The Racoon Wedding :: Gather Gather Bones/Rattle Rattle Truth

Download The Paper Boy from The Racoon Wedding's album, Gather Gather Bones/Rattle Rattle Truth

Sounds Like: they're gonna rip your ribcage out and find your heart

RIYL: White Rabbits, Portugal. The Man, Fanfarlo, Rolling Stones ala Beggar's Banquet

From the Press Release: Forming from the ashes of Vermicious Knid, and authoring songs in the basement of the all ages not-for-profit art space they own in a nook of the city’s forgotten downtown, frontman Tim Ford and company boast a sense of loyalty to their community that few other bands share. On their debut LP, Gather Gather Bones/Rattle Rattle Truth, issued this October via their own Ford Plant Recordings Co., the band enlisted the help of engineer Leon Taheny (of the Final Fantasy recording credit) and hammered out a record that teems with the spirit of long-forgotten roots music. It’s indebted to the history of mighty back porch music: unbridled, unedited, beautifully intense.

Low Anthem Video for "Charlie Darwin"

The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin - Official Video from End of the Road Films on Vimeo.

RIYL: Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Springsteen (circa Nebraska)

Rhode Island trio The Low Anthem have released a brand new stop-motion video for the lead song, "Charlie Darwin" on their Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. The band has been touring the US with Blind Pilot, and after a brief stopover in Europe, will finish out the year with Josh Ritter in December.

CONTEST! Win Tickets to See Whitey at The Railway Club in Vancovuer

Whitey puts the "F-U" back in Funk. Download the track "West of Hope" to hear what I mean.

What: Two free tickets to see indie post-funk sensation, Whitey, at The Railway Club in downtown Vancouver.

When: Friday! Friday! Friday! (6 November)

How the funk do I get them? Leave a comment. That's all.

RIYL: Vampire Weekend, Ozomatli, Cat Empire

A Few Words: We don't do ticket give-aways very often here at Duck & Cover. In fact, we don't do them at all. Which is why this is such a special event. Well, it's a special event so long as you live in or around Vancouver, BC.

So here's what happened: these two tickets to Whitey just fell off the back of a truck. No, really. They were just sitting there. So I'm turning my good fortune into an opportunity for you, my loyal reader(s). All you have to do to win the tickets to see Whitey at The Railway Club this Friday is to leave a comment . . . that's it! That's all! I'll put all the names into a hat (or a bucket) and draw randomly. So make sure you leave a contact email address so I can get back to you. Or, if you don't want to leave your email address in a comment, email it to me at duckandcovermusic[at]gmail[dot]com.

Comment away!

White Rabbits :: It's Frightening

Band :: White Rabbits

Album :: It's Frightening

Song :: They Done Wrong / We Done Wrong

Sounds Like: The Midwest strikes back.

RIYL: Spoon, The Walkmen, Tapes 'n Tapes

A Few Words: White Rabbits (the band) is living in NYC, it's true. However, they are, by all accounts, from the Midwest. This is only a point worth mentioning because I am also from the Midwest, so we have a lot in common that way. Which is to say we have an inherent understanding of vast distances, wind, and non-existent public transport (unless you count Chicago).

White Rabbits could also be that band you know you've heard of, but can't remember. For all their PR efforts it's amazing how easily they continue to slip under the proverbial radar (not sure if "radar" is an acronym when used in a cliche, but I'm guessing not). For example, they've been on NPR's "World Cafe" and on Letterman. Furthermore, they played Glastonbury in 2007 PLUS their new album, It's Frightening was produced by Spoon's Britt Daniel.

So why haven't you heard of them? Because you get all your music news from me, that's why, and I've been distracted by shiny objects.

Celebrate Halloween with Peter Squires's New Video, "Witch"

I don't usually do festive or holiday posts. In fact, the closest I get is writing some kind of seasonal bent against a track, and only then when I've had too much coffee and can't find any relation to a song other than what the weather is doing. I just think holiday-themed posts / articles are lazy. But Halloween is different. Why? Because Halloween, to paraphrase Wesley Willis, whips a horse's ass. So when Ryan from The Musebox put me on to Peter Squires a few days ago, I knew it was going into the annals of Duck & Cover (that's right, I said "annals" on the Internets).

From the Press Release: Peter’s direct and honest vocal delivery is reminiscent of contemporaries such as Kimya Dawson and Luke Temple. The album is all heart, laid bare for our aural pleasure. Woe Is Me was recorded in Peter Squires’ Brooklyn bedroom and is available on his website for fans to download at no charge. The first video from the album is “Witch” and it was just released in time for the Halloween season.

So there you go. A song for the most wonderful time of the year. Happy Halloween, readers.

Little Girls :: Concepts

Sounds Like: you need to be careful how you phrase the question

RIYL: Psychocandy, Joy Division, A Place to Bury Strangers

A Few Words: It's raining. So guess what? You get droney new wave noise pop. It's actually a miracle you don't get this kind of music more often considering my geographic location. Meteorologists only appear on TV here when the forecast is NOT overcast and drizzly. Needless to say, I haven't seen one for weeks.

So yeah. Little Girls and their album Concepts. I was joking with a good friend of mine recently that it's difficult to profess ones love for this band. Not that it has anything to do with their sound (which I do, indeed, love), just their name. Imagine, if you will, the awkwardness arising at the daycare center when a shabby, bearded man exclaims to his pal, "Oh, I LOVE 'Little Girls'!" Gasp! Horror! And a dozen yoga moms are on their iPhones Face-apping and camera-phoning the perpetrator. Uh oh. One-way ticket to the sex-offender list.

I'm going to start a band and call it "Licking Bike Seats." Or maybe just "To Fuck"--as the girl behind the bar if she likes that band.

Oh, check it out: they're on tour:

11/06 - Philidelphia, PA - Swarthmore #
11/08 - Columbus, OH - Summit &
11/09 - St Louis, MO - Billiken Club &
11/11 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon &
11/18 - Windsor, ONT - Phog Lounge +
11/19 - Waterloo, ONT - Bombshelter +
11/20 - Toronto, ONT - Phoenix ++
11/21 - Sudbury, ONT - Townhouse +
11/25 - Winnipeg, MB - Royal Albert +
11/26 - Saskatoon, SK - Amigo's +
11/27 - Edmonton, ALB - New City +
11/28 - Calgary, ALB - Hi-Fi +

^^ w/ Japandroids, You Say Party! We Say Die!
+ w/ You Say Party! We Say Die!
++ w/ Think About Life, You Say Party! We Say Die!
# w/ Blank Dogs
& w/ Nurses

Band :: Little Girls

Album :: Concepts

Song :: Concepts

The Swimmers :: People Are Soft

Sounds Like: thankfully, the music overshadows the cover art

RIYL: Phoenix, New Order, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand

A Few Words: I took one look at their cover art and very nearly wrote off The Swimmers altogether. It seemed like it would be an album full of derivative synth pop tunes that bounce from cliche-laden verse to chorus and back again. Yet into the player it went. Considering my patience is thinner than Donald Trump's hair plugs, the fact that I listened to the entire disc says something. There are just enough surprises on People Are Soft to keep the album interesting. Just. Let me just say this: if a track from the album popped up on shuffle, I wouldn't skip it.

That's a good thing. Seriously.

Band :: The Swimmers

Album :: People Are Soft

Track :: What This World is Coming To

Swim Party :: Pixie Dust on the Blood Range

Sounds Like: dancing to the great indie waltz

RIYL: Calla, Maritime, 764-HERO, Band of Horses

A Few Words: Some of my favorite bands are the ones unknown to others. Obscurity lends a particular allure. Of course, sometimes these little-known bands are off the radar for a reason--and by all accounts should remain buried. Yet I can hardly describe the excitement I feel when I'm introduced to a band who is very clearly about to get a break (or at least deserves to get bigger). I felt it when Flake Music became The Shins, and when Duck and Cover got a hold of a little EP by Vampire Weekend two years ago. This giddiness is welling up again as I listen to Pixie Dust on the Blood Range.

Hailing from California, Swim Party employs smooth, calculated riffs reminiscent of American Analog Set, but isn't satisfied with moody grooves alone. Instead of sinking easily into the musical equivalent of a rainy Sunday, they quickly pick up the tempo. Power chords pose for transitions rather than stand up as songs themselves; hooks are as tight as hipster stovepipes. And although it sounds clean and controlled on the stereo, I get the impression this is a band who rocks the floorboards of any venue. The energy and complexity of Pixie Dust contributes to create an album I've returned to many times.

I recently received a few tracks of their album, Pixie Dust on the Blood Range, in a frantically worded email from a friend in San Francisco. The tone was typical of a girl in possession of great music: she was eager for everyone else to listen. Therefore, I'm passing it on to all of you--all 30 of you avid Duck & Cover readers.

Band :: Swim Party

Album :: Pixie Dust on the Blood Range

Song :: Said the Captain