1. Fitz and the Tantrums – Moneygrabber
2. Black Tambourine – Throw Aggi Off the Bridge
3. M83 – Graveyard Girl
4. Bishop Allen – A Tiny Fold
5. Oxford Collapse – Prop Cars
6. Other Lives – Tamer Animals
7. Foster the People – Warrant
8. Battles – Ice Cream
9. Ladytron – White Elephant
10. CSS – Alcohol
11. The Radio Dept. – Pulling Our Weight
12. The Antlers – I Don’t Want Love

Foster the People

Torches

Meet an emerging band that actually lives up to the pre-release hype. With its blend of power pop and foot-tappin’ indie rock beats, the debut from the Los Angeles trio – Foster the People – seems destined for heavy playlist rotation during the summer of 2011.  Check out this great fan-made video for “Houdini!”

3 Favorite Tracks: “Helena Beat”; “Pumped Up Kicks”; “Warrant”

For Fans Of: MGMT; Passion Pit; The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; Phoenix; Miike Snow

1. Holy Ghost! – Wait and See
2. CSS – Let’s Make Love and Listen Death From Above
3. Royal Bangs – Waking Up Weird
4. Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
5. Jeff the Brotherhood – Mellow Out
6. Wild Beasts – Reach a Bit Further
7. Thee Oh Sees – Pleasure Blimps
8. Puro Instinct - No Mames
9. Dirty Beaches – True Blue
10. Panda Bear – Last Night at the Jetty
11. Princeton  – To the Alps
12. Wye Oak – Civilian

Surfer Blood · Trail of Dead

May 3, 2011

The Magic Stick

Detroit

Florida indie rockers, Surfer Blood, returned to Detroit recently in the midst of spring tour of select U.S. cities. After apologizing for their inaugural Magic Stick gig from a year or so ago, the young four-piece gave the small, but enthusiastic crowd about 60-minutes of guitar-driven proof on how much they’ve grown as a band in such a short time. Drawing primarily from their critically acclaimed Astro Coast album, with a few excellent sounding new tracks mixed in, no doubt this is a band to watch in 2011-2012.

 Highs & Lows

• Trail of Dead was nothing if not very enthusiastic about their set. Talented group, but the vocals were off. “Weight of the Sun” was a definitive highlight
• In general, not a fan of the opening act playing longer than the closing act – unless, of course, it’s Wilco opening up for Neil Young
• Surfer Blood’s JP Pitts making an awkwardly strange and somewhat hilarious decision to venture into the audience to sing a few bars of “Take It Easy” to some poor dude
• The announcements that Surfer Blood’s sound engineer, guitar tech and merchandise girl were ALL celebrating their 18^th birthday on May 3. What are the odds?
• JP asking for a Red Wings updates on multiple occasions (they lost) in order to let everyone know that there are more important things in life than sports (like music)
• News of a new SB EP on the near horizon
• Seeing the Magic Stick’s first couple (see “The Buzz: Dum Dum Girls”) back for another helping of music, excessive alcohol consumption and whatever

Hipster Factor: 9.0 (out of 10).

1. The Antlers – Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out
2. Wild Beasts – Bed of Nails
3. Times New Viking – Ever Falling in Love
4. Com Truise – Iwywaw
5. Wild Nothing – Asleep
6. Sloan – The Answer is You
7. Young the Giant – My Body
8. Bass Drum of Death – Get Found
9. Obits – You Gotta Lose
10. Beastie Boys – Nonstop Disco Powerpack
11. Tune-yards – Bizness
12. The Lonely Island – After Party

Share M12 - 05.16.11

1. Bass Drum of Death – Heart Attack Kid
2. Surfer Blood – Harmonix
3. Cold Cave – The Great Pan is Dead
4. Beastie Boys – Ok
5. Ringo Deathstarr – Do It Every Time
6. The Raveonettes – Ignite
7. Yuck – Holing Out
8. Mates of State – Laura
9. Moscow Olympics – The Farthest City
10. The Sea and Cake – Up on Crutches
11. She Wants Revenge – Must Be the One
12. Yeasayer – Swallowing the Decibels 

Share M12 - 05.09.11

1. Blonde Redhead – Spring And By Summer Fall
2. Handsome Furs – All We Want, Baby, Is Everything
3. Times New Viking – F*Ck Her Tears
4. The Airborne Toxic Event – All At Once
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Vocal Chords (Deastro Remix)
6. Panda Bear – Alsatian Darn
7. The Dodos – Black Night
8. The Fresh & Onlys – Peacock and Wing
9. The Wombats – Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)
10. The Stills – Still In Love Song
11. Trail of Dead – Summer of All Dead Souls
12. Explosions in the Sky – Human Qualities

Share M12 - 05.02.11