Swim (To Reach The End) mp3 Surfer Blood Astro Coast …. buy it here from Kanine Records (they’re a wonderful indie label, go support them!) … I nabbed that mp3 off Pitchfork’s site, you can go read their review of it here.
Wow! This Tart got waaaaay more than she bargained for last Saturday night when these four bands played Schubas for the Tomorrow Never Knows 2010 show! I walked into a fog-filled room to hear the sweet sounds of good old fashioned punk/noise sung enthusiastically if not angrily by a bearded, crazed man accompanied by an excellent guitarist who made it look all too easy and a bass player that made it look all too fun. Lasers and Fast and Shit hit the stage only after it was “optimally fogged.” Oh the lead singer played keys pretty damn well too. I loved most all of it. In fact, I turned to Steve (of the great new-to-Chicago, formerly-of-DC blog, Baby, You Got a Stew Goin’!) and said, loudly, “I LOVE THIS SHIT” when he walked in the door to Lasers and Fast and Shit. That’s just the kind of girl I am. I make an awesome first impression!
Bear in Heaven had moments of brilliance and had me moving to a real nice groove. Their drummer, Sadek Bazarra, is amazing… he captured my attention throughout the set even when the prog rock, psychedelica-tinged electronica wore me down a bit. This is an intense band. The music is heavy and yet also very sexy. I’d have loved to have been lying down to hear it. If only I could still have a good view of that drummer, yum!
Next up came Freelance Whales and yes, they did NOT disappoint. I had heard their album, thanks to the lovely people at Tell All Your Friends PR, and I loved it but also wanted desperately to know how it would translate to a live performance. Would those ethereal vocals be too sweet, too pretty, too precious? Or would hearing them live bring on a welcomed edginess? I gladly experienced the latter, but what I did not expect (I should have) was the amazing energy cast off by the interaction between the members of this band. You know a performance is enhanced when the band realizes they are there to play amongst themselves and not really just for you, right? Freelance Whales plays for each other and it is wonderful to watch. The music is freakishly alive and creative, no… scratch that…. created right there before your eyes in a manner that it is so often not done in many public performances. This show was a joy to hear and see. “Hannah” was especially beautiful and downright FUN. The squeezebox organ was lovely and the more she pumped it the higher the energy rose. I was thrilled, plain and simple. Here’s what they were doing last summer 
Finally, Surfer Blood, the band that I’m sure everyone had come to see, took the stage. They gave a great set, full of energy and presented with considerable poise for such a young band. I give them a lot of credit for handling the amount of hype they’ve received in the past few months. These kids are pushing forward a very solid debut. I look forward to what they turn into. They got on stage and did their thing with some 20-something banter in between songs and a necessary amount of tuning and fiddling with instruments. Tom Fekete, on lead guitar did some nice bits and of course all eyes were on JP Pitts, the quintessential lead singer; he’s got that lean-into-the-mic move down pat, not to mention the singing…. that’s pretty good too. But honestly, the song we all came to hear, “Swim (To Reach The End)” is just THE PERFECT POP SONG right now. That is all. xoxo
Surfer Blood “Swim (To Reach the End)” LIVE at Death by Audio from ‘Sup Magazine on Vimeo.
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Wow, that Surfer’s Blood track is ace – so how do they manage to combine Journeyesque power-pop with what I could swear are Zimbabwean guitar riffs??? <3 <3 <3