Kissing Party: A Post NYE Treat

Deirdre Sage - vocals, Gregg Dolan - vocals/guitar, Darren Dunn - bass, Joe Hansen - guitar

In case no one drunkenly slobbered on that coveted area below your nose and above your chin at the stroke of Midnight, we got you covered. Welcome your newest snogging partners: Kissing Party. This Denver quintet (the article got it wrong) is the perfect band to ring in the New Year with wide-eyed hope and convenient memory loss of all your past mistakes and to give a last longing glance back on your "ones that got away" in 2007.

They just released their official debut album, Rediscover Lovers, in September, and it has been slowly brewing a healthy dose of audience appeal and critical nods (Denver Post, Westword and The Onion!). Check out their newest tunes on MySpace ("Get Happy" and "Jacey Finch") and this recent feature from the Denver Post. By the way: pay no attention to the perfectionist band leader Dolan—the record definitely has more than its fair share of soul...

Kissing Party on MySpace


[click pic for entire article]



x,
LA Broad

Likley Listens: Bang Lime

Silly band name aside, I already know you'll like these guys. It's another Metric side-project! This time it's the revenge of the rhythm section as bassist Josh Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key band (ooh, an unintentional pun!) together.

If you're a fan of the anthems on Old World Underground... you'll be into this from the get go. Their lead single "Death of Death" couldn't be farther away from the connotation of its title. The song begins with a classic, spiraling guitar riff that sounds like a slightly more mature version of a Be Your Own Pet song. Not surprisingly, the drums and lagging bass hooks are the meat of the song.

"It's all right in the dark of night..."

Quite the rock 'n' roll turn of phrase. Check it out for yourself:

Bang Lime - "Death of Death"

The duo are finishing up a North American tour right now. You can check out the rest of their dates on their MySpace page.



x, LA Broad

I Pray To St. Vincent

Well, I'm not Catholic, but if Vinny is good enough for Annie Clark, the 23 year old guitar virtuoso(and freckled hottie) who plays under the St. Vincent moniker, then I'm gonna go buy a rosary.

To hear what I mean listen to her latest from her debut album Marry Me, which will be out on Beggars July 10.

| St. Vincent - Now, Now MP3 |

Also, check out her performance of "Paris Is Burning" at the Beggars' NYC offices via Pitchfork here.

She's on tour right now. Pray she comes to a city near you:

Jul 6 - Hailey's - Denton, Texas
Jul 7 - The Parish - Austin, Texas
Jul 8 - Walter's - Houston, Texas
Jul 9 - The Parish / House of Blues - New Orleans, Louisiana
Jul 11 - The Earl - Atlanta, Georgia
Jul 12 - Grey Eagle - Asheville, North Carolina
Jul 13 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Jul 14 - The Rock And Roll Hotel - Washington DC, Washington DC
Jul 15 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jul 17 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York
Jul 18 - Middle East Upstairs - Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jul 19 - La Sala Rossa - Montreal, Quebec
Jul 20 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Ontario
Jul 21 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, Ohio
Jul 22 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, Illinois
Jul 24 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jul 25 - The Waiting Room - Omaha, Nebraska
Jul 26 - Record Bar - Kansas City, Missouri
Jul 27 - Hi-Dive - Denver, Colorado
Jul 28 - In The Venue - Salt Lake City, Utah
Jul 30 - Lamplighter - Vancouver, British Columbia
Aug 1 - Doug Fir - Portland, Oregon
Aug 3 - Cafe du Nord - San Francisco, California
Aug 4 - The Echo - Los Angeles, California
Sep 1 - Bumbershoot - Seattle, Washington

x, LA Broad

Likely Listen: Mister and Misses Howl

This is a metaphysical Likely Listen, kids. It's intangible, but we like it that way. This band only kinda exists. There's no music, but hey! They've got a press photot! It's good enough for me. Just grab your bong and start feelin' it. Or grab some pills... or acid... I'm not quite sure what would fit the mood best. I am talking about the upcoing "collaboration" between Giant Drag's Annie Hardy and ex-beau Joe Cardamone of Icarus Line.

Just look at that photo! It's gonna be fucking amazing. For those of you who are fans of GD, you might be interested to know that Annie's album swan song, "Slayer" was actually written by Cardamone and is featured on the Icarus Line's fantastic new album Black Lives At The Golden Coast, which will be out on Dim Mak later this summer.

But from the looks of the tangled web of Icarus Line's MySpace friends, it looks likes Cardamone has an addiction to side-projects. Check out his UK-based Souls She Said. The band released an EP last year on the now-defunct Alan McGee label Poptones. Maybe that is how they befriended William Reid and ended up opening up for JAMC at their pre-Coachella warm up show. Wow, isn't MySpace great?

I can't wait to hear what the ex-lovers come up with. And I'm guessing that acid-laced hash is probably the best chemical comfort for their tunes... just a thought.

x, LA Broad

Likely Listen: The Airborne Toxic Event

This band isn't new to many of you in the LA area who are avid show attendees. The Airborne Toxic Event (the name is a nod to Don DeLillo's novel White Noise) started out a little over four months ago, and suddenly shot out into the scene. The homegrown band, and brain child of frontman Mikel Jollet, released a three track EP that sold out within the span of their first few shows, garnered a residency on Monday nights at the Echo in February, opened up for the Horrors and littered themselves around the stages of Silver Lake and Echo Park hot-spots.

They just got back from a quick UK tour, where (unsurprisingly) the ravenous, NME-ingesting crowds loved 'em. Now they're back in LA and are slated to open up (as the only support band) for Kaiser Chiefs at the Henry Fonda this Thursday.

Not too bad. But is it too soon?

What do they sound like, you ask? The singer/guitarist/songwriter Mikel Jollet definitely has clear influences. Though the base of the music is a fusion of angular, amplified guitar jolts ala Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice, the vocals display more than a hint of Conor Oberst and Morrisey—with a dash of Edwyn Collins for some cred. They're an energetic, fun, very "now" band, and the kids sure do seem to like them. I'll be out at the Kaisers show to give you a full update on how their rising stardom is received by the LA crowd.

They band have also unveiled their new (and first!) video for their ode to stalking ex-lovers post breakup, "Does This Mean You're Moving On?":



x, LA Broad

The Sky Drops Make Us Feel Important

This post is very special to me. This is the first time a band has approached the Broads and asked us to post about their music/shows. I feel so validated! Who are the validators (wow, why isn't there a band called that? They don't exist on MySpace--take it, but give me credit... and a percentage!)--I digress.

Wilmington, Delaware band The Sky Drops have made us an official blog. They sent a polite and direct email with links to their music. I have to say I didn't have high hopes, but... they're good. Like, really good.



The Sky Drops have a very "now" sound. They attribute "Indie / Psychedelic / Shoegaze" as their fitting genres. But, they're not partying like it's 1995. The band have a knack for delivering each song with a different angle, but maintaining their core sound. They perform maudlin/lovesick tones that evoke Nada Surf on MySpace opening track "Hang On", while they switch to droney version of The Vines (hey, I like them) with a dash of Beulah on "Now Would Be."

A blurb from the band's bio writes:

"The Sky Drops are Rob Montejo and Monika Bullette - a superforce of guitars, drums, and vocals. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the band members each have their own fine pedigree and began The Sky Drops in the Autumn of 2005...Rob and Monika's beautiful harmonies are intensified by swimming blissed-out guitars and no-nonsense drumming. The Sky Drops have been likened to a "shoegazing Everly Brothers."

The band have released an EP called Clouds Of People that hit stores (?) via Fridabear Records in 2006. The band are now on tour, with a slew of dates extending to late July. If they're coming to your hood. I highly recommend checking them out. I did.

The Sky Drops US Tour

April
18 - San Diego, CA - Pussy Galore Club w/ Dreamtiger & Spindrift
19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo w/ Spindrift & Stevenson Ranch Davidians
20 - Las vegas, NV - Bunkhouse
17 - Los Angeles (Chindatown/Downtown), CA - Club Violaine @ Roberto's Club w/ The High Violets & Evervess
28 - Philadelphia, PA - Sugar Town @ Tritone

May
12 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
17 - Kent, OH - Zephyr
18 - Dayton, OH - Nite-Owl w/ Lab Partners
19 - Detroit, MI - Sonic Lullaby Festival - The CAID
20 - Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio w/ Svetlana
21 - Lexington, KY - The Dame
22 - St. Louis, MO - Playback:stl @ Cicero's with Stella Mora
23 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
24 - Chicago, IL - Darkroom
25 - Akron, OH - Lime Spider
26 - Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox w/ SHADE

The Sky Drops MySpace
The Sky Drops official site

x, LA Broad

(Cajun) DANCE PARTY!

My friend Julia always tips me off to music I love (I have my fair share of sending her stuff as well...but thats another story). This afternoon she asked the magic question, "Have you listened to Cajun Dance Party yet?" and to that I said "No." I listened and now I'm in love.

So, heres the deal on them. The band is made up of:

Daniel Blumberg: Lead Vocals
Robbie Stern: Guitars
Max Bloom: Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Vicky Freund: Keyboards, Synth, Backing Vocals
Will Vignoles: Drums

Of course, they are from the UK (North London be exact) and they're absolutely phenomenal.

Give a listen to the first single "The Next Untouchable" which is out in April in the UK and then listen to the other 3 glorious tracks on their MySpace

This will be your new love affair (don't worry you can cheat on Bloc party for just a little while)...

NY Broad x

Kissing Party at my house, my house.

I've been sitting on this little-known Denver band for a while. I'm selfish. I'm greedy. But, now I have changed my heathen ways and will let you in on this amazing secret: Kissing Party.



It's not an episode of Girls Gone Wild (sorry), it's actually a band. Along with being excellent kissers, they've found time to write a slew of under 2 minute, just enough sugar, pop gems. They're indie-pop to a tee... twee? To get an idea of their sound, imagine if you will The Pastels hitting on The Vaselines at a dive bar, buying one too many shots of Jaeger, taking things back to his place only to have both of them realize they're still in love with their exes, but they exchange numbers anyway and are totally going to stay friends.

Make sense?

Perhaps this will help. Check out an old live review by Filter from an early show they played at Denver hipster haunt Hi-Dive last year here.

The band's core is made up of frontman Gregg Dolan and frontwoman Deirdre Sage. They banter back and forth with I love you, but I hate you verses in saccharine melodies. But don't think this is another mates of state. The two are platonic, as you can see in their live shows when the band delves into an Oasis moment and Dolan starts kicking the band when they make mistakes. Take that, Noel. The band released a home made demo album a few months ago locally called hold your hour and have another, and are hitting a Denver studio to produce more of "the greatest songs ever" which Dolan promises to be "better than Oasis." Here, here.

Check out some of their oldies but goodies...

Kissing Party - Pretty Victories
Kissing Party - Meeting Ground

One more. For the sweetest guitar solo and deceptively cute break-up song ever...

Kissing Party - Danielle Bonta

For more check out Kissing Party on MySpace



x, LA Broad