The Streets on Fire - Hot Weekend

I literally am incapable of listening to anything but this record by Chicago locals The Streets on Fire. It's called 'Hot Weekend' and if you're a fan of vaguely noisy, vaguely ambling and vaguely terrifying yet accessible rock'n'roll in the vein of Big Black, Scratch Acid and Slint then do yourself a favor and cruise on over to their myspace page and listen. If you don't end up digging it so much that you've played it through completely two or three times, then I'll buy you a beer. A cheap one. This is one of those records whose complexities are only fully appreciated upon several subsequent spins, however, it's music with a poppy enough foundation that I feel just about anyone could easily pick it up and enjoy.

Go!

"Kings of the basement party jam"

Straight outta Philly is Chiddy Bang, who some bloggers say is a "hipsters wet dream". Combining hip-hop and electronica with samples from MGMT, Passion Pit, even Mary Poppins, Chiddy Bang is the self-proclaimed "Kings of the basement party jam".


Opposite Of Adults (HD)

Chiddy Bang | MySpace Music Videos

Their story is as great as their music: http://my.sxsw.com/events/eid/11148

SXSW picks, day two

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts next week. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks. 

Check out today's picks after the jump: Doll and the Kicks, L. Stadt, The Black and White Years, The Howlies, The Pharmacy, The Uglysuit

SXSW picks, day one

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts next week. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks.


Check out today's picks after the jump: Diamond Rings, Jason Collett, Jenny Owen Youngs, Miz Metro, The Dirty Hearts

The Laureates - No Kontrol EP

by J.Paul

Just saw these devilishly handsome gentlemen on Friday at the Hideout and had an absolute blast. They've got a high energy, well kicked out garage rock sound and have got me all stoked to see them play again. The show was a record release party for their latest, the No Kontrol EP which can be streamed below. My only complaint about it is that the vocals could be mixed up a bit louder in "Disconnected," otherwise these five songs ought to fuel your fire for rough around the edges rock'n'roll from four dudes who love what they're doing. Enjoy!


http://www.laureatesmusic.com/

Dark Halls by Au Revoir Simone

By J.Paul

Continuing with the indie pop theme from the post below, I gotta mention this one.  Au Revoir Simone is an all girl 3 piece from Brooklyn with unbelievable songwriting chops.  If this bouncy, beautiful track can't lift your spirits a bit then you're probably dead.  The video itself is kind of amateurish and goofy, but that's not the point; the point is definitely how the hook grabs you right away and how the harmonizing and handclaps endear the song to you even more.  Or maybe that's just me; the ultimate sucker for a catchy, well-crafted pop song?

Skybox Live Session at Hear Ya

By J.Paul

Skybox was a show I got dragged to back in November by friends.  Had never heard of them but damn, did I walk away impressed.  They played at Schuba's and totally lit the place up.  High energy indie pop played with gusto and sung with a sweet falsetto and more mellow, folkier songs played with a lot of heart.  It seems like whatever these guys put their minds to they absolutely nail it.  Their latest record "Morning After Cuts" came out last month and can be streamed in it's entirety at their site: http://skyboxmusic.com/


Skybox - "In A Dream" - HearYa Live Session 1/16/10 from HearYa.com on Vimeo.


This video is taken from their recent live sessions with Hear Ya.  Performed live these songs have a new vibe and energy all their own, obviously, and are definitely worth the download.  As a companion piece to the record, they offer some great insight into what can be expected from their upcoming shows; though when I saw them they did sound a bit punchier and a bit dirtier.

Check that out here: http://www.hearya.com/2010/02/09/skybox-live-session-65/

Papercuts- Future Primitive

by Cori

I came across this band by accident- but it turned out to be a happy accident, as their album is awesome.
You Can Have What You Want isn't exactly new- it was released in April- but it was a great find and a fun listen.