I'm down here in the mystical mountains of Harrisonburg covering MACRoCk, and it's such a daggum beautiful day here that I figured I'd give y'all a little treat, a nice little ditty that feels totally at home and at peace here amongst the spectacular natural scenery of the Shenandoah.
The generosity of Thieving Irons has led them to decide to start offering free songs hither and thither, and the first such freebie is a gorgeous, stripped-down version of the fantastic "Tow The Line." It's amazing how different a song can sound given a rejigging, and this here version sounds like a completely new song. It's a languid daydream of a song, and I think you're agree it's rather lovely. Make sure you sign up to get more info on the forthcoming free tracks. And don't forget to pick up a copy of the record while you're at it.
Raise your hands, my little daddy-os, if you ever get in the mood for that whole Spector-fied, girl group sound? Yeah, good. What about the poofy prom dress, poofy bouffant slowdance vibe of the late 50s/early 60s? You too? Ok, well, now throw in some 70s glam...as in, perhaps, some New York Dolls, complete with lipstick and all. If you're still holding up your hand, you will unquestionably adore Hunx & His Punx. If you don't love "Lovers Lane," I'll eat my kitten heel. Ok, probably not, but just go ahead and take a bite of Hunx. The album Too Young To Be In Love is out as of yesterday, so make sure you snap it up quick-like.
Lo and behold, the 80s, decade of bad fashion and frightening hair though it was, have proven to be ripely inspirational for a whole generation of bands now churning out some lovely, lovely music. Latest case in point: Craft Spells.
"You Should Close The Door" reminds me a whole lot of a lo-fi, bedroom version of the glorious New Order gem "Ceremony." Not so much in terms of lyrical content, but the arch beauty of the bringing together of sounds both mournful and uplifting, and those certain transcendent moments you'll hear in both songs. Heck, the cover of the Craft Spells record even calls to mind New Order's rose-covered Power, Corruption & Lies. Worthy inspiration for a very worthy band. Mama like.
Sad but true: I've never been to Ireland (Northern or otherwise). However, if Girls Names is any indication, I'm missing out. This band cherrypicks bits and bobs from the best of the best (you might hear shades of Orange Juice, Josef K, The Zombies, and even Joy Division), and "Seánce on a Wet Afternoon" is oh so wonderful, from the underlying slightly sinister surfiness to the fuzz that hallmarks so many great older records. Girls Names wears their inspiration very, very well.
This song is impossible to resist, and I eagerly await the Girls Names invasion. New record Dead To Me is out soon on Slumberland, which is rapidly becoming one of my most favorite labels.
So there I was, out and about earlier this week, when what should happen to come on the jukebox but the classic Gun Club song "Sex Beat?" Naturally, it made me remember the message Luke Sex Beet had sent me a little while back, proffering a new ditty of theirs that was, as he put it, cleaner than other stuff I've heard. Fear not, loves, he didn't mean cleaned up musically. Just production-wise.
The song comes from a split with Human Eye, and that band's somewhat campy, 50s b-movie done modern track "Martian Girl" isn't half bad either. But Sex Beet proves themselves winners once again with their sleazy, somewhat snarling take on a girl group gem gone so very rightly wrong. In my book, singing about breaking hearts is where it's at. I already love these dudes, now it's your turn.
As I've already said, I'm itching for a little warm (er) weather around these parts. It's March, and I'm sick of my winter coats (as fabulously tweedy as they are). Since my trip to California isn't for over a month, and the weather isn't cooperating, I have to get my warmth on some other way. One such way is listening to my oh-so favorite Michiganians, Valentiger.
Their second record Oh, To Know! will be out oh-so soon, which is certainly cause for celebration. If you're not yet familiar with the trio from the Wolverine State, well, you're in for quite a treat. "Into The Sun" brings their twangy folk jangle pop to a whole new level of awesome, and calls to mind lazy afternoons spent sipping spiked lemonade and swinging from ropes into the local watering hole. And that glorious horn sound makes me think of Van Morrison performing at The Band's Last Waltz. Sensational. They're doing a tour of Midwesterly spots on their way to and from SXSW, and the threat of another East Coast assault in the Summer has been made. Listen and love, my friends. Listen and love.
Y'all know I kinda majorly love me some Beach Fossils. But really, what's not to love? Keep an eye on my Top 70, because they're a-comin, believe you me. Not a band to contentedly rest on their laurels, Beach Fossils is prepping for the release of their latest and greatest EP, What A Pleasure, out February 22 on Captured Tracks.
From the new EP, "Calyer" has all the hallmarks of a sublime Beach Fossils song - from the effervescent jangle of the guitar to the lo-fi feel of the whole dang thing to the slightly monotone vocals. It's all there, and has me plenty excited for this here EP. What a pleasure, indeed.
Word on the street is that there's a little football game going on in wintry Dallas in a matter of hours. I haven't paid all that much attention, since none of the teams I kinda like made it to the Super Bowl, but figured I can throw my two cents out all the same. Truth is, I like neither Pittsburgh nor Green Bay, however, I dislike Pittsburgh more. So, for today anyway, I'm a (temporary) cheesehead. It's not so bad, really. I like cheese. And my best friend from college lives in Wisconsin. And there's a former Alabama guy on the roster...
Digressions aside, in honor of my brief stint as a Packers supporter, I thought it was the perfect time to post this here song from Locksley. The Wisconsin natives penned a totally adorable little poppy gem called "Oh, Wisconsin!" and it's too cute not to post. Plus, if you make a donation when you download, the money will go to one of several Wisconsin-based charities. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool. So go on. Do good whilst you rock out (wearing your cheese proudly on your head). Go Pack.
So, I'm a little bummed out here kids. I somehow managed to just put two and two together and realized that seeing as I can't actually be in two places at once (come on, science, help a girl out), I'm going to miss the Mogwai show here in DC in April. The California sunshine will probably help me ease this case of the show-missing sads, I'm sure, and I'm also pretty sure this here song will sound amazing live. Dangit.
As with many a Mogwai song, "San Pedro" is brutal, cruel, and relentlessly noisy. A wall of merciless loudness comes at you from all sides, and it hurts so very good.
It's been touted as the most expensive single ever made, and it's certainly going to set the bar for fancy schmancy releases. Seeing as we endorse extravagance here at LET, I figured this warranted attention. But DATAROCK's new jam, "Catcher In The Rye," might also be one of the most fun songs ever made. Naturally, I appreciate the literary Salinger shoutout, but the song itself is ridiculous. In a good way, of course. It's like an 80s dance party exploded into a volcano of sparkly confetti and Adidas tracksuits and big, big silly Flock of Seagulls hair. It's an instant party. And seemingly, there ain't no party like a wacky Norwegian party, y'all.
Nashville is rapidly turning into one of those towns that just keeps on churnin' out killer band after killer band. Long known for country, there's a whole bunch of Nashvillians who've been bringing the rock over the past few months. JEFF (or Jeff, if you're not down with all caps) The Brotherhood is one of the best of the bunch.
I've been a fan since seeing them play one heck of a show with The Woggles a little while ago. These two dudes (brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall) beat the hell out of their respective instruments, and their sludgy, swampy hazy-crazy rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrock never fails to bring a smile to my face. And for you kids in the UK and Ireland, the dudes are finishing up a tour. Make sure you get out to see them. You won't be disappointed.
People have been yelling "Geronimo!" before plunging themselves into pools/other bodies of water for who knows how long. So in a way, I guess it's perhaps fitting that this here new ditty by Denton, TX musicos Fergus & Geronimo makes one feel like you're twisting the night away (and the early morning, too) at a crazy fun beach or pool party (or perhaps both, which would be crazy). Wherein, of course, somebody has to yell "Geronimo!" right as they take a dip in the drink, quite possibly induced by the good time vibes of said song.
"Baby Don't You Cry" is deliciously addictive, deceptively simple, deliriously delightful, and it can be all yours right this very minute.
It's still Baltic cold up in this area, but I'm feeling a little bit of thaw thanks to my glee at having bought my plane tickets for April's excursion out to my second Coachella. Sure, it happened yesterday, but dangit I'm still over the bloody moon. But back to the whole thaw thing. I was pawing through my inbox when I stumbled upon the new single from the exceedingly nifty La Sera. And I thought, hmm, there's some thaw to this here song, too.
Listen closely and you'll hear the icicles melt, feel the sun warm just a touch, and see the last piles of snow melt away. Between the fuzzy repetition and the lovely lady vocals, "Devils Hearts Grow Cold" is a winner.
When they're not off wreaking havoc and involving themselves in international incidents, Sex Beet makes some damn fine music. When they're not causing trouble, these gents abide by the sneering rock ethos of The Black Lips, all snarling and vicious and undeniably killer.
Yeah, I've posted about them a few times of late. But if I were you, friends, I'd get used to seeing them here. For your listening perusal this time, they're going and showing off by successfully covering Sonic Youth's "Dirty Boots." All that furious, ferocious fuzz and howling vocals really get the blood pumping, no?
So really, really, really exciting news this week, y'all! Two seriously major bands are getting together and bringing their combined awesome to the road, and it's gonna be insane. Who am I so excited about, you might be a-wonderin? Well, I'm in a tizzy about the upcoming Woods/Ducktails tour, of course! It's a cute little small tour, so if you live in one of a handful of cities, or within driving distance, you're in luck. Having already seen Woods, I know they're worth a bit of a drive, and being way in love with Ducktails I'm pretty sure you'll find me at the Ottobar up in Baltimore for this here show.
In the meantime, here's a little lovely enticement from Ducktails. It's lusciously, languidly lo-fi and all sorts of lazy day dreamlike. It's daggum beautiful, and if you've not yet heard it, well, you're welcome for making your day that much better.
Y'all, I just can't help myself whenever I see the name The Moondoggies. I think of some wacky spacecake of a Scooby Doo character and I just smile like a fool. Rest assured, though, the music these Seattle dudes make is anything but cartoonishly cute. They're earthy, you might could say, but rather powerful.
"What Took So Long," the latest single from Tidelands, is deep and rich, a slight whiff of vintage swamp rock hanging over the layers and textures of this hearty little number. It's a rather fine song, and I suggest you stop whatever it is you're doing and give it a listen right this very minute.
Once upon a time, then-Charlottesville-ians Birdlips played LET's first EVER show down in Richmond. Since they, they've picked up stakes, moving first to San Francisco and then to, well, nowhere in particular. You see, you rascally rabbits you, Cliff and Lindsay are indulging in a rock&roll fantasty lifestyle: tooling around in their van, whereever their hearts (or GPS) might lead them.
This is good news for just about all of us, because while the adorable nomads are on their fantastic voyage, they're recording tons and tons of excellent music as they go. Their spacey, psychy, folky, beachy, wacky music is a joy to behold, so get thee to the beholding sharpish. They're also lovely people, so make sure to take them out to lunch/dinner/cocktails whenever they end up in your neck of the woods. Bonus for DC folks: Birdlips plays the Black Cat tomorrow night.
Sometimes I run across songs that, for reasons I'm not totally sure of, I end up falling totally in love with. While going through my inbox for buried treasure, I stumbled across one such song.
"Mr. Creature," by those NYC musical eccentrics A.R.E. Weapons, is kooky and spooky and a whole lotta daggum awesome. "Am I livin' in a madman's dream," asks the band with vocals somewhere between "Goody Two Shoes" Adam Ant and Billy Idol, as they traverse wacky sonic landscapes of spaghetti dance rockishness. It's a fantastic piece of aural disorientation, and it might could get you groovin' at your New Year's Eve party, too.
For the record, I used to loathe the song "Teenage Dream". As sung by one of that cadre of annoying pop stars, that is. It's amazing what a killer cover by someone to keep an eye on can do to one's opinion of a song.
Foxes In Fiction, the solo workings of 21 year-old art school dropout Warren Hildebrand, takes on a piece of drivel and turns it into a really freaking good song. You can hear the Deerhunter and Brian Eno influences all over the place, from the insolationist vocals to the mish mash of noise running rampant. Hildebrand retains the pop feel of the song, but gives it one heck of a facelift. Warning: This song will get stuck in your head, but you can feel perfectly ok about it.
Seeing as the University of Tennessee is playing some football right this very minute, it seems kinda appropriate to talk a little bit about Pujol. And I hate UT (what can I say, I'm a Bama girl, but I can make an exception).
Having seen Daniel Pujol and his band not too long ago, I can say for sure that Pujol's got the goods. Another Nashville-type coming to show everyone else how it's done, for new song 'Too Safe" Pujol enlisted Jack White for production help. "Too Safe" has all the feisty guitar and snarling vocals you could want, and then some. It's a nifty little humdinger, and it sure does put the cherry on my sundae, I don't know about y'all. Enjoy.
Les Enfants Terribles is a Washington, DC music blog. It's run by a music-loving lady who answers to Megan Terrible.
Please note, if you're looking for Terrible Chris, try his new joint.
Le Obligatory Disclaimer
Hear ye, hear ye.MP3s posted here are done so with permission wherever possible. If you like the bands you hear on this site, you should without question support them. Buy their music, go see them on tour, and/or buy their merch.
PLEASE NOTE: If you're a band and no longer want your music posted on this site, or a label that does not want a band's music posted herein, please write meganterrible@gmail.com, and the ship will be righted immediately, if not sooner.
Also note, LET is all about the musical lovin. Which means, only music I love will appear here. You've been warned.
I'm down here in the mystical mountains of Harrisonburg covering MACRoCk, and it's such a daggum beautiful day here that I figured I'd give y'all a little treat, a nice little ditty that feels totally at home and at peace here amongst the spectacular natural scenery of the Shenandoah.
