This is traditionally a pretty slow time for music. Everyone is getting their feet back under them from the holidays, there aren't many bands putting out albums, and even less are ready to get back out and start touring. The news cycle in general is still pretty weak, and music has it no different. Nonetheless, we're starting a new feature this week recapping the biggest stories in rock around this town every Friday. So...
New Goes Cube EP
One of the loudest local bands around is also one of our favorites, and they are certainly not afraid to drop a booming new EP in the quiet first week of the new year. The self released disc contains 7 songs of brutal, unrelenting, yet delicately measured post-hardcore jams that have been taking the paint off of every local club for the last year. Already off to a great start, 2007 should be big for these three. We have been big supporters of these guys, between their Band of the Week status to the Movable Hype appearance last year. Get a feel of what they're all about in the video from our show last year, and if you like what you see, be sure to pick up the album at insound.
The Arcade Fire returns to New York
It was inevitable, of course, that the biggest band in the blog era would be back sooner or later, but 16 months after they last left Summerstage with David Bowie in tow, The Arcade Fire is finally set to return. They will play 5 nights in February at the 400 capacity Judson Church on Washington Square South. If this is the first you're hearing about it...um, sorry. Tickets for all 5 shows went on sale this morning and basically sold out in seconds. While it's always a thrill watching the Craigslist market lose its shit over tickets to see this band, if you missed out this time, it's probably best you save your scalper money. They'll be back soon enough to officially support their upcoming album. On the other hand, if you have a Spare Nintendo Wii, a soft spot for orphans, or just some good old fashioned loose morals, knock yourselves out. We'd love to hear some stories.
Brit 'Buzz' band The View come to town
(pic via The Modern Age)
I think we, as a independent music listening community in New York City, are just about over the whole post-Libertines, NME-hyped brit-rock thing. At least for the time being. The View are the British band du-jour, and they came to New York this week playing 2 back-to-back shows at The Mercury Lounge. Now usually a band, especially one who doesn't even have a domestic record out, gets this type of booking by riding into town on a wave of serious buzz and grassroots excitement. Maybe it was the Holiday hangover, but the general mood here about these boys was pretty...meh. Most bloggers we spoke to felt a sort of going-through-the-motions obligation to check out the band that wrote one of NME's top 10 songs of the year, but there wasn't anyone we could find that was genuinely excited about their arrival. Nonetheless, the curiosity got enough people out to the club anyway, and it turns out that they were really young, but not that bad after all. No band fitting this mold and following the year the Arctic Monkeys had will seem a fraction as significant, but this probably won't be the last we hear of these kids in the states.
The OC is Dead
Long live the OC! It had it's moment and was truly great for a time, but nobody is sad to see it go in its current state. The show meant a lot to us over the years, and in no way more than musically. It stayed remarkably current when it came to their music selection, even to the point of cliché, and it was always a thrill to hear a song by one of your favorite emerging artists getting played in the background of a scene. Over the years, we asked many of the bands we interviewed, if given the opportunity would they appear on the show. Gothamist A&E Editor Jen Carlson compiled a list of all the band's answers right around when the show started it's final descent into dull irrelevance (AKA The beginning of Season 3). Check em out here.
