The Cribs

 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! 

real estate / big troubles

Shins, eat your whimsical little hearts out. Real Estate wants to put you in a new home today and sing you softly to sleep in your warm bed. These Jersey boys will be playing tonight in Philly at Johnny Brenda's with a little help from Big Troubles. I just recently started listening to this band and I am smitten. Light-hearted , catchy guitar jams with clean lead lines that will take you by the hand and bring you on a walk through the park. They released their self-titled album in 2009 on Woodist and released their follow up entitled Days (Domino) on October 18th of this year. Nothing too flashy, just lo-fi pop sing-alongs about dogs, small town life, and introspection. This is the musical equivalent of a picnic on the beach spent reminiscing about the past year. The song "It's Real" immediately pulls you on board with a great three measure phrase that keeps the song gliding gently along. It's hard not to enjoy this video, especially if you love dogs (I do).

dale earnhardt jr.jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is going to be in Philadelphia on December 13 and I'm kicking myself for having to leave town that same day. These guys are pop rock monsters that aren't going to let you go to any average show. And they demonstrate how to be seriously good with out being too serious. DEJ Jr. is a collaboration between Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott. They met after Epstein saw Zott perform and after the show, suggested the two combine forces. The unlikely duo quickly found they could craft indie pop songs with mass appeal. In 2010 they released the Horsepower EP which was recorded on a single microphone in Zott's basement (frugal!). Their full length It's a Corporate World came out earlier this year and their popularity has spread nationwide. Please go in my stead and SEE THEM!

balam acab / power animal

Alec Koone has it made. After moving to Ithaca, NY to study music education, he drops out and turns swiftly around to return to his parents house. This may not sound right, but trust he does, in fact, have it made. Better known as Balam Acab, Koone started learning how to download samples of sounds and songs from the internet and digitally manipulated them into ambient jams with soft tones and hard grooves. The electronic notes and noise fumble and fight to the foreground of the songs before locking together to form ambient beats. Add an indiscernable vocal-sample-glaze across the top and Koone creates a sound some call "witch house". Soon after posting his songs on his Myspace page there was such a demand for Balam Acab that he decided to put school on hold and focus solely on his own music. He released his first EP See Birds last year on Tri Angle. He currently resides in Mechanicsburg, PA with his parents (free rent!). He is on a month long tour promoting his debut album, WANDER / WONDER, and will be playing at Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia,PA) tonight with Gracie and Power Animal (they're rad).

Motion #3 - Balam Acab from Maiya on Vimeo.

Copernicus - Power Animal from Nicholas DiCicco on Vimeo.