Music Under Fire

Well what did you think of their song tuned to that Twilight film? Surely its is no traditional Mute Math song we became so accoustomed to listening to in the years leading up to their newest album (which has not yet been revealed). One thing is for sure is that when the video does justice to the group its worth a post here on MUF.

The video features what Mute Math is best at: Energetice performances (and quite possibly travelling too). Who says you can't perform in the back of a van? And even furthermore, why not cram a whole piano back there? The video itself is amusing enough, as not only does the group appear to be moving quite a bit, but we're seeing another time-elapsed film that took a good deal of filming. This most likely led to twice the amount of film it actually needed to create this video, which means much more pestering with that rolling-around kick drum shown here.

MP3: Mute Math - Control (buy)

For more Mute Math updates visit their MySpace page or their Official page as well.

Video: Mute Math - Spotlight

If death metal is your thing, then MUF just wants to let you know that a ton of that slashing metal released this week, yet we didn't post any of it. We will not be covering that music genre at this moment. What can be said about this week is that a few gems are out there and we only were able to brush the surface.

Great Northern, a group we will be catching next week with Eulogies and The Dears, released their grunge pop album Remind Me Where The Light Is this week. We really look forward to Rachel Stolte's vocal presence and some crafty guitar play from Solon Bixler (30 Seconds To Mars, Earlimart, Sea Wolf).

On a much more downtempo wavelength is Tosca. The Austrian duo of Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber have been the vanguard for melodic trance since the release of Opera in 1996 and their latest efforts should be no less impressive.

Other notable artists releasing this week includes: Ben Lee (The Rebirth Of Venus), The Disciplines (Smoking Kills) and Halestorm (Halestorm). We previously got into Ben Lee when he dd a cover of Modest Mouse's "Float On". His music has also appeared in a Dell commercial. Enjoy the new music.

MP3: Great Northern - Houses (buy)
MP3: Tim Easton - Weight of Changing Everything (buy)
MP3: Tosca - Oysters In May (buy)

A Camp - Colonia (Official) (MySpace)
Ben Lee - The Rebirth Of Venus (Official) (MySpace)
Ben Folds - Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! (Official) (MySpace)
Black Crowes - Warpaint Live (Official) (MySpace)
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life (Official)
Diamond Watch Wrists - Ice Capped at Both Ends (Official) (MySpace)
The Disciplines - Smoking Kills (Official) (MySpace)
Great Northern - Remind Me Where The Light Is (Official) (MySpace)
Halestorm - Halestorm (Official) (MySpace)
Jimmy Bosch - Million (Official) (MySpace)
Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood (Official) (MySpace)
Los Straitjackets - The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets (Official) (MySpace)
Melody Gardot - My One And Only Thrill (Official) (MySpace)
Mr. Doc - Beat Salad Vol. 1 (MySpace)
Selfish Cunt - English Chamber Music (MySpace)
Tim Easton - Porcupine (Official) (MySpace)
Tosca - No Hassle (Official) (MySpace)

Washington D.C. has been doing quite dandy for the past few months. Yes, the local economy is one of the only places in the country expected to create jobs this year, but no, we don't concern ourselves with that on MUF. Part of the D.C. bright spot we care about comes in the form of Deleted Scenes.

In fact, the foursome of Dan Scheuerman (vocals/guitar), Matt Dowling (bass/keyboard), Chris Scheffey (guitar) and Brian Hospital (drums), released their first full-length album, Birdseed Shirt, in early January. With the aiding talent of Eldridge Skell (The Rude Staircase) and an enclosed lifestyle during the recording process, Deleted Scenes compiled what is really several distinct styles into this 11-track album. These varying styles become evident as a fast-paced new wave indie comes across on one song and a melodic rock powers forward on another. Many albums can't handle this cross-genre pollination, but rest assured that Deleted Scenes makes it work.

Tour dates and some mp3s from Birdseed Shirt are below. Note that they will be playing with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Au Revoir Simone for a couple of the dates. Also, the five-stop Metro music video for "One Long Country Song" is below. We wish the vocals were clearer, but it still works quite nicely.

MP3: Deleted Scenes - Fake IDs (buy)
MP3: Deleted Scenes - Ithaca (Autorock Remix)

Bringing The Shins and Delta Spirit together must have been some sort of falling asleep happy thought for a tour manager. For one set the allure of the Pacific Northwest shines as The Shins exude an upbeat foot-tapping binge while on another level Delta Spirit and their forceful lyrics and sparkling ensemble drips with their California swag.

The May tour might not possess new material that generates sold out shows, but the combination of the young Delta Spirit paired with the well-established and always enjoyable Shins. Delta Spirit broke onto the scene last year with Ode To Sunshine, which ranked as our #7 album of 2008. The Shins last release was Wincing the Night Away in 2007, yet the ability to pick up any of their other albums to pass the time places them as a band to see for their showmanship and the possibility of new material.

Tour dates for the two groups are below as well as a few mp3s. Enjoy.

MP3: The Shins - Young Pilgrims (buy)
MP3: The Shins - Sleeping Lessons (buy)
MP3: Delta Spirit - Lover's Waltz (A.A. Bondy cover)

5/2/09 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
5/4/09 Showbox Seattle, WA
5/5/09 Showbox Seattle, WA
5/6/09 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
5/7/09 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
5/9/09 The Fox Oakland, CA
5/10/09 Hollywood Palladium Hollywood, CA
5/11/09 SOMA San Diego, CA
5/13/09 The National Richmond, VA
5/14/09 9:30 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
5/15/09 Ram’s Head Live Baltimore, MD
5/16/09 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
5/17/09 Wellmont Theater Montclair, NJ
5/18/09 Terminal 5 New York, NJ
5/20/09 The Orpheum Theater Boston, MA
5/21/09 Terminal 5 New York, NY

Highlighted as one of our 20 groups to watch in 2009, Director announced several months ago that work on their newest work was in the refining stage. Titled I'll Wait For Sound, the album certainly has many jittery hands awaiting it as the group's previous work, We Thrive On Big Cities, rivaled The Killers for the top spot in the UK charts in 2006.

The release date in Ireland will be May 8 and the first single, "Sing It Without A Tune" will prelude the release on May 1. Other release dates include:
May 8 (digital release on iTunes) - Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and Denmark
August 3 - UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore
September 21 (physical and digital) - the rest of Europe and any other unnamed countries

Director prepared for their new music while staying above a bar in Dublin before hitting the road to LA where they then recorded during October and November of last year with producer Brad Wood (Ben Lee, Pete Yorn, Say Anything). Their single "Sing It Without A Tune" can be found streaming on their website.

We have the tracklisting for the new album and initial show dates, so get ready.

MP3: Director - Come With A Friend (buy)
MP3: Director - Play Pretend

Also, the initial show dates (not touring dates) revolve around Ireland, as you can see below.
4/18/09 Pumphouse Kilkenny, IRE
4/26/09 The Olympia Theatre Dublin, IRE
5/3/09 Breakers Portlaoise, IRE
5/22/09 The Button Factory, IRE
5/23/09 Cyprus Avenue Cork, IRE
5/28/09 Leixlip Festival Courtyard Leixlip, IRE
5/30/09 The Granary Killarney, IRE

Tracklisting
1. Play Pretend
2. Don't Think I'll Know
3. Sing It Without A Tune
4. Laser Point
5. I'll Wait For Sound
6. Moment To Moment
7. You See
8. Hold Up Now
9. At What Point
10. Can't Go Home

Saturated with carouseling waves of techno integrity, Safariari's latest album Igloodisko doesn't budge at any seams. The well-warped combination of Jon Kristian Furuheim's Scandinavian disco tech and the influence of Tokyo's bustling city life helped form a crafty third album for the Norwegian.

While recording, the solo artist Furuheim gyrated between his native Norway and the Tokyo district of Nakano before completing the album in New York. Charged by the constant energy of the city, Igloodisko refrains from lyrics while still infusing a fantastic sense of exploratory and innovative work. Although some songs come across as more mathematically centered than tempo driven, the album maintains an elaborate, yet fluid, flow.

Safariari previously released Zebra Knights (2001) and Goa Way (2004) before combining briefly with Andreas Ihlebaek to form Splaxxter Watts. For more on Safariari, head to their MySpace page.

MP3: Safariari - Remington Super 60 (buy)
MP3: Safariari - Lommedisko (buy)

Death Cab for Cutie along with Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot packed the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA on Tuesday night. As both opening acts draw a substantial amount of fans on their own, not surprisingly so, most of the seats were already filled when Death Cab's set arrived.

Cold War Kids


The organized chaos of Cold War Kids rang through the hall of the two-tiered venue about half an hour after Ra Ra Riot's set concluded. Combining a mix of their two albums, Robbers and Cowards (2006) and Loyalty to Loyalty (2008), the group smoothly transitioned between these albums during their hour set.

As their current album cover hung in the backdrop, the band combined the distinct sound of front-man Nathan Willet's voice with their erratic musical score, which when combined asynchronously with their equally erratic dancing meld together for a rather entertaining show.

The soulful lyrics and quirky arrangement of The Cold War Kids is a pleasant change from bands who rely on catchy hooks and pop-undertones to captivate their audience. With their ability to draw in new fans wherever they go, songwriting could be the make or break factor for the Cold War Kids, although for a live show they prove instantly likeable.

The Fullerton, CA quartet is currently opening for Death Cab on their new tour. Tour dates for the group can be found here.


Death Cab For Cutie


For Death Cab, the live shows help fans embrace new material in the best possible way. Last June when we covered their show at the Mann Center, the lyrics from Narrow Stairs were yelled back to the four guys on stage as each song had already become familiar territory for the masses.

On Tuesday night, the group introduced their most recent effort, The Open Door EP, which although strewn with memorable phrases, hadn't yet reached the point where droves of fans sang along. In fact, the crowd was much less active due to a lack of move-around room and a set list that fed upon all of DCFC's works, and not just one album.

Besides the new material being added to the show, the Tower Theater also proved quite a different setting to hear the Seattle crew. Unlike an outdoor venue strewn with subwoofers that shake cars driving on the nearby highway, this show didn't feature drowning bass lines.

Highlighting the show as expected were "Cath..." and "Soul Meets Body", but the encore presentation of "A Diamond and a Tether" from the new EP could be the next anticipated song at shows. "Grapevine Fires", which is a pretty somber-toned track, caught the emotion of the somewhat still crowd as Ben Gibbard's vocals carefully rose and faded while the stage glowed red and blue.

For more pictures from the show and other shows, check out MUF's facebook.

Video: Death Cab For Cutie - President of What

For MUF, Canada has been a much greener pasture for the indie scene over the past few months than ever before. From Lullaby Arkestra to The Rest to Plants & Animals, the list keeps growing along with our interest in the country's hidden talent. When Pilot Speed appeared on the range, it wasn't a flash of brilliance that struck us, but rather a dynamic pop feel void of glitz and glam, which when speaking to critics, sets artists apart from the start.

Perhaps mellow pop fits when defining a genre for the group. What the four-man band from Toronto cannot be labeled as is contemporary. "Put the Phone Down", the opening track to their upcoming album, Wooden Bones, immediately produces vivid revelry through the simple lyrics of Todd Clark paired with knee-rapping tambourines. After multiple listens many carefully placed sidebar instruments reveal Pilot Speed's recording studio deliberation and encompassing feel.

Despite being around for the better part of the new millennium, the band of Clark (vocals, piano), Chris Greenough (guitar), Ruby Bumrah (bass) and Bill Keeley (drums) can only brag of one album to date - Into the West. Wooden Bones hits stores on April 28. , which should help usher in a new wave of fans to the elevated soundscapes and rock aptitude of Pilot Speed.

For more on the group, head to their website and keep an eye out for updated tour dates in the coming weeks.

MP3: Pilot Speed - Put the Phone Down (buy)