Written And Directed By Tom Scharpling
Producers: Robert Hatch-Miller & Puloma Basu

Cast: Jon Wurster, Julie Klausner, Kevin Corrigan, Wyatt Cenac, Horatio Sanz, Ted Leo, John Hodgman, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Todd Barry, Donald Glover, Esther Crowe, Michael Lisk, Gabe Delahaye, Max Silvestri, Jay Norton, David Rosenblatt, Terre T., Anna Copacabana, Rob Cuthill, Brian Turner, Alex Scordelis, Jonathan Fernandez, Therese Mahler, Candace Mills, Christina Stanley, Christine Tadler, Owinema Biu, Chris Spooner, Jacob Wolk

Esben and the Witch - Violet Cries

Violet Cries is the full-length debut from Esben and the Witch, and it’s been launched on the ever-effervescent Matador Records. It’s a brooding, self-reflective release and it’s hard to catch the vision sometimes. Those difficulties are quelled throughout, but lingering doubts harm the effectiveness of this record.

Esben and the Witch – “Warpath” (download)
Download audio file (warpath.mp3)

Throughout Violet Cries, I’m never sure whether something more exciting is going to come into play — and that’s after several listens. When the pace gets frenzied, I almost expect something bombastic and vibrant, but instead, Esben and the Witch stay the course.

It’s hard not to be impressed by this debut, but it’s also hard to fully enjoy it during the first few listens. I can’t complain about the result, and while it was a hard one to dig into, but I’ve since gained a real appreciation of it.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departed

My love for The Rural Alberta Advantage is not really a secret. Their full-length, Hometowns, held a very special place in my record player, and it was easily one of my most-listened albums of 2009, when it was reissued. When Departed was announced, I became, well, a little giddy. I don’t think this should come as too much of a surprise — I get giddy at the merest mention of new things from bands I enjoy, and when it’s a band I have an unabashed affection toward, make no mistakes: I’m like a little school girl. Well, I mean, I’m like a little school girl in some respects, not all.

At any rate, I snagged an e-mail this morning from Paper Bag Records advertising a track from the upcoming Departed, which is due out March 1. I jumped from the couch I’d fallen asleep on, grabbed my laptop, and the listening took off.

The track is “Stamp,” and it takes The Rural Alberta Advantage forward on the same path they’d been forging with their excellent 2008-2009 outing. “Stamp” is brash effort in the vein you’d expect from the group, but there’s something fresh here. There’s an apparent cynicism that belies the innocence of Hometowns; the tone is brazenly sardonic. Instrumentally, this is essentially par for the course, though there are some new elements that really help the track succeed. We’ve still got the little bits of silence you’ve come to expect,

Snag the track on Paper Bag Records or via Saddle Creek Records above.

Tour dates

December 15 – Hamilton, ON – The Casbah
December 16 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
December 17 – Montreal, PQ – Il Motore
December 18 – Ottawa, ON – Ritual Nightclub
January 12  - New York, NY – Mercury Lounge (sold out)
March 9 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Cafe
March 10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
March 11 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
March 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
March 13 – Washington, DC – Rock ‘n Roll Hotel
March 14 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
March 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
March 17-19 – Austin, TX TBA SXSW
March 20 – Dallas, TX The Loft
March 22 – Ames, IA – Maintenance Shop at Iowa State University
March 23 – Milwaukee, WI – Mad Planet
March 24 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
March 25 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
March 26 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

Keith Canisius - This Time It's Our High

Here’s a bit of fun, engaging shoegazey stuff for you. It’s Keith Canisius, dream pop craftsman, with something from his second release, This Time It’s Our High. Check it out; it comes highly recommended.

Keith Canisius — “The Beach House” from This Time It’s Our High | download
Download audio file (KeithCanisius-TheBeachHouse.mp3)

Photo by Martin Hausler, courtesy of Sneak Attack Media

Jack Dishel (or, if you will, Yevgeny Leondovich Dishel) — best known as the former Moldy Peaches guitarist, is off to those indie rock races again, this time on his own under the name Only Son, and this time with a new album. As a preview for his forthcoming Searchlight, to be released Jan. 18, 2011, check out “Magic.” If the rest of the album continues with this pop nous, there will be something very good here, no doubt. For a video of the track, read after the jump, or just check out this mp3.

Only Son — “Magic” from Searchlight | download
Download audio file (magic.mp3)