Music Under Fire

We've waited quite some time to see one of our top groups from 2008 show up in Philly. At Johnny Brenda's this past Thursday we were treated to one big surprise by Gildon Works and a performance we had been anticipating for quite some time following French Kick's Swimming album dropping this past year.

Gildon Works


The big surprise was the first act, Gildon Works, the Philly band from "fishtown" comprised of Gerard Angelini, Dave Moylan, Chris Wilson, Cody Ferdinand, Josh Cicetti and Stacy Shevlin. The group, who describe themselves as Hawaiian / Jungle / Powerpop, were packed six-deep on stage and brought quite a bit of emotion with their jangly guitars and supersonic breakdowns.

The group's chemistry mixed well with their style. Three guitars made up the forefront, keyboards, percussions and drums made up the other three. The guitar melodies themselves brought the band onto a new plane; their riffs remniscent of electro-engineered bands such as Radiohead, and GW's professionalism was astounding with their instrumental experimentalism extending their song endings as much as a minute or two with such gusto. More notable was the strong impact the basslines had on each song, something underplayed by many groups, yet one of Gildon Works most powerful plays in their performance.

After a quite pleasing and unexpected stellar performance, Gildon Works seems ready for bigger things. Their MySpace page says "New record in the works", but we strongly suggest picking up Artful Rifle and check these guys out if you see them coming your way. The night was late already, but Gildon Works were an early favorite.

MP3: Gildon Works - Sight Unseen (buy)

Buy Artful Rifle on iTunes.

Ferraby Lionheart


Lead vocalist, Ferraby, led the self-labeled folk band Ferraby Lionheart into a more relaxing, soothing set. There were hints of certain groups we like, such as Air Traffic (without the rock) with their slower songs and singer-songwriting talents by Ferraby himself. Much of the set was more down-tempo than anything with many slow songs swinging from an acoustic-backed ballad to a keyboard driven song.



What made more of an appealing set was their keyboardist / xylophonist (shown on the left in picture below). The keyboards had tweaks of ambience, which added an unusually welcomed appeal to FL's set. The xylophone fit right into their set as well, with many songs of the gleeful type ranging from songs about girls in "Dear Corinne" and "Small Planet".

Ferraby was more of the story-telling type of band. Looking to a band such as French Kicks, whose harmonics are their strong points made a tough switch to focus solely on songs mainly driven by a single lead singer sans the shimmering guitars we love so much. Albeit our differences in music tastes, Ferraby proved to have a well performed set and has a handful of songs that are surely a hit with the well-stacked crowd who came to see them.

MP3: Ferraby Lionheart - Small Planet (buy)



French Kicks


French Kicks, the band from Brooklyn, who are known for their modular melodies and gleaming guitar pedals took stage around 12 AM. The already late set had most who had came to see them heavily anticipating how they make their unorthodox sound into a live show. The brunt of the action was taken care of by the talented tall Nick Stumpf taking lead vocals and guitar. The group themselves set three wide on guitars and drums.

As expected in their live performance, the subtleties were their strong points - songs such as "Abandon", "New Man" or "Said So What", which had been criticized for being to subtle for their own good were clearly fan favorites as the night went on. Whether it was the bands intention or not, problems with their amp flared up at the end of the show, which made the members switch from bass to lead-guitar alternately between songs. The appeal of their set was not only the diversity between the guitars and their matching vocals, but the versatility of the guitar pedals they used.



Josh Wise (above) took the lead on a few songs. More songs that crept up and became so likable throughout the show were "All Our Weekends" and one of my recent favorites "Love In The Ruins". Wise truly had a big impact on the performance, showing the band had a strong duality in vocals and guitar.

The band's 2008 album, Swimming, was played for the most part, but a few tracks were played from their 2006 album Two Thousand, such as "So Far We Are". These guys were definitely worth taking the trip to "fishtown" in Philadelphia.

MP3: French Kicks - Love In The Ruins (buy)

Buy Swimming on iTunes

Earlier this week Brooklyn's The National announced a slew of North American tour dates slated for late May. The tour's material will consist of some old and new material, which means an album can be expected later on this year.

After successfully touring the world in 2008, following the release of Boxer in late '07, The National set forth The Virginia EP as well as A Skin, A Night, which is a film by Vincent Moon about the group and their recording and touring.

Most recently, Aaron and Bryce Dessner helped produce Dark Was The Night, a compilation featuring 32 tracks from various artists and where the proceeds will benefit the Red Hot Organization's efforts to promote awareness worldwide about HIV and AIDS. The National features the track "So Far Around The Bend" on this compilation that also includes: Arcade Fire, Ben Gibbard and Feist, Yeasayer, Andrew Bird, Beirut, The Decemberists and many more.

Immediately noticeable when listening to The National are the end of the tongue lyrics and the "heck if I care" attitude from Matt Berninger. Joining him since their inception back in 1999 are Aaron Dessner (guitars, bass, piano) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano) and brothers Scott Devendorf (guitar, bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).

Tour dates are below, but if you want to buy tickets, head here.

MP3: The National - Fake Empire (buy)

5/21/09 Kool Haus, Toronto (on-sale Feb 14th @ 10:00 AM)
5/22/09 Metropolis, Montreal (on-sale Feb 13th @ Noon)
5/23/09 House of Blues, Boston (on-sale Feb 20th @ 10AM)
5/24/09 9:30 Club, DC (on-sale Feb 14th @ 10AM)
5/25/09 9:30 Club, DC (on-sale Feb 14th @ 10AM)
5/27/09 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta (on-sale Feb 13th @ NOON)
5/28/09 Lincoln Theater, Raleigh (on-sale Feb 13th @ Noon)
5/29/09 Electric Factory, Philadelphia (on-sale Feb 20th @ 10AM)

For all of the single/bored people out there who look forward to hanging out with their friends on the weekend, don't bite your tongue because V-Day falls on a Saturday this year. To replace your lovestruck friends, we've compiled a list that should help spread some of our love of music to you.

If you're in the full spirit of the day and want to have some fun, Best Week Ever shows how to make Skittles vodka. You can check out some more v-day drinks here. If you're a sugar-lover, check out these desserts for the occasion. If you came just for the music, enjoy our list, then head on over to The Trip Wire for some more.

MP3: Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell (buy)
MP3: She and Him - Sentimental Heart (buy)
MP3: The Kooks - I Want You (buy)
MP3: Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire (buy)
MP3: Pictures and Sound - It's You (buy)
MP3: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Some Constellation (buy)
MP3: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - This Love Is F#cking Right (buy)
MP3: The Walkmen - Lost You (buy)
MP3: Motion City Soundtrack - Broken Heart (acoustic) (buy)
MP3: Daniel Martin Moore - It's You (buy)
MP3: TV on the Radio - I Was A Lover (buy)
MP3: Art Brut - People In Love (buy)
MP3: The Stills - I'm With You (buy)

Since the release of their self-titled debut album last year, The Virgins have continued to carry along their party in a bar to all who are willing to listen.

Mastering a sound that earned the group consideration as MTV UK's "Best New Artists of 2009", led them along the tour path with the Black Keys and Band of Horse and showcased them on Conan O'Brien, are just a few of the reasons they jumped out to us. Ironically, exactly a year ago today we showcased "Rich Girls" as one of our Songs of the Week - four months before the album released.

Donald Cumming (vocals), Nick Zarin-Ackerman (bass), Wade Oates (guitar) and Erik Ratensperger (drums) compose the New York brethren which have most recently played acoustic sets for Philadelphia's WRFF and Boston WERS. On Friday the band will be playing a free show at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square, New York City. The video for their session at the Shockhound Studio is below.

Kiss Kiss, The Faraway Places and Ben Lee highlight this week's releases, unless the pop buzz behind Lily Allen or the folk/country swagger of Miranda Lee Richards get you first. Maybe even the comedy from Andy Sandberg's Lonely Island steers your attention from a long list of solo artists deserving more of the credit than we gave them.

For us, Kiss Kiss' album The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left off of Eyeball Records heads a quality list of albums releasing. Their animated tracks play with the type of trembling rock like a Primus and midway carny lovechild.

Check out the unsigned New Yorkers The Assembly Line. After playing through their MySpace songs a number of times, their message reached out with an uptempo alternative tune that's sure to prelude a fine live act. Along this same line is the Aussie Ben Lee and his newest effort off of New West Records - The Rebirth of Venus.

From L.A., The Faraway Places release Out of the Rain, the Thunder & the Lightning off of Eenie Meenie Records. Their colors follow the folk rock train of Fleetwood Mac and the psychedelic swayings of Bowie. Enjoy this week in music.

MP3: Kiss Kiss - Machines (buy)
MP3: The Assembly Line - 1111
MP3: Boston Spaceships - Big O Gets An Earful (buy)
MP3: The Faraway Places - Marvelous Error (buy)
MP3: Ben Lee - Float On (Modest Mouse cover) (buy)

Adam Lipman - From Your Mouth To God's Ear (Official) (MySpace)
Barbara Trentalange - Awakening, Level One. (Official) (MySpace)
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique 20th Anniversary (Official) (MySpace)
Ben Lee - The Rebirth of Venus (Official) (MySpace)
Boston Spaceships - Planets are Blasted (Official) (MySpace)
Cage & Aviary - Television Train 12" (MySpace)
Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project (Official) (MySpace)
Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid (Official) (MySpace)
Darren Emerson - Bogota (Official) (MySpace)
Dex Romweber Duo - Ruins of Berlin (Official) (MySpace)
The Faraway Places - Out of the Rain, the Thunder & the Lightning (Official) (MySpace)
India Arie - Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics (Official) (MySpace)
Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left (Official) (MySpace)
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You (Official) (MySpace)
Lonely Island - Incredibad (Official) (MySpace)
Malajube - Labyrinthes (Official) (MySpace)
Miranda Lee Richards - Light of X (Official) (MySpace)
Mistress Stephanie & Her Melodic Cat - Take That! (Official) (MySpace)
Now, Now Every Children - Cars (Official) (MySpace)
Onna - Onna 7" (MySpace)
Red - Innocence & Instinct (Official) (MySpace)
Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie (Official) (MySpace)
Scatterbox - Enemies (Official) (MySpace)
The Assembly Line - Graves Like Oceans (MySpace)
The Damnwells- One Last Century (Official) (MySpace)
The Vox Jaguars - The Vox Jaguars [EP] (Official) (MySpace)
Trouble Andrew - Trouble Andrew (Official) (MySpace)
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Live (Official) (MySpace)
Winston Audio - The Red Rhythm (Official) (MySpace)
Woolfy - (Whatever/ Whatever Mixes) Oh Missy (Official) (MySpace)
You Say Party! We Say Die - Remik's Cube (Official) (MySpace)

Ladytron's Velocifero fell only to Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours in terms of our favorite electronica album of 2008 (#15 overall). While our attention lingered with remixes from Cut Copy, Ladytron's efforts have caught up with us once again - most notably through their video for "Tomorrow".

Flying women and jellyfish, scenes of nature and the obviously entrancing track made this a strangely soothing video that a pixelated computer screen doesn't justify.

Let us know what you think and we'll try to keep the Ladytron news coming.

The indie scene Down Under tends to miss many of our posts, so when Lions At Your Door approached us with their debut self-titled EP, we decided to let their punk-pop grunge do the talking.

What the six-member group brought to the table mimics no artists as it contains that ever-fluctuating punk intensity. With Marihuzk Larenas-Esquivel's filthy-rich vocals, Victoria Zamora's kean violin stringing and numerous guitar (Dirk Jonker), drum (Kirsten Riley) and bass (Nick Millner) patchings along the way, Lions At Your Door abides to fans of European jazz-pop to fans of Seattle's grunge scene.

MP3: Lions At Your Door - C-C-C-Crossfire (buy)