Sendoff to Summer | Mix 2012

I skipped out on a mid-Summer mix, so to make up for it, I'm helping curate your last long weekend of the summer. Here are some jams (old and new) to enjoy while you give the Summer a final sendoff. So, whether your catching some last rays at the beach, chilling on a rooftop, or melting on the concrete, blast these tunes and look back on Summer 2012.

Sendoff to Summer | Mix 2012

01. Widowspeak | "Puritan"
02. Frankie Rose | "Know Me"
03. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti | "Only In My Dreams"
04. Real Estate | "It's Real"
05. Stereolab | "Diagonals"
06. Animal Collective  "Today's Supernatural"
07. Orange Juice | "Rip It Up"
08. Beach House | "Other People"
09. Fiona Apple | "Anything We Want"
10. Dirty Projectors | "Impregnable Question"
11. Paul Simon | "You Can Call Me Al"
12. Grizzly Bear | "Yet Again"
13. Talking Heads | "Wild Wild Life"
14. The Men |"Candy"
15. Screaming Females | "It All Means Nothing"
16. King Tuff | "Hit and Run"
17. Japandroids | "Continuous Thunder"

Pussy Riot - "Putin Lights Up the Fires"

                   
                   
                   
                   
             

Last Friday, three of the members of Pussy Riot were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced to two years in prison. In turn, the remaining members (who are still being hunted by the Russian police) released their newest single. The Guardian paired the song with a video montage which you can view above and below, you can read the translated lyrics.

--

This state may be stronger than time in jail.

The more arrests, the happier it is.
Every arrest is carried out with love for the sexist

Who botoxed his cheeks and pumped his chest and abs.

But you can't nail us in the coffin.
Throw off the yoke former KGB!

Putin is lighting the fires of revolution
He's bored and scared of sharing silence with the people
With every execution: the stench of rotten ash
With every long sentence: a wet dream

The country is going, the country is going into the streets boldly
The country is going, the country is going to bid farewell to the regime
The country is going, the country is going, like a feminist wedge
And Putin is going, Putin is going to say goodbye like a sheep

Arrest the whole city for May 6th
Seven years isn't enough, give us 18!
Forbid us to scream, walk and curse!
Go and marry Father Lukashenko

Cursive and Titus Andronicus played the House of Vans

The Vans House Parties don't exactly provide the most intimate or acoustic friendly setting, but that didn't stop people from showing up to another free concert (complete with an open bar!) along the Williamsburg / Greenpoint border. After sets from Joyce Manor and Love as Laughter, an onslaught of people flooded the venue for New Jersey punks Titus Andronicus. Their adrenaline fueled set consisted of excellent new material from their recently announced third album Local Business as well as highlights from their great debut and killer sophomore record, The Monitor. Raspy shouts from front man Pat Stickles pumped up the crowd for some intense outbursts complete with flying fists and grand sing-a-longs. However, it was their epic finale that really took things to the next level. The medley of "A More Perfect Union" and "Titus Andronicus Forever" was the peak of their performance and extended solos were more than welcome from screaming fans and proved that the night really was theirs for the taking. Despite occupying the headlining slot, the crowd was significantly smaller before Saddle Creek veterans Cursive took to the stage. While Titus Andronicus proved that they are an important band in 'the now', the remainder of the evening was much of a nostalgia trip that accented the golden days of Emo long before it acquired the derogatory connotation. As the 90s came to a close, Cursive were a part of the final frontier along with the Get-Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, and Saves the Day (among many others). Long before the days of Fall Out Boy and Good Charlotte, Cursive blended slicing guitar riffs, obnoxious yells (Pitchfork described Tim Kasher's voice as "the worst great voice in indie rock"), and hardcore rhythms and produced overlooked records that meant a lot to a certain group of people. While their recent work has fallen short in comparison, the men still stick to their guns. After playing deep cuts from their classics Domestica and The Ugly Organ, Tim kicked off the encore saying "Thank you for letting us be old rockers" and then directly plunging into "Sierra". The crowd may have dwindled as the night came to a close, but those who stuck around didn't waste an ounce of energy and the intensity never let up. They may be met with rolled eyes, but for those who grew up with them, they will always be a band that lost their genre to the malls.

The xx - "Chained"

When I first heard The xx back in 2009, I knew I was listening to something special but I never would have guessed that they would achieve their current level of success. Their hugely anticipated sophomore record, Coexist, will be released on September 11 and today the band shared the second single "Chained", a great next step forward that channels beats from Burial while still keeping true to their stark sound as made evident with that slashing guitar riff that echoes their great debut.

Grizzly Bear - "Yet Again"

You've already heard "Sleeping Ute", the excellent first track from the forthcoming Grizzly Bear record Shields, and today the band premiered another beautiful track, "Yet Again", on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe Show. Enjoy the track below as you wait for Shields to drop on September 18.

Animal Collective - "Today's Supernatural"

Last night, Panda Bear stepped up to the table and DJed the first addition of Animal Collective Radio. During his set he premiered the first single off their new record Centipede Hz. Check out "Today's Supernatural" in the video above.

Wilco played Prospect Park

It has been quite a while since I found myself at the low end of the age spectrum at a show, but tonight that was certainly the case. For the second consecutive evening, Wilco sold out Brooklyn's Prospect Park and put on a dazzling display that highlighted their massive back catalogue. Perhaps the most quintessential Americana rock band of the past fifteen years, the band unleashed their polished blend of alt-country jams and straightforward indie-rock on a perfect summer evening. Deep cuts such as "Misunderstood,""I must Be High", and "Kingpin" were placed perfectly between new jams "I Might" and "Whole Love"while classics "Hummingbird", "Pot Kettle Black", and "I'm the Man Who Loves You" really got the crowd in high spirit. Nels Cline blazed through a wicked solo for "Impossible Germany" and the band kicked off the encore with a stellar "Via Chicago" complete with chaotic noise breakdowns. For a band that has been in heavy operation since the mid 1990s, Wilco show no signs of slowing down as they powered through for over two hours and appropriately included a track from their Mermaid Avenue project with Billy Bragg (appropriately timed for the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie). To take out the first encore the band ripped through an extravagant "Monday", probably the most rocking and groove inducing track of the evening and transitioned gorgeously into "Outtasite (Outta Mind)". The classic band was in full form tonight and hit on all the touchstones of their discography proving that no matter how you label this band (country/jam/hippie/indie/rock), their top notch approach to song-writing is something special and worthy of their illustrious career.

Setlist:
I might
Misunderstood
Side With The Seeds
Pot Kettle Black
Hummingbird
Black Moon
Spiders
Impossible Germany
Born Alone
Wishful Thinking
Laminated Cat
Say You Miss Me
I Must Be High
Whole Love
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)
Radio Cure
Art of Almost
Dawned on Me
A Shot in the Arm
--
Via Chicago
Airline to Heaven
Walken
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
--
Kingpin
Hoodoo Voodoo

Redd Kross and the Men played Music Hall of Williamsburg

Home town punks, the Men, joined a reunited Redd Kross as part of the inaugural CBGB Festival last night in Brooklyn. Although only a small crowd had assembled by the time the Men took the stage, the band blasted through charging anthems and roared through a set featuring new material from their forth coming record. The opening chords of "Turn It Around" really got people moving and the astounding transition into "Open Your Heart" didn't skip a beat and was without question the highlight of their show. Brooding bass plagued the band's sound, but did not stop them from unleashing a stellar set and their unabashed energy made up for whatever technical issues were keeping them down. When Redd Kross hit the stage, the room was feeling a little tighter and their sing-a-long anthems were met with a hearty reception. Often revered as the band that bridged the power-pop stylings of Big Star and Cheap Trick with the punk of Black Flag and influenced bands like Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies, the veterans were out in full form last night and delivered a career spanning set from the classic Born Innocent right up to new tracks from their first album in fifteen years. Led by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald, the California punks offered some witty banter between songs and talked about the joys of being in the band again. After discussing their self-proclaimed laziness of recent memory, the brothers opened up about their excitement of more touring in the future and their new found energy was apparent as they ripped through an extensive set and even returned for several encores that included a full performance of their first EP that the band recorded with Greg Hetson before he joined Bad Religion. The sugary sweet pop-punk blowouts proved that these aging rockers could still nail a slick guitar solo and Roy McDonald might be the most entertaining drummer in punk-rock as he never missed a chance to show off his drum stick twirling skills and still kept the band right on pace.

Dinosaur Jr. - "Watch the Corners"

Legends of the loudness, Dinosaur Jr., will return this fall with the third record in their reunion series and it will be called I Bet on Sky. That is the album art above, and below you can check out the first track up for grabs. Don't worry, J Mascis did not forget how to shred.

Joanna Newsom - "The Diver's Wife"

The always enchanting Joanna Newsom stopped by San Francisco's Warfield Theater this past Monday to perform alongside Philip Glass in a benefit for the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, CA. At the show, Joanna unveiled a new track entitled "The Diver's Wife" and it is just as beautiful as one could hope!

Joanna Newsom - "The Diver's Wife" (Live in San Francisco)