Nu Rave Brain Wave

One of our old-time favorite Los Angeles bands, from the first wave of bands we watched play all over the city before exploding across the world, Fool’s Gold will be hitting UK shores very soon with a stop in Brighton. They’re supporting their second LP Leave No Trace off the fantabulous IAMSOUND Records, and if you have never read my thoughts about Fool’s Gold, you’ll know they’re a band whose live show is unmissable.

For our Brighton readers, they’re playing the famous Audio on November 2nd and we’ve got TWO pairs of tickets from our friends at Brassneck Promotions to give away. All you need to do is email me at NURAVEBRAINWAVE@GMAIL.COM with some Fool’s Gold related subject line. Also, I’m not saying I can be bought off, but I do love pugs and any photos of them in cute Halloween costumes will be much appreciated. The deadline is October 29th, so have your emails in by then! If you don’t win, you can grab tickets for just £7.50 right HERE.

mp3: Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel

2010 has been a pretty fun year for music. Every year, I discover more music, better music, and sometimes it cracks me up to see how my music taste grows and differs as the years go by, but I think 2010 has been a great year for new bands and kickass albums. I’ve compiled my list of 10 albums that I really loved, 5 EPs that just got to me, and then 30 songs that I’ve called Top Songs, but they’re just 30 songs that I liked a hell of a lot and came to me as I thought about it and scanned carelessly through iTunes. It’s interesting to note that half of my favorite albums are from California bands.

Top 10 Albums of 2010

10 Ty Segall | Melted | Goner

mp3 :: Ty Segall - Melted

09 Woven Bones | In & Out & Back Again | Hozac

mp3 :: Woven Bones - I\'ve Gotta Get

08 Dead Ghosts | S/T | Florida’s Dying

mp3 :: Dead Ghosts - When It Comes To You

07 Heavy Hawaii | HH | Artfag Records

mp3 :: Heavy Hawaii - Teen Angel

06 The Strange Boys | Be Brave | In The Red

mp3 :: The Strange Boys - Be Brave

05 Fool’s Gold | Fool’s Gold | IAMSOUND Records

mp3 :: Fool\'s Gold - Surprise Hotel

04 Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo | Subpop

mp3 :: Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?

03 The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack | Mexican Summer

mp3 :: The Soft Pack - C\'Mon

02 Harlem | Hippies | Matador

mp3 :: Harlem - Friendly Ghost

01 Happy Birthday | Happy Birthday | Subpop

mp3 :: Happy Birthday - Girls FM

________________________________________________________________

Top 5 EPs of 2010

05 Monster Rally | Monster Rally EP | Self Released

mp3 :: Monster Rally - Maori Mai

04 Unouomedude | Marsh EP | Self Released

mp3 :: Unouomedude - Buildings

03 Caitlin Rose | Dead Flowers EP | Names Records

mp3 :: Caitlin Rose - Docket

02 Sex Beet | EP | TBA

mp3 :: Sex Beet - Sugar Water

(note: this is totally not the artwork, as this isn’t released yet, but the EP is too good to not be included on this list.)

01 The Growlers | Hot Tropics EP | Everloving

mp3 :: The Growlers - Graveyard\'s Full

________________________________________________________________

Top 30 Songs of 2010:

01 The Babies | Meet Me In The City | Listen

02 Happy Birthday | Perverted Girl | Listen

03 Sex Beet | Stay

04 Friends | Make It Better

05 The Meanest Boys | Strangest Things

06 Tennis | South Carolina | Listen

07 Spectrals | Leave Me Be | Listen

08 Family Trees | Dream Talkin’ | Listen

09 Cee Lo Green | Fuck You | Listen

10 Sonny & The Sunsets | Too Young To Burn | Listen

11 Beach Fossils| Sometimes | Listen

12 Woven Bones | Wanna Tell Ya | Listen

13 Ty Segall | Bullet Proof Nothing

14 Surfer Blood | Take It Easy | Listen

15 School Knights | Lunch Money

16 Happy Birthday | Subliminal Message | Listen

17 The Growlers | Sea Lion Goth Blues | Listen

18 Unouomedude | Buildings | Listen

19 The Strange Boys | Laugh At Sex (Not At Her) | Listen

20 Mind Spiders | World’s Destroyed

21 Fair Ohs | Hey Lizzy | Listen

22 Fergus & Geronimo | Girls With English Accents

23 French Kissing | You Just Don’t Know What Love Is For

24 Sweaters | Fruit On The Vine

25 Demon’s Claws | Fucked on K | Listen

26 Swampmeat | Brand New Cadillac

27 Gaoler’s Daughter | Meet You On The Other Side of the World

28 Shimmering Stars | I’m Gonna Try | Listen

29 My Pet Saddle | Il Fait Beau | Listen

30 Cults | Go Outside | Listen

Photo Courtesy of | Lindsay Best

There’s been a lot of hullabaloo in Brighton recently concerning venues and music levels and annoying, old residents who have a problem with art/kids/noise/fun, but on August 9th, none of that will matter. Our buddies over at Brassneck Music are bringing Los Angeles’ finest Afro-pop to Brighton. Fool’s Gold are coming down in the midst of this hot August to play the Downstairs bar at the Komedia in Brighton. If you’ve never seen Fool’s Gold live, you really need to get down and see them, they’ve got such a fun atmosphere, a collective experience of fun and joy – not to mention they’re album getting a solid 7/10 from me over at Drowned in Sound.

You can win a pair of tickets to Fool’s Gold’s debut Brighton show by emailing us at NuRaveBrainWave@gmail.com with the subject line Fool’s Gold (or something similar). Winner will be notified by email by August 7th.

FOOL’S GOLD
plus special guests
Aug. 9th, 2010
Komedia (Downstairs), Brighton
Tickets: £7 adv + bkg fee / motd
Doors: 7.30pm

Pick up tickets at Rounder Records / Resident Records / See Tickets / Ticketweb

mp3 | Fool\'s Gold - Suprise Hotel

Photo Courtesy of | Lindsay Best

There’s been a lot of hullabaloo in Brighton recently concerning venues and music levels and annoying, old residents who have a problem with art/kids/noise/fun, but on August 9th, none of that will matter. Our buddies over at Brassneck Music are bringing Los Angeles’ finest Afro-pop to Brighton. Fool’s Gold are coming down in the midst of this hot August to play the Downstairs bar at the Komedia in Brighton. If you’ve never seen Fool’s Gold live, you really need to get down and see them, they’ve got such a fun atmosphere, a collective experience of fun and joy – not to mention they’re album getting a solid 7/10 from me over at Drowned in Sound.

You can win a pair of tickets to Fool’s Gold’s debut Brighton show by emailing us at NuRaveBrainWave@gmail.com with the subject line Fool’s Gold (or something similar). Winner will be notified by email by August 7th.

FOOL’S GOLD
plus special guests
Aug. 9th, 2010
Komedia (Downstairs), Brighton
Tickets: £7 adv + bkg fee / motd
Doors: 7.30pm

Pick up tickets at Rounder Records / Resident Records / See Tickets / Ticketweb

mp3 | Fool\'s Gold - Suprise Hotel

Photo Courtesy of | Lindsay Best

There’s been a lot of hullabaloo in Brighton recently concerning venues and music levels and annoying, old residents who have a problem with art/kids/noise/fun, but on August 9th, none of that will matter. Our buddies over at Brassneck Music are bringing Los Angeles’ finest Afro-pop to Brighton. Fool’s Gold are coming down in the midst of this hot August to play the Downstairs bar at the Komedia in Brighton. If you’ve never seen Fool’s Gold live, you really need to get down and see them, they’ve got such a fun atmosphere, a collective experience of fun and joy – not to mention they’re album getting a solid 7/10 from me over at Drowned in Sound.

You can win a pair of tickets to Fool’s Gold’s debut Brighton show by emailing us at NuRaveBrainWave@gmail.com with the subject line Fool’s Gold (or something similar). Winner will be notified by email by August 7th.

FOOL’S GOLD
plus special guests
Aug. 9th, 2010
Komedia (Downstairs), Brighton
Tickets: £7 adv + bkg fee / motd
Doors: 7.30pm

Pick up tickets at Rounder Records / Resident Records / See Tickets / Ticketweb

mp3 | Fool\'s Gold - Suprise Hotel

Photo Courtesy of | Jon Behm

The amazing Fool’s Gold have finally announced their debut Brighton show and we here at NRBW couldn’t be more excited! We’re superstoked that the awesome people over at Brassneck are bringing them down to us. Their debut album (you may read my review at Drowned in Sound) will be one of my favorites of this year definitely – it already featured on my top records of the first half of 2010 – and their live show has never let me down. The way that they make everything feel like a communal, collective experience is wonderfully encompassing and it’s always been a gigantic dance party. This is a gig I wouldn’t miss for the life of me (hopefully, I don’t have to) as this band will surely be playing Concorde 2 very soon – if they don’t get big enough to skip our fair seaside town. Check out the information below and get tickets whilst you can!

FOOL’S GOLD | plus special guests
Aug. 9th, 2010 @ Komedia (Downstairs), Brighton
£7 adv / More on the Door / 7.30pm / 14+

On-sale now from: www.seetickets.com / www.gigantic.com / www.ticketweb.co.uk / in person from Resident & Rounder

mp3 | Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel

Yes, guys, it’s about that time. 2010 is halfway gone, although I don’t know how that happened, and I’ve already taken five 11 hour flights, been to Austin and back, and just generally did the thang, y’all. And I’ve racked up some awesome records that have soundtracked my life lately, and I thought I’d share some of the best one’s of 2010 and the ones that have the best chance of making my end of the year list too. This one has no particular order in mind, just what came to me. If the album name is linked, it’s because you can download a track from the album and hopefully purchase this excellent music.

Harlem | Hippies
Happy Birthday | Happy Birthday
Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo
Monster Rally | Monster Rally
Woven Bones | In & Out & Back Again
Fionn Regan | The Shadow of an Empire
The Strange Boys | Be Brave
Best Coast | Sun Was High 7”
Caitlin Rose | Dead Flowers EP
Fool’s Gold | Fool’s Gold
The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack
The Growlers | Daytrotter Session
Gaoler’s Daughter | The Only Way To Travel
Surfer Blood | Astrocoast
Neverever | Angelic Swells

The Strange Boys

If you read this blog regularly, you’re aware of our well-documented love of Austin’s own Strange Boys. Although we’ve not fallen for their second album as swiftly as we fell for their practically perfect ‘And Girls’ LP, we know that their live show will always deliver. They’ve got a new lineup – drummer, sax and Tim Pressley from Darker My Love and it will be interesting to see what they’ve got to offer on the live front now that the stage will be a little more crowded. They’re only playing the Wednesday so they can carry on the rest of their US tour, so be sure to check them out early, while you can.

DOWNLOAD ->The Strange Boys – Be Brave

Harlem

Harlem has been one of my favorite new musical discoveries of the year. You can probably guess what they’re like – lo-fi, garagey music with “hidden” pop tunes. Harlem’s new record ‘Hippies’ is filled with some of the catchiest songs I’ve heard all year long – ‘Friendly Ghost’ is witty and prime for shouting along to; ‘Tila and I’ and ‘Gay Human Bones’ stand out as best of ‘Hippies’. I wouldn’t miss Austin-via-Tucson’s Harlem who will be one of the standouts this year.

DOWNLOAD -> Harlem – Friendly Ghost

Magic Kids

Magic Kids are, to me, kind of what Los Campesinos! were in 2008. They’re a little bit twee, a lot quirky, but all in all a ton of fun. They also have extremely catchy songs – well, the two that I’ve been addicted to were, at any rate. If I was to guess, I’d say they’re going to wind up as just a kitchy little band, not go the way LC! have really, but that’s not to say they won’t put on a fun show in Austin, so I’d catch them, but only if you have the time.

DOWNLOAD -> Magic Kids – Superball

Fool’s Gold

Another NRBW live favorite, Fool’s Gold is going to be playing this years SXSW again. We loved their debut album ‘Fool’s Gold’ with its sense of whimsy, rhythm and communal experience – I even gave it like a 7/10 or something on DiS! – and can’t wait to see how they’ve improved as a live band since we saw them last April. If you’re looking to dance or if you want to have a really fun, uplifting, communal live experience – Fool’s Gold will fulfill that need beautifully.

DOWNLOAD -> Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel

Surfer Blood

The more I listen to ‘Astrocoast’ the more taken I am with this band – what started out as a casual listen has blossomed into something much more. There’s something instantly likable about their polished tunes – perhaps it’s the voice that owes more to Panda Bear than Cole Alexander, perhaps its the danceable instrumentation, or the delicate heartbreak layed bare throughout the album or even the wit and charm (“Coupled with a weakness for cocaine and liquor”, anyone?) of the entire album. I don’t know which of those things it is but ‘Astrocoast’ is growing on me and lucky for us, Surfer Blood is playing about 5 times a day during SXSW so hopefully everyone will have the chance to catch them.

DOWNLOAD -> Surfer Blood – Take It Easy

She Keeps Bees

Lo-fi, bedroom, sexy… What can I say about She Keeps Bees? The interplay between the members, the blues, the dirtiness of the recordings – it all comes together in a really messy little package that’s practically bursting with delight. Jessica’s vocals are beautiful and tortured on record and I can’t wait to see how they translate live. The simplicity and the timeliness of their songs is sure to make a memorable set – don’t miss out on this band – I was forced to on Valentines Day and I’ve been depressed ever since.

DOWNLOAD -> She Keeps Bees – Gimmie (Live)

Lissie

I’m gonna be straight up honest here – I don’t know a lot about Lissie. But what I do know is that the girl has an enchanting voice. A lot of people reference like 70s Laurel Canyon talking about her – and I have to agree a little bit. There’s something a little country backwoods about her (perhaps it’s because she lives in Ojai) but there’s also something really contemporary, something like female-Fionn-Regan about her. I am basing this recommendation on the strength of her Bob Dylan cover of ‘To Ramona’. Give it a listen. If you’re not taken with her voice, well, you suck.

DOWNLOAD -> Lissie – To Ramona (cover of Bob Dylan)

‘Surprise Hotel’, the opener to their self titled debut, is a gem, plain and simple. The opening riff immediately encompasses you with dreamy and sunny whimsy, floating along until the beat joins in and you’re hooked. Sure, the guitar shines brightly but the rest of the collective hardly fall into the background – the rhythm sections join harmoniously to drive the song forward, Luke Top’s Hebrew vocals hovering over the music with an aching quality, and the handclaps mesh perfectly. It’s as close to perfect as Fool’s Gold gets, and this song soundtracked most of the summer for me – ‘Surprise Hotel’ is as luminous and catchy as anything coming out of LA.

‘Nadine’ is a close second to being best song on the album, the polyrhythm keeping it interesting and providing the backing for the drip-drop bass, while the exuberant horns offset the intense longing arising from Top’s vocals. ‘Ha Dvash’ is as triumphant as the previous two songs – radiant and ripe for finger-snapping in time to the rhythm, Top’s tones melding perfectly with the music, creating a beautiful trifecta of songs to open a very successful albums.

READ THE REST OF MY FOOL’S GOLD REVIEW @ DROWNED in SOUND