Lilys - The 3-Way - 1999

Similar to the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Lilys have made a career out of impersonating a British band circa 1966. Throughout their seven-year recording life, they've moved from psychedelic to pop experimentalism and now, on 3-Way, the group seems to be lifting generously from mod groups like the Small Faces and the Action. The fuzz guitar and Farfisa organ of "Dimes Make Dollars" and the affected Anglo singing of "Accepting Applications at University," for example, reek of the British invasion of the mid-'60s. Yet for all his posturing, the group's leader, Kurt Heasley, keeps his influences at bay enough to fill the album with songs that build on the sounds of the '60s rather than just aping them. "Leo Ryan (Our Pharaoh's Slave)," for instance, with its biting string section and saxophone noodlings, is as sophisticated as the very best U.K. pop. -AMG



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The Mighty Wah! - Songs of Strength & Heartbreak - 2000

Following the release of 1991's Infamy, or How I Didn't Get Where I Am Today, Pete Wylie and his several incarnations of Wah! or the Mighty Wah! seemed to disappear. In fact, he suffered a severe back injury and it took until 1999 for him to return to the studio. And return he did, with this batch of brilliant songs. This is classic Wylie. As usual, strong melodies are present and Wylie shouts out his typically angry lyrics. He has chosen to work with extremely talented producers who bring the fullness to the sound. However, for the most part, these producers made their mark during the 1980s and this CD has the overall feel of an '80s release. The only complaint with the CD is that it is too long, and a couple of the songs could have been put to better use as B-sides. Otherwise, this is a brilliant album, one that fans will love as well as anyone looking for classic '80s sound. -AMG



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West Coast dates for The Dandy Warhols and Presale available now! and Satyricon with original Dandy's Drummer Eric Hedford.

On Saturday, Oct 16, for one night only, original Dandy's drummer, Eric Hedford, will be joining the Dandys and taking it way way back to perform selections from the first 2 Dandy's albums Dandys Rule OK and ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down. This is happening here in Portland at legendary rock venue Satyricon which will be closing it's doors at the end of October. The night is a celebration of oh about 1994 so please be over 31 and have some memory of that time. Tickets are limited and as always the band's Manager has aimed to make it tricky.

So here's the deal...

There's a total of 240 tickets available for the 10/16 Satyricon gig and 2 ways to make sure you get tickets.

1st way - We're reserving the first 140 tix for Pre Sale starting 9/21 at Noon PST. Access to the presale will be given to anyone who purchases Pre Sale tickets to our 12/12 Crystal Ballroom show. Put simply. Purchase Pre Sale tickets to The Dandy Warhols Crystal Ballroom gig on 12/12 and you'll get the first chance to purchase tickets for Satyricon.

2nd way - On 9/23 at Noon PST we'll release the last 100 tickets to the general public. The ticket link will be live on www.dandywarhols.com.

That's it on Satyricon. For those who aren't in Portland and haven't already been sorted with tickets to our shows out East... low and behold West Coast Tour Dates as follows.

Dec 1 - Victoria, BC - Sugar
Dec 2 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore
Dec 3 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at The Market
Dec 7 - Solano Beach, CA - Belly Up
Dec 8 - Las Vegas, NV - The Hard Rock Cafe
Dec 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia
Dec 11 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
Dec 12 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom

Pre Sale For West Coast dates above starts immediately.
Click here to access Presale
Username = thedandywarhols
Password = aresound

The Loud Family - Attractive Nuisance - 2000

While Scott Miller devoted a considerable amount of time on most of Loud Family's albums to slicing and reassembling his songs as if he were running them through some sort of smart-pop Veg-O-Matic, the group's fifth album, Attractive Nuisance, found Miller taking a step back and letting his songs play themselves out in real time for a change. Attractive Nuisance was Loud Family's most straightforward album since The Tape of Only Linda, and while that set found the group edging into a rock-oriented guitar-heavy attack that was something of a departure from Miller's best-known work, Attractive Nuisance was a wickedly arch slice of intelligent power pop whose alternately bracing and pensive melodies, angular guitar figures, and superb keyboard textures harked back to the best work of Miller's previous band, Game Theory. Anyone who longs for the smart, energetic hooks, and emotionally compelling melodies of The Big Shot Chronicles and Lolita Nation will be glad to know that they're very much in evidence on Attractive Nuisance, and the album found Miller and his band playing at the top of their form. Drummer Gil Ray and bassist Kenny Kessel are a subtle, solid, and inventive rhythm section, Alison Faith Levy's keyboard work fits these tunes perfectly (and she sounds great on the two lead vocals she contributes), and Miller's guitar work and singing are, as always, spot on. Stylistically, Attractive Nuisance does less to call attention to itself than anything in Loud Family's catalog, but in terms of presenting great songs played well, it may well be the strongest thing they've released since Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things. -AMG



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The Dirty Novels - Stealing Kisses - 2005

Albuquerque's The Dirty Novels, established October 2002, may be the hardest working band around. Their live shows lack any hint of self consciousness and let loose with shake-your-money-maker rock and roll that leaves the ladies lying in the aisles and the men speaking in tongues. Each song is wild and erotic, a dirty afternoon quickie: shaky on moral grounds, but just too seductive to guard against.
Welcome to the Glam Side of Life, where music is king, kisses are currency and flirting is mandated by law. This is where The Dirty Novels call home. Here you share the stage with legendery rockers MC5 as well as newer sensations like Von Bondies and Kings of Leon. But you dont stop there. No, far from it. You also have music from your recently released, full-length recording featured on MTVs Meet the Barkers "Parental Control" and "8th and Ocean." Then, just for good measure, you tour the country from coast to coast, stealing hearts, shocking parents and winking at their daughters. Its a good place to be.
Vintage and modern by design, they blend rock n roll's past with the rock n roll future. They are infatuated with such influences as 60's Freak Beats, 70's Blank Generation and 80's NoWave.
The Dirty Novels have performed with Kings of Leon, The Von Bondies, MC5/DKT, The Datsuns, Bad Wizard, Exene Cervenka & The Original Sinners, Willowz, HorrorPops, Rev. Horton Heat, The Appleseed Cast, Demolition Doll Rods. -CD Baby



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Cornershop - Woman's Gotta Have It - 1995

Tjinder Singh's Cornershop has created the perfect hybrid of Western indie rock and swirling Eastern traditional music: Hindi-pop. It's not like what the Beatles did with sitars nor is it classifiable as worldbeat: Cornershop is unique. "Jullandar Shere" opens and closes the album on an Eastern note but with a hip-hop twist. It's an adventure in lo-fi noise pop with the drone of tamboura, native percussion, and processed vocal sung in Punjabi providing the rhythm. "Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu" conveys indignation through its angry guitar and spit-sung lyrics. "Call All Destroyer" has Singh leading on funky bass like old-school political rockers Gang of Four. The anti-melodies are similar to stock indie rock, but the sonic dissonance created on dholki, harmonium, and flute separates Cornershop from the pack as they reclaim a racial stereotype (that every Asian in Great Britain tends a corner shop) while creating their very own roots music with a message. -AMG



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The ACB's new video!

Be Professional-The ACB'S from Pat Vamos on Vimeo.

O.F.F.I.C.I.A.L. MUSIC VIDEO Lee Majors' eco-sci-fi movie The Last Chase VS The ACB's "Be Professional"

Download "Be Professional" at http://theacbs.bandcamp.com/

The Sights - Got What We Want - 2002

Got What We Want is a melodically complex and accomplished album, and ample evidence that this young band from Detroit have a tacit understanding of what made primal '60s garage rock and early-'70s power pop so exhilarating and memorable in the first place. Not only do the Sights seem like they've educated themselves with repeated listenings to albums from a Rock History 101 syllabus, but they have an audible confidence and forcefulness that one usually only finds in bands who've been playing together for many years. Indeed, they have: Eddie Baranek (vocals/guitars/keyboards) and Mark Leahey (bass/vocals) have been making music together since 1995, when both were classmates at De LaSalle Collegiate High in Detroit. In October 2001 -- a few short months before they were to enter Ghetto Recorders to record this sophomore effort for L.A.'s Fall of Rome -- Baranek and Leahey made the decision to replace longtime bandmate Eugene Strobe (now playing with the Witches and the Alphabet) with a new drummer, Dave Shettler (ex-Moods For Moderns). This last-minute switch-out might have slowed the band's momentum, but now seems to have renewed their resolve to successfully accomplish the task at hand. Consequently, Got What We Want is a concentrated and well-produced group effort with strong and varied songs. The super-charged power pop numbers -- "Don't Want You Back," "Be Like Normal," "Sweet Little Woman" -- are rife with crunchy guitars, catchy percussive elements, and memorable hooks. Meanwhile, the title song, "Got What We Want," and the last track, "Nobody," recall the bombastic heaviosity of Mott the Hoople, Humble Pie, and Led Zeppelin at their most glorious. The main bass riff from the blues-soaked "Nobody," in fact, plays like an homage to Zeppelin's "How Many More Times?" (the song -- with lyrics purloined from Albert King's "The Hunter" -- may have also provided the Sights with their moniker). There's also an enjoyable assortment of keyboards on the album; drummer Dave Shettler contributed Hammond organ, while the swirling Mellotron was provided by organist Nate Cavalieri, who was added to the lineup in March 2002. The fathoms-deep Got What We Want should provide the Sights with a promising and (hopefully) propitious future once the world discovers its many treasures. -AMG



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Little Barrie - We Are Little Barrie - 2005

London trio Little Barrie's debut disc, We Are Little Barrie, is a lighthearted, light-fingered romp through the last 30 years of rock history, making stops at funk, blues, psychedelia, AOR, and Brit-pop before landing firmly in the classic rock-inspired jam band camp -- actually landing right at the forefront of that scene and somewhere to the left, too, as Little Barrie manage to escape all the pitfalls (overlong songs, dopey lyrics, lack of dynamics, to name a few) common to the jam band scene. Featuring Edwyn Collins' pitch-perfect production, We Are Little Barrie pulls off the feat of sounding both totally live and carefully planned out at once, giving off warm and groovy vibes from beginning to end. The true star of the show is Barrie Cadogan's guitar; the youngster is a funky rhythm player and peels off some invigorating, non-wanky solos. Unlike so many whiz kids, he doesn't feel the need to show off everything he has ever learned, using his considerable powers in the name of the songs. And the songs are fine, ranging from the acoustic soul of "Greener Pastures," the funky blues of "Be the One" and "Burned Out," and the laid-back grooves of "Free Salute" and "Long Hair" to the storming hard rock of "Well and Truly Done," "Move On So Easy," and "Please Tell Me." Not a weak number to be found. Collins' touch behind the board is a thing of wonder, as he gives the band a thoroughly retro sound without sounding like a pastiche. He and engineer Seb Lewsley also get a great drum sound -- something that too many producers overlook. Cadogan's vocals are another strength; both he and singing drummer Wayne Fullwood have loads of blue-eyed soul and never oversing, preferring instead to stay within the song's structure. All the talk of restraint shouldn't lead to the conclusion that the album is subdued or unexciting -- far from it; the songs fairly leap out of speakers and there is enough electricity flowing through the grooves to power a small city. We Are Little Barrie is a stunning debut for sure, and the kind of record both old-school classic rock dads and groove-loving young kids should be clambering over each other to buy. -AMG



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Tindersticks - Tindersticks (1st album) - 1993

A thrilling, revelatory debut, Tindersticks is a chamber pop masterpiece of romantic elegance and gutter debauchery. Within the framework of a remarkably consistent and mesmerizingly dank atmosphere, the group covers a stunning amount of ground -- "Her" is a crashing flamenco number, "The Walt Blues" is a tipsy organ instrumental, and "Paco de Renaldo's Dream" is an impenetrable cinematic monologue punctuated by subdued guitars, pianos, and strings. Stuart Staples' bacchanalian songs are obsessed with fluids, both bodily ("Blood," "Jism") and otherwise ("Nectar," "Whiskey and Water," "Raindrops"); no topic is too personal or too disturbing -- "Piano Song" is frightening in its callousness, while "City Sickness" is an unflinching examination of emotional and physical desperation. Fascinatingly constructed and strikingly ambitious, Tindersticks is insidiously labyrinthine: the music speaks softly but carries tremendous weight, and its hold grows more and more unbreakable with each listen. -AMG



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The Crowd Scene - Turn Left at Greenland - 1998

The Crowd Scene are one of the brighter examples of British pop today, and their debut album, Turn Left at Greenland, shows off all sides of this diverse band. The band is primarily comprised of Anne Rogers (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Grahame Davies (guitar, keyboards, vocals), and along with a few selected musicians, they have delivered an excellent album that concentrates on well-crafted songwriting and excellent production. There are folksy and baroque touches to the album, and many of the songs are propelled by Davies' excellent rhythm guitar playing. Rogers' voice is reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde, while Davies is a vocal cross between Alex Chilton and Michael Brown (Left Banke), if that's possible. The songwriting is uniformly excellent, from the Squeeze-esque album opener, "Weather Song," and the breezy "Surprise" (which has a positively delicious vocal from Rogers) to the rocking "Backtracking." "Walking 'Round the World's Fair" has a great jazz-swing groove that is one of the high points of the record. Absolutely worthwhile, and a good sign for the future of British pop. -AMG



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