Upcoming Shows: The Wake, Grooms + more

Tonight!! Thursday, July 7

Ex-Humans, Liquor Store, the Fucking Ocean @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
This show is gonna be rad.  It's punk music and it's brutal. Ex-Humans make catchy but not-nice garage punk.  Meanwhile, the Fucking Ocean are as cool as their name - that post-hardcore combination of sheer punk energy with the intensity, weight and complexity of metal (up to a point).  One could call it noise rock.  One must call it sick. [ex video] [liquor video] [the fucking video] ::details::

Other Shows
School Knights, the Hairs, Radical Dads @ Shea Stadium
Mahogany @ Webster Studio


Tomorrow!! Friday, July 8

The Wake @ South Street Seaport * Financial Distract, Manhattan * Free!!!
The Wake are a British post punk band who were signed to seminal UK post punk label Factory Records, the imprint most famous for Joy Division.  They are moody sonsabitches who sound like a not-quite-so-good Joy Division, like everyone else on Factory at that time.  BUT being not quite as good as Joy Division is something even the best bands must live with (as a young Bono once noted).  The Wake are also an indie pop band who were signed to seminal UK indie pop label Sarah Records, the label that brought us twee (shambling, anorak) pop.  Their later work fit in well on Sarah, but it did retain some of the post punk darkness that had dominated their early records.  And although they became "indie pop," only later in their original lifespan, they were both indie and pop from the beginning, constructing masterful pop songs from the get-go.  Along with Josef K, The Wake are the missing link between the gloom of 1979 post punk (Joy Division, Public Image Ltd) and the shambling pop of 1987 (Heavenly, the Field Mice).  The two most important original members are reunited and you should go hear them.  Anyway, it's free.  C'mon. ::details::

Other Shows
Balun @ Cameo ($8)
True Womanhood @ Shea Stadium
10,000 Maniacs @ City Winery
Xray Eyeballs, Beets, PC Worship @ Death By Audio ($7)


Saturday, July 9

Grooms, Pterodactyl @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
This is Grooms' record release show.  Grooms are a dissonant experimental band that sometimes sound like Sonic Youth. They're pop smart, though, with hooks aplenty, even if those hooks are a bit disorienting.  Pterodactyl are a noise rock band who lace three vocal lines around rapidly twinkling (often) tapped guitar.  They've slowed down their frantic pace to give their post punk inclinations room to breathe and have been playing around with deeper, lazier grooves.  (They've got a surprisingly good calypso-inflected song.)  But even at their more relaxed pace, they've still got more energy than...CodEdison?  Sorry.  I need to learn not to start metaphors I can't finish.  [grooms video] [ptero video] ::details::

Other Shows
Ted Leo @ South Street Seaport (free!)
Pop 1280 @ Bruar Falls ($8)
10,000 Maniacs @ City Winery


Sunday, July 10

Pow Wow! @ South Street Seaport * Financial District, Manhattan * free afternoon show!
This show isn't exactly to die for, but it's free, which makes it infinitely more appealing.  Pow Wow are a pretty good young indie-pop/noise-pop/lo-fi (otherwise known as typical indie rock) band who are fun and good at writing songs. [video] ::details::


Tuesday, July 12

Animal Collective, Black Dice @ Prospect Park * Prospect Park, Brooklyn * Sold out!!
Animal Collective are a band who make strange noises with synths and their own vocal chords (among other things).  They are dorky and like animals.  You've probably heard of them because they're very famous.  Black Dice are a highly experimental avant-noise thingy that personally I'm not that into.  I mean, I'm not that into Black Dice, I'm very into experimental avant-noise thingies when other people do it.  But Black Dice are respectable at least. [animal video] [dice video] ::details::

Cold Cave @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
Cold Cave are a loud synth band who want to make your ears bleed but also want to make you dance.  They're very 80's British synthpop, but their music has also got a no wave flavor in their icy, inhuman sound.  Their melodies are delicious but something going on is unsettling.  In a good way. [video] ::details::

Anni Rossi (not headlining) @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Anni Rossi is a lady who plays viola like it's an electric guitar.  If I told you how cool she was, you probably wouldn't believe me so you'll have to find out for yourself. [video] ::details::

Other Shows
Slick Rick @ Crotona Park (free!)
Hilly Eye @ Bruar ($6)
Bill Callahan @ Bowery Ballroom


The long view...

July
14
Patti Smith @ Castle Clinton (free!)
Joan Jett @ Coney Island (free!)
Tune-Yards @ River Rocks (free!)
Marly Marl @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Gary War, K-Holes, Pop. 1280 @ Union Hall ($8)
Superchunk, Off!, Lemuria @ House of Vans (free with RSVP!)

15
Radio Dept., Asobi Seksu (shoegaze/ambient pop) @ South Street Seaport

16
Company Flow (without the slightest exaggeration, the greatest underground rappers of all time), Juggaknots @ Santos Party House ($20)
4 Knots Festival: Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Obits, Eleanor Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces) + more
Pygmy Shrews @ Union Pool
Oneida @ Monster Island Basement

18
K-Holes, Hunters, Zulus @ Death By Audio ($7)

19
Kool Moe Dee (one of the first and best rappers of all time) @ Queensbridge (free!)

20
Talk Normal @ Glasslands ($10)
Torche @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg

21
Funkmaster Flex, Nore(aga) @ Queensbridge (free!)
Gang Gang Dance @ Rocks Off Cruises

22
Death From Above 1979 @ Williamsburg Waterfront ($43)

23
The Feelies, Real Estate, Times New Viking @ Prospect Park (free!)
Heartless Bastards (acoustic) @ Mercury Lounge (sold out!)

24
Heartless Bastards (acoustic) @ Mercury Lounge
Swirlies, Psychedelic Horseshit @ Beekman Beer Garden (free afternoon show!)
Black Francis (Pixies) @ Le Poisson Rouge
Vaz, Mattress @ Bruar Falls

28
Walt Mink (great 90's indie band that split up over 10 years ago) @ Bell House
Shilpa Ray @ Shea Stadium

29
West Memphis Three Benefit with Dez Cadena @ Southpaw
Black Lips @ Bowery Ballroom


August
2
Sugarhill Gang @ Tappan Park (free!)
Sufjan Stevens @ Prospect Park

6
Cold Cave @ Bowery Ballroom
Crystal Antlers @ Glasslands ($10)
Total Slacker, Darlings, Beets @ Shea Stadium

7
Friendly Fires, Cults @ Central Park (free!)

8
The Kills, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Terminal 5

9
The Kills, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Terminal 5

12
Sonic Youth, Wild Flag (ex-Sleater-Kinney), Kurt Vile @ Williamsburg Waterfront ($40)
*CANCELED* Streets, El-P @ Terminal 5

21
Rakim, EPMD @ Central Park (free!)
Jeff the Brotherhood (not headlining) @ Le Poisson Rouge ($18)

22
Deerhunter, Eleanor Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces) @ Webster Hall

23
Deerhunter, Eleanor Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces) @ Webster Hall

25
Wavves @ East River Park (free!)


September
8
TV on the Radio @ Williamsburg Waterfront ($48)

23
The Descendents @ Roseland Ballroom

27
Swans @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

30
X @ Irving Plaza


October
1
X @ Irving Plaza

4
The Horrors @ Webster Hall

15
Wild Flag (ex-Sleater-Kinney) @ Bell House

18
Wild Flag (ex-Sleater-Kinney) @ Bowery Ballroom

22
The Damned @ Irving Plaza

29
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) @ Town Hall (sold out!)