Music Under Fire

Death Cab For Cutie's latest video for one of their most beloved tranquil tracks "Grapevine Fires" has made yet another one of our favorite videos thus far this year.

What captured our attention is the lost art of using 2-D used by director Walter Robot (also directed Gnarls Barkley). With game systems of the past long gone and 3-D technology in movie theatres on the rise, the use of 2-D is scarcely used anymore, but brilliant when combined with the hand-drawn words and characters shown here.

The storyline itself tells of burning pastures, which are undoubtedly referring to the ones in the Western US in the summertime. With the ranch-style houses (pictured in the video) and warm climates that make these brushfires so easy to spark up, their song hits an important issue that many have struggled with; particularly those who have suffered from the fires in Australia.

MP3: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires (live) (buy)

Video: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires

Band of Horses announced earlier this week a slew of shows to prelude the first days of summer and their newest work. Just hours ago they announced how to get those tickets.

Having recently taken time to revisit Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC, where they most recently recorded Cease To Begin off of Sub Pop Records, the group will be now teaming up with Baltimore grunge-rockers Arbouretum for six of the seven shows on the tour (Bonnaroo). Among these shows on the tour includes an acoustic set at New York's Carnegie Hall.

Check out the dates as well as a video from over a year ago when we saw the group rock out Philly's TLA at the Fillmore.

MP3: Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You (buy)

Those on the BoH mailing list should receive pre-sale info. Head to their MySpace to sign up.

6/10 The Norva Norfolk, VA
Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, February 28th at 10am here
6/11 Carnegie Hall New York, NY
Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 27th at 11am EST at www.carnegiehall.org
*IMPORTANT – you should register yourself with the Carnegie Hall website in advance of the onsale.
6/12 Ram’s Head Live Baltimore, MD
Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, February 28th at 10am here
6/14 Bonnaroo Festival Manchester, TN
Tickets on sale now at www.bonnaroo.com
6/16 Orange Peel Asheville, NC
Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, February 28th at Noon here
6/17 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC
Tickets go on sale to the public Thursday, February 26th at 10am here
6/18 House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, February 28th at 11am here

The self-titled release by Baltimore's Eureka Birds late last year took out my feet from under me. From there the sound of the unsigned group has found its way to our friends and readers. At Philadelphia's North Star Bar, the six-man band's entrancing eloquence quivered beyond the surround brick walls, perhaps ushering in a new wave of fans.

Eureka Birds

About a year ago at the North Star Bar, we were smart/fortunate enough to catch Sea Wolf. Behind the vocals of Alex Brown Church and all of the well-timed and cleanly projected instruments, the show (not concert) of the year took place. Harnessing many similar aspects of their show as Sea Wolf, Eureka Birds glimmered behind Justin Levy for another memorable showcase at the hallway bar.

While Church and co. formed around a folk rock mystique, Eureka Birds integrated the same spacey feel of an acoustic show with a hollowed-out and edgy creation, courtesy of Levy's down-tempo and controlled keyboard work along with Dami Soh's winding cello play. When their synthesizer added to the keyboard and soft sticks hit the drums, the group most effectively projected their portentous presence. Add an electric guitar capable of a solo at any whim and a bass emptying the dead space and the music emitted a feverish tremor.


The songs "Oh My Dear" and "Goodbye Space and Time" commanded the most attention from the hour long set. Chants of "more cello" resounded from the back of the bar after Soh's cello whittled together the eerily uptight "Oh My Dear". In "Goodbye Space and Time" several guitar solos, lyrics that slowly faded in and out, and a jazz hall composition closed the set as our video below shows.

After talking with the group after the show, we found out this was their first trip up to Philly. They also mentioned plans to begin working on a new album and possibly take their act on the road full time. Eureka Birds currently have three shows slated for next month, including one with The Reign of Kindo, another group we have monitored since their formation in the wake of This Day & Age's end.

For more on Eureka Birds, check out their website and MySpace. To check out our review of their album, head here. The album is also on iTunes.

(Picture taken by Veronica Hansen)

It’s true that we have a slight bias towards instrumental rock, but we won't let that get in the way of honestly recommending such a great upcoming band as The Calm Blue Sea. These five guys call home to Austin, Texas, which seems to be the birthplace of great instrumental, post-rock that we've been discovering over the years. You might also recall another band that we enjoy from this same town in Texas, but we'll leave that to the wayside for now.

What The Calm Blue Sea has up on everyone else is not only their stellar intermingling melodies, but they may be the first post-rock band that has arrived on the scene including a piano in the mix. Their self-titled album, which dropped towards the end of last year, has already made big impressions with each new listener, drawing attention from one of our favorite Indie radio stations WOXY out of Cincinnati.

The Calm Blue Sea features only six tracks, but they average out to about 7 minutes and 45 seconds per song. It’s what makes The Calm Blue Sea so wonderful to listen to: No limits on repetition or melodies. Each one of these tracks are beautifully constructed and movie like when experienced. The flow from one track to the next makes the 46 minute debut a gem to hear in its entirety. If there's one album you may have missed from 2008 that we haven't caught yet, we highly recommend The Calm Blue Sea's self-titled debut!

You can purchase their self-titled album through their website. If you enjoyed The Calm Blue Sea, we also recommend This Will Destroy You.

MP3: The Calm Blue Sea - The Rivers That Run Beneath This City (buy)


MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/thecalmbluesea
Official - http://www.thecalmbluesea.com/

2007's Girls and Boys from New York's Ingrid Michaelson is nothing you will hear in any coffeehouse or elevator from some aspiring musician. When Michaelson released this album, she was on her way to stardom, thanks to the digital media age where news such as a new video from the talented artist will reach the other side of the world faster than we can type - truly an infectious sound from the get-go.

Last October after the tremendous boom of instant fans for Michaelson, she released Be OK. Cut out of the every mushy mold for solo artists and the whetting appeal of her live show, she has continually devised music that speaks intimately at every chance. Most recently, she released her Live Session EP, which is available only on iTunes and features a cover of Radiohead's "Creep".

For more on Michaelson and her shows this year (many of which are overseas in the coming months), check out her site and/or MySpace. The just-released video for "Breakable" off of Boys and Girls is below.