popwreckoning updates |  |
| Free Music Friday (Saturday Edition)! Posted: 10 Jan 2009 03:45 PM CST The first Free Music Friday (yeah, yeah Saturday) of 2009, what a sweet return it is. Some server problems yesterday afternoon prohibited us from getting this to you yesterday. Blame the internet, we did our best. Here’s some free music to dance around and keep warm to one this very chilly Saturday (assuming you’re in the Northeast a la FMF feature writer and EIC Jessica). Enjoy! Rafter
For his live shows, Rafter is prepping a set of “all-upbeat-dance-confusion-weirdness.” He’ll play guitar and sing and Andy Robillard will play drums, samples and do some vocals. They will play all the songs on the Sweaty Magic EP, plus some revved up versions of tracks from older albums. Put your dancing shoes on and get sweaty with Rafter’s musical magic. “Sweat” (download) “Salt” (download) “Juicy” (download) – Electric Valentine
“A Night With You” (download) – CFCF
“Crystal Mines” (download) Related Posts |
| The Slackers @ El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles Posted: 10 Jan 2009 02:15 PM CST The El Rey Theatre was packed January 2nd in eager anticipation for the annual Slackers show in Los Angeles. The Brooklyn based reggae rock n’ roll band has retained quite a prominent following on the West Coast in their 15 year run. With a diverse crowd and a hell of a lot of enthusiasm, the show was quite enjoyable. Their openers set the stage for the epic escapade of reggae/ska/blues to follow. Sean Wheeler (formerly of Throw Rag) and Zander Schloss (ex-guitarist for The Circle Jerks) created a mellow, yet enjoyable atmosphere with their recent creations, “So Low She Rose” and “Good Pussy”.
The Impalers followed with an energy filled set reminiscent of No Doubt back in the Tragic Kingdom days. The Slackers’ contribution of rollicking reggae and rock n’ roll was what culminated the show into an excellent night of good vibes and great music. Although fans in the Los Angeles may have to wait another year for their high energy live sets, their recent release, Self Medication, is in stores now.
The Slackers: website | myspace  Words and photos: Tatum Hengel Related Posts |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2009 12:26 PM CST Oh man, Franz Nicolay is like the coolest dude eva. It's all about the mustache, and Franz has one hell of a mustache. It doesn't hurt either that he's the portly keyboardist in The Hold Steady, who've been steadily gaining popularity with plenty of support from Pitchfork and the blogosphere over the last couple years. On his first solo outing, Major General, Nicolay delivers exactly what's expected of him, but nothing more. His music has the same awesome pseudo-dramatic feel that his signature look has and it indeed is not a far cry from the music he makes with The Hold Steady. The make it/break it factor is Nicolay's boisterous voice, which is just too theatrical to take seriously. While Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn also has kind of an unlikely rock star voice, Finn's incredible lyrics and believable characters are too real to not take seriously. Meanwhile, when Nicolay sings, "It was never this cold in my dreams," in "World/Inferno vs. The End of the Evening", it just doesn't fly in reality. Musically the album resembles The Hold Steady in terms of its basic bar-band set-up, though its been augmented sometimes (as The Hold Steady's more recent albums have been) with interesting touches like orchestration and synthesizers. Nicolay however, does depart from that band's usual shtick at times, throwing in some jazzy touches like the lounge-y "Do We Live In Dreams?" Also like Finn, his lyrics often detail a narrative. Unfortunately, Nicolay's often come off as far too straightforward, as though he were simply putting stories to music, lacking the poetic beatnik flair that Finn imbues his writing with. Sometimes, you can judge a book by its cover (the cover is after all meant to give people an idea of what the book is like) and such is the case with Franz Nicolay and his music: it's very endearing and entertaining with plenty of positive attributes (the manic, uplifting "The World Is An Open Door" is fantastic, for instance), but just a little goofy to get close to. If great mustaches translated into great music, this album would be Sgt. Peppers. Until it does though, stick with The Hold Steady. Major General will be available on January 13th from Fistolo Records. You can catch Nicolay on tour now through the end of the month promoting the record. Tracklisting: Franz Nicolay: website | myspace  Written By: Marc Z. Grub Related Posts |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2009 12:04 PM CST Happiest birthday wishes to Popwreckoning MVP, Assignment Editor Bethany Smith! Most Commented Posts |
Asthmatic Kitty’s Rafter, who released his Sweaty Magic EP this past fall, will be leaving his native San Diego late this month to hit the East Coast for a date at Philadelphia’s Danger Danger Gallery and New York City’s Cake Shop. Swirls of Tom Ze, Prince, Clipse, Zapp & Roger, Mr. Fingers, and D’Angelo influences seep into these songs, making Sweaty Magic a great dance party album, which will undoubtly translate to a raucous good time at his live shows.
New Wave-y, electro-pop duo Electric Valentine is the sexy vocals of Lauren Baird and and synth stylings of Chris Qualls. The pair have been tearing up dance floors across their home state of California and with their energetic live show and infiltrating the world at large with over a million plays on MySpace and their new EP Friends With Benefits available now on iTunes. Check out their new single “A Night With You” to keep the FMF(SE) dance party goin’ strong.
Canadian remix master CFCF first caught the attention of Crystal Castles when winning their remix contest for “Air War”. Since then, CFCF mastermind Mike Silver has gone on to create remixes for the likes of Sally Shapiro, The Presets, HEALTH, The Teenagers and Hearts Revolution, among others. Silver honed is mixing skills with a Saturday residency DJing and a radio show on internet station Viva Radio. January 20th will see the release of CFCF’s debut EP, Panesian Nights, which has Silver topping “Artists To Watch” lists for 2009. Check out the buzz with “Crystal Mines” off Panesian Nights.
| You are subscribed to email updates from popwreckoning To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner |
Inbox too full?  Subscribe to the feed version of popwreckoning in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: popwreckoning, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
