A war or two in Afghanistan after their seminal 1993 album Gentlemen, The Afghan Whigs are reuniting and touring.  Last night they appeared on The Jimmy Fallon Show, making their first public appearance in 13 years.   Check out the band performing See and Don’t See (a cover of the Mary “Queenie” Lyons song) along with raging web exclusive, I’m Her Slave (off of their 1992 album, Congregation).   ?uestlove and a satchel of string players assisted on the former.  Check ’em out and catch ’em live.  When last we saw them (in 1993), they blew the roof off at Slim’s in San Francisco, and there’s no reason to doubt they will slay again on this tour. All things considered, the band and (in particular) Greg Dulli lookin’ and soundin’ great.

See and Don’t See:

I’m Her Slave:

THE AFGHAN WHIGS ON TOUR

05/23/12 New York City Bowery Ballroom SOLD OUT
05/26/12 Landgraaf Pinkpop Festival [tickets]
05/27/12 London I’ll Be Your Mirror [tickets]
05/29/12 Athens Vox [tickets]
05/31/12 Barcelona Primavera Sound [tickets]
06/02/12 Düdingen Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival [tickets]
06/04/12 Milan Arena Fiere di RHO [tickets]
06/05/12 Bologna Estragon [tickets]
06/07/12 Rome Ippodromo delle Capannelle [tickets]
06/09/12 Porto Primavera Sound [tickets]
06/11/12 Luxembourg Den Atelier [tickets]
06/12/12 Amsterdam Paradiso [tickets]
06/13/12 Brussels Cirque Royale SOLD OUT
06/15/12 Tel Aviv Barby [tickets]06/16/12 Tel Aviv Barby [tickets]
07/25/12 Melbourne The Hi-Fi [tickets]
07/26/12 Sydney The Factory [tickets]
07/27/12 Byron Bay Splendour in the Grass SOLD OUT
08/03/12 Chicago Lollapalooza [tickets]
08/07/12 Helsinki Circus [tickets]
08/09/12 Oslo Oya Festival [tickets]
08/10/12 Göteborg Way Out West Festival [tickets]
08/11/12 Rees-Haldern Haldern Pop Festival SOLD OUT
08/14/12 Warsaw Palladium [tickets]
08/15/12 Prague Lucerna Music Bar [tickets]
08/17/12 Hasselt Pukkelpop [tickets]
09/22/12 Asbury Park I’ll Be Your Mirror [tickets]
10/05/12 New York City Terminal 5 SOLD OUT
10/12-14/12 Austin Austin City Limits Fest [tickets]

Brooklyn’s Hospitality showed up on A.V. Undercover to tally their take on Steely Dan’s Riki Don’t Lose That Number (we fondly remember–like it was yesterday–the Dan’s dual-drummer, Skunk Baxter-led performance of it at UCSB’s Robertson Gym on June 23, 1974).   The band told the A.V. Club that this was the first cover song Hospitality ever learned.   We agree with the A.V. Club who said, “I think they nailed it, adding a bit of…chug and rubbing a bit of rock dirt on such a pristine original.”

Check out Hospitality’s take on Riki Don’t Lose That Number below.  We love Amber Papini’s off-kilter vocals (akin to Exene Cervenka/Patti Smith).  Check out the accomplished playing and in particular the guitar-solo at 3:23.   Hospitality’s debut self-titled debut album has been receiving critical raves, and you can stream/buy it HERE.

Hospitality has also been reportedly winning fans over while on tour with Wild Flag and Here We Go Magic, among others.  They are coming to Velvet Jones with Electric Guest in Santa Barbara on June 2nd.  Be there.  The rest of their tour dates are below the cover.

Hospitality covers Steely Dan

Hospitality on tour:
May 22 Aspen, CO Belly Up w/ Here We Go Magic
May 23 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge w/ Here We Go Magic
May 24 Boise, ID Reef
May 25 Portland, OR Bunk Bar w/ Here We Go Magic
May 27 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival
May 31 San Francisco, CA Popscene Presents @ Rickshaw Stop
June 1 Los Angeles, CA The Satellite
June 2 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones
June 4 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
June 5 Tucson, AZ Plush
June 8 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall
June 9 St. Louis, MO Firebird
June 10 Cincinnati, OH MOTR Street Fair
July 5 Roskilde, DK Roskilde Festival July 5-8
July 14 New York, NY 4Knots Festival
Sept 28 Champaign, IL Pygmalion Music Festival

Back in the day, we played Gary Numan + Tubeway Army’s records to death, and especially Replicas (which is to this day one of our all-time faves) before he released his smash hit album The Pleasure Principle (with mega-hit song, Cars).   With his synthesizers and effects, Numan was one of the true pioneers of modern electronic music.  We’ll pass on his religious and political views, but give him his musical due.

AllSaints Basement Sessions recently captured Numan and crack-band performing three songs in a live session.  The performances were evidently shot in a secret World War II air raid shelter in East London.  Check out below a scintillating rendering of Are Friends Electric?, followed by the title track off of last year’s Dead Son Rising album and The Fall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EN1f3iTAw&feature=uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLNDphvw5A0&feature=channel&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-NCNJOUbTM&feature=channel&list=UL

Amongst our favorite songs of 2010 was Chicago quintet Like Pioneers‘ song Crop Circle Plus Legs  off of their debut recording, Piecemeal.  Today the band released their sophomore album, Oh, Magic, via Abandoned Love.  Check out the new album, currently streaming on Bandcamp as can be heard below.  We’ve taken a couple of spins and really like what we hear so far.  Fans of The Replacements and REM, pay attention. We’ll break it down in more detail later.

KEXP just released a variety of video vignettes of the band Real Estate performing live at the Neptune Theater in Seattle last month.  We checked ’em all out in hopes of posting accolades (their latest record is much-loved by people we respect).  But after giving ’em their due, these videos only confirm the conclusion we drew a couple years ago after catching the band locally:  while they make pleasant-sounding jangle-pop records, there remains no ostensible reason to spend any time or money to see the band live.  They make a pleasant sound, but don’t better the records, and completely lack any energy, dynamism, tension or stage-presence to bring the songs to life.  Check the KEXP videos if you don’t believe us.  Paint.  Drying.  You’ve been warned.

In stark contrast (yes, a long precis to the main point) is the surging, Justin Vernon-tapped Minneapolis band, Polica.   They have a much-lauded new album entitled Give You The Ghost, and we loved their performance on the Jimmy Fallon Show last month.  Now check out their riveting performance of Lay Your Cards Out on WFUV’s “Altnernate Side” show.  Who can take their ears off of lead singer Channy Leaneagh (of band Gayngs)?  The sound and mood draw you in immediately.  Leaneagh demands that cards be layed on the table.  And the song propels along beseechingly, intermittently punctuated by the stellar stoccato-drumming of  Ben Ivascu.  Great stuff that warrants repeated listens/viewings.  Check it out below.  After is an added 30-minute vignette of the band performing at this year’s SXSW courtesy of NPR.  We find ourselves in a Polica state.

Damien Jurado’s 2012 album, Mariqopa, continues to be one of our favorite albums of the year so far. If you don’t own it, you should.

Jurado returned to Chicago’s WBEZ a few days ago for an in-studio performance. You can download the entire show HERE and watch him play Working Titles and Museum of Flight, both off of Maraqopa, below.

Jurado is currently on tour. Check all tour dates way below.

05/19/12 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge w/ JBM- SOLD OUT
05/19/12 Brooklyn, NY – Rock Shop w/ JBM BUY TICKETS
05/20/12 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s w/ JBM BUY TICKETS
05/21/12 Washington, DC – Black Cat w/ JBM BUY TICKETS
05/22/12 Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade w/ JBM BUY TICKETS
05/23/12 Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/ JBM BUY TICKETS
05/25/12 Nashville, TN – The Basement w/ JBM
05/26/12 Bloomington, IN – Russian Recording w/ JBM BUY TICKETS
05/28/12 George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival BUY TICKETS
06/16/12 Saskatoon, CA – MoSo Fest BUY TICKETS
07/20/12 Portland, OR – Oregon Zoo w/ The Head & The Heart BUY TICKETS
08/09/12 Haldern-Rees, DE – August 9th-11th: Haldern Pop Festival BUY TICKETS
08/10/12 Rees-Haldern, DE – Haldern Pop BUY TICKETS
08/14/12 Brighton, UK – The Blind Tiger w/ Megafaun BUY TICKETS
08/15/12 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club w/ Megafaun BUY TICKETS
08/16/12 Glasgow, UK – The Arches w/ Megafaun BUY TICKETS
08/17/12 Glanusk Park, Wales, UK – Green Man Festival (AUG 17th-19th) BUY TICKETS
08/18/12 Liverpool, UK – The Leaf w/ Megafun BUY TICKETS
08/19/12 Powys, Wales, UK – Green Man Festival BUY TICKETS
08/20/12 London, UK – Dingwalls w/ Megafaun BUY TICKETS
09/01/12 Seattle, WA – Bumbershoot Festival BUY TICKETS
09/06/12 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival BUY TICKETS
09/07/12 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival BUY TICKETS
09/08/12 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival BUY TICKETS

Brit upstart Ben Howard is on tour in America, gathering strength and selling out venues across this fine land.  He’s coming to Soho in Santa Barbara on June 1st, and last we checked there were still tickets available.  Get yours now before they’re gone.  If you need further motivation, check out Howard as he performed tonight on Later with Jools Holland performing Old Pine and The Wolves below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oz2Tv8mpP0&feature=uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE_HTnwg9SU&feature=relmfu

Neil Young & Crazy Horse have released yet another new video from their impending new album, Americana.  Check out Clementine below.  We’re liking what we’re hearing (the Crazy Horse chorus is crazy-good).

Neil has this to say about their cover of Clementine:

“”The Americana arrangement extends the folk process using many of the original words and a new melody. The song tells the story of either a bereaved lover recalling his lost sweetheart, or a father missing his lost daughter. In both cases the daughter has drowned in an accident. The verse about Clementine’s sister has been omitted from most children’s versions. This verse has different meanings depending on whether the point of view of the singer is taken as the lover or the father.”

We have been fans of San Diego’s Delta Spirit (and particularly their live shows), but were supremely off-put by lead-singer Matt Vasquez’s bizarre, soliloquy-riddled rantings during his solo portion of Middle Brother’s last show at Soho.  We may need to get over it.  The band has a new eponymous album out, and appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show last night to perform the stellar California (we like the lyrical homage to Built to Spill’s seminal album, Keep It Like a Secret) and aggressive Tear It Up off the new album.  Check ’em out below and in particular Will McLaren’s guitar playing.  And go HERE to stream the new album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3viD-_KjPzY&feature=uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjpMZID4fnc&feature=channel&list=UL

A guy in a crumpled cowboy hat and snap-shirt sits on a “starlit” stool with acoustic guitar.  He begins to sing of his grandpa’s death and his grandma’s efforts to comfort him in the loss.  Grandma pulls to the side of the road and plays him a song on her car’s 8-track player.   Given the singer’s gestalt and drawl, we expect grandma to play Willie Nelson (Gravedigger), George Jones (A Picture of You), Porter Wagoner (Green, Green Grass of Home), or (better yet) Gram Parsons (In My Hour Of Darkness).  Instead, country-singer Dean Brody hears Bob Marley singing that “everything’s going to be alright.”  It’s a somewhat jarring juxtaposition, but we “that knows it, feels it.”  We get grandma’s use.  Given Marley’s persistent positivity, the lyrics could be from a handful of his songs, but likely either Three Little Birds or No Woman, No Cry (make sure to check that latter link and especially at the 4:08 mark to see/hear the real deal).  The latter suits the scene better, but it makes no matter.   The lyrics never fail to comfort.

There are few universals in this world, but if there is one, it’s that Bob Marley’s songs continue to affect us universally, even in corners where you would least expect it.  Check out Dean Brody tipping his hat to Robert Nesta Marley nearly 31 years to the day that Marley left too soon (RIP—May 11, 1981).  Everything’s gonna be alright.