Cansei de Ser Sexy

Band: Cansei de Ser Sexy
Also Check Out: Le Tigre, Klaxons, Hot Chip.
Location: São Paulo, Brazil.



My brother won tickets to Live 105's big show, BFD, and being the only one he knows with a car, I got to go along with him.

Usually any show put on by a major radio station is one big jerk-off fest to whatever mainstream rock bands the muscle heads happen to listening to, when they're not pretending to be black and listening to sellout rap artists. Essentially this was just another case of this except that the white kids are actually listening to ex-indie bands these days. This opened the doors for a few cool artists this year at BFD. I'm still bummed that Foo Fighters didn't make it though, they're like the staple "Rock" band everyone listens to at these shows.

One of the first bands to hit the stage was CSS, that one Brazilian band you probably know about.

They're honestly the kind of band you can't just put on and be like, "damn, this shit really speaks to me" and then start imagining how these kids from Brazil are going to come over and totally change our concept of rock and roll or some shit. Even my Mates-of-States-loving self has a tough time with this band, download their album and see what you think.

On the other hand, when you see a little Japanazilian jump around on stage and dance like she's in a middle school talent show, and you're there pumping your fist, stomping your feet, and kicking up dust, while the Asian jock next to you claps along because this song happens to be about alcohol, it makes it all seem actually pretty alright.




Official Site: http://www.csshurts.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/canseidesersexy

Monkey Swallows the Universe

Band: Monkey Swallows the Universe
Also Check Out: Azure Ray, Au Revoir Simone, Camera Obscura.
Location: Sheffield, United Kingdom.



Don't you hate it when you put on some hardcore bluegrass radio station, or one with a name like Cowboy's Heritage Radio, and you totally expect this bad-ass music about whiskey and whores and missing your baby that you left behind after you shot some fucker who looked at you cross in the saloon, but then suddenly you hear some really terrible pop-country that once again reminds you why you've stayed completely away from country music in the first place before you realized Johnny Cash was actually kind of cool?

Monkey Swallows the Universe is a lot like that shitty music because it's essentially just straightforward pop music with a tinge of country. This band is different though, because instead of being based on shitty commercial pop from the late 80s and early 90s, it instead uses the UK indie-pop we've all grown to know and love. Monkey Swallows the Universe, therefore, is amazing.

Monkey Swallows the Universe: Sheffield Shanty MP3
Official Site: http://www.mstu.co.uk/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mstu

Matt &Kim

Band: Matt & Kim
Also Check Out: The Blow, Mates of State, Tilly & the Wall
Location: Brooklyn, New York.



This reminds me of the time I was playing Bright Eyes at my old job and the Engineering Manager came back to tell me to turn it down because she could hear it all the way in her office. It was the part on "Road To Joy" where he yells "MAKE SOME NOISE" and then everyone just goes fuck crazy and fucks shit up.

The reason it reminds me of that is because sometimes Matt & Kim sound the kind of piss-horrible that I'm sure no one but me and the like-minded would appreciate. They're no Mates of State though, those guys take the peanut-butter cake in that category.

That said, Matt & Kim are electro-pop bliss... to me... and maybe you.



Matt & Kim: Verbs Before Nouns MP3
Official Site: http://www.mattandkimmusic.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mattandkim

Dawn Landes - Young Folks (Bluegrass Cover)

Band: Dawn Landes
Also Check Out: Cat Power, Mazzy Star, Vetiver, The Cranberries.
Location: New York, New York.



I got into the Peter Bjorn and John craze a little late I think. I forget which video linked me from YouTube in the first place, but I remember feeling like I stumbled onto something a little unsettling. I actually got a hold of their album with Young Folk's on it and gave it a spin. I enjoyed it for the most part and even put some songs out on mix tapes. Today I see the full spectrum of PB&J and realize that every corporate rock cock sucker from here to Manitoba has been hearing it on heavy rotation, not to mention the poor kids all over Europe. I know how those foreigners like to blast not only the original of a hit song to death, but they continue their assault with numerous dance club remixes. If my guess is correct, Young Folk's probably has it's own dance to accompany it somewhere.

I present to you yet another Young Folk's remix, the only one I will endorse. Of course, it's blue grass. That's the only response that would have proved me alright.

Dawn Landes has some nice original music as well, she had a spot on SXSW. If you want her MP3 for Young Folk's, which is very recommended, you go seek it out! You can be responsible and buy it on iTunes, ahem, or you can be cool and find it for free. We have the technology. Also, you can enjoy the Beirutish acoustics of "Traffic" or the 1990s status of "Kissing Song" all on her website.



Dawn Landes: Traffic MP3
Official Site: http://www.dawnlandes.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dawnlandes