It’s been fun, D.C., but it’s time for me to split. I know it’s cliche, but seriously, it’s not you, it’s me. I only want you to be happy, baby, and you know this isn’t working. It’s better for both of us this way, you’ll see. And we can still be friends, so it’s not like this is goodbye forever. I’ll see ya real soon. Promise.

Oh, and enjoy the B2M two-fer at the bottom of the post.

Kinda surprised that The Raveonettes chose “Last Dance” as the first video from In And Out Of Control (out October 6th – preorder).

My favorite song on the album, by far, is “Suicide”, which the band released as an MP3 a month or two back. You can still hear it here.

“Last Dance” isn’t bad, but is more indicative of the much poppier approach of the album as a whole than “Suicide” was. It’s not bad by any means, but I definitely enjoyed the dirtier, more distorted sound of Lust Lust Lust.

I’ve been waiting to hear reviews about the forgetters shows up in New York and Philadelphia last week, but so far haven’t seen anything on any of the major blogs.

So I decided to do some digging myself, and just found a couple of videos of the band playing new songs called “Not Funny” and “Not A Track Bike” at Lit Lounge in NYC. The audio (and video) aren’t great, but the videos are good enough to tell me that Blake (and co.) still bring the rock. Can’t wait for an album (and a Chicago show!).

Oh, and there’s also a few really great photos from the show here.

“Not Funny”

“Not A Track Bike”

Decent week of music in Chicago coming up. I should be arriving into town on Sunday, so next week’s edition will actually include shows that I’m going to. Can’t wait.

As always, my picks are in bold.

Sunday, 9/27
Double Door: Soulsavers, Redghost, Joneine Zapata
Empty Bottle: The Dø, My Gold Mask, The Tinycakes
Hideout: Extra Golden, Endless Boogie
Metro: Grizzly Bear, Beach House
Reggie’s Rock Club: Koffin Kats, Curtains, The Krank Daddies, others
Schuba’s: Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh & Onlys, CoCoComa
Subterranean: Os Mutantes, Deleon

Monday, 9/28
Beat Kitchen: Chain & The Gang, D. Rider, The Love of Everything
Empty Bottle: Jay Reatard, NoBunny, Hunx & His Punx, Box Elders, Useless Eaters
Martyr’s: Booty Movement Coalition
Metro: Grizzly Bear, Beach House
Schuba’s: Rademacher, In Tall Buildings
Subterranean: Mic Terror, Bullet, Kidd Russell, Re-up

Tuesday, 9/29
Chicago Theatre: Van Morrison
Double Door: The Killer Moon, Workhorse Kings, The Ours
Empty Bottle: The Van Goghs, Cocoon (France), Ami Saraiya
Martyr’s: The Moth Story Slam
Metro: White Lies, Old Fake
Schuba’s: Matthew Ryan

Wednesday, 9/30
Beat Kitchen: Born From Pain, The Killer, Forfeit, Hate
Double Door: California Wives, Adam Ashbach, Astropop, Everyday Celebrity
Empty Bottle: Where Astronauts Go To Hide, Nashville Wreckers, Stella Luce, Evan Holmes & Exit Ghost
Hideout: Frank Rosaly’s Milkwork, Oxbow
Logan Square Auditorium: Passion Pit
Martyr’s: Lucas Cates, Cottonseed
Metro: Streetlight Manifesto, Outernational, Broadway Calls
Schuba’s: Netherfriends, Bengal Lancer, The Yearbooks
Sonotheque: Tim Exile, Karl Meier vs. Jeff Pietro, Mux Mool
Subterranean: Machines That Think, Bambi Raptor, Flabby Hoffman Trio
The Vic: Moby, Kelli Scarr

Thursday, 10/1
Beat Kitchen: The Nadas
Bottom Lounge: Wolf In A Spacesuit, Pervertable Tongues, Manbirdbelly, Sequoyah Prep School
Double Door: Destroyer 666, The Chasm, Kommandant
Empty Bottle: Wovenhand, White Hills, DRMWPN
Hideout: Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, The New Standards, Jane Baxter Miller
Lakeshore Theater: Andrew W.K., The Calder String Quartet
Martyr’s: Johnny Carlevale & The Rolling Pins
Metro: Manic Street Preachers, Bear Hands
Schuba’s: Sea Wolf, Port O’Brien, Sara Lov
Subterranean: Essex Chanel, Ami Saraiya, Love In October
The Vic: She Wants Revenge, Kill Hannah, The Tender Box

Friday, 10/2
Beat Kitchen: Phosphorescent, The Syllable Section
Bottom Lounge: Juliette Lewis, The Ettes, American Bang
Double Door: PJ Morton, Jesse Boykins III, J. Ivy, Nikki Nikkita
Empty Bottle: Anti-Pop Consortium, Magical Beautiful, i kong kult
Hideout: Soft Speaker, A Lull, Darling
Martyr’s: The August, Dave Tamkin, Dan Hubbard
Metro: The Fold, Danger Is My Middle Name, Dear Noel, The Fireship, Valaska
Reggie’s Rock Club: Supersuckers, Siderunners, Magnafux, Dead Town Revival
Schuba’s (early): Tina Dico, Lisa Donnelly
Schuba’s (late): Joshua James, Aushua, Brice Woodall
Subterranean: Pistols at Dawn, JT and the Clouds, The Runnies

Saturday, 10/3
Beat Kitchen (early): Cavashawn, Hotspur, Coventry
Beat Kitchen (late): MK Ultra, Failures, Pretentious Assholes, Herds, Harms Way
Bottom Lounge: Peelander-Z, Farewell Captain, Math the Band, Catch a Tiger
Double Door: Kinnetix, My Dear Disco, Sekond Skyn
Empty Bottle: Pierced Arrows, Lover!, Canadian Rifle
Logan Square Auditorium: Monotonix, Turbo Fruits, Ga’an
Hideout: Lazer Crystal, Night Gallery, Love Concept
Martyr’s: Lowdown Brass Band, Terrible Spaceship, Lying Delilah
Metro: Fever Ray, Vuk
Reggie’s Rock Club: Gallows, Explode and Make Up, Why Intercept?
Schuba’s (early): Mirah, Norfolk & Western
Schuba’s (late): Mirah, Norfolk & Western
Subterranean: Signal Path, Prep School

A few pics before I pass the hell out. Enjoys.

As you know if you’ve followed this blog over the last couple of years, one of the best bands that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and hearing while I’ve been in DC is The Jet Age.

And while it bums me out that I’m not going to be able to see the band as often as I’ve grown accustomed to after I move to Chicago next week, the good news is that they’re sending me off in style – with an absolutely fantastic new album called in “Love”.

Although the album doesn’t come out until October 27th, today the band revealed the artwork for the album. And I gotta say, it looks incredible. (Great job, El Jefe Design!)

Keep your eyes here for a great track from the album called “It Could Be Brand New”, which should be coming sometime in the next week or so, as well as info about the band’s November tour! You’ll be glad you did.

[Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, since I've become both a fan and friend of the band over the last couple of years, I'm actually going to be helping them out with PR for the new album. But don't think I'm talking up the album for that reason alone - it actually is great. Nuff said.]

Alright, so this isn’t exactly representative of most of what I post on the blog, but damn if I didn’t love this band 20 years ago. And, if this song is any indication, the band still has chops. Wish I’d gone to that Birchmere show after all.

So I’m finally starting to get a chance to hear music from Kurt Vile, after hearing this guy rave about him for months. And I definitely like what I’m hearing. Kurt’s new album, Childish Prodigy, comes out on October 6th via Matador Records, but you can pre-order it now.

Additionally, if you’re in Chicago, you should join me in catching Kurt at the Empty Bottle on October 13th, and if you’re in DC you can catch him at the Black Cat’s back stage on November 5th. Oh hell, here’s his full tour itinerary.

Kurt Vile Fall Tour
10/03: Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
10/07: New York, NY Mercury Lounge
10/8: Poughkeepsie, NY Vassar College
10/10: Oberlin, OH Oberlin College
10/11: Lexington, KY Al’s Bar
10/12: Bloomington, IN Video Saloon
10/13: Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
10/14: Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
10/16: Missoula, MT The Palace
10/17: Seattle, WA High Dive w/Crystal Stilts
10/18: Portland, OR Holocene w/Crystal Stilts
10/20: Arcata, CA Jambalaya
10/21: San Francisco, CA Hemlock Tavern
10/22: San Diego, CA Crepe Place
10/23: Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
10/25: San Diego, CA Casbah
10/27: Phoenix, AZ Modified Arts
10/29: Lubbock, TX Bash Riprocks
10/30: Austin, TX Mohawk
10/31: Dallas, TX Lounge on Elm Street
11/2: Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe w/Lovvers
11/3: Dallas, TX The Loft
11/4: Chapel Hill, NC NC Local 506
11/5: Washington, DC Black Cat
12/10: Barcelona, ES Primavera Club @ Sidecar
12/11: Madrid, ES Primavera Club @ Wurlitzer
12/12: Den Haag, NL State X New Forms Festival

(via I Guess I’m Floating)

So as you probably know by now, I’m moving next week from the Washington, DC area out to lovely and temperate Chicago.

I’ve already started the lengthy process of trying to become more familiar with the Chicago scene.   I’ve been finding and following a ton of Chicago music blogs and sites, keeping track of all of the upcoming Chicago concert listings, and, most importantly, trying to discover as many Chicago bands as possible.

It’s with this last point in mind that I wanted to do a quick post to invite any and all Chicago area bands who are interested (well, indie rock bands and their kin) to drop me a line to say howdy and send me links – MP3s, MySpace, Facebook, BandCamp, etc.  Please, no attachments, though – they overload my email account.

I can’t guarantee that everyone who sends me music will get mentioned on the site, but I can guarantee I’ll listen to your music and, if I like it, I’ll be sure to mention it here on the blog.  Fair?

Anyway, if you’re interested, click the little envelope image in the right sidebar and go from there.  Thanks!

Via Pitchfork TV.

Gotta say, this is by far my favorite song on the band’s debut LP, Album [pre-order], and I’m not too impressed with the live version. Then again, their live show didn’t do much for me at that vaunted Grizzly Bear/Rural Alberta Advantage/Girls set at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin during SXSW either.

Hopefully their show at the Empty Bottle in November will be more to my liking.

If you’ve read this blog much over the last three and a half years, you might remember that I used to have a weekly post where I’d link to some of the more interesting albums streaming over at the Spinner.com Listening Party page.

Then, about a year or so ago, I stopped. It wasn’t intentional, I just sorta forgot about the whole thing. Given how good this week’s lineup of streaming albums is, however, I think I’m gonna need to start paying attention again.

Pearl Jam, Backspacer
Amy Millan, Masters of Burial
Hockey, Mind Chaos
Islands, Vapours
Sea Wolf, White Water, White Bloom
Early Day Miners, The Treatment
Girls, Album
J. Tillman (of Fleet Foxes), Year in the Kingdom
Le Loup, Family
Rain Machine, Give Blood
The Hidden Cameras, Origin: Orphan
Times New Viking, Born Again Revisited
Volcano Choir (Justin from Bon Iver), Unmap
A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Ashes Grammar