Travels Return with a Sweetheart of an Album, Despite Pat Benatar Warning That “Love Is a Battlefield”
By David Nadelle on 02-11-2009
It doesn’t take a degree in Obamanomics (didn’t take long, did it?) to realize that we could potentially be in store for a new era rife with personal freedom and consideration. A more caring would would be wonderful, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, it’s hard to be optimistic for a liberating life in a “nice” place. In fact, it would probably take a mandate to reanimate the corpse of Mr. Rogers just to guilt everyone into showing an ounce of respect to their fellow beings. Oh well, maybe you just gotta take niceties when they are offered, like when the duo of Mona Elliott and Anar Badalov, a.k.a. Travels, will self-issue their latest album called The Hot Summer.
Hackily described on this very website by this very same hack as "a safe house in a world of confusion," the debut Travels disc caught many unaware with its unassuming, fragile beauty. This time around, Travels give us more tender tracks, a few curveballs, and a variation of one of their previously recorded songs: “Olivia Hurt.” If you couldn’t feel enough of the love, here is a mellooooow cover version of [“My Funny Valentine,”->
http://www.bradleysalmanac.com/songs/misc/Travels-MyFunnyValentine.mp3] recorded by the duo to celebrate the release of “The Hot Summer” on Valentine’s Day (that’s February 14, for you unattached apathetics). Ah, the things some do for love. I’m as romantic as the next person, and I have as healthy a relationship with my right hand as other well-adjusteds have with actual, separate human beings, but I never felt the need to perform a duet with my “Mighty Righty.” Call me an olde-fashioned romantic...
Hit me with your best shots:
1. The Forgotten
2. Favorite People
3. Olivia Hurt
4. Happiness (you woke up)
5. Buzzards Bay
6. Severed
7. Dogs
8. Fairy Tales
9. Animal
10. A New Year
Travels abroad (but really at home):
02.14.09 - Somerville, MA - PA’s Lounge #
02.20.09 - Baltimore, MD - Talking Head Club $
# Animal Hospital, Arms & Sleepers, Mary Page
$ Mr. Moccasin, Ari Schenck, The Owls Go
Death Cab for Cutie Speak Out Against Auto-Tune, Accidentally Raise Male Breast Cancer Awareness
By Kasia Galaxy on 02-11-2009
While Twitter kept you informed about the Grammy Awards against your will, you probably didn't see Death Cab for Cutie sauntering around wearing light-blue ribbons. The cause: an anti-Auto-Tune campaign.
The digital manipulation of people's voices is affecting thousands of singers, Ben Gibbard told MSN UK, "So we just want to raise awareness while we're here and try to bring back the blue note... The note that's not so perfectly in pitch and just gives the recording some soul and some kind of real character."
It was only a matter of time before some sort of Auto-Tune backlash emerged. Let's look at its pros and cons:
Pros:
- Makes people "sound good"
- Can be used as an instrument
- Ribbons bring out your eyes
Cons:
- Not what "real people" sound like
- Nation looks to American Idol for talent
- Sounding like T-Pain
No word yet on the 5K run against Auto-Tune
03.07.09 - Miami, FL - Langerado Festival
04.07.09 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre #!
04.08.09 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall #!
04.09.09 - Davidson, NC - John Belk Arena/Davidson College #!
04.10.09 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace #!
04.11.09 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre #!
04.12.09 - Tulsa, OK - The Brady Theater #!
04.13.09 - Omaha, NE - Holland Theatre #!
04.15.09 - St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkings Auditorium #
04.17.09 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom #!
04.18.09 - East Lansing, MI - Breslin Events Center/Michigan State University #
04.19.09 - Waukesha, WI - Van Male Fieldhouse/Carroll College #!
04.24.09 - Spokane, WA - McCarthey Athletic Center/Gonzaga University #!
04.25.09 - Boise, ID - The Morrison Center #!
04.27.09 - Sacramento, CA - Memorial Auditorium #!
04.29.09 - San Diego, CA - RIMAC Arena/UC San Diego #!
05.01.09 - Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall #$
05.02.09 - New Orleans, LA - Contemporary Arts Center #$
05.04.09 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium #$
05.05.09 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Concert Hall #$
05.06.09 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre #$
# Ra Ra Riot
! Cold War Kids
$ Matt Costa
Earth to Tour Selected Parts of Actual Earth (Namely Europe)
By Couscous on 02-10-2009
Legendary drone band Earth, better known to you as both the band that destroyed most of your inner ear during freshman year of college and the band that released its well-received seventh album The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (TMT Review/TMT Feature) last year, is packing up the Sunn amps and heading to Europe this spring. In addition to promoting last year's album and split LP with experimental guitarist and Sun City Girls member Richard Bishop, the band will be spreading awareness about Wikipedia's terrible disctinction between its pages for Earth (the band) and Manfred Mann's Earth Band
03.26.09 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
03.27.09 - Leuven, Belgium - Stuk
03.28.09 - Nantes, France - L'olympic
03.29.09 - Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne
03.30.09 - Bilbao, Spain - El Balcon De La Lola
03.31.09 - Porto, Portugal - Passos Manuel
04.01.09 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
04.02.09 - Barcelona, Spain - La[2]
04.03.09 - Lyon, France - L'epicerie
04.04.09 - Paris, France - Glaz'art Moderne
04.05.09 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Sonic City Festival
04.06.09 - Hamburg, Germany - Molotow Club
04.08.09 - Oslo, Norway - Inferno Festival
04.09.09 - Stockholm, Sweden - Strand
04.11.09 - Berlin, Germany - Prater
04.12.09 - Leipzig, Germany - Ut Connewitz
04.13.09 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk
04.14.09 - Stuttgart, Germany - Club Schocken
04.15.09 - Koln, Germany - Gebaeude9
04.16.09 - Brighton, UK - St Andrews Church
04.17.09 - Birmingham, UK - Hare and Mound
04.18.09 - Manchester, UK - Islington Mill
04.19.09 - Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
04.21.09 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
04.22.09 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
04.23.09 - Bristol, UK - The Croft
04.24.09 - London, UK - The Borderline
04.25.09 - Tilburg, Net - Roadburn Festival
Ratatat Tour North America; If Ratatat Isn’t Your Cup Of Tea, This Article Also Talks About Animal Collective!
By Scott Lauer on 02-10-2009
Ratatat seem pretty cool to me; their signature guitar-electro sound evoke ecstatic feelings that tingle throughout my body. That is why I recently slapped on LP3 (TMT Review) and proceeded to do a “happy dance,” which was not a pretty site but certainly worth it for the band. Then I realized the band would not be touring anywhere near me, so I began to sulk. But I suppose that is another story for another time... Anyway, according to The Beggars Group, Ratatat will take their show to the masses this March and April, which must be exciting for those of you who can actually attend.
One thing that has always made Ratatat that “extra” kind of special are their mixes, where they remake rap songs to fit their own personal aesthetic (Ratatat, if you are reading this, please send us a sign that Volume 3 is in the works). However, it looks like another pretty popular act, Animal Collective (TMT Review) have stepped up to give Ratatat the remix treatment, turning the track "Mirando" into a 10-minute techno ear-orgy. The track has been available since February 3, so if you haven’t scooped it up yet, get over to your iTunes store and get downloading!
Ratatat tourdates:
03.21.09 - Cincinnati OH - Bogart
03.22.09 - Pontiac MI - The Crofoot
03.23.09 - Chicago IL - Metro
03.24.09 - Columbia MO - Blue Note
03.25.09 - Omaha NE - Slowdown
03.27.09 - Aspen CO - Aspen Gondola Plaza
03.28.09 - Boise ID - Knitting Factory Boise
03.29.09 - Seattle WA - Showbox SoDo
03.30.09 - Portland OR - Crystal Ballroom
04.01.09 - San Francisco CA - The Fillmore
04.02.09 - San Francisco CA - The Fillmore
04.04.09 - Los Angeles CA - Hollywood Palladium
04.08.09 - Houston, TX - Meridian
04.16.09 - Washington, DC - 930 Club
04.20.09 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
04.21.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
