The Weekly Feed 3/23

Welcome to another episode of The Weekly Feed. The five day fest that was SxSW 2009 has just ended, and after miles of walking between club after club, band after band after band, and hour after hour of late night parties, the rock n’ roll lifestyle has brought us back to the studio in what we’ll endearingly call – The Ultimate Hangover Edition. That’s not to say that the music suffers. Quite the contrary! We’ve scrubbed the indie rock wash tubs, traveled through miles of internet tubing, from blog to blog and endless eye-lined reviews to bring you the best that the Web had to offer for the week.

So, let's get this party started.

1990's - Vondelpark

The band may have misjudged their time travels, or maybe it’s a romantic spot for nostalgia, but they do for sure have one thing going for them – momentum. According to the blog Music Under Fire, “the brandish buds from Scotland meant to fool around and play a gig for some locals, but the event turned into the seed that can’t stop growing.”

Hooded Fang – Land of Giants

The Canadians have been racking up some nice reviews with one blogger proclaiming that “There isn’t enough hyperbole available for me to lavish on this EP. Effervescent, uplifting and infectious, Hooded Fang prove themselves to be a new musical collective definitely worth keeping tabs on.”  Their debut E.P. is currently available through Zunior.com or their Myspace.

Suckers – Easy Chairs

Next we drop in at Pasta Prima’s website who has been hyping up the band Suckers pretty heavily lately.  The NYC quartet has been likened to Wolf Parade and Yeasayer, which would make sense, since their debut LP was produced by Yeasayers Anand Wilder.  You can grab the disc next month via I AM SOUND.

The Dead Weather – Hang You From The Heavens

The latest side project from indie-man, Jack White.  The band is called The Dead Weather, but unlike his other two outfits, Jack isn’t the vocalist in this act (he's the dummer!!!).  That credit goes to one of my favorite female rockers, Allison Masshart who, at the moment, is more well known as one half of the duo in The Kills.  The Dead Weather have also tapped Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age on guitar making this an absolute power group.  They’ve posted this track along with a b-side on their website for a free download and its going to be pretty exciting to see what the rest of this disc will sound like.

Dark Dark Dark – Winter Coat

One of the best places to go to hear live exclusives is Daytrotter.com.  Daily, they feature a new session that an artist has recorded live in their studio and almost always doing something amazing.  One of my favorite sessions from lately is by the band Dark Dark Dark.  And while the winter is starting to be only a memory, this song with its desperation and shadows pull all of the grey skies back and sends the temperature plummeting to a bone chill freeze.  Sounds fun, right?

O+S – Permanent Scar

The collaboration between Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink and Remy Zero’s Cedric Lemoyne release their debut result on March 24th through Saddle Creek records.

Metric – Help I’m Alive

Their new album Fantasies is just starting to make the rounds to the reviewers and early feedback is all positive.  Austin’s Cannibal Cheerleader likens the album to being the “Love & Rockets of dance-punk, an album for the long, rainy walk home from the club, the night filled both with fear and promise, unease and excitement all in one.”  Or for the anti-poets, “its good.”

Franz Ferdinand – No Your Girls Never Know

Their latest CD Tonight, has been the prime soundtrack to many a late night.  And they’ve just released a new video this track, which seems to have everyone in a surprising amount glee.  (See the video above in the Video Compilation)

Crystal Stilts – Love Is A Wave

This track is from a new 7” only single that is currently out.  They’re currently riding high from last year’s release Alight of Night and are on tour through summer.

Mondo Diao – High Heels

This band of Swead’s have a new album out, Give Me Fire, which you can pick up now.

A. C. Newman – Take On Me

It seems every week I find a new cover that makes me giggle. I don’t try for it, but they’re out there and always seems to surface.  This week, indie stalwart A.C. Newman has decided to take on the extremely fun, but extremely dangerous task of covering A-Ha’s “Take On Me.”  I say dangerous because that last note is an important one.  But lucky for Newman, he’s an indie rocker, which means his pants are tight enough to help him reach that glass shattering climax.  Courtesy of the blog Thanks Captain Obvious

Little Boots – New In Town

Disco Dust has been a great blog for the latest in indie pop and techno and that’s where we nabbed this copy of the new Little Boots single, New In Town.  Its tagged as the Fred Falke remix, which is odd since there doesn’t seem to be an original that’s surfaced.  Regardless, having Falke, the infamous French house producer, on board has sent the indie kids into fits, and if nothing else, has made for a really great pop song.

Franz Nicolay – Cease Fire, or Mrs. Norman Maine

If you’re a fan of The Hold Steady, then you’ve no doubt heard about sideman Franz Nicolay trying out some solo material.  It doesn’t differ too far from the style that Steady’s lead vocalist Craig Finn announces, but with Finn’s nonstop comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, I guess that makes Franz Nicolay the mirror of Steven Van Zant.  Though I’m sure Little Stevie wishes he could grow at Rollie Fingers mustache.  Franz recently stopped by My Old Kentucky Blog to do their Laundromatinee series.  Fun little story here to intro it as well, about how people are confusing his references of The Thin Man, with Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Viva Voce – Devotion

Since the groups 2006 release of their debut, Get Yer Blood Out, the Portland duo have been touring nonstop, both as headliners as well as supporting fellow hometown boys The Shins, all leading up to their newest release Rose City, due out in May.