I Swear, I'm Not Dead

Hello friends, I hope this finds you well.

I haven't posted anything for entirely too long. I have absolutely no excuse as of why I am such a slacker. Actually that's not true, I have quite a legitimate excuse but you would probably think less of me for it. Let's just say that I have been acting my age lately and we'll leave it at that.

But just because I have kind of sorta totally stopped blogging does not mean that music has stopped being great. 

Disco Nap posted a few new songs. For those of you who don't know, Disco Nap is a new band fronted by one of our favourite musicians, Mr. Ross Hope. The songs aren't quite finished yet but they sound excellent and I'm terribly excited to hear more from them. Head on over to the MySpace page and introduce yourself before things get crazy. 

In not so current news, "Veckatimest", the upcoming Grizzly Bear record leaked a full two months early. I refuse to listen to it. But after seeing their performance on Letterman, I broke down and downloaded "Two Weeks". Very rarely do I become as obsessed with a single as I am with this one. I wish that I could be professional and try and describe it in detail...but all I can say is that it's nothing short of flawless and that I'm counting the days until the album version is released.

Speaking of flawless, I think I was the last one on Earth (or at least the blogosphere) to discover Frightened Rabbit. Have you heard them? Please tell me you've heard them. If you have not heard them, head to your local record store and pick up a copy of "The Midnight Organ Fight". If the clerk looks at you funny, just check in the alternative section...it might be under the "f" tab. I promise you it's worth every bit of effort to track it down.

There is so much more I want to fill you in on: my new found love of ABBA and my inexplicable crush on Stevie Nicks (omgomgomgomgomgomg); the Telekinesis interview; how Kristine Tuna's medley of Tegan and Sara's "You Wouldn't Like Me" and Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" blew my mindddddddddddd. But all that stuff is going to have to wait because it's 7:15am here in the States and I have yet to fall asleep. 

And since I feel guilty for never posting my "Hey, It's Spring!" mixtape, here's a mini-mix of the songs I've had on repeat since we've last spoke:

[MP3] American Analog Set- Cool Kids Keep (Demo)

[MP3] ABBA- S.O.S.

[MP3] Frightened Rabbit- Head Rolls Off (Live)

[MP3] Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks

[MP3] Kristine Tuna- When I Get Up (Tegan and Sara)

I hope that will hold you over for a while. 

yours,

Summer

Brian Heim

Last week here at AATS HQ we received an email from a very talented young man/ musician (musician-man?) by the name of Brian Heim.
Usually I wouldn’t just use an email we have received as a blog-post (because that is pathetically lazy), but my excuse is that the letter pretty much covers everything I have to say, also as someone who was throwing up on a couch in a pub last night (from a few too many fruit tingles) I am probably not in the best state to write a insightful and clever post about such an insightful and clever upcoming musician (not that I’m ever really good at that anyway).
So here you are… enjoy reading our mail you creeps:

‘Hey guys. I saw that you like this american life. I have a complete man crush on Ira Glass. I wish he could speak/read me bedtime stories. Creepy? Perhaps.

Now onto the original reason of the email...

My name is Brian Heim. I am an 18 year old from Goldsboro, North Carolina who has been playing shows in libraries, living rooms, and local parks since 2007. After seeing Paul Baribeau and Matty Pop Chart at the Pikeville Community Centre during the summer of 2006, I decided that writing and performing music was something I had to do. I didn't put a pen to the page until I felt like I had something to write about, which was about half a year later. Since moving to Chapel Hill as a student, it is my goal to become a part of the indie music scene which I look up to so much. My EP, Heim Brian, contain six tracks I recorded with my friend Brandon William's in his bedroom. The recordings are identical to what you'll hear live: simply a guitar and my words. Don't worry, the 13 track symphony and theremin solos will be added to the full length alongside a singing saw quartet led by some really important guy who wrote some really important thing for some commercial on tv or something sometime. Cowbell very well may also make an appearance, although its union has been pretty stingy lately on appearances.

Some of my biggest musical influences are Paul Baribeau, The Mountain Goats, Weatherbox, and The Weakerthans.

My EP is available for free download through a link on my myspace, so the hosting is covered and everything. I'm just looking to spread the word around before hitting the road this summer.

Thank you!
-Brian Heim’


Check him out and become friends at:
http://www.myspace.com/brianheim

And to get your greasy mitts on Brian’s EP click here, it’s totally worth it! Would I lie to you?

-the drunken Lucy

Telekinesis

Will you guys allow me to gush for ten seconds please? Thank you.

Every once and a while, a band will come along and I will fall completely and totally in love with them. I will listen to their music on repeat for hours, like a 12 year old would listen to Miley Cyrus. I will compile all their music onto a CD-R and make copies and give them out to anyone with ears. I will put their music on mixtapes...hell, I will base mixtapes around them. I will drive three hours to see them play a 30 minute set.

This year, that band is Telekinesis. Now I know that I told you about Michael Benjamin Lerner a few weeks ago, but this was before I saw him with a full band. Onstage, the demos that I'd listened to for the past two months became complete. Hearing songs like "Imaginary Friend" and "February 5th 2008" (I will admit, I lost my mind when they played that...) in all their live glory made me realize that not only is Telekinesis! one of my most anticipated records of the year, but that they're my number one band at the moment. And I never, ever chose favourites.

The self titled LP will be released on April 7th, but until then you can head over to Spin and stream "I Saw Lightning" and fall in love faster than Sam Weir fell for Cindy Sanders.

And because I love you kids:

[MP3] Telekinesis- Rust (live from One Shot at the Croc)

sail safely everyone,

Summer

Michael Jackson Announces Tour!

Why can't this be an SNL skit gone horribly wrong?! The man that made "Thriller", one of the most flawless records of all time, cannot be the same man in the mirror that video. That man in the video not the man that introduced me to the term "P.Y.T." or taught me how to dance when I was five. This man in the video is a wreck. He can't perform! He can't moonwalk in that state!

And Michael,  I'm not trying to be mean. I love you too. I really do. You have to know that. I love you so much. Really. From the bottom of my heart. I'm in love with your dysfunction.

Anyway, get your tickets kids! 

[MP3] Michael Jackson- P.Y.T.

xxoo,

Summer

PS: The last two seconds of this video? P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S.

Telekinesis

Hello friends,

Please watch this video:

Telekinesis are still on tour. Go and see a show,  clap over your head and sing along and throw headbands onstage. It will be worth the driving time, I promise.

Check Mr. Lerner's MySpace page for dates. 

more posts soooooooon,

Summer

Record Store Day

Seeing as I am now employed by a record store, it appears that it is my responsibility to notify you all of:


(go on, don't be scared, it's a link, click it).

So go to your nearest indie record store and spend all your money!

More info when I get my shit together.

Also Ronan and i are in the midst of a collaborative post about Kaki King's gig from a week ago.

-Lucy