, hell-raising performer is kicking ass and taking names all across Europe. She’s even deigning to visit Hollywood for you west-coasters!
Reviewer David Taylor writes of her show: ‘I can safely say that there aren’t any other gigs I’ve witnessed when the highlight of the evening involved a 60-year-old semi-naked woman hula-hooping in a glittery cat mask’ Need I say more? Tour dates after the jump. More info here.Read the rest of this entry »
Anjulie is one of the artists selected for MTV’s ‘’Freshman 5.'’ That means she’ll be spotlighted all over MTV for the next three months - right up until her debut album comes out on August 4. Be sure to check out her cool, artsy video for ‘’Boom'’ (above), and if you’re in New York or L.A. go and see her live next week:
6/15 - New York, NY - Joe’s Pub, 9:30pm
6/17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Viper Room
6/19 - Los Angeles, CA - Club R
6/24 - Los Angeles, CA - The Viper Room
You can also go to the MTV site and vote for your favorite ‘’Freshman 5′’ video. -Liza
If you’re like me, the ringtones that are available from your phone provider never include any songs that you actually like. So you’re stuck with the lousy free sounds or paying way too much for songs that you only have lukewarm feelings for.
Sound editing software is expensive, so cutting your own songs on your computer probably isn’t an option.
This is why I was so happy when I found a website that will do it for you. All you do at the Make Your Own Ringtone site is upload an mp3 (if your iTunes is still set to a different format you’ll have to do some converting, but that’s not hard), trim it and send it to your phone. Voila! Custom ringers.
OK, sometimes it’s a little more complicated than that. You have to make sure you are trimming to the right length (most ringtones are 30 seconds or so). You also have to figure out what output format will work on your phone, plus what is the best way to send it. And don’t forget that you’ll have to listen, so if you’re doing this while you’re goofing off at work, make sure to use headphones. But you can customize the difficulty on the page, so if you’re a total n00b you should still be able to figure it out, but if you’re really tech savvy you can play around with it to make it perfect. Read the rest of this entry »
Young, Fat and Fabulous Gabi is a fun loving girl who happens to have a flair for fashion. Just trying to change the world one fat girl at at time. She blogs about plus-sized trends.
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I don’t know about any of you peeps, but I love the 
BUST’s very own rock star editor Emily Rems will be getting interviewed with her band, 
The Georgia Theater, which hosted bands like REM and the B-52s in their early days, 
Everyone has that one friend who knows way too much about music. You know who I mean (if you don’t, then maybe you are that friend). They are always the ones who have an iPod full of bands you’ve never heard of, they tell you who you might like (and are usually right) and let you know what concerts you just need to go to. They take one looks at your music collection and, stifling their snobbish laughter, tell you exactly who your next favorite band will be. They’re like the Genius Playlist of real people.
After the success of the most recent Belle and Sebastian album, The Life Pursuit, band leader, main singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch decided to take some time to pursue his dream of writing a rock musical scored for female singers. After auditioning dozens of talented vocalists from around the world via internet contests, he chose winners and, with all of the members of Belle and Sebastian backing him up, recorded this breathtaking record from one of most singular voices. It combines the strengths and feel of the early Belle and Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, which draws equally on musicals, sixties girl groups, eighties indie and, most of all, classic pop records. And, in Catherine, Stuart has found a rare talent - her clear, lilting vocals bringing to life the characters in Stuart’s imagination. Plus Stuart singing on some tracks, and a 45-piece orchestra. We love this. You should really take a moment to 
If you’re like me, the ringtones that are available from your phone provider never include any songs that you actually like. So you’re stuck with the lousy free sounds or paying way too much for songs that you only have lukewarm feelings for.
