MUSIC: Glass Candy

Last Thursday I was at The Fillmore in SF to catch Panther (always awesome) open for Architecture in Helsinki (who were great), but what I didn't know was that I'd walk away with a new musical obsession. Glass Candy (Ida No and Johnny Jewel) hit me square in the face with death/disco/electronica; their show sounded amazing, their stage presence looked perfect. They've got 4 songs for free download over at their myspace page, here are the first two.

::: Glass Candy - Beautific (f/ 2007 Beatbox Tour CD)
::: Glass Candy - Digital Versicolor (f/ 2007 Beatbox Tour CD)

There is an absolute wealth of free downloads from previous Tour CDR's, sold-out 7-inch releases, and demos over at Glass Candy's official website. It's an absolute joy to see the songs take on new lives, following the growth and progression of a band. This website provided me with all kinds of excitement (I love the presentation and free distribution). Here are a couple sample tracks from an old tour CDR.

::: Glass Candy - Nite Nurses (f/ 2005 Tour CDR)
::: Glass Candy - Sugar & Whitebread (f/ 2005 Tour CDR)

As a thank you to the band for providing all those free tracks, you should buy a 7" single or CD, they've got a fantastic back catalog available. They've also got a new 12" out on Italians Do It Better, which you can pick up here. I would also suggest catching up with them on their current tour, which hits up most of the western states soon.

Nov 6 (Los Angeles @ The Troubador)
Nov 7 (Los Angeles @ The Troubador)
Nov 9 (Tucson @ Realto Theatre)
Nov 10 (Santa Fe @ The Moon)
Nov 12 (Norman @ Opolis)
Nov 13 (Denton @ Hailey's)
Nov 14 (Austin @ Emo's)
Nov 15 (New Orleans @ Republic)
Nov 17 (Houston @ The Backroom)
Nov 23 (Los Angeles @ Weekend Warriors)
Nov 24 (San Francisco @ Frisco Disco)
Nov 29 (Seattle @ Chop Suey)
Nov 30 (Portland @ Rotture)
Dec 7 (Miami @ Art Basel)

The most recent list will be up on their myspace page.

[Glass Candy official website.]
[Glass Candy on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to dearestchloe.]

Tags: mp3, music, glass candy, portland, panther, tour, electronica, death disco

CONTEST: Split 7-inch Vinyl (Manchester Orchestra & Annuals)

UPDATE: This contest has ended, congratulations to Ricky of Brooklyn and Aleece of Santa Rosa, CA!!! You can always find a direct link to the latest contest using the "current contest" link found in the sidebar.

Ahhh, contest time! Up for grabs this time is a copy of the brand spanking new tour-only split 7-inch released by Manchester Orchestra and Annuals in celebration of their co-headlining tour (here's a list of the dates). Each artist covers a song by the other on it (great trend), and they've been kind enough to provide mp3's of the tracks.

::: Annuals - Where Have You Been (Manchester Orchestra cover)
::: Manchester Orchestra - Brother (Annuals cover)

I've actually got TWO copies to give away! To win one of the records, simply send an email to macktronic (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line "SPLIT VINYL CONTEST" including your mailing address in the body of the email. Winners will be chosen at random on Friday November 9th. Good luck!

[Manchester Orchestra website.]
[Annuals website.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to madradjessica.]

Tags: mp3, music, cover, manchester orchestra, annuals, tour, contest, vinyl, free

MUSIC: The Counterlife

One of my favorite releases a couple years back was by a band out of Arkansas called Kings of New England, which sadly disbanded after the recording of the excellent On The Cusp. (You can still get a copy of that album though Robot Lake Records, and I suggest you do just that.) However, members of KONE have now formed a new band called The Counterlife and have just dropped a new EP titled Sing Song Sung, again on Robot Lake. Here are a couple tracks off the new release.

::: The Counterlife - Transubstantiation
::: The Counterlife - Away Out Is The Way In

In addition to the EP, they're embarking on an ambitious US tour. Here are the dates, I highly suggest catching a show if they're in your area.

Aug 2 - Odessa, Texas (Einstein's Revenge)
Aug 4 - Tucson, Arizona (Haus of Music and Art)
Aug 5 - Long Beach, California (The Que Sera)
Aug 7 - Pasadena, California (Old Towne Pub)
Aug 8 - Santa Barbara (Josh's House)
Aug 10 - Santa Barbara (TBA)
Aug 11/14 - Bay Area (TBA)
Aug 16 - Olympia, WA (Le Voyeur)
Aug 17 - Seattle, WA (TBA)
Aug 20 - Salt Lake City, UT (Anna's House Party)
Aug 21 - Salt Lake City, UT (Monk's)
Aug 24 - Ottumwa, IO (The Casbah)
Aug 27 - Des Moines, IO (Vaudeville Mews)
Aug 28 - Columbia, MO (The No Coast)
Aug 29 - Kansas City, MO (The Record Bar)
Aug 30 - St. Louis, MO (Lemp Arts Center)
Aug 31 - Springfield, MP (TBA)
Sep 8 - Tulsa, OK (Under The Mooch)

Keep an eye out on their myspace page for more dates and show details. You can order a copy of the EP by messaging the band (info here).

[The Counterlife on myspace.]
[Robot Lake Records on myspace.]
[Current macktronic contest.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: mp3, music, counterlife, tour, sing song sung