Let’s get weird! Liars has been constantly experimenting with their sound since their debut They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top. I was a huge fan of that album, then they weirded me out with their next two. Finally they started to get some real notoriety when they released Liars and did a tour with Radiohead shortly after. That album took a little while to grow on me. “Plaster Casts of Everything” was the biggest single on that one with an insane video, but was probably my least favorite track of the album (I liked “Houseclouds” and “Freak Out”). Mirrorworld also had its fair share of cool tracks but this new EP is looking very promising, WIXIW, which is out on Mute Records today. After touring with Radiohead, they’ve often been compared. I hear a vague resemblance but even more so, I can tell that Thom Yorke listens to them. It’s great to see Liars really getting recognition as one of the most original bands out there right now (also, their website looks so rad)! They will be performing at Union Transfer at the end of July and its about time I saw them (I saw the tour where they opened for Radiohead, but I was flying back from my cousin’s wedding that day and my flight was delayed for hours and hours, so I missed them along with the first few Radiohead songs. It was a bad day).
This band of brothers will be playing at Johnny Brenda’s on Tuesday (tomorrow). I happened to hear them on my Pandora recently and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t even really remember the name The Cribs being thrown around in 2006, at a time when I was reppin’ The Libertines super hard (even though their self-titled was awful, Up the Bracket was so good though)! Often compared to The Libertines, they don’t sound as sloppy or tanked, but their songs are just as catchy. I haven’t familiarized myself with their entire catalogue, but I’ve gone through most of their singles in the past 2 days. “ Mirror Kissers’ ” 1-4-5 chord progression is the classic pop rock hit that gets stuck in your head like bubble gum in your swoopy hipster hair. I really want to go see them tomorrow!
What do you think of Community? The first season was amazing, second one was kind of weak, and I haven’t really kept up since then. Too much hangin' in the study room and getting banged over the head with obscure television references. Some great episodes though, and I do enjoy the cast. Donald Glover has recently started performing and making music under the stage name Childish Gambino. His first release was just last November and I just recently saw something about releasing a mix tape that includes a song he recorded with Beck entitled “Silk Pillow”. (smoove!) He will be coming through Philadelphia June 22 at the River Stage at Great Plaza (for serious? tickets start at 49$? be real buddy..).
So I showed up to the Dreamcastle Wednesday night just in time to miss Philly's own Banned Books, along with a few others : Winners, Guerilla Toss, Sediment Club. I decided I needed to check out Banned Books because I had heard the name a few times before and noticed that they performed at the MacRock Festival in VA back in April ( I wanted to play that too! My band got accepted, but then we slept through our alarm.. ). So are they good? Yes. The green haired man running the silent auction (merch table) at the party described them as the Beatles combined with some other band that they also didn’t sound like (I’d had a few drinks, things seem fuzzy). So judge for yourself. Next time they play Philly I will see you there, PUNK!
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