For more photos by Eric Ashleigh, visit his website.
Of Monsters and Men release their debut album, My Head Is An Animal on Tuesday, April 3rd. The band plays two shows at the TLA on Tuesday, April 3rd, and Wednesday, April 4th. You can stream the album in its entirety here via NPR Music.
Tanlines is the Brooklyn electronic pop duo of Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm. They released their debut album, Mixed Emotions, last week on True Panther. Tanlines plays Making Time on Friday, April 13th, at Voyeur. Below, in exchange for your e-mail address, you can download “Brothers.”
Gotye
FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd
Gotye (that’s pronounced go-ti-yay, or Wally De Backer) had already made a splash in the singer’s home of Australia. But his recent single “Somebody I Used To Know” featuring Kimbra and its music video (which has over 100 million views on Youtube) shot him into international fame. He’s held the number one spot on the UK for five weeks and made it to number five in the US. The singer, whose voice has drawn parallels to The Police and Peter Gabriel, mixes genres from rock to pop to folk, creating a different sound for each of his songs. They’re not all as good as “Somebody”, but they’re all worth a listen. Gotye performs with Kimbra at 9 p.m. at the Tower Theater at 9 p.m.; tickets to the all-ages show are sold out. —Nicole Soll
Lovers of all things crude and crazy are Odd Future-fanatic shoo-ins. Originating from L.A., this hip-hop group is composed of rapper Tyler The Creator and the smooth-voiced Frank Ocean, among other rising lyricists. Odd Future (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, also known widely as OFWGKTA) capitalizes on well-produced, bass-laden beats while simultaneously freaking out its listeners with straight-forward, often violent wordplay. (Not to mention the group’s nightmare-inducing music videos, brimming with creepy crawlers, digitally manipulated centaurs, and insane plotlines.) Most distinctly, the deep, fluid voice of 21-year-old Tyler The Creator contrasts the vulgar banter of the verses that have already earned him a cult-like level of popularity. Weird as Odd Future is, its music blasts speakers with an unmistakably laid-back Californian flow. Odd Future performs at 8:30 p.m. at Electric Factory; tickets to the all-ages show are $30. —Lisa Henderson
Also Playing: Bruce Ice Cream And The Freeze Street Band + Adult Content at Johnny Brenda’s (9 p.m., 21+, $15); Miniature Tigers + Geographer, The Chain Gang of 1974, Pretty And Nice at Milkboy Philly (8:30 p.m., 21+, $12–$14); Dave Barnes + Andrew Ripp at World Cafe Live (8 p.m., all ages, $17–$25)
SATURDAY, MARCH 24th
Dr. Dog at Electric Factory (8:30 p.m., all ages, SOLD OUT); Polica + Sweet Lights at Kung Fu Necktie (8 p.m., 21+, SOLD OUT); Psychic TV/PTV3 + Kim Phuc at Johnny Brenda’s (9 p.m., 21+, SOLD OUT); Thomas Dolby + Aaron Jonah Lewis, Ben Belcher at World Cafe Live (8 p.m., all ages, $21.50-$41.50);
SUNDAY, MARCH 25th
Dr. Dog at Electric Factory (8:30 p.m., all ages, $23); Andrew Lipke And The Carpe Diem String Quartet at World Cafe Live (7:30 p.m., all ages, $20); Members Only + DRGN KING, Stinky Smelly, DARK at The Fire (5 p.m., all ages, $8); Son Step + Tygerstrype, Banned Books, United Kingdom at Kung Fu Necktie (8 p.m., 21+, $8)
For more photos by Eric Ashleigh, go here.
One of the most buzzed about bands last week at SXSW was the band of sisters from Los Angeles called Haim. The trio – Danielle, Alana and Este Haim – made a lot of new friends and fans with their showcases at South By. With just a three song EP under their belts, the girls touch on elements of classic rock and perky new wave with outstanding melodies and harmonies. The songs on their debut Forever EP are strikingly infectious. In exchange for your e-mail address you can download the EP for free below.
The members of The Spinto Band have just released the video for the song “Take It” off the band’s upcoming third full-length album. Shy Pursuit will come out on the band’s own Spintonic Records label on May 1st, after which the band will perform a handful of residency dates at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn and Kung Fu Necktie here in Philly. (Dates listed below.)
05.03.12 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Rock Shop
05.05.12 – Rehoboth, DE @ Dogfish Head Brewery
05.08.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kungfu Necktie
05.10.12 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Rock Shop
05.15.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kungfu Necktie
05.17.12 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Rock Shop
05.22.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kungfu Necktie
05.24.12 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Rock Shop
05.29.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kungfu Necktie
It seems there is no end to the creative output of Claire Boucher. Last month, she released her third album under the moniker Grimes. Visions had quite a legacy to live up to: 2011’s EP Darkbloom was critically acclaimed and 2010 saw not one, but two full albums, Geidi Primes and Halfaxa, both of which helped to catapult Boucher into indie-music stardom. Her songs are as bizarre as her videos, which typically feature her behaving in ways that defy convention. The video for Visions’ “Oblivion” cuts between scenes of Boucher singing along with her headphones in places that include a men’s locker room, a football game, and a dirt bike rally. For someone so intentionally unpredictable, Boucher is creating a reputation as a reliable source for inventive pop music. Grimes performs with Born Gold at 8 p.m. at First Unitarian Church; tickets to the all-ages show are SOLD OUT. –Naomi Shavin
Given the past few years Bowerbirds has had, it’s impressive that the band has managed to stay together, much less write and record a new album. The North Carolina-based folk trio’s core members, Philip Moore and Beth Tacular, ended their romantic relationship—and, soon after, Tacular broke her ribs and landed in the hospital for severe illness. But the experience eventually reunited the two, and inspired their new album, The Clearing, which was released earlier this month via Dead Oceans. The Clearing starts off on a somber note with “Tuck the Darkness In”, a song about the inevitability of death. But, as it goes on, things get more hopeful, ending with “Now We Carry On”, which focuses on accepting life as it comes and appreciating the little details. No one wants their favorite bands to suffer, but when it results in an album like The Clearing, it’s a relief to know something good came out of the pain. Bowerbirds performs with Dry The River at 8 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $12. —Nicole Soll
Delta Spirit—who recently performed at the WXPN/Key showcase during South By Southwest—will perform a Free At Noon concert at Union Transfer on Friday, March 30. Tickets become available to the general public here after tomorrow’s FAN concert featuring Thomas Dolby. For earlier access to Free At Noon tickets, sign up for WXPN’s weekly email newsletter—you’ll be able to RSVP on Thursday mornings, immediately after the performing act has been announced.
As always, check back with The Key on Friday afternoon after the show for additional coverage, including a recording of the full performance.
[BITBY AUSTIN: Delta Spirit Live at WXPN showcase] from BITBY on Vimeo.
