Puddlegum

Spring tours have kicked off, so we thought we would let you know about a few bands that may be coming through your town:

The Silver State have announced a three week tour starting April 26. Their debut album is set to be released two weeks prior on April 15 through Young American Recordings. This is an album we’ve been hooked on since we received in the mail two months ago.

Apr 26 - Union Hall - Brooklyn, New York
Apr 27 - Maxwells - Hoboken, New Jersey
Apr 29 - Mercury Lounge - New York, New York
Apr 30 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 1 - Great Scott - Boston, Massachusetts
May 3 - Rock & Roll Hotel - WASHINGTON, Washington DC
May 5 - Abbey Pub - Chicago, Illinois
May 6 - Turf Club - St. Paul, Minnesota
May 8 - Marquis Theater - Denver, Colorado
May 11 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Oregon
May 12 - Nectar Lounge - Seattle, Washington
May 14 - The Independent - San Francisco, California
May 15 - The Echo - Los Angeles, California

Jeremy Enigk is touring with Damien Jurado, a tour you won’t want to miss. Both artists have new albums coming out soon.

May 10 - The 930 Listening Room - Louisville, Kentucky
May 24 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, Colorado
May 27 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 28 - The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, Illinois
May 30 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 31 - Great Scott - Allston, Massachusetts
Jun 1 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York
Jun 3 - Jammin Java - Vienna, Virginia
Jun 5 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Jun 6 - Amos’ Southend - Charlotte, North Carolina
Jun 7 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 10 - Spaceland - Los Angeles, California
Jun 11 - Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, California
Jun 13 - Dante’s - Portland, Oregon

Film School is out on tour with British Sea Power. After this tour is over Film School will continue playing through the month of May.

April, 11 - THE LOFT - Dallas, Texas W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 12 - CLUB DEVILLE - Austin, Texas W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 13 - NUMBERS - Houston, Texas W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 15 - SPANISH MOON - Baton Rouge, Louisiana W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 16 - ONE EYED JACK’S - New Orleans, Louisiana W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 17 - CLUB DOWNUNDER - FLOIDA STATE UNIVERSITY W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 18 - THE SOCIAL - Orlando, Florida W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 19 - Park Ave Records - Orlando, Florida
April, 19 - JACK RABBITS - Jacksonville, Florida W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 21 - THE EARL - Atlanta, Georgia W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 22 - BOTTLETREE - Birmingham, Alabama W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 23 - HI TONE - Memphis, Tennessee W/BRITISH SEA POWER
April, 24 - MERCY LOUNGE - NASHVILLE, Tennessee W/ PLEX PLEX, THE MAGIC WANDS
April, 26 - WTBU DAY - BOSTON UNIVERSITY GEORGE SHERMAN UNION - BOSTON, Massachusetts
April, 28 - TT THE BEARS - Boston, MA W/ DOUGLAS FIR, THE BROKEN RIVER PROPHET
April, 29 - MUDDY RIVER SMOKEHOUSE - PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire W/TINY WHALES, MOSFET
April, 30 - JOHNNY BRENDASY - PHILADEPHIA, Pennsylvania W/PORTS OF CALL, LOVE CIT
May, 1 - MERCURY LOUNGE - NYC, New York W/MAHOGANY, SOUNDPOOL, ELIKA
May, 2 - LE ROYALE - NYC - DJ KRAYG SPINNING AT ROBOT ROCK DANCE PARTY
May, 3 - DEATH BY AUDIO PARTY - BROOKLYN, New York W/ BLACKLIST, THE DEPRECIATION GUILD
May, 4 - BEACHLAND - CLEVELAND, Ohio W/UNSPARING SEA
May, 6 - THE UPTOWN CAFE - Minneapolis, Illinois
May, 7 - SCHUBA’S - CHICAGO, Illinois W/AIRIEL
May, 8 - THE PICADOR - IOWA CITY W/AIRIEL
May, 10 - HI-DIVE - DENVER, Colorado W/MONOFOG, FUCKING ORANGE
May, 12 - INDIE 103 CHECK ONE, TWO PARTY @ VIPER ROOM - LOS ANGELES, California W/EVEREST, CASTANEDA, & THE SAVAGES
May, 26 - NEUMO’S CRYSTAL BALL - Seattle, Washington - 925 East Pike W/EVEREST, CASTANEDA, & THE SAVAGES
May, 27 - WONDER BALLROOM - Portland, Oregon W/ SWERVEDRIVER
May, 29 - THE FILLMORE - San Francisco, California W/ SWERVEDRIVER
May, 30 - CASBAH - San Diego, California W/ SWERVEDRIVER
May, 31 - HENRY FONDA THEATRE - Los Angeles, California W/ SWERVEDRIVER

Wild Sweet Orange is on the road, supporting their phenomenal The Whale EP.

Apr 12 - Tarble Athletic Center - Carthage College - Kenosha, Wisconsin
Apr 15 - University of Iowa Memorial Auditorium - Iowa City
Apr 16 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, Kansas
Apr 18 - Rites of Spring - Nashville, Tennessee
Apr 23 - WFPK’s Waterfront Wednesdays - Louisville, Kentucky
May 7 - Showbox - Seattle, Washington
May 9 - Avalon Theater - Salt Lake City, Utah
May 10 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, Colorado
May 12 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 13 - Metro - Chicago, Illinois
May 14 - St. Andrew’s Hall - Detroit, Michigan
May 16 - Mod Club - Toronto, Ontario
May 20 - Maxwell’s - Hoboken, New Jersey
May 21 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York

The Forms is currently on tour with Cloud Cult.

Apr 11 - High Noon Saloon - American Music Club - Madison, Wisconsin
Apr 12 - Radio Radio w/ Cloud Cult - Indianapolis, Indiana
Apr 13 - Blind Pig - Mason Proper - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Apr 14 - El Mocambo w/ Cloud Cult - Toronto, Ontario
Apr 16 - The Middle East w/ Cloud Cult - Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 17 - Union Hall - Arms - Brooklyn, New York
Apr 18 - Bowery Ballroom - Illinois - New York, New York
Apr 19 - Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Cloud Cult - Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 21 - Local 506 w/ Cloud Cult - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Apr 22 - Smith’s Olde Bar w/ Cloud Cult - Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 24 - The Basement w/ Cloud Cult - Columbus, Ohio
Apr 25 - Schuba’s w/ Cloud Cult (late show) - Chicago, Illinois
Apr 26 - First Avenue - Mason Proper (early show) - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 29 - Canopy Club - Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Apr 30 - Village Green Records - Muncie, Indiana
May 2 - Musica - Akron, Ohio

10. Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine
Just as the title portrays, you feel as though you’re sitting in the studio with Rosie.

9. Seabear - The Ghost that Carried Us Away
This album makes me miss Iceland, though I’ve never been.

8. Taxi Taxi! - Taxi Taxi!
I could sit and listen to these Swedish twins sing all day.

7. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Not only did this album stir the industry up, these songs will be favorites for a long time.

6. Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Our Ill Wills struck me as an album I had heard before, yet never had.

5. The Innocence Mission - We Walked In Song
The Innocence Mission has a way of grabbing my emotions like no other band.

4. Blonde Redhead - 23
Phenomenal album. It felt like a chemical addiction and I kept sneaking spins.

3. The Forms - The Forms
Twelve songs, each under four minutes, and I find myself listening to them several times on repeat.

2. Pela - Anytown Graffiti
My friends will attest that I asked them if they had heard Pela yet, and made sure they had.

1. Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters
Maybe it’s the thick Scottish accent, the shoegaze distortion, and lyrics that plot out like a well written film, but this album continues to amaze me.

The Forms are a week into their US tour, having celebrated the release of their self-titled album, The Forms, at the start of the tour on October 30. It has been four years since The Forms debuted with Icarus, but for most the new album will be their introduction. Those that attended CMJ spoke highly of The Forms; the timing of the positive press with the release of the new album could not have been planned better.

Of the twelve songs on The Forms six of the tracks are under three minutes, while the longest song reaches 3:51. Yet the short songs speak more of precision and exactitude as they “focus on the target.” During the four years in between the two albums, The Forms have improved in their songwriting, taking their songs further along in the process.

Steve Albini produced The Forms at Electrical Audio in Chicago, adding his superior touch by enabling the band to find their strength instead of dictating a direction. The Forms spent 50 consecutive eight hour days in the studio, without taking a day off, with half of the studio time spent with Steve Albini.

The Forms stopped at WOXY’s Lounge Acts yesterday, November 5, and performed Knowledge In Hand, Redgun, Bones, and Focus.

The Forms chatted with WOXY about the changes on the web since their first release four years ago:

“When we put out the first record, I felt like there was more of a culture of online `zines, and now the blog is a whole different animal. A Lot of the `zines that were writing about us then, they’re not around anymore. The readership on the blogs seems to be so much greater. I mean, people read it.”

The Forms performing at WOXY’s Lounge (11.5.07)

When Stereogum pieced together a tribute album to R.E.M.’s Automatic For the People, they asked The Forms to be involved. With Steve Albini’s help, they recorded Ignoreland. The Forms blogged that Ignoreland was their “first song we’ve done over 4 minutes.” Alex Tween explained why they chose to record Ignoreland:

“We chose ‘Ignoreland’ because Michael Stipe’s melody in it is great on so many levels, and it inspired us to try to reimagine the music that could potentially surround it. The original version is very densely layered, so we tried a more minimalist approach, incorporating the melody into the bassline and only using bass and drums as the instruments.”

The Forms - Alpha

The Forms - The Forms (iTunes)
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