Filed under: Summer Concerts 2010 | Tags: Apache Beat, Broken Social Scene, built to spill, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Matt and Kim, Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Ponytail, Screaming Females, Surfer Blood, Ted Leo, Wye Oak
Matt and Kim
90-degree beach weather, Nathan’s hot dogs and free music all factor into a day that I’ve looked forward to for years. It’s not the 4th of July. This day comes two weeks later. The stage that’s previously hosted indie rock legends like Broken Social Scene in 2008 and Built to Spill in 2009 will be sporting sunny indie-poppers Matt and Kim and neo-punks Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.
As always, the Siren lineup is neatly stacked — this year featuring a nice mix of up-and-coming blog-buzzers like Screaming Females and Wye Oak alongside last-summer favorites like Matt & Kim and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. In an inspired bit of scheduling, the Pains, lo-fi surf-rockers Surfer Blood and Matt & Kim will play before both the aforementioned acts on the same main stage. All of their music and live shows are energetic and fun, which bodes well for a day in the Coney Island sun.
Meanwhile the Stillwell Stage will be hosting bands arguably just as cool. Holy Fuck, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Harlem, Ponytail and Apache Beat are set to rock Stillwell, making the ever-present choice of what stage to hit when that much more difficult. The full hourly breakdown was released yesterday in anticipation of the show this Saturday, July 17. 20 Watts will be on-scene for the day and will be covering the day’s shenanigans when we aren’t taking part in them ourselves. Check out some previous free concert coverage this summer and the last time we covered Siren!
— Eric Vilas-Boas
Filed under: Issue 22 | Tags: 7/4 Shoreline, All to All, Almost Crimes, Amy Millan, Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl, Best of the Decade, Brendan Canning, Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene Presents, Emily Haines, Feel Good Lost, Forgiveness Rock Record, Kevin Drew, Leslie Feist, Something for All of Us..., Spirit If..., World Sick, You Forgot It in People
20 Watts tallies up the discography of Broken Social Scene!
Part of our Issue 22 coverage!
PREVIEW: Click on the links below to learn more about these albums and access music from Broken Social Scene
When defining Broken Social Scene, only three words really do justice: indie rock pioneers. In the past decade, the 15+-member band has almost single-handedly reshaped the indie rock scene through their innovative yet extremely accessible music. After only three LP’s and a handful of EP’s and side albums, Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning and the gang are finally releasing their fourth full-length album five years after their last record, Broken Social Scene. Although the new album, Forgiveness Rock Record Continue reading
Filed under: Issue 22 | Tags: 20 Feet Tall, Annuals, Architecture in Helsinki, Beach Sail Cycling, Bonfires, Broken Social Scene, Cults, Dignified Dignitary, Erkyah Badu, evan paschke, Flash Delerium, Flesh & Blood, Freddie Gibbs, Freelance Whales, Generator ^ First Floor, go outside, Goodbye Sweet Dreams, Hunx and his punx, I've Got Your Number, Just a Fool, Meth Ghost & Rae, MGMT, No Going Back, Our Dreams” Delerium — “Royal Flush, Passion Pit, Portugal. The Man, Professional Victims, Roky Erickson, Rosie and Me, Rox, Scratches and Dents, teardrops on my telephone, The Apples in Stereo, The Beep, The District Sleeps Alone Tonight, The Ghetto, the Postal Service, World Sick
Part of our Issue 22 coverage!
CHECK OUT THE ISSUE PLAYLIST BELOW THE CUT Continue reading
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Broken Social Scene, Camera Obscura, Dirty Projectors, Dr. Dog, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Garfunkel and Oates, Girls, Kid Cudi, LCD Soundsystem, Massive Attack, MGMT, Minus the Bear, music festivals, My Morning Jacket, OK GO, Passion Pit, pavement, Sasquatch!, She & Him, Tegan and Sara, terrifying forest-beast, the mountain goats, The National, The New Pornographers, The Temper Trap, The xx, Vampire Weekend, Why?
- Get ready, get set, Sasquatch!
PREVIEW: VISIT Sasquatch’s Web site
I just realized that the thing I want most in the world (aside from a house with a pool filled with Jell-O [seriously]) is to go to SASQUATCH! (and no, I’m not just terribly excited, the name actually has an exclamation point).
Now, hold on, I know where this is going.
“No Isabel,” you’ll say, rolling your eyes. “Sasquatch is a terrifying forest-beast, not an event you attend.”
To which I say, you’re wrong. Sasquatch! is a music festival in Quincy, WA with tremendously impressive line-up for its three day run. A quick glance at the list of artists attending assured me that this is the festival to go to. To hell with tuition and fiscal responsibility. I want to go to the Memorial Weekend festival that’s hosting not only My Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend, The National, Broken Social Scene, OK Go, and Minus the Bear, but also, WHY?, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Garfunkel and Oates, Massive Attack, Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, Tegan and Sara, Kid Cudi and Dirty Projectors.
[Pause to catch your breath and wipe the tears of joy from your face].
The xx, Girls, MGMT, She & Him, Passion Pit, The New Pornographers, Camera Obscura, The Temper Trap, Dr. Dog, and The Mountain Goats, among others.
Did I have to make that list so long and dramatic? Yes.
Are you packing the cooler and gassing up the car? You should be.
Check out the full list, to further your freak-out.
— Isabel Alcantara, Photo Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Bonnaroo, Broken Social Scene, Coachella, Dead Prez, Free Press Summer Fest, Girl Talk, Houston, Kid Sister, Lymbyc Systym, of Montreal, Ra Ra Riot, stars, The Flaming Lips, Ultra
Eleanor Tinsley Park and the Houston skyline at 2009's Free Press Summer Fest
PREVIEW: VISIT Free Press Summer Fest 2010′ site
Ah, I love festival season. With Coachella in California, Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Ultra in Miami, there are almost too many epic road trip options. Luckily, Free Press Summer Fest decided to make its debut in my hometown, Houston, this past summer, surprising everyone with its huge headliners such as Of Montreal and Broken Social Scene. Considering it was the first music festival H-town has ever had, the number of attendees was highly unprecedented, leading to lines that were Woodstock-worthy. After the reveal of the 2010 lineup, it is pretty clear that Free Press was ready to blow away the festival crowds once again. The headliners: The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, Stars and Ra Ra Riot. Other “lesser known” acts include Kid Sister, Lymbyc Systym, Dead Prez and 50 other local artists. Did I hesitate when purchasing my $22 2-day pass? HELL NO! Even though it will probably be a stifling 100 degrees June 5-6, it’s no match against good friends, good music and the Houston skyline.
–Elizabeth Vogt, Assistant Front of Book Editor
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Broken Social Scene, Ennio Morricone, Lymbyc Systym, New York City, Ratatat, Releases of the Week, Shutter Release
Sibling duo, Lymbyc Systym
PREVIEW: VISIT Lymbyc Systym’s MySpace
WE GIVE IT: 19/20 Watts
Instrumental, innovative and intrepid, sibling duo Lymbyc Systym returns to the airwaves this fall with their latest album, Shutter Release. The Tempe, Arizona, pair introduce fresh concepts that expand far beyond the constraints of genres or comparisons to similar acts. While not exactly electronic, yet not a traditional instrumental band, Jared and Mike Bell seek unadulterated originality on Shutter Release. Connections to bands like Ratatat and Broken Social Scene quickly break down as Lymbyc Systym set their own pace and present their own sound. Continue reading
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Annie, Arthur Russell, Blue Rodeo, Broken Social Scene, Carly Simon, Corb Lund, David Boies, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Joan As Policewoman, Joel Plaskett, K'naan, Laurie Anderson, Lil Wayne, Martha Wainwright, News of Note, Raditude, Ron Sexsmith, Smalltown Supersound, Starbucks, stars, Steve Earle, Sun Kil Moon, Weezer, Wilco
Carly Simon sues Starbucks
Not only will Canada be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to show off their pristine, snow covered hills and universal healthcare, but they’ll also be throwing some of Canada’s most famous indie acts on stage during the games, reports Stereogum. From February 12-28, expect to see Broken Social Scene, K’Naan, Stars, Joel Plaskett, Steve Earle, Laurie Anderson, Martha Wainwright, Blue Rodeo, Iron & Wine, Corb Lund, Ron Sexsmith, Joan As Policewoman, and Sun Kil Moon featured. Wilco has also been confirmed to play at an Olympic event at Vancouver’s David Lam Park. Apparently, the Olympics will also be taking place at some point between all of the performances.
Carly Simon will be teaming up with high-profile attorney David Boies in a suit that she will be filing against coffee empire Starbucks, reports RS. Simon claims that Starbucks is to blame for the disappointing sales of her new album, This Kind of Love. Sales of the record numbered about 124,000, which Simon claims is due in part to mismanagement and poor promotion of the record on Starbucks’ end. Simon was looking to have this record support an early retirement, but due to the monetary concerns presented by the album’s flop, it seems like retirement may be out of the question at the moment. Looks as though she may have to remain for the time being as a “working girl”.
Fear not, Weezer fans. The long-anticipated release of Weez’s Raditude, which is scheduled for October 27th, is fast approaching. If you can’t wait that long, though, we’ve got good news. The album is now available for preview on iTunes in 30-second clips, which may not seem like much to some. Don’t worry. It gets the job done. RS reminds fans to check out “Can’t Stop Partying”, their collaboration with rap giant Lil Wayne. Weezy and Weezer? Sounds like a match made in promotional heaven.
Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor has been hard at work with his solo project, CANT. Not only did he appear on Monday’s episode of the Tonight Show, but also released his project’s first single, entitled Ghosts. The track is backed up by the unreleased “Come to Life” from minimalist Arthur Russell, as reported by Pitchfork. Check it out here.
Scandinavian pop icon Annie has been met with nothing but trouble regarding the release of her second album, entitled Don’t Stop. After braving a gauntlet of blown release dates and a deluge of leaks of the album, she’ll finally be releasing the album with Smalltown Supersound on November 17, says Pitchfork. Check out her latest single, “I Don’t Like Your Band”.
— John Luposello
20 Watts 