Results tagged “yolatengo”

We already mentioned in an earlier post that the unconventional Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There gets released today. Although the soundtrack of the film has been out for some time, we thought we'd take this opportunity to review it - especially seeing as how it's a review copy of the album that we've been listening to and all. We're not just late on the review because we're lazy, though. There's a lot of music...

It's rare that we get to talk about an indie rock show that features more than one band that we're familiar with and impressed by, but we're getting that chance today. Tonight at Johnny Brenda's both Film School (MySpace) and Eulogies will be playing, along with Cloud Minder and Minipop. Eulogies, on their self-titled release, plays a melancholy (but fun) alterna-pop that one might describe as emo - although we'd rather not, since emo has bad connotations, and we actually like Eulogies. (Download their track "One Man.") The vocals will remind you of J Mascis, and indeed the music has a vague Dinosaur Jr. flavor to it in general. Meanwhile, Film School, on their latest release, Hide Out, are putting out a fun, droning, new New Wave kind of indie pop, with a strong beat and a Yo La Tengo feel, and with brilliant track titles like "Sick Hipster Nursed by Suicide Girl" (a song that manages to be just as excellent as its title). (Download "Lectric," a kick-ass track off Hide Out.)

When we headed into the city from the depths of the wild Philadelphia suburbs, we were practically giddy with anticipation at being offered the chance to see Yo La Tengo, one of our favorite bands, live at the Trocadero.

that is.

Yo La Tengo isn't the only cool indie band in town this weekend; Texas/NYC band Calla will be playing Johnny Brenda's this Saturday with Favourite Sons and Philly's own The A Sides. Calla's got an album called Strength in Numbers coming out on Beggars Banquet on February 20th, and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a preview copy. Verdict: good stuff! Vocalist Aurelio Valle's whispery, emotion-choked voice floats over some solid, lushly romantic pop rock, composed of Valle and Peter Gannon's jangling guitars and the steady march of Wayne B. Magruder's drumming. Johnny Brenda's has video clips and mp3s from all the bands on their site, so swing on over there for a quick listen.

Yo La Tengo
1/29/07-2/2/07

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Tuesday post only collects the early announcements, so definitely check back on Thursday for the latest ticket news.

What's new and/or interesting at Philly theaters this weekend.

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. In the last Whiz installment, a reader reprimanded us for not mentioning any of the exciting news about the Wii that came out at Nintendo's press conferences yesterday morning. Sadly, we must admit sometimes we are a bit slow getting the cool internet news to you, but we always get it to you eventually! So here's the breakdown on all the latest Wii...

Our old friends Dirty on Purpose are back in town tonight at the First Unitarian Church with crazy Canadian indie folk pop outfit the Hidden Cameras, so it's time to head on down to Center City and worship at the indie rock altar! Dirty on Purpose will no doubt be playing plenty of tracks from their brand new album, Hallelujah Sirens, which we've had a chance to listen to thanks to the generosity of a fellow local blogger. Verdict: it's good! It's got a really nice sound to it. Lots of pleasant, melodic indie pop rock. Great music to sway and ponder to - sort of like Yo La Tengo. Something aboout it is reminding us of the Breeders, too. The real stand-out track is the bouncing, rollicking "Car No Driver," a fantastic song about being passed on the road by a car without a driver, amongst other things.

So the Stills giveaway is over, we having informed the lucky winner just this morning! But that means the Stills show is about to begin! Tonight at 8PM at The Troc, to be precise. And really, it's not exactly just a Stills show; they're just one part of a pretty incredible, fully loaded Indies Only bill that also includes indie giants Yo La Tengo. The Stills are out behind their latest album, Without Feathers, which has really grown on us. Like previous release Logic Will Break Your Heart, Without Feathers is full of quite pleasant, straight-ahead, easily digestible indie pop, with a steady beat that you can tap your foot to while toiling away in your cubicle. And sometimes that's all you want, although we could perhaps wish for a bit more experimentation and craziness from them every once in a while. And who knows, maybe they'll learn to experiment a bit from tonight's headliner, the extremely hit-and-miss (although when they hit, they hit hard) Yo La Tengo. Show up and find out!

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

It's giveaway time again! One of our favorite times here at Phillyist. In this exciting episode, we want to put you and a friend on the guestlist for a show this Thursday night (6/15). It's not just any old lame show, either. It's an Indies Only night at the Troc featuring The Stills, as well as local band Matt Pond PA, Band of Horses, and Todd Barry. Oh, and the headlining act? Just a little group called Yo La Tengo. How do you like us now??

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment.

by Vin Varstin