Rocking Jews.

I caught Monotonix when they came by Houston a couple of months ago. Having only previously heard that 1) they were from Tel Aviv, 2) heard a handful of their songs and 3) saw pictures of instruments on fire, I pretty much knew that I had to go.

Thank Yahweh that I did. These men can rock. Not only do they assail both your ear drums and sensibilities about rock, but they do it flawlessly. A three-piece stripped to drummer, guitar and vocals, Monotonix play up their blazing percussion and almost classic guitar riffs extremely well. Amazingly, their recorded work comes no where near the ferocity their live show has. They had fire. I repeat: fire. The only dissappointment was the lack of flaming cymbals I noticed in pictures of their shows, but that’s not to say they weren’t resourceful. After diving from the drum kit into the closest trash can, lead singer Ami Shalev pulled out someone’s left over take out in one hand and doused it with lighter fluid with the other while guitarist Yonatan Gat (whose solo material is in extreme contrast to the band’s material) danced around the flames. My pyro tendencies aside, every last person in the crowd became involved in the spectacle Monotonix gave. Whether it was holding the mininal drum kit up in the air for drummer Haggai Fershtman or diving away from Shavlev’s swinging microphone, I think a good time was had by all.

Monotonix is on tour right now, will play SXSW and headlines a gig in Houston on March 17 that has the Fatal Flying Guilloteens on the bill, which promises that the night will be nothing short of testosterone-driven musical insanity that rock legends are made of.

Featured Song: “Body Language” by Monotonix

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Featured Song: “Lowest Dive” by Monotonix

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Tender Forever never forgets.

Tender Forever is Melanie Valera with likable melodies, a plethora of Casio beats and awkwardly intimate lyrics. Valera, a French citizen of Spanish descent, fits the mold of charming female electro-based musicians singing about the existential meaning of love in context of slices-of-life. Or something like that. I think my favorite parts of the album are when you can hear her accent simply because there’s a certain vulnerability in hearing a person of foreign origin express themselves in a different language. Then again, there seems to be a pattern of said vulnerability in K Records material as of late, specifically last year’s The Blow.

Speaking of…as an artist, Valera will most likely bear a number of Blow-based hits (sort of a pun), and rightfully so, but I don’t think “Wider” is meant to be recreation of “Paper Television,” nor should it thought to be as much. “Wider” is pretty heartfelt and oddly romantic, where there was something brazen and forceful about “Paper Television.” Tender Forever is definitely weirder than The Blow, but you it’s hard to consider weirdness a weakness in something that feels uncomfortably honest.

Featured Song: “Nicer If They Tried” by Tender Forver

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Featured Song: “Wider Too” by Tender Forver

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Featured Video: “How Many” by Tender Forver

I’ll be the first to admit it: I turned my nose up to The Bird and the Bee. I had my reasons, among them their being one of the only playable albums for in-store play during my retail days (you can only play Celtic Woman and Roxette so many times.) I mean, I would recommend it to those upset that we ran out of the Regina Spektor album, but it wasn’t my thing.

Technically, it still isn’t my thing, but I have no choice but to give them props for having Eric Wareheim (of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!) direct their video for “Polite Dance Song.”

It has everything almost everything that we never would have thought to ask for, but still inexplicably thoroughly enjoy: old people (including one that looks very familiar), gold sweaters, eye patches, lip gloss and awe-inspiring, slow motion gyrations of the hip variety, not to mention a pretty solid track. Indeed, our preconceived notions just got served.

Paper smiles.

Honest to God, if you’re an independent band releasing an album, please keep a few things in mind:

1) Please have a somewhat distinctive name that I, as a listener, can Google and have a reasonable number of related results.

2) If your music is purposefully minimal in regards to lyrics, please have titles that ease said Google search.

3) If you fail to comply with both suggestions, try to suck, because even I can’t come up with enough adjectives and metaphors to describe how great your album is.

(I’m looking at you, Paper. You with you album, “As As” and its nondescript song names. Do you know how long it took me to track you down?)

Aaron and Adrienne Snow (of Landing) released their first album as Paper last year, released on States Rights Records, somehow flying past our collective radar. It’s a beautiful collection of songs, with whispered, barely there vocals and dreamy melodies that remind us of CAN and/or latter day Eno.

Really, we’d write more, but the search for intelligence on the band wiped us out. You can buy “As As” from States Rights’ Web site while I retreat and compose myself.

Featured Song: “Boy” by Paper

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Featured Song: “Underground” by Paper

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I’ve been pleased to see this sweater set break out ever since writing some of their early press at WashingtonPost.com. Just escaping D.C. is an endorsement since it tends to be swampy, sticky musical terrain. Awhile ago, Spin also gave Middle Distance Runner this same dubious compliment of being the most likely local band to get mainstream success while likening them to The Strokes. Point is, they’re coming — see them.

Lately, Annie and I, agree they’ve been sounding more Arcade Firery, but in a more light-hearted way. And that’s mighty good considering you don’t want to be too heavy sitting on just one freshly produced album.

This is where I get more convincing to stir concert-spoiled East Coasters to do themselves a favor. MDR creates pop that doesn’t plod a catchy melody across three minutes, but freely crosses styles, tempos and sentiments. MDR remains tasteful while sort of unconsciously nerdy

11/29 - New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom
11/30 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
12/02 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub
12/04 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
12/06 - Orlando, FL - Backbooth
12/07 - Tampa Bay, FL - The Crow Bar
12/08 - West Palm Beach, FL - Respectable Street
12/09 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbit’s
12/10 - Charleston, SC - The Map Room
12/11 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
12/12 - Norfolk, VA - The Boot
12/13 - Baltimore, MD - Lo-Fi Social Club
12/14 - Washington, DC! - The Rock & Roll Hotel
12/15 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
*All w/ Mobius Band & The Epochs

Featured Song: “Man of The People” by Middle Distance Runner



Featured Song: “That’s A Lie” by Middle Distance Runner

Source
Middle Distance Runner MySpace
Official Site
Image courtesy of KingPhoto.com

Don’t know how I feel about this semi-new White Stripes video. Song included, it’s just too cutesy, am I right?

Happy Monster.

The Pipettes knew what they were doing when they brought Robert Barry on board for their backing band, The Cassettes. On his own, Barry is Monster Bobby.

The 26-year-old Monster Bobby’s first album, “Gaps” is a solid combination of the best of contemporary indie pop. Yes, it suffers from a slight case of multiple personality disorder, but it’s the sort of sublte disorder that you can overlook once you get comforatable with it. There are most obviously traces of The Magnetic Fields, or at least Stephen Merritt, which I eagerly welcome.

The tracks on “Gaps” are rarely conventional. Odd beats and off-kilter melodies might scare you at first, but deep down, you’ll eventually acknowledge that Barry is a clever man, and “Gaps” is a good showing of his power and capability as an individual. Doesn’t mean he should stop spreading the wealth among his musical comrades, but I’m not going to refuse any of his solo stuff.

Featured Song: “The Closest Experience to That of Being With You Is the Experience of Taking Drugs” by Monster Bobby


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Featured Song: “The Postcard” by Monster Bobby


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