Last night we went to SpiegelWorld- Spiegel Tent to be exact- and emerged incredibly invigorated so much so we even considered walking home. Why? The Dodos had yet again unleashed a bone crunching riff tastic bluesy set and we were pumped. I think my friend Josh said it best (after their London ULU gig): ‘and the ominous sound gradually built from a disco whisper to a thunderous tribal rumble. If you could imagine a rhino running towards you on a very long metal roof, then you’re getting the idea.’ Yes, yes we do. Check the video for Joe’s Waltz, the Ball, and more below. Photos to come!

Yup, a fact that has been blissfully absent from all the announcements. They’re looking to do a brand relaunch, and let me tell you the prospect of Hot Chip, MIA and Chaka Khan under one roof is enough to make me pay retail far into 2009. There will be 16 additional parties throwing down on top of the NYC circus- feel the love! Their clothes do last forever anyway. They just need a bump in brand awareness I s’pose. Not sure what the deal is for civilian tix, so keep checking the official site *HERE* Somewhat SFW (NOT!) video party announcement after the jump. (Click title for rest of entry…)

Exhibit A:

FUCK BUTTONS = Liquid Awesome. Their live set was definitely a highlight of ATP. We’re not the only fans, just ask MOGWAI.

Exhibit B:

FUCKED UP. Yes, that is a band member upside down. Holy F*ck these Canadians are amazing, as is their new album. Speaking of which:

Exhibit C:

HOLY FUCK. Very rarely will we get so amped about an instrumental band. These Toronto boys just happen to be on the same label family as FUCKED UP. Do I detect a pattern here? BEGGARS needs to join in washing our mouths out with soap!

PS- Even Radiohead and the NME like ‘em. They’re *that* special.

Now this is my kind of Algebra. Take renegade Junior Boys founding member Johnny Dark, add vox by San Serac and an X-factor of inexplicable awesome. What you get is a side project so hot that it just might make people forget about their original ones. STEREO IMAGE’s debut album S/T (get it?) serves stripped down R&B grooves layered with 2-stepping Francophiliac disko synths. Add purring vocals worthy of Labyrinth-era Bowie* and you have slammin’ tracks that go bump in the night on the dance floor.

We, for one, just can’t get enough of it when the sun goes down. Nowhere is this magic more apparent than with their single Pack Moves, which is our gift to you. Happy Monday. Pick up the album *here* You want more good news? These boys will hit the road with Shout Out Out Out at the end of October for a string of Canadian club gigs. Yes, none other than the purveyors of ‘Dude You Feel Electrical’ - Now that’s a show worth crossing a border for.

*I should probably use ‘Let’s Dance’ as an album reference but what the hell, product of the ’80s here. If you have problems with Jareth the Goblin King then clearly we can’t be friends.

RSVP *HERE* (it’s one of those open lists that get shut down upon venue reaching capacity, so don’t sweat it you have around 3,000 chances to get in!) Here is where they torture famous drummer Matt Tong, all for some viral party invite:

Some random pics… did each division get a choice? These don’t exactly reflect the ’something for everyone’ spectrum. Naturally we were psyched to see Datarock, Justice and Calvin Harris representin’ the dancefloor. Let me ask you this: WHEN WILL PEOPLE STOP CONSIDERING JAMES BLUNT RELEVANT? L to R:

Ben Harper : Morning Yearning

Justice : D.A.N.C.E.

Kanye West : Stronger

James Blunt : You’re Beautiful

Matt Costa : Sunshine

Calvin Harris : The Girls

Datarock : Fa Fa Fa

Interpol : C’Mere

New York Dolls : Plenty of Music

Ahhh, pub life. Not exactly De Sica but what the hell who doesn’t love crisps. PS tix go on sale for their US shows this week!

and it was awesome. We strolled through their Fall/ Winter ‘08 Collection, peeked at Spring, and learned about some major developments in store for the brand- no pun intended. Their creative team, led by uber director Wilbert Das, is in maximum overdrive.

Don’t get it twisted- rock photography has to be the best job ever- but it can be rough at times. It’s rough on personal life, it’s rough on being able to commit to ANYTHING else besides the gigs, and last but not least it is really rough on clothes. This is the #1 reason why DIESEL is my favorite brand of apparel ever, because the quality is so intense that I have yet to retire any items I have acquired from them. The jeans still look spotless after a decade of working with darkroom chemicals. The t-shirts look new after countless music festivals, and the dresses have seen many an epic night of partying on multiple continents. As my mum would say: those clothes would survive a nuclear fallout. Let’s take a look, shall we? (Click title for rest of entry)