Poetic Memory: Shaw (List)
You don’t know who Shaw is, but that’s just something you’ll have to remedy.
On his mesmerizing debut EP, Pretending We’re Not Animals, the San Francisco native sets tales of fauna against electronic, sterile backdrops. His vocals are robotic yet mournful, drifting like echoes across barren, frigid soundscapes before fading into the ether. It’s seventeen minutes of the most stirring music you’ll listen to all year, and you can buy it from his label, Swordfish Records.
In addition to his auspicious solo work, Shaw has joined a new band, the New York City-based The Future Self Envy. The group is finishing up work on its debut EP, Bangerdropper, set for release in June. After that, Shaw will turn his attention back to his solo work and release some more EPs. His Poetic Memory is below. Continue reading…
The Metric System
The last time Metric came to town, it was for the 94/9 Independence Jam in Oceanside. The Canadian quartet had third billing at the outdoor festival, overshadowed by big-name groups the Black Keys and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But that didn’t stop them from blowing those bands away with their infectious, moody synth-pop.
Now, Metric are set to wow us again. The band is playing San Diego Indiefest on March 27th, and this time they’re at the top of the bill. Continue reading…
Lilith Fair Coming to San Diego
Sarah McLachlan’s hugely successful Lilith Fair only ran from 1997 to 1999. This means that the festival has been gone for five times as long as it ever existed. Gone, but certainly not forgotten. (more…)
Review: Metric; November 24, 2009; Mr. Smalls Theater, Pittsburgh
Speaking from experience, mid-week concerts are usually not most bands’ best outings. The crowd is usually thin and attendees worry about how much sleep they’ll get before work. (more…)
Metric Release Acoustic EP, Tour with Band of Skulls (MP3)
Canadian rockers Metric are bringing their densely textured mix of psychedelia and electro to a city near you. They are currently on a nationwide tour in support of their critically acclaimed release Fantasies. Since I am located in the O&B Pittsburgh office, I’ll have the good fortune of witnessing the spectacle this Tuesday at Mr Small’s Theatre in what promises to be a nice mid-week kick in the pants. So get out of your cubicle, grab a cold one, and let the rock ‘n roll commence. The show starts at 8pm with Band of Skulls opening. Tickets are still available but going fast.
What’s that, you want more? Well, they’ve also just released an EP entitled Plug In, Plug Out, which features acoustic versions of five Fantasies tracks. Have a listen: (more…)
Download: Metric – 2009 KCRW (FLACs)
Soundboard (FM)/README/Download
If you like the downloads, let us know in the comments. Also, requests (for your favorite bands, not specific shows) are always welcome.
Review: Metric; June 7, 2009 at FM 94/9 Independence Jam; Oceanside
Despite boasting a roster that overlaps with that of Broken Social Scene, Canadian quartet Metric have spent the last decade amassing a dedicated but modestly-sized fan base. Their previous albums have garnered plenty of critical acclaim but little airplay, and their new release Fantasies made it to #76 on the Billboard Top 200 but stopped short of making the band an indie-household name. And so it was that Metric, buried beneath headlining acts The Black Keys and Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the FM 94/9 Independence Jam, proceeded to blow both of those bands away. (more…)
Metric – Sick Muse
With its upbeat charm and infectious chorus, “Sick Muse” is probably the best song on Metric‘s new album Fantasies, and now there’s a video for it. If you have half as much fun watching it as the band did making it, you’ll still be having twice as much fun as you should today. Also, if you didn’t get tickets to see Metric with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Blacks Keys at the sold out FM 94/9 Independence Jam next week, don’t worry, because your friendly neighborhood Owl&Bear news team will be there to cover the happenings for you. Now, now, there’s no need to thank us.
Grand Ole Party Tour with Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Since taking the city by storm with their debut release, 2007′s Humanimals, San Diego dance-funk band Grand Ole Party has kept plenty busy. They’ve played back-to-back sold out shows at the Casbah, thrilling audiences with their syncopated sass. Lead singer Kristin Gundred started her own label, Zoo Music, and signed bands like Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls. The band has also been hard at work in the studio, recording their eagerly awaited follow-up to Humanimals.
But since nothing is ever enough for you people, the band hasn’t stopped there. The trio has lined up a Midwest tour where they’ll be opening up for a little band called Yeah Yeah Yeahs. You may have heard of them. (more…)
Metric Declare Their Independence
Metric are having a good year. The Canadian quartet recently released the excellent Fantasies, their first album in four years, which adds new layers to their dark, angular rock and roll. They’re also set to blow audiences away at the FM 94/9 Independence Jam on June 7th, alongside Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Black Keys, and local acts Dirty Sweet, Scarlet Symphony, the Creepy Creeps, and Apes of Wrath.
As if that weren’t enough, the band has lent their new song “Help, I’m Alive” to fellow countryman Deco Dawson for his new short film of the same name. The frequent collaborator of auteur Guy Maddin, Dawson is renowned for infusing films with his unique visual style, and Help, I’m Alive is no exception. Utilizing concert footage of Metric performing the hit single, he turns it into what the band describes as “Yo Gabba Gabba on acid”.
You can watch Help, I’m Alive after the jump and, since we’re pretty sure it’ll be stuck in your head for a while anyway, we’ve got a remix of the song by The Twelves for you too. (more…)
The New Up – Broken Machine
It is often said that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. But sometimes it goes the other way, and you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you finally get it. Certain bands strike a chord because they fill a void that the fan hadn’t even realized was there. Whether it be in the form of Fleet Foxes’ ethereal harmonies, Cut Copy’s intense synth-pop, or the Adam-Duritz-on-spin-cycle vocals of Frightened Rabbit, sometimes a band will just feel immediately, intimately familiar. The same sensation can be felt when hearing San Francisco band The New Up — the scratching of an itch you didn’t even know you had.
On their new five song EP, Broken Machine — the first in a series of three EPs by the band set for release over the next year — The New Up bring their moody dance-rock to a boil and keep it there. From the first moments of lead track “Ginger Tea”, the EP oozes smoky atmosphere, as if Metric and My Bloody Valentine had collaborated on the soundtrack to a David Lynch film.
