Music Monday - Consequence of Sound Talks Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend and More...

Music Monday Q&A

Running a music blog/website ca be a 24-hour job. People like Consequence of Sound's Alex Young don't have regular set hours because if you want to break the latest news, and beat others to the punch, you need to be ready to do so at the drop of a hat. That means a lot of work, late hours and scanning the Internet for new music. Based in New York and Chicago, one of CoS' coolest sections is Festival Outlook; a database that keeps track of all the newest lineup and rumors running around for music festivals all over the world. They must have spies on the inside. Considering how busy he is, we truly appreciate Young answering our questions.

1. How long has CoS been operating?
We have been up and running since September 2007. Ironically enough, however, it was never meant to be one... it eventually evolved into. Initially, it was just a hobby, but after meeting Michael Roffman – who is now the President & Editor-in-Chief – it sort of quickly evolved into a full-time profession.

2. What makes CoS different from other websites?
I think the thing that separates us from a lot of other websites is our passion. It’s not like we’re making a living off this – at least so far – but we’re still completely obsessed with making sure we are first to report a story, review an album, etc. We don’t have necessarily have hours. Instead, we often find ourselves posting at all hours of the day and night, seven days a week. I’m not sure many other websites can say that.


3. Do you think CoS has a specific musical niche?
We pride ourselves on covering all genres, ranging from indie rock and hip-hop to alt-country and electronica. So I don’t think we have a specific niche per say.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
Arcade Fire, Ra Ra Riot, The Thermals, Beastie Boys, and Kanye West.

5. How does CoS support independent music and what is important about doing so?
I think it goes without saying that no one buys music anymore. So the best ways to support artists are to do things like buy merch, attend a concert, and telling a friend. So make sure you do that. On CoS, we do things like post tour announcements and provide links to buy tickets and post spotlights about up-and-coming bands. We are also really trying to get into the events business, which would serve as another vehicle to showcase independent artists.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazines? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
In some respects, yes, but I do think both can co-exist. A magazine is a better outlet for feature stories since it’s a more engaging activity to read print on a page than it is on a website. (People on the web have short attention spans.). But I think when it comes to news and learning about new artists, online publications take precedence. After all, a magazine cannot publish breaking news or include an mp3.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
My favorite websites are twentyfourbit.com (most unique info out there), rockitoutblog.com (only music blog that is also a video blog), stereogum.com (they are some of the most clever writers out there), and brooklynvegan.com (since I live in New York).

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started at CoS?
Standing on stage during Vampire Weekend’s set at Lollapalooza last year and staring out at the 60,000 people watching.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?
Jack White. By far the most interesting musician alive. I would love to write a book about him one day.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
The Clash? The Raconteurs? The Thermals? Couldn’t choose just one.

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Music Monday - The Devil Has the Best Tuna Talks My Bloody Valentine, MIA and More...

Music Monday with The Devil Has the Best Tuna

The Devil Has the Best Tuna is an odd name for a music blog, but we're fine with that because they have been staunch supporters of Green Light Go artists. Based in Liverpool, England, "The Devil is dedicated to unearthing known, unheard, unseen, unheralded, unfamiliar or down right unbelievable bands old or new that have not yet hit the radars of the British public." Main Devil, Paul Kerr has reached out to North America, picking up on the newest State-side bands as well. He does such a great job, we decided to let him keep his "European/Canadian" way of spelling things like "flavour."

Music Monday Q&A

1. How long has Devil been operating?
The Devil's first post was on Sunday August 6, 2006 ... titled "I've Started Something." I started it because of a band called the Monolators. I loved their sound and wanted to share their brilliance with the world. I can’t believe that it was nearly four years ago and the blog is still thriving.

2. What makes Devil different from other websites?
The Devil focuses on the unheard, the unknown, the unseen, the unheralded, and the unfamiliar. The type of band that lost a champion when the late great John Peel died. The Devil takes the road less travelled seeking out talent and originality in those dark corners that others pass by. You’re more likely to find an Indonesian Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound alike on The Devil Has The Best Tuna than the latest blogosphere flavour of the month.


3. Do you think Devil has a specific musical niche?
The Devil is too eclectic to be considered niche. I write about bands that excite me, that move me, that make me laugh, that make me cry, that make the world a better place. There’s something for everyone on the blog whether you’re into Americana, Brit-pop, alt-rock, shoegazing, punk, junk or avant-funk.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
I love the use of the word contemporary just in case I was looking forward to the Greatest Hits of Vera Lynn or Engelbert Humperdinck's latest oeuvre! I’d love to be able to say I was looking forward to the second La’s album and the new My Bloody Valentine album ...but I assume you mean albums that are likely to see the light of day!

Although they’ve already released albums this year I’m already looking forward to hearing more from Happy Birthday, First Aid Kit and Tiny Vipers. I’m hoping that the amazing Gaggle will be releasing an album sometime soon and I can’t wait to hear ‘Surfing The Void’ the much anticipated new Klaxons album. Other albums that I’m hoping will make my ears smile are M.I.A’s ‘/\/\/\Y/\’, The Coral’s ‘Butterfly House’, Bombay Bicycle Club’s ‘Flaws’ and School of Seven Bells’ ‘Disconnect To Desire.’

5. How does Devil support independent music and what is important about doing so?
The Devil’s mission is to bring independent music to a wider audience. I spend hours each week searching the Internet for the wired, the weird and the wonderful. As well as the blog, I tweet on independent bands and I wax lyrical about independent bands on Facebook. I like to think I do my bit!

It’s important to do so because if music was left to Simon Cowell, the suits, and the major labels we’d be served up nothing but over hyped, over processed homogenized common denominator, spreadsheet rock. Wallpaper music for lifts and shopping centres and what a dull, boring and excruciatingly irritating world that would be. So it’s important to support independent music if only to wipe the smile of Simon Cowell’s smug self satisfied face”!

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
It may be a generalisation, but where oldies like The Devil cling like limpets to the printed word, the younger the music fan the more likely they will get their information online rather than through print. The online world is more democratic and provides many more opportunities for bands to be heard and to reach beyond their hometown audience. However the sheer size of the Internet can make it difficult for bands to make themselves heard. The blogosphere can sometimes seem like the biggest closed shop in the world with the same bands appearing on multiple blogs. It’s often the bands with the best PR companies, not necessarily the best bands that get the most publicity. Plus ca change!

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
As you would expect I read a lot of different music publications and blogs to both keep up with what’s happening in the world of music and to find new bands that I’ve not yet stumbled across to feature on the blog. There isn’t enough room to list all the various blogs/publications that I read but those I find myself returning to time and time again are MP3Hugger, Song By Toad, Artrocker, NME, Mojo and Uncut.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started your blog?
The most definitive moment was when I got my first reader on the day I posted my first blog. It was that one reader who made me think it was worth continuing. I wish I knew who he or she is so I could thank them for making an old Devil very happy. Without their curiosity the blog may never have gotten past the first post!

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?
Alive would have to be Morrissey, but I’d probably be struck dumb and end up asking him something really stupid. Dead would be John Lennon and I’d ask him was the Walrus really Paul.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
At the risk of being boring it’d have to be The Smiths, although given my lack of musical talent and being tone deaf I’d probably end up on flower duty.

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Music Monday - Foundwaves

Music Monday with Foundwaves

Fairly new to the web scene, Foundwaves.com is based in Boston, mainly covering Boston-area bands, but is prepping to add New York and Philadelphia. Based off upcoming concerts and bands playing in the Boston area, Foundwaves doesn't cater to any specific niche or level. Their coverage is based on live shows, reviewing and feeling a part of the performance.

"Perhaps what distinguishes us the most, however, is that instead of viewing ourselves as a traditional media outlet that observes and critiques, we see ourselves as participants in the music scene who actively support it and seek ways to encourage collaboration between musicians and other creative types through the creation of original content."

Music Monday Q&A

1. How long has Foundwaves been operating?

We're the baby of the music blogosphere with only three months of existence, but we're growing quickly. We have five contributing writers (about to add five more), over 20 photographers, and several videographers. Currently our coverage is limited to the Boston area, but we're preparing to expand to NYC and Philly in the next month or so and then other major cities later this year.

2. What makes Foundwaves different from others websites?

We base most of our music coverage around our weekly concert picks. We listen to 100-200 bands a week (seriously!) playing in the Boston area and pick 10-20 of them to feature. Which bands we pick is based on the music, not on whether the band is signed or not, just won an award, or is being buzzed about on the blogosphere. In fact, when we're making the decisions, we don't even know what venue they'll be playing at, and often don't even look at the name of the band. Because of this, we're able to find some amazing bands that a lot of other blogs overlooked.

Once we've made our picks we post show previews and/or show recaps for as many of the bands as we can to introduce our readers to new bands and motivate them to go out to the show or make them wish they hadn't missed it and determined to go next time. We do this through Foundwaves-exclusive photography and videos and our still-evolving Foundwaves show preview writing style, which is notably different from many other blogs. Rather than focusing on biographical, historical, and technical descriptions, our writers try to share the experience of listening to the music using imagery and metaphor. We feel this kind of writing better captures why we love music and encourages a more welcoming environment for all music fans, regardless of their musical background.

3. Do you think Foundwaves has a specific musical niche?

Our focus is primarily on indie bands. So then what is "indie?" ....We'll just have to say that we know "indie" when we hear it. There are plenty of independent, unsigned bands that are definitely not "indie" and there are plenty of signed bands that are "indie." The word really has no relation to "independent" anymore – it's just a word that somehow encapsulates everything from Pavement to Neon Indian and beyond.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?

Since all of our coverage is built around live concerts, we don't really follow the album release cycle. We can, however, list some of the bands we're looking forward to seeing again the next time they play in Boston: Bad Veins, Hanne Hukkelberg, Leopold and His Fiction, Forest Fires, Conservative Man, Reverse........

5. How does Foundwaves support independent music and what is important about doing so?

In the age of file-sharing, we believe that the most realistic hope independent bands have in making even a subsistence living is through touring. However, at this point the small club scene is a long way from bringing in enough revenue to accomplish this. Therefore, our goal is to help grow the live music scene so that enough music fans are going out to these smaller club shows to support modest livings for independent musicians. There are so many tremendous musicians pouring their heart into their music for very little reward.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

The growth of online music media has been one of the most important developments in music. Print media is limited by the number of magazines and the number of pages in each magazine. Online media obviously has none of these limits, which means many more bands can be featured. In addition, music fans can immediately hear a band and or watch a video online, something that is impossible when reading a print magazine.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?

We don't want to play favorites with our peers!

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started at Foundwaves?

Without a doubt, the most definitive moment since launching was receiving our first submission to the Song Muse series, a poem inspired by a song by the great Boston band, Magic Man.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?

We rarely find band interviews that interesting, so we'd have to go with one of the most eccentric musicians ever: jazz composer and pianist, Sun Ra, whose life experiences included a brief abduction by aliens from Saturn. Really!

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?

Without a doubt it would have to be Earth, Wind, and Fire in 1975.

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Music Monday - Crawdaddy!

Music Monday with Crawdaddy!

Before Rolling Stone or Creem Magazine, launched in 1966, Crawdaddy! is considered to be one of the first U.S. magazines of rock music criticism. Originally born from 17-year old Paul Williams doorm room in Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Crawdaddy! made noise across the country with features on the biggest rock bands in the world, years before other publications. In 2003 after years of personnel changes and financial constraints, Crawdaddy! shut down. Fortunately they were well ahead of the game when they brought the same integrity to the Internet version of the magazine. Now in its online version, Crawdaddy! still operates with the highest level of quality criticism, views from numerous genres, and sincere encyclopedia of knowledge of music from the 1960s to contemporary bands on the rise. Crawdaddy! writer Angela Zimmerman answered Music Monday's 10 Questions with true passion, and the broadest taste in music of one person we've seen in a long time! :)

Music Monday Q&A

1. How long has Crawdaddy! been operating?

Crawdaddy! Magazine was started in 1966 as the first U.S. magazine of rock music criticism. It rose and fell a few times over the years and came back as a weekly - and then daily - online magazine in May of 2007.

2. What makes Crawdaddy! different from other websites?

Crawdaddy! celebrates music, always looking for the merit in what we cover, choosing to spend our time with the art that makes us think instead of pouring over something we dislike, just to review it negatively. Call it an earnest take on the personal realization that can be achieved through music. We cover everything that we find in good taste, be it Motown from the ‘60s, post-punk of the ‘70s, underground college radio rock of the ‘90s, to breaking bands of today. We cover the whole gamut in a comprehensive way and really let the individual writer’s experience with the music translate to the page.

3. Do you feel Crawdaddy! has a specific musical niche?

We cover it all, 50 years of rock and all its derivatives. Not that many other publications explore such a wide range. While we do stories on many major artists, we also really tend to explore the unsung heroes of today and yesterday – Gary Higgins, Van Dyke Parks, Billy Childish, Jackson C. Frank, Black Randy.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?

Autolux, Arcade Fire, Delta Spirit, Wavves, Against Me!, the as-yet-no-date-or-much-information-about Belle and Sebastian, Sun Kil Moon. I’m really into LCD Soundsystem’s new one, and Nathaniel Rateliff as well. Oh, and Free Energy, and Future Islands. Big fan.

5. How does Crawdaddy! support independent music and what is important about doing so?

We write about a lot of emerging bands, and are always promoting new artists that are on the road. We do quite a lot of live show coverage, which gives us an opportunity to talk about bands with no big backing. We couldn’t survive without them, and we always try to express our gratitude towards these artists.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

I think there is and always will be a higher standard for print, although I do fear for the sustained survival of the medium. Bands have a lot more opportunity to be talked about, since there are so many blogs operating that can write about music. The pool is just so vast in terms of getting your band heard, I think a lot of times it just has to do with getting that lucky break so people start to come to your shows. All the sites that operate now live under the same big umbrella and we are all so directly impacted by what each other write, because it all shows up in our RSS feed. It creates a climate that is very dense and hard to infiltrate; the limelight is so diluted that bands have really found such new creative campaigns to make themselves rise above all the noise. It’s invigorating to be a part of it.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?

I rely pretty heavily on my RSS feed for news, and press releases and newsletters from labels and PR agencies. I also check out Stereogum, Mog, NME, LimeWire, Paste, Daytrotter, The New Yorker’s music section, and Pitchfork.


8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started at Crawddaddy!?

We held a charity show for Crawdaddy! founder Paul Williams last spring because he is in very poor health with no insurance. We read some passages from his works (I overcame my stage fright to read the first review he’d ever written of Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence) and had artists like Jello Biafra, Mojo Nixon, John Doe and Mark Eitzel perform sets for the show, which was held at a very intimate space here in San Francisco. Ben Fong-Torres hosted, we had a great turnout, made some money for the cause, to honor the life and work of Paul and Crawdaddy! It was so special.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?

Jerry Garcia. I’m such a sucker for the Dead, but Jerry’s solo projects are high among my favorites.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
Sonic Youth, who I consider the epitome of cool. That’d make me cool for life.

Each Monday we will feature a Q&A with the bloggers, critics, writers and taste-makers behind music websites, blogs, magazines and other publications that keep us all in touch with the latest in new music. Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday - FensePost

Welcome the first edition of Music Monday. Each Monday we will feature a Q&A with the bloggers, critics, writers and taste-makers behind music websites, blogs, magazines and other publications that keep us all in touch with the latest in new music. First up...

Music Monday with FensePost - The Indie Music Blog

"Based in the fertile lands between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC," FensePost.com is truly about supporting independent music. With live concert reviews, music news, CD reviews, videos and so much more, FensePost is more of a fan blog that has turned into a site worth checking out daily to learn about new bands. We were fortunate to get FensePost's very busy Andrew Fenstermaker to take a second from checking his other 982 unread messages in his inbox to tell us about how it his love of undiscovered music and fondness of Swedish bands that keeps him going every day. The staff may be small at FensePost, but they are mighty and mighty busy. Fenstermaker is the main writer for the site, but is a champion of new music writers, giving unknown critics a chance to be published. He also makes a point on how being a blogger can be a daily stress, trying to fit enough into the blog while maintaining a life outside of the Internet.

Music Monday Q&A


1. How long has FensePost been operating?

FensePost launched in June of 2006 after I finished my MBA. I started it to keep up with my passion in music as I left my college radio station, KZUU. We started with two to three posts per week and have grown to two posts per weekday on average. It's primarily just me, but I have a few loyal writers to toss stuff my way on a fairly frequent basis. I probably write about 2/3 of the posts under the guise "Fense" which was my DJ name in college (a rendition of my last name, Fenstermaker).

2. What makes FensePost different from other websites?

We don't really follow the trends or hype. Sure, we'll cover the hot bands on occasion, but we like to place a great emphasis on covering truly unknown bands that we think are great. Of course, I recently posted a live review of a James Taylor / Carole King concert I went to with my parents, but that's a rarity. Most music is independent. I also write about a lot of Swedish bands.

Another thing that's different about FensePost is that anyone can write for the site. Part of the reason I started it was to give young music fans an outlet from which to write if they so desired without the need to create an entire site on their own.



3. Do you feel FensePost has a specific musical niche?

Not really, outside of independent music. As writers, we each have our preferences. I love indie pop and have had a huge thing for garage since The Legends' Up Against The Legends (Labrador Records, 2004). Ron, who is my most consistent contributor likes pop, rock, folk and even covers an occasional hip hop artist. Cyndi, a new contributor from Oregon, has passed along a lot of great folk. I even cover jazz on occasion (I have a fairly extensive classic jazz LP collection).

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?

I wrote a piece recently listing a few reasons why Sub Pop could very well dominate my 2010 best of list. They've passed along some really great albums this year so far, and I think they've got some amazing stuff lined up. I'm SUPER excited that Hardly Art will be reissuing the old Carissa's Wierd [sic] albums, although that's not really contemporary. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Slumberland (Records) has in store for us in the second half of 2010. And I'm pretty excited to hear new stuff on Woodsist (Records), which dominated my "10 Bands I Should Have Checked Out in 2009" list from a month or two ago.

5. How does FensePost support independent music and what is important about doing so?

I think it's important as a blogger to not only support bands that you (the writer) feel are good and worthy of promoting, but that you also do your part to support the artists you love. I receive a lot of albums in the mail and digitally for free by bands and labels and promotion companies that want me to write about their band. If the group has a single or released an album on vinyl and I really like it, I'll do my part and pick it up on vinyl. It supports the band, and I have the means to do so (from time to time). In today's digital world, I don't think a lot of young people who grew up with readily available free music (albeit not necessarily legal) understand the importance of what that type of support means.

I try my best to only post songs that have been cleared by a band to be posted, and I do my best to link to labels and band websites where readers can order an album directly from the artist or label. I think both of those elements are an important part of supporting independent music.


6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazines? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

I'm kind of immersed in the social media world, so I would have to say yes. But I don't think print magazines will go away. They just need to change in a way that makes sense. People will always buy magazines, but these publications will need to find new ways to reach their audience. I think there's a great opportunity for them using devices like the Kindle and iPad.

As for the second half of the question, there's a big shift that's occurring. It doesn't matter if you're in a band, own a small business, or are part of a large organization, you have to think of this stuff differently these days. What's put out there today is public in a way that's completely different than yesterday. If I told my friends of a great band in the 90s, it only went so far. It mattered, but it was different. That type of "word of mouth" still exists, but due to the dominance of blogs and social networking, it's now global.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?

As much as people hate Pitchfork, I like to visit the site once every few weeks and check out their Forkcast. I think it's really relevant and they cover some really great bands. I'm also a huge fan of Daytrotter and have been since their seventh session (Drakkarsauna). Locally in the Pacific Northwest, we have a few really great blogs. There's IndiePages, which is occasionally updated with some very super underground pop from around the world (Chris Mac recently opened a record shop and mail order in Seattle; you all should go buy stuff from jigsaw-records.com). My favorite these days is Finest Kiss.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started FensePost?

I think a good definitive moment came about two months ago. I was getting a bit overwhelmed with everything... work, personal life, home ownership, turning 30 (soon), and I had an epiphany: the world won't end if FensePost isn't updated. As a blogger, we set strict regimens for ourselves that are sometimes unrealistic. I would love to post three times a day, but I also want to keep my house clean, have a nice looking yard, and watch Arrested Development for the 67th time. You can't do everything. You can't listen to every band that sends something your way. It sucks, but that's just a part of life. What you can do is this: do what you can, and have fun doing it. It's kind of a recurring definitive moment... I have the same epiphany about once every six to nine months.


9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?

I'm not much of an interviewer, but I'm trying to get into it a bit more. I'm pretty stoked -- I'm just about to send off a few questions to the band that released my favorite album of 2009, Venice is Sinking. I think it would be great to pick the brain of a master like (Brian) Eno or (David) Bowie or even Tom Verlaine (guitarist for Television). Maybe even Morrissey, although he'd probably just get pissed at me 'cause I'm a huge Smiths fan and I'd want to know all about what his beef is with his former band mates and why they won't get back together.


10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?

The Smiths or Television. Maybe Sweden's best pop band, Acid House Kings. I have a huge thing for Swedish pop. Click Here to Read More..

Free MP3s for Music Monday from Large Hearted Boy

You say you want to listen to some free tracks from The White Ravens, The True Jacqueline and No Second Troy and Grand Atlantic?

Look no further than the wonderful world of Largehearted Boy where mp3s by all four bands are available for your listening pleasure. Week after week LHB offers the best in mp3s by both upcoming young bands and hot tracks from your favorite indie bands. They even keep in check on what's happening over at Spinner and point us to their free Full CD Listening Parties, like they did last week for Grand Atlantic's State-side release of We Survive. You can still go and listen to the album before you head to Amazon.com to purchase your own hard copy of the superb record.

Listen here at LHB for The White Raven's tracks "Sparks" and "Tick Tock" and No Second Troy's "This is the End of Me," "The Black and White Movie," and "Leap of Faith." There's also some cool tracks by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Shout Out Louds for your listening pleasure.

Less we forget to listen here for Largehearted Boy's pick of mp3s by The True Jacqueline (pictured to the right). Bop to their peppy tracks "Monde Green" and "It's the Water." Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday's Melange of Mp3s

Alex Young of the website Consequence of Sound knows a good tune when he hears it. Each Friday the website makes these amazing mp3 Mixtapes. How cool is that?

Included on Friday Mixtape XCVIII (that's a lot of mixtapes!!) are free tracks by our own Alan Cohen Experience, Fan-Tan, Grand Atlantic, Naked Hearts and No Second Troy.

Our lovely artists share the "tape" with a really diverse mix of artists including The Futureheads, Owen Pallett, Elk City and Priestess.

CoS has a great thing going here. Just go to the page each Friday and listen to dozens of new songs instantly.

Click Here to Read More..

Largehearted Boy Offers "Mass Hysteria"

Music blog Largehearted Boy has picked the Naked Heart's to feature in their Daily Downloads. They offer the title track "Mass Hysteria," from the Hearts' forthcoming album, as a free mp3 for all to enjoy.

The Deli wrote a flattering feature for Naked Hearts CD NYC release party at the Mercury Lounge, May 1st.

"Naked Hearts are one of the best kept indie rock secrets of the NYC scene. We accidentally caught this duo at CMJ 2008 while they were playing a day show at Cake Shop upstairs and after witnessing their tightly performed, memorable tunes we felt obliged to blog about them. As it often happens in the rock'n'roll world, things haven't exactly been moving at the speed of light for Naked Hearts since then, but it looks like they are now ready to conquer this city. Considering their obvious talent, their quality songwriting (think about a more melancholic version of The Strokes or a less dreamy version of Belly), their extremely tight live show and strong stage presence (as we witnessed when they played our Deli party last month), and their undeniably good looks, we don't see how fans won't start piling up in the near future. Their CD release party will be at Mercury Lounge on May 1st - buy the tickets now!" Click Here to Read More..

Fan-Tan worship from The Devil Has The Best Tuna

"Despite their "east meets west" back story their obvious affinity for British post-punk and new wave of the 80s and their American location prompt comparisons to The Killers, or at least the first incarnation of the Killers before they went all mustachioed Bruce Springsteen on us. Their newest EP, The Age of Discovery (set for release in April) is so good that the Killers will be flattered to be compared to Fan-Tan!

It's time for some Fan-Tan worship." The Devil Has the Best Tuna wants you to hear Fan-Tan tracks "On Your Wall" and "Damage," both available right here on their blog.
Click Here to Read More..