Spam Filter: Ben Sollee

Arriving early for the Plants and Animals show at Mercury on a very wet Friday evening, I was fortunate to catch the majority of opener Ben Sollee's solo set. A "folk cellist" (my term, hence the quotation marks) from Louisville, KY who also performs with the Sparrow Quartet alongside Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn and Casey Driessen, Sollee's plaintive and heartfelt performance was the perfect antidote to having just been pummeled by near-tsunami conditions. Besides, he absolutely shreds on the cello (and I'm jello baby).

Well it turns out Sollee just released a digital only EP this past week in advance of his solo full-length album Learning To Bend (out June 10th). The EP - If You're Gonna Lead My Country - premiered at #2 on eMusic behind In Rainbows and is also now available on iTunes and Amazon. As the title suggests, the subject matter is pretty much overtly political, and Sollee's caustic indictment of the Bush administration is nicely tempered by his honeyed delivery and dulcet cello work. However, listening to the recorded version I would have to say that the simple, unadorned live version I witnessed sans accompaniment (and particularly sans the sax I hear on the single which tips the scales slightly towards a Dave Matthews vibe) was far more effective and ethereal. So that being said, if you have a chance to catch Sollee and his cello live - and if you're planning on heading to Bonnaroo this applies to you - definitely do it.

Listen: "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Visit Ben Sollee on MySpace

Spam Filter: Sally Shapiro - "Jackie Junior" (The Junior Boys remix)

Remix Romance Vol. 1 came out late last year and featured the standout Junior Boys remix of Swedish disco-diva Sally Shapiro's "Jackie Junior" that's posted below. Remix Romance Vol. 2 is coming out on the 28th of May and the people at Paper Bag Records have made the track below available for download to remind you of a very likely source of your Summer of '08 jams.

Listen:
"Jackie Junior" (The Junior Boys remix)

Visit Sally Shapiro on MySpace.

*above photo by Frida Klingberg

Spam Filter: Go See The Dodos in NYC

Right, well it's fairly obvious but by now we've gone completely dodo for the Dodos, so imagine our delight when our inbox gave us yet another excuse to write about them...

Fresh off a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork and a string of lauded SXSW appearances (and the regal title of EF BoW), the Dodos are returning to NYC (okay, mostly Brooklyn) for THREE shows next week, here they be:

March 31 - (Early Show) 6:00pm at Soundfix Records, Brooklyn
March 31 - 8:00pm at Death By Audio Williamsburg, Brooklyn
April 6th - 10:00pm at Mercury Lounge

After the jump, check out all their upcoming tour dates and hear/see what all the fuss is about...

The Dodos Complete Tour Dates:
27 Mar - Asheville, NC @ Harvest Records
28 Mar - Durham, NC @ Bull City Headquarters
29 Mar - Charlottesville, VA @ Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
30 Mar - Washington, DC @ DC9
31 Mar - Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio
02 Apr - New Haven, CT @ Cafe 9
03 Apr - Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club
04 Apr - Washington, DC @ Black Cat w/Les Savy Fav
05 Apr - New Haven, CT @ Cafe 9
05 Apr - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore - TLA w/Les Savy Fav
06 Apr - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
08 Apr - Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange
09 Apr - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
10 Apr - Annandale, NY @ Smog Club @ Bard College
11 Apr - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
12 Apr - Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks
15 Apr - Columbus, OH @ Cafe Bourbon Street
16 Apr - Detroit, MI @ Pike Room
17 Apr - Chicago, IL @ The Note
18 Apr - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
18 Apr - Chicago, IL @ Shoreland Ballroom
19 Apr - Bloomington, IN @ Culture Shock
20 Apr - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
21 Apr - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
27 Apr - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall w/Les Savy Fav
14 May - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
28 June - Calgary, AB @ Sled Island Festival
02 July - Boise, ID @ Downtown Boise

Listen:
"Fools"
"Jodi"

Watch:
"Fools" (music video directed by Matt Amato)

Visit The Dodos on MySpace

Spam Filter: Bell X1

While Stereogum is busy fawning over NYC's Bell (rightfully so), EAR FARM has finally given in and twisted our own arms to get ourselves listening to Ireland's Bell X1. You better believe we're sorry to have missed their recent shows at Bowery Ballroom (we were on the road) that they almost missed due to tour bus fire.

Check out two Bell X1 songs posted below. The first one, "My First Born For A Song", has been playing over and over and over in EF HQ. It's part Dave Brubeck, part Coldplay, part perfect song title, and part completely amazing. Part completely. Listen, love.

Listen:
"My First Born For A Song"
"Rocky Took A Lover"

Stream Bell X1's US debut Flock (in full) HERE.

Visit Bell X1 on Myspace.

Spam Filter: Hey Hey My My, The French Are Coming!

My my my once bitten twice shy....oops, wrong song reference, sorry. Let's get to the real intel, shall we?

Inspired by Neil Young's famed refrain, "Hey hey my my, rock and roll will never die...", Parisian friends Julien Garnier and Julien Gaulier deliver folk glossed pop which otherwise bears no relation to their namesake. Described by critics as both "melancholic" and "joyous", Hey Hey My My's songs offer addictive hooks which feel like old friends. Think early Wilco meets early Shins, contrasted by a dash of inexplicable dada and an atom dose of punk stage presence. In other words: "baguettes", "ménage à trois" and "Pepé le Pew" aren't the only French terms destined for pop cultural osmosis.

Indeed. And forgive us for not giving proper notice to adjust your daybooks and iCalendars accordingly, but it just so happens the duo are touching down on American soil for their first U.S. shows EVER this week. Do yourself a solid and check them out at any (or all) of the following NYC-area shows:

5 March - Mercury Lounge w/Lightspeed Champion (7pm)
7 March - Southpaw w/The Epochs, The Subjects & Luke Rathborne
8 March - Sound Fix (Free Show - 8pm)

In the meantime, study up by heading over to Other Music's Digital Music Store and downloading HHMM's debut album. I would have liked to end this with a witty French kicker but alas, I cannot speak a word (except for some out of context naughty words my friends taught me once). Suitable ideas are of course welcome...

Listen: "Merryland"

Visit Hey Hey My My on MySpace

Spam Filter: Islands are a comin'

For once, Ticketmaster graced our inboxes with a worthwhile announcement: it appears perpetual EF favorites Islands will be returning to Webster Hall on Saturday, May 24th. Tickets are on sale TOMORROW at 5:00 pm - random time, yes? - and you can find them HERE.

If you're stressed because you already have plans that night, fear not. Given that it's a Saturday night at Webster Hall the show should wrap up while it's still light outside.

In other Islands news, their sophomore album Arm's Way is set to drop on Anti- Records on May 20th. If you happened to miss Pitchfork's interview with the artist-formerly-known-as-Nick Diamonds (it's Nick Thorburn now in case you forgot) this past week, definitely check it out.

After the jump, peruse Islands upcoming tour dates and listen to their excellent new song...

18 Feb - Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's
19 Feb - Belfast, Ireland @ Speakeasy
20 Feb - Manchester, England @ Night & Day
21 Feb - Bristol, England @ Thekla
23 Feb - Nottingham, England @ Liar's Club @ Stealth
24 Feb - Brighton, England @ Brighton Barfly
25 Feb - Cambridge, England @ Cambridge Barfly
26 Feb - London, England @ Hoxton Bar & Grill
27 Feb - Paris, France @ Point FMR
28 Feb - Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotown
29 Feb - Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Merleyn
01 March - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
02 March - Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
03 March - Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli
09 March - Pontiac, MI @ Eagle Theater
10 March - Newport, KY @ Southgate House
11 March - Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
12 March - Denton, TX @ Hailey's
13 March - Austin, TX @ Emo's (SXSW Anti-Showcase w/Man Man)
15 March -Austin, TX @ Waterloo Park (SXSW)
17 March - Norman, OK @ Opolis
18 March - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note w/Man Man
19 March - Lawrence, KS @ Off Broadway
20 March - Bloomington, IN @ Rhino's
16 April - Buffalo, NY @ Soundlab
26 April - Indio, CA @ Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
30 April - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's
13 May - Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium
24 May - New York, NY @ Webster Hall

Listen: "The Arm"

Visit Islands on Myspace

Spam Filter: Mobius Band Releases Free Valentine's Day EP Today

Available for free TODAY as either a nudge nudge wink wink to Cupid or straight-up celebration of that thing called love (your call really), Mobius Band is offering a free covers EP - appropriately titled Love Will Reign Supreme - of loooooove songs.

Head HERE today for your free download plus album art or click HERE for the ZIP file.

Here's the tracklist:

1 Razor Love (originally by Neil Young)
2 Baby We'll Be Fine (The National) - this cover pretty much rules
3 True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston)
4 Mobius Band In A Green Cotton Sweater (Casiotone For The
Painfully Alone)
5 I'll Keep It With Mine (Bob Dylan)
6 Digital Love (Daft Punk)

Spam Filter: "All Eyes on My Morning Jacket"

Get your DVRs, TiVos or even (gasp) VCRs ready, straight from our inbox....

Who: Tune in to Current TV to catch a glimpse of My Morning Jacket's special performance with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra at last year's Lollapalooza through the eyes of their fans during a one-of-a-kind "All Eyes On." Current's collaborative program enlisted the help of the band and their fans to shoot footage of My Morning Jacket's festival performance usng video cameras, digital cameras and cell phones.

When: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 premiering on "All Eyes On" at 10 p.m. PST / EST. Check www.current.com for additional viewing and times

What: "All Eyes On" is Current TV's creative collaboration with artists, bands and fans that utilizes raw footage from cell phones and digital cameras to capture a shared, musical moment in time. The series premiered last year with "All Eyes On The Shins," which used every video submitted by hundreds of fans to generate the first-ever audience-created concert film of its kind.

Listen:
"Lowdown"

Visit My Morning Jacket on MySpace.

Spam Filter: New Frog Eyes Video - "Idle Songs"

Frog Eyes has a new video out for the song "Idle Songs" from last year's excellent album Tears of the Valedictorian. The video was directed by Carey Mercer, edited by Sikwaya Condon, and can be seen below.