The Obsession of the Week is Japandroids, a garage rock band from Vancouver British Colombia. Hearing their song “Young Hearts Spark Fire” is like a jolt to the chest. There debut album Post Nothing has quickly become one of my favorite albums of the year. They are currently touring, and you can check out their tour dates after the cut.

Young Hearts Spark Fire http://www.neonnightsla.com/music/younghearts.mp3

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Jul 10 2009 9:00P
CAMEO GALLERY BROOKYLN, NY
Jul 11 2009 9:00P
PIANO’S NEW YORK, NY
Jul 12 2009 9:00P
GREAT SCOTT BOSTON, MA
Jul 14 2009 9:00P
CLUB LAMBI MONTREAL, QC
Jul 15 2009 9:00P
OTTAWA BLUESFEST OTTAWA, ON
Jul 16 2009 9:00P
EL MOCAMBO TORONTO, ON
Jul 18 2009 9:00P
SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL CONEY ISLAND, NY
Jul 19 2009 9:00P
PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL CHICAGO, IL
Jul 20 2009 9:00P
VAUDEVILLE MEWS DES MOINES, IA
Jul 21 2009 9:00P
HI-DIVE DENVER, CO
Jul 23 2009 9:00P
NEUROLUX BOISE, ID
Jul 25 2009 9:00P
CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY SEATTLE, WA
Jul 28 2009 9:00P
HOLOCENE PORTLAND, OR
Jul 29 2009 9:00P
BLUE LAMP SACRAMENTO, CA
Jul 30 2009 9:00P
SODA BAR SAN DIEGO, CA
Jul 31 2009 9:00P
SPACELAND LOS ANGELES, CA
Aug 1 2009 9:00P
HOWIE & SON’S VISALIA, CA
Aug 2 2009 9:00P
HEMLOCK SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Aug 7 2009 9:00P
RICKSHAW THEATRE VANCOUVER, BC
Aug 8 2009 9:00P
KEXP BBQ SEATTLE, WA

Tomorrow, if you’re in the Los Angeles area you should make your way down to the Geronimo and Kidviskous sample sale taking place at Pehrspace in Echo Park. The event will be taking place from 12pm-5pm, and it will be your opportunity to score some great stuff at sample sale prices. This will also be a preview for the Geronimo Fall Collection. There will be complimentary drinks and a Dj set from Aaron Castle.

Geronimo/Kidviskous Sample Sale
Pehrspace Gallery
325 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca

-Mikey

Sheena Matheiken has vowed to wear just one dress for an entire year.  An “exercise in sustainable fashion,” Matheiken has created The Uniform Project to prove that one can be fashionable and inventive without being wasteful. She will actually have  6 dresses, but they’re all the same uniform, which she will change up with “accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies.”

This experiment is also a fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots organization that aims to bring education to children in the slums of India.

Check out The Uniform Project website to donate money and accessories.

–Valentina

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Posted in Green Scene, On TT's Radar, Uncategorized Tagged: Akanksha Foundation, sheena matheiken, sustainable fashion, uniform project

The Watson Twins join Davy Rothbart and his Found Magazine‘s Denim and Diamonds Tour when it comes to the Largo at the Coronet on June 24th.  Hitting 55 cities, the tour is in celebration of the release of Requiem for a Paper Bag and includes music from Peter Rothbart, who performs Found-themed songs.

They’ll be sharing new notes, letters, death threats and other found objects.  I saw this show in Ann Arbor last month, and I wholeheartedly endorse it–it’s totally funny. Plus, the Watson Twins to boot.

See ticket info on the Largo site.

–Valentina

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Lady Gaga has just released her mini movie video clip for her next single “Paparazzi.” The nearly 8 minute long video was directed by Jonas Äkerlund (Madonna, Prodigy) and features a muderous plot line that leaves you with a big smirk on your face.

Lady Gaga is fast becoming a fashion trendsetting diva, and it shows big time in this video. The costumes- some of which Gaga designs herself push the envelope and are anything but boring.  Even if you dont like Lady Gaga, who currently graces the cover
of Rollingstone, the video is still a must watch.

-Mikey

–Mikey

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It’s been 2 years since Castledoor arrived on the scene in Los Angeles. For some reason,  I have always missed seeing them live, so I finally caught them at their free Monday night residency at Spaceland. I have to say, oh boy have I been missing out on one of the best live bands Los Angeles has to offer.

The band seems poised for far bigger stages than Spaceland. They have just released their debut album Shouting at Mountains and have a few more shows left at their Spaceland residency, which should not be missed if you’re in the Los Angeles area.

Skipping Stepping Stones

See tour dates after the cut.

-Mikey

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Jun 1 2009 9:00P
Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Jun 8 2009 9:00P
Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Jun 15 2009 9:00P
Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Jun 22 2009 9:00P
Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Jun 25 2009 8:00P
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco, California
Jun 26 2009 9:00P
Blue Lamp Sacramento, California
Jun 29 2009 9:00P
Spaceland Los Angeles, California

I was lucky enough to find out about The Chain and the Gang show in the nick of time this past Friday. Ian Svenonius’ (of The Make-Up and Nation of Ulysses) new band includes Sarah Pedal (SLA), Brian Weber (Dub Narcotic Sound System), Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me), and Bret Lyman (Bad Thoughts), and they didn’t disappoint. At all.

Svenonius took on that soul-drenched preacher persona that he does so well, pairing it with a hard driving, murky beat a la The Standells. The message was palatably political and delivered with Svenonius’ usual sense of conviction and humor as he railed against “fast food, bad architecture, materialism, rampant greed, environmental destruction, imperial conquest, class struggle,” all of which he says have become “synonymous with ‘liberty’”.

The short set left the crowd wanting more and included “Reparations”, “What is a Dollar”, and the assasinati-themed “Deathbed Confession” from Chain’s debut album Down with Liberty…Up with Chains!, which can be purchased on the K Records site and iTunes.

In short: Svenonius still has it.  Chain and the Gang’s LA debut was as compelling as any Make-Up show, with the same amount of energy and fervor. And he still makes you want to dance.  It’s a shame the show wasn’t jam-packed, you’d expect a larger crowd considering how influential Svenonius has been. No respect!  It’s also a little suprising since Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System) was also in tow with his new band, The Hive Dwellers.

You can still see the remaining dates of the tour, which end June 1 in Olympia, Washington.  See the dates after the cut.

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–Valentina

May 27, 2009 – Eureka, California
Accident Gallery – w/ The Hivedwellers (Calvin Johnson)

May 28, 2009 – Portland, Oregon
Rotture – w/ The Hivedwellers (Calvin Johnson), Wallpaper

May 29, 2009 – Seattle, Washington
The Vera Project – w/ The Hivedwellers (Calvin Johnson), Wallpaper

May 30, 2009 – Vancouver, British Columbia
little mountain studios – 195 E.26TH AVENUE – w/ The Hivedwellers (Calvin Johnson), Rose Melberg

May 31, 2009 – Anacortes, Washington
The Department of Safety – w/ The Hivedwellers (Calvin Johnson), Wallpaper

Jun 1, 2009 – Olympia, Washington
Northern – 321 4th Ave. – w/ The Hive Dwellers (Calvin Johnson) and Wallpaper

Posted in Music Tagged: calving johnson, chain and the gang, ian Svenonius, Make-up, the smell

The Obsession of the Week is Dark Night of the Soul, which is the collaboration of Dangermouse and Sparklehorse with various other musicians. This audio visual project was to be released this summer, but legal issues between Dangermouse and his label have basically scrapped the project.

Fear not, however,  it will still be released as a book with images shot by David Lynch. The book will have a limited run of 5000 on May 29th. You can pre-order it here . The album has leaked
all over the internet and the book will come with a blank CD-R so that you can do with it what you will.

The album features a very talented line up of singers, including Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), James Mercer (The Shins) and Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) to name a few. Check out a song from the album and the tracklisting below.

Dark Night of the Soul- Little Girl (featuring Julian Casablancas)

Dark Night of the Soul Tracklisting:
01. Revenge (feat. Wayne Coyne)
02. Just War (feat. Gruff Rhys)
03. Jaykub (feat. Jason Lytle)
04. Little Girl (feat. Julian Casablancas)
05. Angel’s Harp (feat. Black Francis)
06. Pain (feat. Iggy Pop)
07. Star Eyes (I Can Catch It) (feat. James Mercer)
08. Everytime I’m With You (feat. Jason Lytle)
09. Insane Lullaby (feat. James Mercer)
10. Daddy’s God (feat. Nina Persson)
11. The Man Who Played God (feat. Nina Persson)
12. Grain Augury (feat. Vic Chesnutt)
13. Dark Night Of The Soul (feat. Vic Chesnutt)

–Mikey

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It’s rare that I see a Swedish design that I don’t love, and these dresses by Whyred are no exception. I want them all…now! You have to do some work to find the label started by these former H&M designers on American sites, but it’s possible–there are a few pieces from the Spring/Summer collection on Opening Ceremony and Revolve Clothing, but they don’t come cheap.  Good luck!

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Posted in Consume This, Designer Spotlight Tagged: dresses, H&M, revolve clothing, swedish, whyred