Music Under Fire

Car trouble and a missed show defined Tuesday night for MUF. Missing a show is a terrible thing for us while car trouble is what it is. With many tour dates still ahead for the three groups that played that night - Eulogies, Great Northern and The Dear - we're confident we can at least get other people to the shows.

Fortunately, Phrequency attended the show on May 5 and did a writeup. Good job, guys and gals.

Headlining the tour is Great Northern, although the other groups alone remain reasons to attend. Led by Rachel Stolte's punkish rock vocals, Great Northern released Remind Me Where the Light Is last week in what is gradually becoming one of the best albums of the year. "Numbers" jumps out immediately despite being placed towards the end, yet amicable tracks "Story", "Houses", "Telling Lies" and "Snakes" all extend the album's overall fervor.

Eulogies, who released Here Anonymously in early April off of Dangerbird Records, come in as the proverbial wild card. The latest recording doesn't necessarily match their self-title debut, but for pure listening reasons, is well-worth purchasing. The first two tracks, "Day to Day" and "Eyes on the Prize", share striking similarities in vocal style, so neither stand out. As a whole, Here Anonymously doesn't rely on flashy riffs to propel it, rather a evenly-paced progression helped showcase individual talents. Their video for "Eyes on the Prize" is currently featured on MTVU's Freshman Videos.

Also on Dangerbird Records, Montreal's The Dears are a sight. Seven members and a wily style. The 2008 release of Missiles never reached great heights, yet the single "Money Babies" kept the group on the map with its fun lyrics and upbeat attitude. The group has expressed interest in working on a new album as soon as touring ends, which could be as early as next month.

Tour dates for all three groups are below, as well as a few mp3s and a video.

MP3: Great Northern - Mountain (buy)
MP3: Eulogies - Bad Connection (buy)
MP3: Eulogies - Two Can Play (buy)

Montreal's The Dears are going to have a lot on their plate over the new few months. With their album Missiles set to release in the UK on 10/20 and in the U.S. on 10/21, a new video for their song "Money Babies" out and tour dates scheduled across the States, the seven-man crew should be mighty busy promoting their collective sound.

Natalia Yanchak (piano, keyboards, vocals) and Murray Lightburn (vocals, guitar, keyboards) are the vanguards for the reoccuring revival of The Dears, which now claims five other musicians of glory: Jason Kent (guitar, vocals, keyboard), Lisa Smith (bass guitar, keyboards), Yann Geoffroy (drums, keyboards), Laura Wills (keyboards, vocals) and Christopher McCarron (guitar).

One of the changes expected from the group through Missiles is a more energetic alt-blues tempo. Six of the seven members claim experience with the keyboard, so an electronic feel could be the new spunky attraction of The Dears.

Below we have provided a few mp3s below, as well as tour dates and their video of "Money Babies" off of Missiles. The album will be in stores next week, so check them out and let us know what you think.

MP3: The Dears - Disclaimer (preorder Missiles)
MP3: The Dears - You and I Are a Gang of Losers (buy)

Before I get into all of this, be sure to enter our Ragged/Filter contest - we're giving out a bunch of free goodies, so don't miss out!

Now, on to our mix. Our third installment of the weekend mix is a particularly good one and includes a lot of music from the UK, per usual. You may have perused our new music this week and noticed we were talked up Tokyo Police Club quite a bit. No album this year hit me quite the same as this one - its a singing, clap-fest of an album, filled with all of those earnest indie confections other bands can't seem to scrape up. Or maybe its just "Tessellate" that made it for me. I see no reason why this won't be a top 10 song for me this year.

Other groups to note on this list are Delorentos, whose song "Do You Realise" is one of our Songs of the Week this time around. Their song "Eustace Street" reminds me a bit of The Cinematics, who we were able to see open up for Mute Math last year. Also, check out Annual's "Sore". There's something truly unique about this song style, this song in particular keeps showing up on the good ol' iPod.

The longest song out of the bunch is Sonic Flyer's "Overseas", whose London, UK sound has been stuck in my head all week. The shimmering guitars and that little guitar diddy they do every minute or so make this song for me. And lastly, take a closer look at The Coast as well as The Courteneer's acoustic version of "Not Nineteen Forever". Enjoy the list!

MP3: Tokyo Police Club - Tessellate (buy)
MP3: The Courteeners - Not Nineteen Forever (acoustic) (UK store)
MP3: Camphor - Confidence Shattered (buy)
MP3: Annuals - Sore (buy)
MP3: Delorentos - Eustace Street (buy)
MP3: Bridges and Power Lines - The Golden Age (buy)
MP3: Cloud Cult - Chain Reaction (buy)
MP3: My Brightest Diamond - Inside A Boy (buy)
MP3: Sonic Flyer - Overseas (buy)
MP3: The Coast - Nueva York (buy)
MP3: The Dears - Lost In The Plot (buy)
MP3: The Details - The Height of Land (buy)
MP3: The Dimes - Delilah (buy)
MP3: Driving By Night - Fears of Men (buy)