The Polaris Music Prize winning singer-songwriter/Band Patrick Watson released their fourth studio album Adventures In Your Own Backyard last month on Domino/Secret City. “Lighthouse” is the quiet opening track that is very much so bittersweet and beautiful. It reminds me a bit of the Gary Jules cover of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears. The rest of the album including the single “Into Giants” showcases a variety of lush instrumentation and vocal work. Fans of Andrew Bird, Jens Lekman, Beirut, and Bowerbirds should really check it out. Patrick and his band will play the Cedar Cultural Center this Saturday in Minneapolis. Cat Martino will open the show. (06/02/12, $15, 8pm)
Click below for tour dates and the video for “Into Giants”
Black Bananas released their debut Rad Times Xpress IV earlier this year on Drag City. “My House” is a bratty thrash anthem that has a lot of energy and attitude. the band will play the 400 Bar tonight with Kurt Vile and the Violators.
(9:00 PM, $15, 18+)
Click below for Tour dates and the video for “My House”
The Insanely prolific songwriting Mastermind Spencer Krug is back again with another album for his Moonface project. This time he has the Finnish celestial Krautrock enthusiasts Siinai as his backing band. With Siinai: Heartbreak Bravery comes out today via Jagjaguwar. With its catapulting synths, “Teary Eyes and Bloody Lips” is a nice piece of Prog-rock that leaves me wanting more. Of the new material that i have heard, none of it sounds like anything from Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped… Spencer seems to be taking all sorts of crazy awesome turns with his career, and i think its great. Spencer and his Moon crew will tour Europe and the U.S. starting next month.
(Click below for Tour Dates and the video for “Teary Eyes and Bloody Lips”)
Depending on what your feeling like tonight, two great shows are happening pretty much across the street from each other…
the North Carolina Folk trio Bowerbirds are on tour in support of their new record The Clearing. They will headline the Cedar Cultural Center tonight with Dry the River as their opener. I can’t think of a better venue for these two bands to play at. (Doors - 7pm, Music 8pm, $14, all ages)
If your feeling like something different for your evening… L.A. based Lo-fi artist Nite Jewel will be showcasing tracks from her new LP One Second of Love at the Triple Rock Social Club. Previously Blogged New-Wave Trio Claps will open the show. Both artists are supporting the New York Synth-pop duo Chairlift. (9pm, 18+, $14)
(Click below to watch a mini-documentary on the making of the new Bowerbirds album The Clearing)
James & Evander released their new single last week. “Let’s Go” is a well crafted electro-pop song that will probably fit well on a lot of your summer playlists.
Mr. Dream are back with a new EP called Fatherland. With an overt knowledge of what should be used as an influence for Garage, Punk, and Lo-fi music… the band shifts into a different direction with these songs. “Believing and Shitting” is in my opinion the best song on the EP… and definitely rivals any one of their better tracks from 2011’s Trash Hit.
Check out the Previously blogged track “Scarred for Life” from their debut Trash Hit:
