It is just a little over a week until the Los Campesinos! show at the Neptune Theater on Saturday, February 4, 2012 and I am beside myself with pre-show excitement. Every single LC! show I've seen has left me gleefully ravaged by the frenetic enthusiasm and beguiling live set. For them, it's a moral imperative to put on an amazing show.
Their latest album, Hello Sadness, is a further step down the path towards debilitating heartbreak. It tempers the deep cuts of longing with a glimmer of hope for what's ahead (I can't wait for them to get a room with Conor Oberst already. Oh how my world would be complete).
Currently, I've been listening to "Songs About Your Girlfriend" (which I bet is David Gedge's favorite song on the album), "Life Is A Long Time" and "By Your Hand" on repeat. I love it when it hurts so good.
Next Saturday cannot come fast enough!
If you haven't gotten your tickets yet for this all-ages show, you can pick them up online.
Oh, and did you see them perform "By Your Hand" on Letterman? Can I get a hallelujah for the Beautiful South t-shirt? (see the video after the jump)
Latest comment by: imaginary liz: "
By the way... I just delved into the world of the opening band, Kithkin. I'm loving the songs on their bandcamp page... this is going to be a hella night for music cacaphony! Try ...
{Photo by Etching A. Sketch from the Imaginary Flickr Photo Pool}
It's been a while since the last Conor Oberst release ("a while" by Conor Oberst standards). So, for the past year I've lived in fear that there was a new album, tour, or collaboration announced and I didn't know about it. Now I know he was working on a new album with all that time (although I did have a neat daydream that he was spending his time under the radar working retail in a Brooklyn boutique).
Looks like all that holding of my breath and lighting candles has finally paid off in the most St. Valentine's season of ways. It was announced this morning on ConorOberst.com that Bright Eyes will release their seventh studio album on February 15, 2011 on Saddle Creek Records.
The album, entitled The People's Key, was recorded in Omaha and produced by legendary Bright Eyes co-conspirator wizard Mike Mogis. To mark the release of the album, Conor and co will perform two shows:
- Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 9, 2011
(Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: December 4 at 10AM EST)
Latest comment by: Anonymous: "Shell Games is boring, Haile Selassie is the top track for me... This album is far more religious, lyrics wise, than any before but has a new sound for Bright Eyes, they tried to go for a more modern approach on this cd."
Monsters of Folk [by Hot Avocados Photography]
It's been a little bit of a rough go for me, as it has with many people, to get past the band name "Monsters of Folk." Really. Partially because it's just bonkers, and partially because the "folk" part conjures up old James Taylor reels and campfire sing-a-longs. And beards. But the roster has been the trump card thus far, boasting members of Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, and the gorgeous, prolific stylings of M. Ward himself. Take him, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis, add two parts swooping red velvet curtains and one part spectacular sound system, stir, and you've got a band that's so good -- well, they could call themselves "Banana Eating Spaceships" for all anyone cares. This particular combination of frontmen from a cross-section of such notable indie bands does indeed a blissful sound make, strangely named or not.
Latest comment by: bobby mchugh: "I L*O*V*E these photos"
It pains me that I'll be out of town the night that Monsters of Folk take the Paramount Theater stage on Thursday, October 15, so I want a lucky imaginary reader to go and weep and cheer and love it all in my place.
Want to be my stand in? Email tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "I will be your monster of folk" by Wednesday night at 9pm (PST) and you'll be entered in the drawing for the pair of tickets to the (I hear they are going to be really really good seats too!).
If you want, when you email me your entry, let me know how long you think M. Ward is going to be able to stay clean shaven after prolonged exposure to his hairy band mates. I am guessing that Conor Oberst only held out for a few days into the recording of the album. His artist demeanor and devil may care attitude lends itself well to skipping the shaving cream morning sauce.
To confirm that I haven't taken this scheduling mishap lightly on my part, I've watched these two videos over and over to nurse my broken Oberst Ward'd heart:
Awesome Monster of Folk on Monster of Folk interview:
My favorite song from the new really rad 'cause it grows on you Monsters of Folk album:
Have you heard about Monsters of Folk yet? If not, it's probably because you're not lucky enough to get PR emails. Our imaginary inboxes have been full-to-overflowing with news of the project, a collaborative effort of three indie-heavyweights: Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Jimmy James of My Morning Jacket, and singer-songwriter M. Ward.
We batted the idea of who should blog the project up, without much success. We at TIG all hold our grudges, and Monsters of Folk seems to have hit on a few of them. First imaginary ChrisB chimed in. "The beard quotient seems a little low (50%) for a band called Monsters of Folk," he noted. And he has a point.
Imaginary Liz added, "Conor might be my imaginary boyfriend, but I'm not a fan when his friend Jim James takes over the vocal duties."
I sit on her side of the My Morning Jacket fence as well; however, I make an exception for this project. In fact, I had the pleasure of seeing them perform Liz back in... oh, what year was that? Let's just say 2004. The three had some special chemistry and a whole lotta talent up there together.
So it became my duty and pleasure to share all the exciting Monsters of Folk news. New record! New tourdates! Free song download! Here are the deets.
Latest comment by: imaginary liz: "And one more note - tickets go on sale this Friday {July 31}!!!"
Among other things, TIG 101 includes chapters like, "imaginary Dana is a master MC," "ChrisB is the king of all things Pop," and "imaginary Liz is a Bright Eyes superfan." So it should be no surprise that the following news (and five consecutive watchings of the trailer) has successfully pulled me out of my Tuesday blahs (perhaps the result of a sunshine hangover?):
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band are set to release “One of My Kind” on April 15th, a documentary that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s journey over the past year and a half.
We've got some hot new releases for out hot summer day.
Last night's two Conor shows were great. We'll post a photo gallery recap in the next 24 hours with more photos to document the awesomeness.
But, for the time being, here's a photo that imaginary photographer Chona Kasinger took last night for us that you can find in the TIG Sparkly Indie-Pop Photos group.
Latest comment by: dannyboy: "this same exact picture is on rolling stone!"
Wonder what it might be like to wonder the record store aisles with Conor? Would he head for the used 7" records? The local bin? Or surprise us all and go towards electronica vinyl or sound effects compilations?
Latest comment by: maddie mayhem: "the easy street show was juicy. i couldn't make it to the night show. i'm surprised he hasn't fallen for the bumbershoot trap."
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