New Kelly Clarkson Album Cover: Love It Or Hate It?

Come on, to know her is to love her but how do we feel about Kelly's new cover art?

MP3: Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You

Nada Surf Recruits Gibbard & Hatfield For New LP

Via Billboard: *Veteran rock outfit Nada Surf is eyeing a January release for its next Barsuk album, tentatively titled "Time for Plan A." The set was recorded in February in Seattle with producer John Goodmanson and will likely feature guest appearances from Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Juliana Hatfield, Harvey Danger's Sean Nelson and the Long Winters' John Roderick.

"We tracked maybe 20 songs. I'd say a third of those still need lyrics," frontman Matthew Caws tells Billboard.com of the follow-up to 2005's "The Weight Is a Gift." "It's probably 70% there, but of the ones we're going to put on, maybe three songs still need words and the other ones need to be cooked a little."*

Read the rest of the article at Billboard.com.

MP3: Nada Surf - Inside Of Love

New Gossip Video: Love It Or Hate It?

Rather than posting the now ubiquitous NME cover of Gossip frontlady, Beth Ditto, in the buff, I've chosen to direct your attention to the band's latest clip for 'Listen Up!'. This is the second official video for the tune. Love it or hate it? MP3 of the track below.


MP3: The Gossip - Listen Up!

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #55

Animal Collective - People (live)

The final song on Animal Collective's People EP is a rip roaring live version of the title track. The Music Slut's review of the short-player can be found here.

Animal Collective will be headlining a free show tomorrow night at New York's South Street Seaport, Pier 17.

Expect superfluous amounts of randomness.

(photo via Jeff Winterberg)

MP3: Animal Collective - People (live)

Today In WTF: M. Jackson Buys Stake In Bjork & Beck's Tunes

NME is reporting that Michael Jackson has bought a stake in the back catalogs of Beck, Bjork, Shakira & Eminem amongst others.

The official statement reads: "This is a milestone event for Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

The diverse collection of songs in this catalogue range from timeless classics to contemporary hits, and I am pleased to add the acquisition of Famous Music to Sony/ ATV."

Thoughts? Yay, nay or indifferent?

MP3: Beck - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes

Travis At Fillmore, Attempt #2

The first batch of Travis shows scheduled at The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza, earlier this year, were mysteriously cancelled a few weeks before the gigs. Here are the new dates. Keep your fingers crossed that they become a reality!

Saturday, July 14 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 15 at 8:00 pm

Tickets on sale tomorrow at 10am via Ticketbastard online and The Fillmore box office.

MP3: Travis - My Eyes

The National @ Bowery: Heirs To The Glimmering World

Last night marked the third of a five-night residency for local heroes, The National, at Bowery Ballroom. Since their much-hyped tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah a few years back (for the record, I was one of the few who came out for The National on that trek), The National has gone on to become a household name with the back-to-back releases of the brilliant, Alligator, and this year's equally impressive, Boxer (our review here).

Though The National has a handful of albums under their belt, last night's setlist (see below) focused mostly on these latter two releases. The 85-minute set was near perfect - its only flaw being a multitude of unfortunate mic problems. While The National did a fine job opening for The Arcade Fire earlier this month, that evening was all about the Canadian conglomerate; last night was The National's time to shine and that they surely did with great ease.

Highlights of the evening included the always explosive Alligator staples, 'Mr. November' + 'Abel' as well as Boxer crowd faves such as 'Mistaken For Strangers', 'Ada' and of course, the album-opening 'Fake Empire'. For 'Abel', frontman Matt Berninger crawled atop the Bowery speaker system and leaped into the crowd shouting the song's refrain of 'my mind's not right/my mind's not right'. Spectacular.



The National will perform tonight and tomorrow to more sold-out crowds at the Bowery. Missed your chance to see them this go 'round? The band will be back in NYC on August 17th with Takka Takka at South Street Seaport. The show is free to the public, but The Music Slut recommends getting there hours early if you plan to be anywhere close to the stage. For a full list of tour dates outside of The Big Apple, hop over to The National's MySpace page here.



Setlist: Start A War/Brainy/Secret Meeting/Slow Show/Lit Up/Squalor Victoria/Baby, We'll Be Fine/90-Mile Water Wall/Apartment Story/Geese Of Beverly Road/Ada/Mistaken For Strangers/Daughters Of The Soho Riots/Mr. November/Fake Empire//Gospel/Abel/About Today

MP3: The National - Start A War

Indie Top 5 Wrap Up, 5/31

Elbo.ws:
1. The New Pornographers
2. Okkervil River
3. Ryan Adams
4. The National
5. Sufjan Stevens

The Hype Machine: Popular Searches:
1. The White Stripes
2. Justice
3. The National
4. Interpol
5. Ryan Adams

Soundfix:
1. The National
2. Wilco
3. Battles
4. Bjork
5. Feist

MP3s: The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours + Bjork - Wanderlust

Ben Kweller Plans Southpaw Residency

Each night of the 3-evening Brooklyn run will highlight a different BK album, in its entirety from start to finish.

Here's what to expect:

July 30th - Sha Sha

July 31st - On My Way

August 1st - Ben Kweller

Tickets are $18 each or fifty bucks for all three gigs. Personally, I'm most excited about night #1.

Purchase through BK.com here!

MP3: Ben Kweller - Magic

A Subway Ride With Gorillaz?

To promote Gorillaz' upcoming circus-opera, Monkey: Journey To The West, the band has designed artwork that quite literally, wraps around trains going to and from London to Manchester. Pretty cool, eh? Check out some more images of the Gorillaz train at Cool Hunting. We're officially impressed.

MP3: Gorillaz - Dirty Harry

LCD Soundsystem Playing FREE Philly Show Next Week

Direct from James Murphy's MySpace bulletin sent out moments ago:

FREE SHOW
LCD Soundsystem
Philadelphia, June 6

GET ON THE LIST:

1. Add LCD Soundsystem and The List to YOUR Top Friends.

2. Send a MESSAGE to The List with your name/e-mail answering this question:

Q: What does DFA (James Murphy's Record label) stand for?

3. Once you're on The List we'll send an e-mail with venue info and instructions on how to pick up your tickets for you and one guest.

*Hop over to The List's MySpace page here. Good luck!*

MP3: LCD Soundsystem - New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #54

Bright Eyes - Little Drummer Boy

Celebrate Christmas a little early this year; as in, seven months early, with this Bright Eyes take on 'Little Drummer Boy'.

There are still three nights left to Bright Eyes' 7-evening residency at NYC's Town Hall (tonight through Friday). I highly doubt he'll bring this one out but hey, you never know! He has been sporting a dazzling snow white suit for the special gigs, after all.

MP3: Bright Eyes - Little Drummer Boy

Arctic Monkeys Heart Japanese B-Sides

Next month (June 18th to be exact), NME darlings, Arctic Monkeys will release 'Da Frame 2R' and 'Matador' exclusively on 7" limited edition white vinyl. Sexy.

Up until now the only to get your hands on these particular tunes was to purchase the Japanese version of the band's latest album, Favourite Worst Nightmare.

For the turntable-less amongst you, not to fret, as rumor has it that the tracks may will probably wind up gracing digital stores a few weeks after the initial vinyl release.

MP3: 'You Know I'm No Good' (Amy Winehouse cover; back by popular demand)

Knitting Factory Tickets Now Available Via Text

It was only a matter of time.

CMJ reports: *Knitting Factory Entertainment, who own venues in both New York and Los Angeles, has launched the first ticketing-by-text system, allowing concert-goers to purchase tickets via SMS text messaging, directly from their mobile phone. The service is available now for both coast's venues, with plans to expand service to its Boise and Spokane locations in the next few months.

"The times you are most likely to want to buy a ticket are often the times you are least likely to have full Internet access—in a venue scanning the upcoming show listings... seeing a flyer or poster," says Jared Hoffman, president and CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment. "It's not just the concert industry, the whole nature of commerce is changing—people want it now, they want it fast—and the device that can make that all possible is the mobile phone."

Powered by ShopText mobile, the system works like this: See a flyer or poster with the ShopText logo, text the event's code number to 467467, enter your credit card number, receive a unique PIN (for future purchases) and enjoy the show. You can also first register and screate an account at shoptext.com for a quicker initial sign-up. All transactions are guaranteed security.*

Read the rest of the article here.

MP3: Beck - Cellphone's Dead

Interpol Playing Bowery Ballroom This Tuesday!

Surprise!

Act quick. Password: gaius

TICKET LINK.

Good luck.

XO,
The Sluts

*Thanks for the heads up, BV!

MP3: Inteprol - C'mere

UPDATE: SOLD OUT!!

On Sale Today @ Noon, 5/30

Mercury Lounge:
6/20: Vic Thrill & The Saturn Missle
6/30: Babydayliner + Tigercity

Bowery Ballroom:
7/27: Robbers On High Street

MP3: Vic Thrill - Circus Of Enlightenment

Also, Bright Eyes tickets are sporadically going back on sale through Ticketbastard, keep your fingers crossed and you may just wind up a with a great pair of last minute seats!

New Afghan Whigs Album Cover: Love It Or Hate It?

Unbreakable is the Afghan Whigs retrospective collection from 1990 to present, scheduled for release on June 5th. The long-player just received a glowing review from Bitchfork, but what we want to know is if you love or hate the bird-friendly cover art. Check out a classic AG tune below the image.

MP3: Afghan Whigs - Somethin' Hot

Jack White Plays Solo Show In London

I wonder what Meg makes of this...

Via NME: *The White Stripes' frontman Jack White has played an impromptu show in London. The star turned up at the Sonic Cathedral Club at The Social in the West End (May 27), where he played three songs before making a swift departure.

White started with 'Effect And Cause' from the band's forthcoming new album 'Icky Thump'. He then played 'Sugar Never Tasted So Good' from the band's 1997 debut album, backed by former Soledad Brothers drummer Ben Swank on percussion.

White then played a request - the blues classic 'The House Of The Rising Sun', made famous by The Animals in the 60s.*

MP3: The White Stripes - Sugar Never Tasted So Good

Arcade Fire Covers Clinic!

And we've got the video to prove it. At a tour stop in Portland, OR this past Sunday night (the day after Sasquatch), The Arcade Fire tried their hand at Clinic's 'Distortions'. Of course, they did an amazing job with the tune. Watch below!

Today In WTF: Sailing Away With Ben Folds

Ben Folds is tired of playing venue after venue from city to city, so he's decided to take matters into his own hands & create a five-day concert cruise, set for winter '08! He'll be travelling from Miami to Jamaica and back. More info on the excursion can be found below via Ben Folds Experience's official site:

*Ben Folds needs a break, so he’s going on vacation and taking some friends and fans along for the ride. Folds has teamed up with Sixthman, the leader in the entertainment cruise industry, to bring fans the opportunity of a lifetime on the Ben Folds Experience cruise. Ben Folds Experience heads out on the Carnival Imagination from the Port of Miami on February 21, 2008, stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and returns on February 25, 2008.

Says Ben, "I wanted to get a lot of talented musical artists together in one holiday moment of glory with possibly a few comedians and have some kind of magical experience. The idea of painting a large bus psychedelic purple, not taking baths for a week and driving around the country jamming out on one chord about the war got shot down quickly, so I decided to take a cruise.” Joining Folds on the cruise will be a few of his musician friends. Who you ask? It’s a secret, but we promise to let you know soon..*

Well, thanks to a recent MySpace bulletin from Dresden Doll, Amanda Palmer, we now know that she can be added to the Experience's roster. The rest of the bill should be announced shortly as tickets for the trip are on sale June 11th. For BFE's full itinerary, check here. Intriguing.

MP3: Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit

New Sigur Ros Book Cover: Love It Or Hate It?

In A Frozen Sea will be available for pre-order beginning this Friday (click here for purchase info). Learn more about the 32-page photobook & vinyl release here, via our initial post on the chronicle from last month. I can't wait to get my hands on this one, but in the meantime, tell is you love or hate the book's cover art. I give it a 7 out of 10.

MP3: Sigur Ros - Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #53

Radiohead - How I Made My Millions

At Ease Web explains the story behind the tune: *thom made it at home with his minidisc recorder and his old, battered piano.

the noise in the background that sounds like someone washing up is actually his girlfriend doing the washing up! ed said thom brought the song in, and it absolutely blew them all away.*

MP3: Radiohead - How I Made My Millions

Calla Joins Interpol On North American Trek

Check out both bands together on the following asterisked dates (via Filter). All non-asterisked shows feature Interpol, only. For those folks itching to discover the latest NYC rumor, we're hearing a buzz around early July, multiple nights at Hammerstein...

May
31 Dallas, TX - Palladium

June
02 Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre - 99X Fest
03 Chicago, IL - Metro
07 Toronto, ON - The Guverment
09 San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Live 105 Fest
10 San Diego, CA - Devore Stadium - FM 94 Fest

July
19 Rochester, NY - Harro East Ballroom *
20 Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Music Box *
21 Norfolk, VA - The Norva *
23 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues *
24 Pittsburgh, PA - Byham Theatre *
25 Columbus, OH - The LC Ampitheatre *
27 Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room *
28 Detroit, MI - State Theater *
30 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave *
31 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room *

August
01 St. Louis, MO - Pageant *
03 Covington, KY - Madison Theater *
04 Chicago, IL - Grant Park - Lollapalooza Fest
05 Baltimore, MD - Pimlico Race Course - V Fest

MP3: Calla - Bronson

Beirut Announces 3 More NYC Shows + Reissues 'Elephant Gun'

First things first, the next batch of Beirut shows are as follows: September 24th, 25th and 26th @ NYC's Society For Ethical Culture.

Keep on eye on The Worldless Music Series' official site for more info as it becomes publicly available.

Secondly, Bitchfork is reporting that Beirut is set to reissue his 'Elephant Gun' single as a 7" with French ditty, 'La Moribond' (by Jacques Brel) as the tune's B-side.

I guess Zach wasn't joking when he told us, earlier this year, that he's currently infatuated with 'old French songs'. Beirut enthusiasts can pick up the UK-only vinyl on June 25th.

MP3: Beirut - Postcards From Italy

New Tegan & Sara Album Cover: Love It Or Hate It?

The Con gets its official release in late July. Love or hate the cover art? An MP3 of the title track to the Canadian sisterly duo's upcoming fifth album can be found below.

For full tracklisting to The Con, check here.

MP3: Tegan & Sara - The Con

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #52

Jeff Buckley - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

Today marks ten years since Jeff's untimely death following an ill-fated swim in the Mississippi River. Since '97, Jeff has become an icon and influence to countless musicians and fans alike.

Below is a live cover of his take on The Smiths' 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side'. Another brilliant vocal from one of this generation's greatest troubadours.

MP3: Jeff Buckley - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (Smiths cover)

The Strokes Fly To Outer Space In New Vid

Here's the brand new clip for First Impressions Of Earth opening track, 'You Only Live Once'. The video is an amalgamation of live shots, 80s video game-esque graphics, and a series of aerial views of Earth. Enjoy 'You Only Live Once' in its entirety below.


UPDATE: Head to TheStrokes.com to see the video as RCA blocked the YouTube clip earlier today. Bummer.

Junior Senior Finally Gets Some Stateside Love

Billboard is reporting that Junior Senior's sophomore album, the ridiculously fun, Hey Hey My My Yo Yo, will finally get released in the US this August via Crunchy Frog/Rykodisc. For those keeping score at home, that's a full two years after its initial release everywhere else around the globe.

Junior Senior's 'Can I Get Get Get' was featured in a recent episode of 'Ugly Betty', while 'Itch U Can't Skratch' is currently being used in a campaign for Logo network. Both tracks are lifted from Hey Hey, which probably had a great deal to do with the record garnering some much-deserved attention this side of the Atlantic.

MP3: Junior Senior - I Like Music (W.O.S.B)

New Garbage Album Cover: Love It Or Hate It?

We're highly disappointed with the cover art to Garbage's upcoming best-of compilation, Absolute Garbage. For those out of the loop, the collection will feature a myriad of greatest hits including one new track, 'Tell Me Where It Hurts'. For tracklist and a sneak peak into the new video hop over to ultimate fan site, Garbage Disco Box. Do you loathe the artwork as much as we do?

MP3: Garbage - The World Is Not Enough

Sufjan Plays Cincinnati Rooftop

The fine folks over at La Blogotheque somehow convinced Sufjan Stevens to perform atop Cincy's Memorial Hall immediately following completion of the city's MusicNOW festival a few short weeks ago. While at first, Suf attemps Seven Swans fave, 'He Woke Me Up Again', after a line or two he ends the song pleading with La Blogotheque to head back indoors because of the cold, windy weather. Eventually though, Sufjan gets coaxed into staying on the roof and performing a brilliant cover of The Innocence Mission's 'Lakes Of Canada'. Suf declared it 'the perfect song' during a visit to NPR three years back. Check out the full clip below.

MP3: The Innocence Mission - Lakes Of Canada

The Music Slut's 2nd Anniversary Band Profile: The Lisps

Hails From: Brooklyn, NY

# Of MySpace Friends: 1400+

Influences: The South Bronx, peer pressure, Judaism, crooked bottom teeth, gossip blogs, cats and dogs, Flemish painting, quietness, Bunky, domesticity

Random Fact: All four band members can play the melodica!

MP3: The Lisps - Documents

*RSVP here, via Going.com, for FREE admission to The Music Slut's 2nd Anniversary Party on June 9th @ The Delancey!*

Moz, Nellie McKay, Mos Def Nominated For Sexiest Vegetarian

Others included on this year's mega-list are Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), Fiona Apple, Prince, Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer), KRS-One, Boy George, Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), Andre 3000 (of Outkast) and a slew of others; there are over 200 nominees for 2007.

Check out all celebrities up for the title of sexiest male and female vegetarian & vote for your favorite at GoVeg.com!

Click here to read all about last year's top 5.

MP3s: Morrissey - Found Found Found + The Pretenders - I'll Stand By You + Prince - Purple Rain

New Battles Album Cover: Love It Or Hate It?

No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get enough of this new Battles record (as evident by my last post on the band, here). Hopefully by now, you've taken my advice and checked out their latest LP, Mirrored. If you haven't (shame on you), hop over to their MySpace page for a sprinkle of tunes, or see below for an MP3, one of my favorites, from Mirrored. Oh yes, artwork - love it or hate it?

MP3: Battles - Tij

To Answer Your Inquiries... #23

Inquiry: listen to yeah yeah yeahs free
The Music Slut: Your wish is our command, check out an acoustic YYY MP3 at the bottom of this post.

Inquiry: justin manson cover
TMS: Yes, Marilyn covered Justin last week as part of his visit to BBC Radio, check here for the original and the cover versions. It seems like the slutloyals are split on loving or loathing this one.

I: slut single like a baby
TMS: This is wrong on so many levels.

I: happy birthday to you
TMS: Why, thank you. However, we're not officially celebrating until Saturday, June 9th. Hope you can join us for the festivities if you're in or around The Big Apple - RSVP here!

I: is the justice album good
TMS: Yes, it's AMAZING.

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion (acoustic)

Lupe Fiasco Samples Thom Yorke In New Single

Lupe, alongside special guest rappers: Kanye and Pharrell, has just released 'US Placers', a brand new track, which samples (of all things) Thom Yorke's 'The Eraser'.

Thanks to Spine Magazine for directing The Music Slut to the tune. 'US Placers' is scheduled to be on Lupe's upcoming sophomore effort, The Cool, out on Halloween Day.

For as much as I love Thom (hell, Kanye as well), I'm still uncertain if I enjoy this track in reality as much as I do in theory.

Take a listen to the MP3 below and kindly share your thoughts with us.

MP3: Lupe Fiasco (feat. Kanye & Pharrell) - US Placers

Of Montreal Covers Bowie For The Spinner

The Athens-based indie-poppers recently stopped by AOL's The Spinner for a live set and Q&A. The band performed a fabulous cover of David Bowie's 'Starman' which can be viewed and downloaded below. See more videos from the visit here at Spinner.com!



MP3: Of Montreal - Live Set On The Spinner ['Starman'/'Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse'/'Lysergic Bliss'/'The Past Is A Grotesque Animal' + Interview]

Manic MP3 Monday, Week 60

The Spectacular Fantastic - Summer Toes
Man In Gray - Stranded
*Mudville - Eternity*
Bonde Do Role - Quero Te Amar
Guns N Bombs - Fancy Footwork (Chromeo remix)
Mogwai - Black Spider
Pseudosix - Under The Waves
Ryan Adams - Everybody Knows
Young And Restless - Kapow!
Acute - The City
Bowerbirds - In Our Talons
Abba - Gimme Gimme Gimme

Golem & Balkan Beat Box @ Bowery 4/19: Jen's Spring Cleaning

I stood online to get in and all around me, people were speaking Hebrew. It was another theme night at Bowery, this time, bands with Middle Eastern roots.

Golem is 5 piece klezmer band from Brooklyn with their hearts firmly planted in their Jewish roots. Think of their foot stomping folk music as the Eastern European dance alternative to LCD Soundsystem. For their final song, the band even teaches the audience a two-step styled dance; so fun.

The headliners for the night were the super hyper, Balkan Beat Box. Their music is a Spanish/Turkish infused frenzy that begins in the audience with the band marching onto the stage.

The show is a non-stop pounding, dance-off that expertly blends the music of three+ cultures. BBB's set was heading into its second hour when I decided to head out. Though the music was great, after an hour of getting stomped on and fighting the girl behind me to keep my spot against the stage, I'd had enough and bolted.

picture via tixgirl

Locksley & Undisputed Heavyweights @ Southpaw 4/26: Jen's Spring Cleaning

Sorry for the lack of JK posts but in everything I suppose, there are ebbs and flows. These past couple of months have been all about the flow but come June 7th, my life is about to hit a great deal of ebb once unemployment hits...again.

Enjoy a little of my long weekend down time and take a look at a few choice concerts I've seen these past few months but never had a chance to post about. Happy Memorial Day!


Matt and I were really excited for this show. One of our all time favourite New York acts were playing alongside a band I had wanted to see for quite a while. I arrived to the venue slightly ahead of schedule and called Matt from outside.

"Hi, I'm here. Where are you?"

"A few blocks away getting a slice. Is it crazy there?"

::insert crickets chirping::

"Sorry, I'll be there soon."


A free show in Brooklyn on a Thursday night sponsored by amNEWYORK and not a soul around but me, the bored looking bartender and the boys from Locksley reading a newspaper? Shocking people, shocking.

Well anyway, Locksley were great as always; one of those bands whom you hope you aren't screaming into the wind about.


Also playing the ill fated gig were Undisputed Heavyweights, a band I had been meaning to see for a while.

I suppose I had a predisposition to like Undisputed Heavyweights. On a warm spring day, driving around with the windows open while singing to Sinatra for me, is near perfection. 60's style lounge music is just my thing and the Casey Shea led Undisputed bring the lounge lizard back to life with an updated flair. Their smart, poppy music, that makes you smile as your hips uncontrollably swing back and forth, is punctuated perfectly by Shea's cheeky audience banter.

Upcoming UH tour dates:

Jun. 22nd Joe's Pub (All Ages), 425 Lafayette Street (btw E. 4th & Astor Place), New York, 9pm w/ I. Michaelson, All Ages.

Jul. 26th Joe's Pub 9pm w/ Wakey!Wakey!,

Aug. 24th Joe's Pub 9pm w/ Seth Kallen


MP3s: 'Roll Your Windows Down' and 'Money'

A Brief Smile @ Knitting Factory: Louder Than Bombs

With all the planning, hoopla and overall good time associated with our Spring Fling back in March, I failed to post a proper review of the show. Without a doubt, one my personal highlights of the evening was finally getting the chance to see NYC's very own, A Brief Smile, in the flesh. I've been going on about this 5-piece for some time now (read The Music Slut's interview with the band here). After stunning our Spring Flingers with their bombastic yet shoegaze-y sound, I couldn't wait to check out the band's Knitting Factory debut last night.

Focusing primarily on their upcoming EP, due out this summer, the band performed a whirlwind of a set, demonstrating their unique hybrid of harmony & dissonance for the better part of an hour. In spite of the bevy of new tunes, their debut short-player wasn't completely ignored; the band opted for 'Kitchen Floor' as the lone track to be performed from '06's R.E.S.T. (MP3 below). With a sound that falls somewhere between Mogwai's Young Team, Spiritualized's Ladies & Gentlemen... and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, it's no wonder that A Brief Smile is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite local acts.

A Brief Smile will be opening the Pop Tarts Suck Toasted-curated show next Saturday night at The Delancey. More info on that gig can be found here.

Check out A Brief Smile's MySpace page for tunes, photos and further glowing reviews.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Kitchen Floor (via Free Indie)