Best Coast (9/21/10)

Hmm... I wish I could say this was a great show.  I'd been recently enjoying the Best Coast album more and more (as well as Male Bonding).  Shortly after walking in, a band took the stage that I thought was the very first opener.  Turns out it was Male Bonding, which I didn't even realize until the last song... Can't say their performance pulled me from my seat at the bar.

Best Coast took the stage to a luke warm, yet voluminous audience.  They started playing... it sounded mostly like the record.  Bethany Cosentino didn't have much stage presence or really bring much to the live show.  Kind of sad, because the music could be lots of fun.

And to go along with this downbeat review, a mediocre photo:

Video Tuesday

Here are some good ones... First off, Future Islands with Tin Man - one of the best songs of the last year (get this album).  Next up, We Are Scientists with an intriguing video.  Finally, I would be a terrible music blogger if I didn't mention the new OK Go.  Though I love the dogs, I think these may be getting a little hokey.  Regardless, the'll be at the Beachland on Oct. 13th ($15) and I'm very excited to see them.

Best Coast Tomorrow Night

Best Coast performs tomorrow night at the Grog Shop.  $12.  Be there.

Male Bonding is opening.

You could also consider the Those Darlins show at the Beachland too.

Matt & Kim (9/16/10)

Matt & Kim totally rocked the Beachland with their indie-power-pop confection.  Of course you know their videos, but their live show is just as much fun.  While it could feel a bit contrived, it's easy (and recommended) to just let the fun wash over you and get into the groove at their show.  Here's what I'm talking about:

They also have their cheeky fun covers.

After the show, there was no encore... but Matt did walk out through the crowd to say hi and take some photos.

Cameras, the new album, is out on November 2nd.

#NewTwitter & @freelancewhales

So I've been dipping my toe into the Twitter-verse more and more.  I'm having a good time actually, it's a great way to share bits of info that aren't quite worthy of a blog post.  Sort of the "micro-blogging" in between entries. You can catch me at twitter.com/thezenderagenda (@thezenderagenda).  I also have a running update of tweets here on the right-hand side of my blog - in case you're not wanting the commitment of following me.  That's okay - I understand.

Anyway, Twitter sounds like it's undergoing some pretty fun changes, and they're using Freelance Whales to set the mood.  One of my favorite/recent bands.  Check it out.  Give it a try and "follow me."

And for good measure, here's a true Freelance Whales video

Freelance Whales "Hannah" from HUMBLE TV on Vimeo.

eMusic News

eMusic has been a favorite online service of mine for some time now.  We've had our ups and downs, but I'm still a subscriber.  Looks like more changes are on the horizon...  We'll have to see where this lands us.

eMusic Close To Signing More Major Labels As Part Of Planned November Relaunch - hypebot

eMusic is reportedly working on deals with EMI and Universal as part of a plan to relaunch its subscription music service in November.  They already have deals with WMG, Sony and many independent labels. Despite the addition of more major labels, the site is not abandoning its subscription model which offers plans like 24 downloads a month for $12.  But there will be some other big changes on the new site."

(Continued... eMusic Close To Signing More Major Labels As Part Of Planned November Relaunch - hypebot)

 

Matt & Kim Tomorrow Night!

Definitely excited to see Matt & Kim tomorrow night. I was only able to catch part of their set at Pitchfork last year...  Here's their new song "Cameras" from their Sidewalks release - out Nov. 2nd.  Theres also as well as great little slide-show below as well.  (all other videos here:  http://www.youtube.com/user/mattandkim)

and show up before the show for the listening party for the new album.

Video Tuesday

Starting off with the Diamond Rings, a fun new discovery (album out Sept. 28th).  Next up is the Junip (Jose Gonzales' band) video, which is easily one of the oddest videos I've seen in a while - but some good music.  And speaking of weird, let's go for another Das Racist, which I saw accurately described as "Art Rap" (again, good music).

Somone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (9/12/10)

A gorgeous late-summer evening in Cleveland.  Grog Shop had two separate shows yesterday and this was the latter.  I was a little concerned about the time, but had recently been appreciating both bands and really wanted to go (despite being a Sunday night).

We got there in time for Telekinesis, a fun indie rock outfit out of Seattle. Definitely check out their self-titled album. They ended their set with one of my favorite little ditties.

The crowd condensed for SSLYBY...  They played a lot of new stuff from their new album Let it Sway (of which I purchased one of the limited ed. peach copies!).  Here's most of In Pairs, one of my favorite new songs:

Overall, this was a night of indie-pop/rock goodness.  I'm realizing now that both bands recent release efforts were also produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie)...  I can see the connection.

iTunes Cloud Concern [Article]

This article, while conjecture, is still worth reading.  I've staunchly supported DRM free music, which thankfully won out... but there's always something else.

iTunes in the Cloud and Why This Scares MeBy Adam Jackson Sep. 7, 2010, 1:00pm

"Control by a single entity is my main fear. Cloud storage isn’t democratized and it isn’t open. Currently, when you buy something, it’s stored, owned and managed by the company you purchased it from. Apple has maintained DRM in its iTunes Store since 2003. I’ve authorized files that

I bought the day Apple’s store opened and they still play on any one of my Apple devices. If I lose that song, Apple can allow me to re-download it after some back and forth with its support team. My apps, movies, music and music videos are locked to its devices. The same goes with Amazon’s Kindle platform. Buying a book from Amazon’s Kindle Store means that file is locked to its software and hardware. If it ever abandons Kindle, your books are useless. There’s no reason for either of these companies to do this, but people who bought music from stores that are now defunct are in a bit of a pickle with the content."

"An example of a failed system is Microsoft’s PlaysForSure DRM. A number of music stores and MP3 players adopted this, but most of those stores and hardware companies have shifted directions or gone out of business. The hundreds you spent on music may be playable right now but no one can guarantee you’ll be able to in 10 years."

(Continued... iTunes in the Cloud and Why This Scares Me)