by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Desaparecidos, Payola (2015, Epitaph)

You read all the reviews yesterday, buy the album today. Desaparecidos’ Payola drops via Epitaph and is available at all the usual locations and online at iTunes, Amazon and on Spotify, where I’m currently listening to it. Bombastic? Yes.

Desa’s album, as you already know, is a social and political comment. Conor Oberst raging against the machine as only he can. He does as good a job as I suppose anyone could simplifying some of the most challenging issues of our time in less than three minutes per topic. Any more than three minutes would be overkill, both for these topics and these melodies. Because, let’s face it, all the best punk songs are less than three minutes long, right? Anyone following the band has already heard the best tracks (since they were released as singles over the past few years). Taken as a whole, the record is a solid collection of fist-pumping anthems, whether you understand what the songs are about or not.

Digital Leather, All Faded (2015, FDH Records)

On the other hand, Digital Leather’s All Faded, out today via FDH Records, is purely personal, as all Digital Leather records are. Do we really want to hear what frontman Shawn Foree thinks about immigration reform, social media or problems in the Middle East? No, we don’t (and I’m sure there’s some of you who don’t want to know what Conor thinks about those issues, either).

My thoughts on the record and the story behind the making of the album are online here. Quite simply, this is the best Digital Leather record since Warm Brother.  All Faded is available as a download or CD from iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. The vinyl version doesn’t come out until this fall, but you can order it now from the label right here.

Sonically and lyrically, these two records couldn’t be more different, and yet they have one thing in common: You can understand every word of every lyric sung on both records.

It seems like a little thing — like a basic thing — but the majority of indie rock records these days sport vocals that are nothing more than indecipherable nuanced tone poems. To a lot of music fans, the words don’t matter, and that’s fine. They’re in it for the energy or the noise or the attitude, or in the case of “vibe” music or next-gen shoegaze, it’s all about the mood, the chord progressions, the drone. Fine.

But I’m at the point where if I can’t understand what the singer’s singing I blank out on the song. Maybe it’s a throwback attitude, or the fact that I grew up on songs that forced you to sing along. These days, there’s not much on Sirius XM (the only “radio” station I listen to that plays new music) that’s begs you to join in. Both of these records do. Go buy them.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tomorrow is another big music release day with new records from Digital Leather and Desaparecidos scheduled to drop.

Desaparecidos, Payola (2015, Epitaph)

In anticipation of the Desa release, Pitchfork reviewed their new album, Payola, today giving it a righteous 7.6 rating that tops the massively long, strange, wandering write-up by chief critic Ian Cohen. I think Cohen liked it, though the only out-and-out compliment was: “But Payola advocates chaining yourself to an ATM, taking a baseball bat to a limousine, and shouting every word at the nearest authority figure. And this makes Conor Oberst a writer of awesome punk rock lyrics,” which I’m not entirely sure was written with a straight face.

Cohen tracks through the album with cryptic nods for each track. His most accurate observation: “...a topical record that’s been cobbled together over the span of five years is going to sound dated in a 24-hour news cycle. It’s not just the references to Occupy or the NSA’s Fairview surveillance system or flashmobs, though those tend to jut out like 2012 RT’s on your timeline.” So true.

While he was busy trying to decipher the meaning of every song he forgot to notice that the record out-and-out rocks. For my money, it’s better than Read Music/Speak Spanish, though the new record’s message isn’t as forward-looking as much as reflective. Cohen’s most damning comment was a left-handed compliment: “It would appear that Payola is where Oberst’s been storing the splenetic rage that fueled his most compelling work and has mostly gone missing since I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning.” Oh snap!

Read the whole thing here.

Overall, the album is getting raves.

Consequences of Sound gave Payola a B+, saying: “Few bands can return after a 13-year absence and sound vital and fresh, transforming an old-school approach into a process that sounds original. That’s precisely what Desaparecidos have done, making Payola a welcome comeback surprise.”

The Guardian gave the record 3 out of 5 stars and called it “middling” in the headline, concluding “They’re not exactly pushing things forward, but for anyone who wants to take a trip back to when MTV2’s Gonzo was a must-watch, Payola will pave the way.”

Drowned in Sound gave it an 8 out of 10, saying: “There aren’t many bands that would detail a song with the fantasies of a teenage gun obsessive, relate to a radicalised youth or launch a scathing attack on the Fairview Surveillance Programme. That Desaparecidos accomplish these things in the form of such frequently brilliant, perceptive tunes is laudable.”

DIY gave the record 4 out of 5 stars and said “Even Oberst’s accepting shout of “We’re doomed!” towards the end of ‘The Left Is Right’ is less doom-and-gloom and more hopeful. This is an album designed to move people, and ‘Payola’ manages to do so in so very many ways.”

And finally, the old standard All Music gave the record 4 out of 5 stars, concluding: “Politically charged punk rock can be an exhausting and overtly self-righteous affair in the wrong hands, but Oberst and company temper their outrage with unadulterated melodic might, resulting in that rare protest album that rewards both the condemners and the condemned.”

Metacritic currently has it in the green at 74. Impressive.

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Speaking of Desaparecidos, Desa keyboardist Ian McElroy’s other project, Rig 1, performs tonight at Pageturners. Opening is High Up, a band that features Christine and Orenda Fink, Greg Elsasser, Josh Soto, Eric Ohlsson and Jason Biggers. The band is “endorsed by the Gifford park Neighborhood Association,” according to their Facebook page. Can’t beat that. 9 p.m. and Free.

Also tonight, Delta Spirit and Friends plays at The Waiting Room. “Friends” could include members of Deer Tick, Dr. Dog and The Walkmen, who have been confirmed for the tour, according to the listing on the One Percent Productions website. $20, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Best Coast at the SXSW Convention Center, March 20, 2015. The band plays tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Desaparecidos dropped yet another track yesterday and today from their upcoming album, Payola, which comes out June 23 on Epitaph. In fact, according to Diffuser, there’s more to come. Says Diffuser:

“The Underground Man” — which dates back to 2013 when it was distributed as a 7-inch  — is the second Payola cut to emerge this week, following the upcoming album’s opening track, “The Left Is Right.” Epitaph has plans to drop a new song from the album every day this week ahead of Payola’s release to those who have pre-ordered the LP.

Just how big will this album be? Time will tell…

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Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s the return of Best Coast. I saw the band play a half-hearted set at SXSW this year. Let’s see if they can top it tonight. Opening is Unknown Mortal Orchestra (they have a new album out on Jagjaguwar), and I actually know more people excited to see them then Best Coast. I’ll be there to see Bully, a Nashville four-piece whose debut album, Feels Like,  comes out June 23 on StarTime International/Columbia. Also on the bill is J. Fernandez, who played a great, if not short, set at Almost Music this past March as a warm-up to a gig at O’Leaver’s later that night. That’s four bands for $20. The fun starts at 8 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

See Through Dresses at The Waiting Room, July 19, 2014. The band just signed to Tiny Engines.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Indie label Tiny Engines announced today that it signed Omaha band See Through Dresses. The Carolinas-based label has been around since 2008 , according to their website. Their roster includes Beach Slang, which recently toured with Cursive, Adult Mom, Everyone Everywhere and a shitload of bands I’ve never heard of (but who are probably awesome).

Look for a new See Through Dresses EP this fall on Tiny Engines. The band just finished touring with Cursive and are headed out on a rather massive European tour starting right after they open for Matt Pond PA at Reverb this Thursday night. No doubt Sara Bertuldo, Matt Carroll and the rest of the band will be fluent in German when they return in June.

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Speaking of touring, Desaparecidos just added a few more dates to their summer tour, according to Brooklyn Vegan. The band will play support shows with Gaslight Anthem and Brand New, and will be hosting their CD release shows for Payola (out June 23 on Epitaph Records) in NYC at Shea Stadium and Rough Trade.

Meanwhile, the various members of Desa are busy trying to ride the wave of publicity with their own projects.

Rig 1 a.k.a. Ian McElroy, just announced a handful of East Coast and Midwest tour dates in support of his last record, 2014’s North of Maple (Team Love Records).

One of Denver Dalley’s other projects, Broken Bats, yesterday premiered a track off their upcoming EP called “Leather” (listen to the track here). In addition to Denver, Broken Bats consists of  former Pink Spiders frontman Matt “Friction” Bell, Future Unlimited drummer Gabe Pigg, and Tony Smith from Bowling Green rockers Sleeper Agent. The full EP apparently drops digitally today. The band is playing at Mercury Lounge in NYC May 14 with Fidlar and Metz.

I mentioned Matt Baum’s latest project, Montee Men, recently released a new tune on Bandcamp. And, of course, Landon Hedges’ project Little Brazil is in the process of writing and recording a new album.

Then there’s Conor Oberst, who’s got solo dates throughout the month of June, including a sold out show at The Waiting Room June 18.

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Tonight at Slowdown Jr. it’s the return of San Francisco band Vetiver (Sub Pop, Easy Sound). Opening is EDJ (Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats). $15, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Check out a brand new episode of the Lazy-i Podcast! In this week’s episode:

-– Desaparecidos and Digital Leather in music news.
— An interview and music from new-ish emo-ish rock band Super Ghost.
— Live Reviews and music from Soft Moon, Wagon Blasters, Blue Bird and Ladyfinger.
— The list of the hottest shows happening this weekend in Omaha.

It’s 20 wasted minutes of your life you’ll never get back, but who cares, it’s free. Check it out.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Nebraska Folk and Roots Festival is July 31-Aug. 1.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Catching up on some old news…

Lincoln music impresario Jeremy Buckley announced last week the line-up to the 2015 Nebraska Folk and Roots Festival July 31–August 1 at Branched Oak Farm, 15 minutes northwest of Lincoln.

Note that this is about half of the overall lineup. More touring bands are in the works.

Desert Noises (Provo)
Kill County (Austin, Detroit, Nebraska)
Eros & the Eschaton (Colorado Springs)
Victor & Penny (Kansas City)
The Way Down Wanderers (Chicago)
All Young Girls Are Machine Guns (Omaha)
Brad Hoshaw & the Seven Deadlies (Omaha)
Jack Hotel (Lincoln)
Lloyd McCarter & the Honky Tonk Revival (Lincoln)
Bud Heavy & the High Lifes (Lincoln)
The Bottle Tops (Lincoln)
Mesonjixx (Lincoln)
Evan Bartels & the Stoney Lonesomes (Lincoln)
Toasted Ponies (Lincoln)
Dr. John Walker (Lincoln)

Sayeth Buckley: “All access passes will be available online at ticketfly.com and at select retail locations in Lincoln (check www.nebraskafolkandroots.com for locations) for $20 until the overall lineup is announced and at that point tickets will go up to $25 and daily passes will be available for $15. We expect to announce the full lineup including pre-parties in mid-May. The all access pass includes admission to all pre-parties. We will also be offering $50 VIP passes that include an all access pass, 2 meal tickets, 4 drink tickets, a t-shirt, poster and koozie.”

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What else…

Desaparecidos released a new rock video yesterday for the song “City on the Hill,” off their upcoming Epitaph release, Payola, out June 23. Check it. The band also announced a handful of additional tour dates in June.

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There’s a new Tim Kasher song called “Half Full” that’s currently streaming on SoundCloud (below). It’s from a Record Store Day split single with Chris Farren of Fake Problems.

From the press release: “Tim Kasher (Cursive, The Good Life) and Chris Farren (Fake Problems) wrote and recorded one song each, and then passed only the lyrics and chords to one another. Next, the two recorded their interpretations of the other’s song, never having heard the original. The results are found here. Record Store Day limited edition on gray vinyl.” RSD is going to be fun this year.

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Speaking of RSD, make sure you check out this week’s podcast for an interview with Mike Fratt about what Homer’s is doing for Record Store Day this Saturday, plus Mike’s take on how this retail holiday is impacting labels and stores. It’s below, and if you’re going to listen to it, you better hurry. The SoundCloud version got taken down because of the Modest Mouse snippet used at the beginning of the podcast!

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Shows…

Omaha indie band Oquoa starts its April residency at fabulous O’Leaver’s tonight. Joining them is McCarthy Trenching and Universe Contest. This is the first of three April shows at The Club. Now you now have no excuse for not having checked these dudes out. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight there’s a Tom Waits tribute show at The Barley Street Tavern. Among the talent taking their stab at ol’ gravel pit is Brad Hoshaw, Scott Severin, Kait Berreckman, Jeremy Mercy and the Burkum Brothers, plus lots more. $5, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Simon Joyner and The Ghosts at Slowdown Jr., April 4, 2015.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Simon Joyner never looked more relaxed, more within his element than on the Slowdown Jr. stage Saturday night playing his new music with that band. It was Joyner at his finest singing sad songs to a big crowd of fans and friends and people who have seen and heard him play (in some cases) for more than 20 years.

This version of the Ghosts (his backing band) was as solid as they come. They sounded road-hardened even though they haven’t been touring lately. Among the standouts was guitarist Jim Schroeder, whose muscular style added tension both in his chopping accompaniment and his brazen solos, countered only by Mike Friedman on pedal steel.

Joyner played mainly songs off his new album, Grass, Branch & Bone, all of which already sound like standards to these ears. People are saying it’s the best album he’s ever made, and maybe they’re right. This is the first time I’ve felt that songs from one of his albums could be used in a movie soundtrack or would fit into rotation on a radio station — very likely not something that Joyner was shooting for when he make the album, but wouldn’t it be a kick in the head?

Outlaw Con Bandana at Slowdown Jr., April 4, 2015.

Opening was Outlaw Con Bandana — Brendan Hagberg and Pearl Lovejoy Boyd — playing earthy folk songs with Hagberg either on banjo or acoustic guitar. He’s a throwback performer, a throwback songwriter to a folk style of an earlier time, updated lyrically with stories from his life. It’s the kind of music where you’ll find yourself listening and remembering stories from your own past.

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Desaparecidos finally announced that their next album, Payola, comes out June 23 on Epitaph. The band released a new track, “City on the Hill,” as part of the announcement. The song, below, feature’s Cursive’s Tim Kasher. Album pre-orders can be made here.

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Tonight at The Waiting Room is the band that Omaha World-Herald music writer Kevin Coffey declared as his favorite act from this year’s South By Southwest Festival — Dead Sara. (I never caught them when I was in Austin). Opening is Wans and Freakabout. $15, 8 p.m.

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Reception will be spotty this week at Lazy-i central as I’ll be on the road. There may or may not be updates (but there probably will be). your best bet is too keep checking back, over and over again…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In what could be the worst-kept secret in the history of indie rock, it was officially announced yesterday that former Saddle Creek Records band Desaparecidos has signed with Epitaph Records for the release of the band’s first new album in 13 frickin’ years.

Rumors of the Epitaph signing go as far back as the band’s 2013 Maha Festival performance. Conor Oberst all but confirmed the deal (or more accurately, didn’t deny it) in this May 2014 interview in The Reader.

Epitaph’s official announcement adds nothing new to the story, not even a street date for the album, only that it’ll be released this year. One assumes that the release would be sometime around the start of the band’s brief April tour, that starts April 8 in Denver. We shall see.

Not being discussed is why the new Desa record isn’t coming out on Saddle Creek. I suppose the writing was on the wall when they self-released three singles over the past couple years. With Oberst now on Nonesuch and Bright Eyes seemingly on indefinite hiatus, it appears Oberst has all but cut ties with the record label he helped create.

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Twinsmith’s new single premiered this morning at AV Club.

Speaking of Saddle Creek, its newest addition, Twinsmith, saw the debut of the first track off its sophomore album, Alligator Years, premiered this morning at AV Club (Don’t forget check out the comments at the end of that AV Club story). Twimsmith is touring with Cursive in February before they begin a headlining tour March 2 in Chicago (which leads to their appearances at SXSW in mid-March). The rekkid comes out May 5.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I didn’t make it out to see The Good Life last night and it hurts my heart. It was a game-time decision, the wind-chill was in the negatives and I had to get up early this morning. In the old days (just a few years ago) I would have gone anyway, but it’s getting tougher to get out during the week, especially when I don’t know if there will be any air in my Tracker’s tires when I leave the club (They have this way of leaking out in sub-zero weather).

If you were at O’Leaver’s last night, let me know how it went. The band is reportedly in the studio today working on their new record.

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What else…

Desparecidos is playing Coachella April 12. Impressive. Coachella is getting some blow-back this year because of the number of legacy bands playing the festival, including AC/DC, Steely Dan, not to mention the ’90s and ’00s bands (Built to Spill, Sloan, heck Desa’s been around for a decade). I’m not sure what all the whining is about. The majority of the lineup consists of modern-day acts (read the lineup at TIME).  You’re always going to have a few notable big names from back in the day that appeal to multiple generations. Congrats to Desa. Something tells me this Epitaph release could be a monster…

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One Percent’s latest update went out this morning. The most notable nugget on their list of shows — Of Montreal March 16 at The Waiting Room. I think that might be smack-dab in the middle of SXSW, so it’s very likely I’ll miss them. Or maybe not. The press release says they’re playing SXSW March 19…

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I got all your entries for the Comp CD giveaway. Thanks! I’ll be announcing the winners tomorrow.

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Tonight at Reverb Lounge legacy performer Sarah Benck takes the stage with Kevin Sandbloom and CJ Mills. $5, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Desaparecidos circa 2002. The band plays tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Let holiday week begin. And begin it does in a big way tonight with dueling shows.

Top of the list is Desaparecidos at The Waiting Room. I guess the band figured since they were all in town working on the new record anyway, might as well do a show. Don’t be surprised if you get a sneak peek at their upcoming Epitaph release tonight. Opening is the always entertaining Digital Leather and hip-hop act BOTH. $20, 9 p.m. Get your tickets here.

Also tonight Chicago band Twin Peaks headlines a show at Midtown Art Supply, 2578 Harney Street. No, the venue isn’t a Dick Blick, it’s a warehouse where Eyeball Productions hosted a Trash Talk show a while back. What does Twin Peaks sound like? Here’s how I described their latest record in The Reader:

Twin Peaks, Wild Onion (Grand Jury) — Is electric-guitar-fueled power-pop back again? The throw-back style of this Chicago band’s good-time songs will have you thinking so. It’s like The Kinks combined with every band on the Titan! label. The 16-song collection is only 40 minutes long, which means most songs clock in under the 3-minute mark — a bitter-sweet thing.

Opening the gig is Telephathy Problems and Eric in Outerspace. $8, all ages, 9 p.m.

So which show to go to? Maybe both?

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.