Prog had always meant "pretencious" in my mind. I saw it as such an overly earnest love of never-ending, highly formalized, operatic gee-whizzery. "Hey, over here! Look at me! The things my fingers are doing! Isn't it just Amazing!"

The name alone, "progressive," sounds so snotty. Looking down it's nose at knuckle-dragging caveman music.

But of course, it turns out, it was me who was the pretencious one. Ha.

Anyway, Adam's Castle seems to be some proggy-ish instrumental music that's just completely devoid of pretensiousness. That's how it strikes me anyway. The structures and components are fairly straight ahead and not completley obtuse which is part of it I guess. But I suspect what it really is, is that these players are having fun and don't care what you (or I) think.

This song from Adam's Catsle is so wonky I dig it. Sounds like the theme song to a pocket protector or A/V club. Nerdy but brimming with bucket loads of confidence. You can't help but want to root for it. I keep seeing the sights and smelling the formaldehyde smells of my high school science classes when this plays.

And I love when the world gets a tiny but smaller. Zach emailed me about the release of this album not knowing me from, well, Adam. And we find we have some mutual musician friends in common. And I'm not that friendly of a person and don't have many friends so it's rare indeed! Ha. Snicker. Snicker.

Get to know Zach and the rest of the band: tweet them here: http://twitter.com/adamscastle

I'm digging these guys. See the other Blitzen Trapper post just before this one for more info.

Coco Rosie labelmates on Sub Pop, Blitzen Trapper, remind me of a compilation I bought a while ago that I really loved of 70's singers and bands you and I've never heard of. Partly lighter pop/singer-songwriter shmaltz, part rustic countrification, part urban groovy with that 70's drug hangover feeling. One song was by the producer of Cat Stevens albums I think. You get the idea.

Blitzen Trapper zones in on a very similar vibe. Country vibe but with the mr. cool grooving rhythm and a west side, hip hop syth. Very cool.

See the Coco Rosie post just before this one for the review. Just another note: they are on tour in support of this album:

• Thursday, September 30, 2010
  Emo's (Austin), Austin TX
• Saturday, October 2, 2010
  Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque NM
• Sunday, October 3, 2010
  Rialto Theater, Tucson AZ
• Tuesday, October 5, 2010
  Regency Ballroom (SF), San Francisco CA
• Wednesday, October 6, 2010
  Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles CA
• Friday, October 8, 2010
  Teatro Estudio Cavaret, Guadalajara Mexico
• Saturday, October 9, 2010
  Teatro De La Ciudad, Mexico City Mexico

I remember first seeing Coco Rosie play in NYC with the occasional support from a friend of mine on accordian. My band at the time was playing a show with them. Yes, hipster NYC is part of their DNA, but the two sisters seemed (and seem) to channel ghosts of 1920's French crackling records bypassing much modernism of indie hipster music. They share a similar Tom Waites-ish living-in-the-autumnal-past strain. Even when clashing with their lo-fi processed drum beats.

Their new album, Grey Oceans, finds them going deeper into the manufactured drum beats and studio synthetics lest they be pidgeon-holed as too nostalgic or precious. Their vocals are striking enough for the whole effect to be fairly well balanced between the two dynamics. Cheers to them.

Something more slash and thrash for you. This is "Burden of Empire" from Austin's Iron Age. Cool. They are touring on their new album "The Sleeping Eye" with heavies Baroness:

Dec 3 Troubadour Hollywood, CA w/ Earthless
Dec 4 The Casbah San Diego, CA w/ Earthless
Dec 5 The Clubhouse Tempe, AZ w/ Earthless
Dec 7 Emo's Austin, TX
Dec 8 Warehouse Live Houston, TX
Dec 9 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
Dec 10 The Social Orlando, FL
Dec 11 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Dec 12 Friendship Cove Montreal, QB*
Dec 13 Siesta Nouveaux Toronto, ON*
* Iron Age only

Something more slash and thrash for you. This is "Burden of Empire" from Austin's Iron Age. Cool. They are touring on their new album "The Sleeping Eye" with heavies Baroness:

Dec 3 Troubadour Hollywood, CA w/ Earthless
Dec 4 The Casbah San Diego, CA w/ Earthless
Dec 5 The Clubhouse Tempe, AZ w/ Earthless
Dec 7 Emo's Austin, TX
Dec 8 Warehouse Live Houston, TX
Dec 9 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
Dec 10 The Social Orlando, FL
Dec 11 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Dec 12 Friendship Cove Montreal, QB*
Dec 13 Siesta Nouveaux Toronto, ON*
* Iron Age only

Something more slash and thrash for you. This is "Burden of Empire" from Austin's Iron Age. Cool. They are touring on their new album "The Sleeping Eye" with heavies Baroness:

Dec 3 Troubadour Hollywood, CA w/ Earthless
Dec 4 The Casbah San Diego, CA w/ Earthless
Dec 5 The Clubhouse Tempe, AZ w/ Earthless
Dec 7 Emo's Austin, TX
Dec 8 Warehouse Live Houston, TX
Dec 9 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
Dec 10 The Social Orlando, FL
Dec 11 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Dec 12 Friendship Cove Montreal, QB*
Dec 13 Siesta Nouveaux Toronto, ON*
* Iron Age only

Check it.

Then check it live:

10/02 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
10/03 Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective
10/05 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Woodshed
10/06 Denver, CO @ Kings Tavern
10/07 Sioux Falls, SD @ Club David
10/08 Minneapolis, MN @ Hexagon
10/09 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10/10 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10/11 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
10/13 Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
10/14 Omaha, NE @ The Sydney
10/15 Lawrence, KS @ The Tap Room
10/16 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
10/17 Oklahoma, OK @ The Conservatory
10/18 Austin, TX @ Emo’s
10/20 Bisbee, AZ @ The Stock Exchange
10/21 Los Angeles, CA @ Molly Malone
10/22 San Diego, CA @ Radio Room
10/23 San Francisco, CA @ Retox Lounge
10/24 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Bar

The Happy Hollows seem like they'd be a great live show. You get the sense of their energy from the mp3s but the sound captured in ones and zeros seem a bit too, I don't know, too well-organized, well-presented. Especially that chorus. Seems some folks have taken to their live show, as folks like Silversun Pickups and Deerhoof have invited The Happy Hollows to open for them. This is "Faces" from their soon to be released Spells.

The Happy Hollows live:
Aug 08 San Diego, CA @ Kensington Club
Aug 28 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place
Sep 04 Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland (Album Release Party)

My gut reaction to the touchy-feeliness and perhaps politics of Heroes of Popular Wars primes me to be wary - at least when experiencing other communication beyond their music - like bios and words not sung. Thankfully, most people will just experience their music. This is a good track. They mixe up the computer electro and live instrument indie pop rock. While some tracks are more acoustic versions of this mashup formula, this song satisfyingly turns the Flaming Lips-ish drums way up.

A song and band that quietly & druggily coaxes you deeper into the rabbit hole. A hypnotic track this one.

Throw back to the deep south Stax-style of the Sixties. Horns, organ, splashy drums and a scratchy-voiced personality amped up beyond the breaking point. Great stuff.

Vice Records is releasing it on our American shores.

Northern Cali-country indie tunes made at an easy, loping gait. This is track nine on Reed KD's new album (released June 9th) If The Comet Comes.

This is a dark, lowly one, "Dreamer", from Tony Vipers' new album, Life on Earth, released yesterday on Sub Pop. If you are in the western US, Texas or Europe check Tiny Vipers out live this summer.

Acoustic guitar, singer-songwriter music is a tricky field. It's often hard to put your finger on why exactly some stuff sounds compelling & other stuff sounds like awful, dime-a-dozen tripe. Seattle’s Jesy Fortino, aka Tiny Vipers, is definitely the former, not the latter.

This is a track from a previous album 'Hands Across The Void.' Her new SubPop-released album, Life on Earth, came out yesterday. I highlighted a track from it here.

RX Bandits' modus operandi is mixing prog-ishness with Cali-sunshine-filled power-pop-punk-ishness. Some songs flaunt more prog than the power-pop-punk and vice versa. This one is more of the latter. If you find prog's angular wonkiness refreshing - as I do at times - sample some of their other tunes on their label site. Their album Mandala comes out July 21, 2009.

Want to see RX Bandits live? Check these dates:

July 08 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues *
July 09 San Diego, CA @ SOMA *
July 10 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee *
July 11 Tuscon, AZ @ Club Congress *
July 12 Tuscon, AZ @ Club Congress *
July 14 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater *
July 15 Austin, TX @ Emo's *
July 16 San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit *
July 17 Houston, TX @ Meridian #
July 18 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues #
July 20 Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone #
July 22 Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room #
July 23 Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live #
July 24 St Petersburgh, FL @ Jannus Landing #
July 25 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade #
July 26 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle #
July 28 Towson, MD @ Recher Theater #
July 29 Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts #
July 30 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
July 31 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
Aug 01 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Aug 02 Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques
Aug 04 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Aug 05 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Aug 06 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Aug 07 Sauqet, IL @ Pop's
Aug 08 Des Moines, IA @ People's Court
Aug 09 Saint Paul, MN @ Station 4
Aug 11 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
Aug 12 Murray, UT @ Murray Theater
Aug 14 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
Aug 15 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Aug 17 Sacramento, CA @ Empire Events Center
Aug 26 San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
Aug 29 Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
Aug 30 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
Aug 31 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
* = w/ Good Old War
# = w/ Zechs Marquise

Swirly, maxed-out bleeps and blips burble up on this track from LA-via-Brighton, England's Freeland. 

Their latest album, Cope™ features electrocuted mashups of sounds laid down by Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, The Pixie's Joey Santiago, NIN's & Marilyn Manson's Twiggy Ramirez, DEVO's Jerry Casale and more.

Album sounds good. I like. If you like, listen and pre-order this week at www.freeland.fm

A kid from Lyon with a guitar and noises that come out of his mouth. If you like it see him play in your town.

Enjoy this chilled out, atmospheric tune from The Album Leaf.

I haven't seen one of pH10's shows but I can image it would be a wild time. Not that this track is unmovin' but when listening to it it sounds like it would sound increasingly better in a live room with a busted PA pumping out the noise bouncing off a sweaty room full of drunks.

From the band: "Brooklyn-based pH10 has been making records and playing shows for ten years. Concerts are hyped up parties with intense visual projections, a massive wall of sound and strange occurrences including strobe light helmets and dancers wrapped in vacuum hoses. Having played all over the US, Canada and Europe, pH10 has developed strong performance skills to back up their studio recordings. This is a finely tuned stage show that leaves audience members danced-out and smiling."

After touring with folks like CSS and Lightspeed Champion, Tilly and the Wall got back to Omaha to record this album...

From the band: "The album, produced by the acclaimed Mike Mogis, has no title. It could be called 'o,' because its cover is an oval-shaped frame for the artwork that will go inside of it. As a band who surround themselves not only with artistic friends, but also artistic fans, Tilly and the Wall have invited everyone in their community to contribute to the cover art for their record. o will have limited edition runs of handmade prints available by different artists that will act as the record's cover, giving the band's fans a unique piece of art for both their album and their walls. Each month, the record will have a different cover."

Chicago's Apoc and Rel are The Ritz. Get drunk on this.

The Pumpsta pumps out the goof hop with a greasy mouth full of chicken-fried irony and ridiculousness. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But you do see he has love for this -- and a certain talent...

Pumpsta: "I love life, people, and music... Besides the recorder, my first 'real' instrument was the trumpet in middle school. I was your typical overweight nerd who knew every word to “Whoop There It Is” by Tag Team (there is a cover of it on Bass Black Treble White.)'