News: Broken Bells Annouce First Full Length U.S. Tour
James Mercer and Brian Burton a/k/a Danger Mouse have confirmed Broken Bells first ever tour. The dates commence May 18 in San Diego and will include stops in 16 North American cities.
BROKEN BELLS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2010
*Morning Benders to support
Tue-May-18-10 San Diego – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
Wed-May-19-10 Los Angeles – Henry Fonda Theatre
Fri-May-21-10 San Francisco – Regency Ballroom
Mon-May-24-10 Portland – Wonder Ballroom
Tue-May-25-10 Seattle – Showbox at the Market
Wed-May-26-10 Vancouver – Commodore Ballroom
Sat-May-29-10 Denver – Gothic Theatre
Mon-May-31-10 Chicago – Vic Theater
Tue-Jun-01-10 Detroit – St. Andrews Hall
Wed-Jun-02-10 Toronto – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Fri-Jun-04-10 Boston – Royale NightClub
Sat-Jun-05-10 NY – The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
Sun-Jun-06-10 Philadelphia – Electric Factory
Mon-Jun-07-10 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Thu-Jun-10-10 Atlanta – Center Stage
Fri-Jun-11-10 Athens – 40 Watt Club
Review: Good Shoes – No Hope, No Future
Pessimism wins out in the end for this indie punk band from England. It’s no wonder they chose a title like No Hope, No Future for their barrage of short, catchy tunes. The album starts off with a pop punk hook in “The Way My Heart Beats.” It’s almost hard to believe the song screams cynicism —that all relationships are doomed to fail in the end. Same problems, different people, or at least that’s lead singer Rhys Jones’ motto. The music catches up with the theme on “Everything You Do.” Jones’ voice reflects the somber mood of the slow screeching guitars. Fear not, that uptempo pop returns for the rest of the album but don’t expect to feel so lively if you pay attention to lyrics. “Time Changes” offers a bleak outlook on getting older but it manages to stay cheery with a dance rock rhythm and fast hi-hat riding.
The songs on No Hope, No Future fully embody the album title. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why a band chooses a certain album title. Or you listen to the music and there is nothing cohesive from one song to the next. Good Shoes manages to make a record that makes sense, that shares one theme. But even that doesn’t save this album. While the music itself may put a happy little smile on your face, the cheerless outlook overshadows it. You can get away with a few good listens until you wonder if this band truly is that hopeless. Although I enjoy listening to all things dark and dismal, I prefer the music to coincide with the lyrics. Happy music plus sad lyrics equals an uncertainty in one’s emotions and a mediocre album.
News: THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER announce live dates!
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster forge afresh with a full UK tour from April to June 2010, in support of the May release of third album ‘Blood & Fire’ and its debut single ‘Love Turns To Hate’.
APRIL
TUE 27: CAMBRIDGE, Haymakers
WED 28: GUILDFORD, Boileroom
FRI 30: BEDFORD, Esquires
MAY
SAT 01: HARLOW, Square
SUN 02: LONDON, Koko (Camden Crawl/1234 Records Stage)
MON 10: LEICESTER, Sumo
TUE 11: CARDIFF, Barfly
WED 12: SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners
THU 13: BRIGHTON, Hectors House (Great Escape/Gaymers Stage)
SAT 15: POOLE, Chords
SUN 16: OXFORD, Bullingdon
MON 17: READING, Sub 89
WED 19: LIVERPOOL, Krazyhouse
THU 20: LEEDS, Cockpit
FRI 21: STOKE, Sugarmill
SAT 22: SHEFFIELD, Corporation
MON 24: NEWCASTLE, Cluny
TUE 25: GLASGOW, Stereo
WED 26: ABERDEEN, Tunnels
THU 27: EDINBURGH, Cabaret Voltaire
FRI 28: YORK, The Duchess
SAT 29: BRISTOL, Academy 2 (Dot To Dot)
SUN 30: NOTTINGHAM, Rock City Basement (Dot To Dot)
MON 31: MANCHESTER, Academy 3 (Dot To Dot)
JUNE
WED 02: BIRMINGHAM, Hare & Hounds
THU 03: LONDON, Garage
Review: DJ Swift – The Architect
You may know Rob Swift better as DJ Swift, one of the DJs that compose the turntable group, The X-Ecutioners.
The Architect is his latest offering. It’s a pretty interesting DJ album. It mixes classical music with Hip Hop and scratching. There are a couple of vocal tracks, but it’s mostly instrumental.
It’s runtime is a quick 35 minutes, but it works well as one long body spread out over 18 tracks. The mixes and soundscapes create a pretty cool mood. There’s a very natural-sounding layering of two pretty different styles of music. The classical stuff blends surprisingly well with Hip Hop beats.