Stuck In My Head: Summer Fiction, "Perfume Paper"

Generally, all it takes is a descriptor of "power pop" attached to a band to get me to come running. Enter Summer Fiction: when I an email drawing comparison between sophomore record Himalaya, released 16 June, and Big Star landed in my inbox, I was game. My love usually lies with the '90s alternative ilk, but Bill Ricchini's style feels older, too, more of the '60s and '70s; other comparisons rely heavily on Brian Wilson.

Essentially, lead single "Perfume Paper" has been stuck in my head - literally, it just kind of pops up throughout the day - since earlier in this month. It's been a long time since I've asked for a record in advance, but this jangly little 3:00 track tugged hard enough at my sentimentality that I really couldn't resist the rest.



If you're like me and want to hear the rest, SPIN has the full record available for streaming.

Two upcoming shows in NYC and Philly are slated for this week:
18JUN - Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
20JUN - Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA

I'll be at the Philly show; hopefully, some of you will be there, too, and I'll be able to pull together my thoughts enough to post about the show and the whole record sometime next week.

Stuck In My Head: The Aquadolls' Stoked On You

All right, listen. It's been a long time, but I've got the Aquadolls stuck in my head, okay?

I'm pretty rubbish about listening to Insound's featured tracks of the week, but since I was cleaning out my email the other day (lol, you guys, you should see my email account for this blog), I actually managed to give "Sinus Infection" a listen. And then the rest of the record.

They sound exactly like a band called the Aquadolls should - surfy pop rock. Occasionally, Melissa Brooks's vocals remind me of  Arrah Fisher of Arrah and the Ferns (at least what I know of them, which is admittedly one record), but the songs are nowhere near as twee. While I'm digging the whole album, I particularly like "Wander," below:



But really, none of the tracks make me want to skip ahead, and that's a good thing, since I usually get into a rut with an album after a while.

Upcoming shows:
13MAR - The Yard, San Diego
28MAR - Burgerama @ The Observatory, Santa Ana

Hey, maybe I'll write again sometime soon, like I always say I will, right?

Stuck In My Head : Young the Giant, "My Body"

I'm pretty out of the loop. (That's the understatement of the year, and it's only January.)

For instance : I know next to nothing about this band Young the Giant, other than that they've recently released a record, and that their song "My Body" keeps getting stuck in my head.



And that that's not a proper video. I know that. Here's a more proper video.



And I now know that making "quesadillas" in the microwave is not the best idea I've ever had. My lunch is a gooey, chewy mess.

Stuck in my Head : My First Earthquake vs. MJ, "Billie Jean's Frenemies"

Way back in July (holy goodness, it's been that long...?), I was sent this video for My First Earthquake's first single of their debut record, Downstairs, called "Cool in the Cool Way." Given that it was released in mid-June, you may or may not have seen already.



It's subtitled "Invasion of the Hipster Bodysnatchers," and while I'm not usually keen on the whole "Those damn hipster kids! What's wrong with them?!" fist-shaking commentary, largely because a lot of those who make such commentary are eye-rolling hipsters themselves, this video seems to avoid falling in that pitfall because 1) it's self-deprecating, not eye-rolling, 2) it hints at the idea that "maybe we're hipsters, too," what with Rebecca's eyes flashing green at the end, and 3) it's damn catchy. I am not averse to damn catchy pop music.

Oh, plus their video for "Sweet Frowns" takes a stab at that favourite hipster girl obsession, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette :



Wow, that's two videos. Maybe I should have called this a "Nothing's On Telly" instead of a "Stuck in my Head." Back on topic :

So, back when Michael Jackson died at the end of June (link for journalistic integrity and in case you've been living under a rock for the past five months), I feel like a whole load of people did covers and "tributes" and remixes and all sorts of things in his honour, justifiably so. Let's Sexy Fighting mashed up My First Earthquake's "In The Forest With Frenemies" with MJ's "Billie Jean" to get "Billie Jean's Frenemies." I think I had this song on repeat for the entirety of July and August. It's an odd combination ("Frenemies" is about, um, animals fighting and forest fires), but with "Billie Jean" taking a back seat lyrically and lending its slinky beats, it actually works pretty well without feeling ridiculously forced or particularly inappropriate.

Let's Sexy Fighting - "Billie Jean's Frenemies" (My First Earthquake vs. Michael Jackson) [link]

If you're not dancing by now, um. I don't know what to tell you.

My First Earthquake - "Cool in the Cool Way" [link]

Stuck In My Head : The / Les Plastiscines, "Barcelona"

So the only song I had by The Plastiscines (otherwise known as Les Plastiscines in their native pays) was a remix of "Loser" by Les Petits Pilous that I grabbed from some place around the webbernets and that has seriously been making me dance for...however long I've had it. Over a year, at least, because I put it in this mix a while back.

Anyway, so, Nylon magazine has recently launched Nylon Records because...I don't know why, but they handpicked ces filles to be their first act signed, which makes sense as Nylon seems to be generally obsessed with things that are French, perceived as "hip," and / or both (see also : Phoenix, but that's totally warranted). (Not that I'm saying this is a bad thing, in and of itself...)

All right, point is, The Plastiscines, who seemingly dance around in heels and like to channel Brigitte Bardot, are now "on" Nylon, they've released both an EP and an LP (titled About Love), and the lead single is stuck in my head. That's my whole point. It's catchy. It makes me want to dance. And songs about Barcelona are good for summer mixes. Sometimes I'm not really picky about this sort of thing.



The rest of the above-mentioned LP can be streamed over here.

Stuck + I Am Un Chien !! on 6 May.

Stuck In The Sound + I Am Un Chien !!
6 May
7:30
Le Bataclan, Paris

I have yet to write a review of Stuck's sophomore effort, Shoegazing Kids. I should get on that.

Stuck In My Head : Kevin Devine, "I Could Be With Anyone"

Photo by by Denny Mui. Alas, he's a Mets fan.

I saw Kevin Devine at Pearl Street down in Northampton a little over a year ago. I was there to see Baker, had never even heard of the headliner before, but wound up blown away by Devine's stage presence and heartfelt acoustic songs.

I downloaded the I Could Be With Anyone tour EP several months ago and, as is often the case in my life, only just got around to listening to it the other day. And, yet again, I was blown away by the EP's title track, which is also apparently the lead single off his latest LP, Brother's Blood, due out on the 28th. It's still the same heartfelt Devine crooning heartfelt, maybe heartbreaking truths ("I could be with anyone.../I'm not saying that it's right/But I'm not saying that it's a lie") that ever ring true, but danceable and immediately catchy.

Kevin Devine & the Goddamn Band - "I Could Be With Anyone"

Tour dates in support of Brother's Blood:
24 April - Bowery Ballroom - New York (sold-out) @
29 April - Northstar - Philadelphia, PA +
30 April - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD +
1 May - Alley Katz - Richmond, VA +
2 May - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC +
3 May - New Brookland Tavern - West Columbia, SC +
4 May - The Social - Orlando, FL +
5 May - Orpheum - Tampa, FL +#
6 May - City Limits - Delray Beach, FL +#
8 May - Vinyl - Atlanta, GA +#
9 May - Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA +#
10 May - Warehouse Live Studio - Houston, TX +#
12 May - Stubb's Jr. - Austin, TX +#
13 May - The Loft - Dallas, TX +#
15 May - The Phix - Phoenix, AZ +*
16 May- Voodoo Stage @ House of Blues - San Diego, CA +*
17 May - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA +*
18 May - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA *
20 May - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR *
21 May - Chop Suey - Seattle, WA *
23 May - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT *
24 May - Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO *
26 May - Jackpot - Lawrence, KA *
27 May - The Picador - Iowa City, IO *
28 May - Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN *
29 May - Schubas - Chicago, IL *
30 May - Mac's Bar - East Lansing, MI *
31 May - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH *
2 June - Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY *
3 June - El Mocambo - Toronto, ONT *
4 June - Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA *
5 June - Webster Underground - Hartford, CT *
6 June - TT The Bear's - Boston, MA *
7 June - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY *

@ with New Numbers
+ with Miniature Tigers
# with Sarah Jaffe
* with Wild Light
Brian Bonz and the Hot Dongs (also highly recommended) will be opening for the entirety of the tour as well.

Stuck In My Head : Grand Archives

WHO ARE THESE GRAND ARCHIVES KIDS AND WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD AND WHY DIDN'T I LISTEN TO THEM 'TIL A MONTH AGO??

(I feel like I ask myself that question often. About various bands, anyway.)

Anywhoo, so yeah, Grand Archives are Mat-Brooke-formerly-of-Band-of-Horses's new band and their LP The Grand Archives came out in like, February on Sub Pop, blah blah you all know that or maybe you don't.

But seriously, someone recommended "Orange Juice" to me for a mix sometime in October and that track and "Miniature Birds" seriously have had dangerously heavy rotation. I'm not sure what "dangerously heavy" is, but whatever it is, this is it.

Grand Archives - "Miniature Birds" [link]
Grand Archives - "Orange Juice"

Pitchfork has a few demos posted over here.

Grand Archives will be playing at KEXP Yule Benefit at Neumo's, Seattle, WA on the 12th.

You can't conquer a world that's always been good to you...

Stuck In My Head : Arrah and the Ferns, "Science Books"

So the world is going to end soon. Apparently. Or so I'm told. I didn't know anything about this whole particle collider business until a few days ago because I really stopped paying attention to really sciencey things when I finished AP Bio junior year of high school. (I really wanted to be a meterologist when I was little. Or an astronomer. True story! Look where I am now - teaching English. Ha.)

Anyway, a couple of months ago, somebody turned me on to Arrah and the Fern's first (and only) record, Evan Is A Vegan, and it's been getting heavy rotation 'round these parts. "Science Books" is just brilliant.

Arrah and the Ferns - "Science Books " [link]

As luck would have it, the band split up back in March, but I like what I hear from Arrah's new project, Woodlands, based in Philly. Yay.

Is this what you thought you'd be listening to as the world came to an end? Hmm.

Stuck In My Head : Dawn Landes, "Young Folks" (PB&J cover)

I have a bit of a sweet spot for bluegrassy, rootsy, folksy music. I'm not sure if that's surprising or not. My new Favourite Song:

Dawn Landes feat. the WST Band - "Young Folks" (Peter Bjorn & John cover) [link]


You can hear more of Dawn Landes' gorgeous work on her 'Space.

Stuck In My Head : Watermelon Nights come back every year.

It's June (already!), Memorial Day has come and gone, and you all know what that means: it's unofficially summer. Time for pools, beaches, festivals, and, of course, watermelon.

That brings us to this, possibly the most adorable music video I've ever seen:



Stop animation fruit! Love it.

John Crave - "Watermelon Nights" [link]

Stuck In My Head (like, hardcore) : Baker - "Reputation" (and the rest of their record, too)

Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Oh, I can hear all of you now. Half of you kids that read this thing on any sort of regular basis are going, "Come on, I've known about Baker since for, like, ever, God, where have you been?" Fabulous for you, I say, and I'll tell you where I've been.

The first time I "saw" Baker was in June '06 at the Knitting Factory in NYC. I put "saw" in quotes, because I didn't actually stay for their set, because my dad wanted to leave. Yes, you read that correctly. So, uh, thanks, Dad...*

The first time I actually saw Baker play was in February '08 and wound up in keyboardist Nicole's kitchen 'til 6 am, which is amusing because like, dude, 6 am. Since then, I've seen the Boston-based quintet three times, which is quite a few times in just four months and considering I don't live in Boston. If I fail my classes this semester, it's because I was at UMass on Sunday to see them play instead of writing papers. Oops.

But, really, it's hard to give up the opportunity to see them play. Their official bio what-not says, "Blessed with a melodic cacophony that veers away from the standard, formulaic rock song, they drive straight at you with an unabashed zealousness that makes you want to dance and break things at the same time."

Um. Okay. That's a lot of adjectives and fancy words. Look, they're really fucking good, okay? They create the sort pop-based rock that's filled with melody and sing-along choruses, but that also takes unexpected yet completely welcome turns, that fluctuates between peppy and introspective and gritty, and it's all played with such balls-to-the-wall enthusiasm that if you're not dancing along by the end of "Autumn" or "Reputation," then you must be made of stone or something. LOOK, THERE WERE HIPSTER KIDS DANCING AT THE UMASS SHOW OKAY?! If the hipsters are dancing, they must be doing something right.

Oh, their video for "Fingers" is pretty hilarious as well:




Baker - "Reputation" [link]

Seriously, I don't buy into the whole "next next next big thing" hype; honestly, it's disgusting sometimes. But these kids seem to be making a name for themselves, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them on top someday. Just watch. One day, you'll tell me I was right.

Or you'll tell me that you were right because you were, after all, listening to ages ago. Whatever floats your boat.



Upcoming shows:

10 May The Basement - Northampton, MA
24 May The Annex - New York, NY
7 June T.T. the Bear's - Cambridge, MA
11 June Red Square - Albany, NY



*No, actually, Dad, if you're reading this, thanks for taking me to that show. I really mean that.

Stuck In My Head : Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin, "Think I Wanna Die"

Back sometime during the fall of 2005, when I was really starting to get (re)interested in music and bands and such, I remember having seen a little blurb on SSLYBY (srsly, I'm not typing that out a million times) and how great they were in like, Spin or something. They went on my list of "bands to hunt down," but, like many of my "bands to hunt down," I never did, in fact, hunt their music down, and now they've gone and released their third record, Pershing, which I haven't got yet because I'm a poor college kid and also have no more room to download shit onto my computer.

But this song has been stuck in my head for a few weeks now. And I've just missed all their NCY/Boston dates. Booo not having a car.

Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - "Think I Wanna Die"

Stuck in my Head : Mystery Jets, "Young Love"

I grabbed a copy of Mystery Jets' so-called attempt at a Christmas #1, "Flakes," back in December sometime, but it wasn't until I was on a bus heading back from Boston back in March after having spent the weekend maybe listening to too much Nightmare of You that it really caught my attention and I put these guys on my "listen to more" list.

So apparently the 'Jets have just released their second record, Twenty One, in the UK. (I don't really pay well enough attention to this sort of thing.) It features "Flakes" and also this little gem, "Young Love":



Um. HOW FUCKING ADORABLE IS THAT VIDEO? And how amazingly catchy is that song...? When the line You wrote your number on my hand/But came off in the rain came up, I really said "AWWWWW" out loud for no one to hear. I do like the more introspective, sadder feel of "Flakes" maybe a bit more than their all-out powerpop, but really, you know me. I'm a sucker for handclaps and fingersnaps and harmonies. I'll take either one.

Mystery Jets - "Young Love"
Mystery Jets - "Flakes"

Right now, they've just got a slew of tour dates for the UK listed. I'm too lazy to repost them, so you can see them here.

Seriously. Boys. When you're in the States, call me. We'll go out for drinks and sing pop songs and so forth. It'll be good times.

Stuck In My Head: The Long Blondes - "Guilt"

La Trabendo, Paris

The Long Blondes' new record doesn't drop for about another month, but I've got a hold of what was supposed to be their lead single, "Guilt," and goodness gracious, this thing has been stuck in my head for about a week now. The funky rhythm that very literally makes me strut every time I listen to it on the way to class has lodged itself in my brain, but even more than that, I've very much taken to the lyrics:

I've got a boy and we've been together, you see,
Before I knew you, before you knew me
Now I've made my choice and I'm sticking to it
And guilt has nothing, nothing to do with it

The rest of the record sounds pretty good; it's not Someone To Drive You Home, but I think I need to spend more time with it as a whole, as opposed to with just this track. (I mean, why is this not the lead single anymore?)

The Long Blondes - "Guilt"


"Couples" drops 8 April. You can pre-order it here.
UK and US tour dates are listed at their 'Space.

Stuck In My Head/Check This: Georgie James, Places

So, I think since the beginning of the month I’ve been unconsciously attempting to cram as much indie powerpop into my head as possible before falling over in a suger-coated, harmony-and-handclap-induced coma, all in a mad attempt to soothe that Scamper-shaped hole in my heart. (Try saying that ten times fast.) To wit: my latest record obsession, pop duo Georgie James’ Places, released last September on Saddle Creek.

When I mentioned to my friends that one-half of Georgie James is John Davis, former drummer of Q and Not U, I got some scrunched noses and funny looks. “I don’t really like Q and Not U ,” Jenn said, and Kim agreed. Indeed, I’m surprised that I like Q and Not U, because it’s really not the sort of thing you’d expect me to like. “Dinner table friends!” I said, “Fear not! Georgie James (comprised of Davis and friend Laura Burhenn) is about as different from Q and Not U as possible.” (Not that there's anything wrong with...okay, we've covered this.)

I don’t know how to put this other than that I really really like this record. It bursts in with the peppy, driving “Look Me Up” and never really lets go from there, keeping the energy going right up ‘til the last track, “Only ‘Cause You’re Young,” which is just as perky and handclappy. (And what a relief! I find it disheartening when bands smoosh their best tracks to the first half of the record, leaving the end to trail off in a forgettable lack of liveliness.) Cuts like “Cake Parade,” “Long Week,” and “You Can Have It” take it down a notch; lead single “Need Your Needs” (probably my favourite of the lot), title track “Places,” and “Cheap Champagne” will make you want to dance again.

There are many lovely things about Places:

The whole thing is a work of contrasts: lively piano, Laura’s floaty vocals, handclaps, tambourine, sleigh bells, and super-addictive melodies are juxtaposed with lines like You smile about the ways which you made her suffer and Looks like a perfect day/To put our soldiers in an early grave.

The songs all flow in the same pop vein, but the never morph into each other because a slew of ‘60s rock influences (The Beatles, The Kinks, The Zombies, etc.) keep them from dissolving into an amorphous blob of twee. (Twee has its place; it’s not here.)

The wordplay is smart, even wise. (“The life of a genius is a sad one,” if you say so; They give us pretty pills to take the pain away/They let us wash it down with cheap champagne; Thunder is still a frightening sound/But we’re just finding things we’ve already found; You need your needs to get along)

The whole thing flies by in about 40 minutes, which may be a good thing or not, depending on how you look at it. I think it's good; for one thing, I have the attention span of a gnat, so the three-minute pop blitzes work for me, and for another, it leaves you wanting more. And isn't that what a good record should do?

It’s sweet, fresh, and openly joyful without being sticky, repetitive, or fluffy. In short, pop perfection.

Georgie James - Need Your Needs [link]
Georgie James - Cake Parade [link]

I know I've been paying attention to the blogosphere since late September, and yet, I can't remember any mention of this record. (Although the Hype Machine tells me otherwise.) Was I just not reading the right blogs? That's probably it. I hope that's it. In "Comfortable Headphones," Laura and John sing out, We think music is for the air/And our music is everywhere.

It certainly should be.


Georgie James has announced that they'll be playing SXSW in a few weeks.
Meanwhile, lala.com has a sweet deal for Places, through which you buy the CD and can download the record straightaway while you're waiting. Instant gratification! Joy!

Stuck In My Head: The Long Blondes - "Peterborough"

Happy New Year, everyone. I don't know about you lot, but 2007 was a pretty crazy year for me. I don't think I've experienced one yet that was quite so life-changing, for both good and bad.

2008 (or whatever the hell you want to name it) is, so far, better than 2007, if only because I didn't spend New Year's Eve (or the day after, or the day after that) crying in the bathroom (or bawling on the dancefloor). It's hard to believe that was 365+ days ago- it feels alternatively like yesterday and a lifetime ago. What a way to kick off a year.

Back to now- I just recently stumbled on this b-side from the Long Blondes, "Peterborough," which I find both ironic and downright amusing, if only because the Long Blondes soundtracked much of 2007 for me, and the things and persons and events and feelings with which I associate their music have much to do with Ptown. In fact, guess where I was when the ball dropped in 2007?

The Long Blondes - "Peterborough"

Kate Jackson would rather be in Sheffield than Peterborough. So would I.


Here's to a 2008 that's a little quieter and hopefully a little happier than last year.


(The LB's new single and record drops this spring; they're touring the UK in March. Dates and info are available on their 'Space.)

Stuck In My Head: Vicky's Gets The Groove On

Sorry for the lack of posting post-Christmas, or really the lack of non-holiday oriented posting all month long. Most bloggers are taking this month to post their "Best of/Worst of 2007" lists. I'm really not so much for that. I could tell you, say, that I listened to Someone to Drive You Home and Nevermind the Living Dead a lot in the spring and lots of old WAS stuff and some of this and some of that, but really, who am I to tell you what was the "best" and what was the "worst"? Go make up your own damn minds. I'm a lot better at making to-do lists that never get finished.

Also, I have this job. I think I've mentioned this job a few times before. I'm not even working full-time, but it sure feels like I'm working a LOT. Maybe this is because I haven't actually had a job since, oh...January 2006? I've forgotten what it feels like, I guess.

Anyway, there are some perks to said job, like free stuff, but that doesn't help you much, does it? They also, surprisingly, play some good tunes. Stuff from, say, the Shout Out Louds (am I on a Shout Out Louds bender or what?), VHS or Beta, Hot Chip, Athlete, what I'm pretty sure is The Bird and The Bee, and what I thought was Metric but actually turned out to be Ladytron.

Maybe it's a little weird to give you a bunch of songs that I hear all day at work, but every time the Camp America remix of "Hurricane" comes on, I can't help but declare, "I have this on my iPod!" and dance along.

Athlete - "Hurricane" (Camp America Remix)
The Bird and the Bee - "Polite Dance Song"
VHS or Beta - "Bring On The Comets"
Shout Out Louds - "Tonight I Have To Leave It"
Ladytron - "International Dateline"

MySpace it/Stuck in my head: Everyone covers La Spears.

Less Lee over at Popshifter.com turned me on to Chicago band Local H's cover of B. Spears' "Toxic." She says, "This cover is the JAM." I say, it is pretty sweet, though I (sadly) have soft spot for the original. Love the guitar work on the intro, though.

Hear it over at their 'Space.


Funnily enough, just a few days ago, I picked up Machinae Supremacy's cover of "Gimme' More" from Pretty Much Amazing!, and that about sums it up. I don't like "Gimme' More," but I love this cover. The hard rock take on this song makes it feel so much dirtier- I just want to grab the first dirty skinny rocker boy I find and make out with him in a dark corner. Or maybe just table dance as I rock out to this song. Either of those sound like a good time.

Machinae Supremacy - "Gimme' More"

Stuck in my head: "Get It On" - Diffuser

I'm not going to go into why I like this song or why it (or the rest of the record) is so important to me, just that I was listening to it loads several years ago and something reminded me of it today.

So, yeah. Do enjoy.

Get It On - Diffuser