Blood Bank

Bon Iver's Blood Bank EP, out January 20 on Jagjaguwar, is available to stream on his Myspace, so peep that for free.

BROMST

Yesterday Dan Deacon's new record Bromst got its album art revealed (up there) and today a new song, "Get Older," was made available. The album comes out March 24 on Carpark and I honestly can't wait afte hearing this track. Actual instruments? Yes, please.

Get Older - Dan Deacon

VFW

Three Fifteen demolished Saturday night at Pittsfield, MA's Linden Street VFW, playing everything one would need to hear while inducing battering force from everyone willing to try their hand at being near the front. The white fluorescence of the room, provided by sterile ceiling lights, was replaced with a single warm yellow lamp, hardly illuminating but wholly better than the institution glow. The band doesn't seem to have missed a beat since their previous "last show." The drumming is still the tightest, the guitars and bass still rip, and Joe Wilk's convulsive presence has not ebbed in the slightest. He flails, barks, screams, throws himself into others, whips his mic around, and pumps his fist triumphantly. Also, it doesn't hurt that the show was in their hometown with all their fans itching to freak out to one of the most beloved bands to come out of Pittsfield's once active punk scene. These guys really should keep playing. Listen to their anthology for free.

Gift Horse played before Three Fifteen and they were quite mediocre. Bands playing this kind of show should probably have some sort of edge, even if its a gimmicky one. Mudlark preceded and impressed, churning out well-crafted guitar songs, some with vocals, which came off as a sort of tame Dinosaur Jr junior, to good effect. Brain Fever (formerly Zombie Assault) opened with unintelligible words (not a bad thing) and an attention-grabbing (and eardrum-weakening) wall of punk guitar noise.


Three Fifteen


Three Fifteen


Three Fifteen


Brain Fever


Collection

Ducktails Correction

Turns out I previously mentioned that New Jersey's Ducktails would be releasing a split LP with Sun Araw this year. Turns out the Sun Araw split will be with Predator Vision, a band with Matt Mondanile/Ducktails with Ben Daly and Etienne Duguay, out sometime on Not Not Fun. Also forthcoming from Not Not Fun is Ducktails' 7" split with Tomutonttu, and much more Ducktails on the way: a Not Not Fun LP, a Holy Mountain CD, and the Acres of Shade cassette on Arbor. Check out their non-Ducktails 7" track "Backyard" on their Myspace.

Knitting Factory

New Years Eve at the Knitting Factory was a sight - lots of bands, lots of people, and lots of fun. I got there in time for the Dirty Projectors, who sounded very good. This was apparently the last time they'll be playing songs from the Rise Above record, which is a bummer for some, but their version of "Depression" kicks. Deerhoof hopped around a lot and were generally fun, Deer Tick was stationed in a lower level so I missed him, but Akron/Family came on at midnite and really were spectacular, jamming out songs to dance to, crowd surfing, and producing euphoria and heat inside the venue, which was a stark contrast to how numbingly freezing it was outside.


Crowdsurfing w/ Deerhoof


Akron/Family Nuts


Akron/Family


Family