Peter Björn and John’s sixth album, titled “Gimme Some” involves some hard-learned lessons about break ups and mistakes in love and moving on. That’s where “Tomorrow Has to Wait” and “Second Chance” come in. The two tracks need “Dig a Little Deeper,” to round out the trio of songs that have a distinct sound, more unique than the rest of the album. Imagine guitar backgrounds as light as cotton-candy. They are ear-pleasing, sing along kind of tracks that get inside of your head and live there because you’d know them anywhere. The songs of movie trailers (face it, they’re responsible for “Young Folks”) and television commercials.

You can get into “Gimme Some” and ride back in time. I couldn’t stop the ‘80s and ’90s movie montage from it’s progression in my head.  Scenes from the movie Footloose (when “Eyes” came on) and Sixteen Candles were most definitely included in the mental montage at some point.

Gimme’s songs have vibes are trained on the relationship world. There are tracks toting lyrics with some of the stuff that break ups should be made of and the same recipe people use for getting over someone they liked, loved or just got done with, without the whining.

PB&J just keep it real with the kind of songs one might adopt for their life anthem or personal theme song, lifted by the sound and dynamics, but strengthened by the message, “You can’t, can’t count a second chance; a second chance will never be found,” from “Second Chance.” Words to live by, that’s true about life, but here, you get to learn your lesson with some smooth vocals in the background. Even if you’re not bettering yourself, you’re still singing. What’s more, if you don’t pick up the lyrics perfectly, PB&J give you a little something (a call and response or an ooh-wee-ooh or two) to grab onto.

One of the Swedish band’s influences, Per Sunding of Eggstone is named as a producer on the album. Once you pass the third track, the songs pick up a drum tempo that sticks until the final track, but the sounds of the guitar won’t leave you lonely and neither will vocalist Peter Morén’s voice.

You want PB&J to give you some, something else, but you’re not completely upset that what you were waiting on was in the first three tracks. The dreamy vocals and guitar are an awesome pair (like, peanut butter and jelly, who would have thought) and drum the drums complete the package take care of you, especially at the tail end of some tracks that ride out sans-vocals, allowing  a deeper appreciation of the instrumental mix.

Put this on when you want to sing about love, life and filling in the blanks.

Like an eccentric Cobain without the need for any blatant and vulnerable conviction, each song seems to cling to it’s story as if it were first and foremost written for the writer him/her self.  Had they survived long enough to experience the current onslaught of high end anti depressants, perhaps the grateful dead might have steered the tail end of their jams towards similar fog induced sneers and break downs.

War in heaven reminded me of a show a while back by six pence none the richer (back when their music really did represent a healthy vision of C.S. Lewis). Whereas while listening to Apparitions I thought of Joy electric, but thankfully most of it stayed deceptive and out of reach unless you wished to join and  lash out within its upper level type sound. and although The guitar storm is brief, it is  perhaps in the same ranks as down boy.

As for the darkness of let’s say, Evil Seeds I find that its type more resembles a spiritual darkness that you might find while listening to Timber Timbre (Who is coming to seek revenge?) Truly his best song.

Summer moon I imagine was written long ago and left on a bed side following some all night dinner party which lasted until dawn, and as lovers parted summer moon was left behind, when the band awoke they quickly put it to music.

The sounds stay suspended while never seeming to drift into diametric opposition to it’s overall purpose. It’s a hard break down from song to song because it’s more of an instillation piece, but even with the very atmospheric scene all ready present in much of the current musicology, the fuzz remains unique and the distortion gentile and well placed. There is a true elegance to these tracks, one to be appreciated as it is taken out and put away, taken out and put away…

NEW BRIAN BUTLER-DIRECTED “MODERN ART” VIDEO PREMIERED YESTERDAY, TOUR BEGINS TODAY IN CARRBORO

Gearing up for what amounts to nearly three solid months of touring (full dates below), Atlanta’s “flower punk” progenitors Black Lips yesterday released a mind warping new video for Arabia Mountain track “Modern Art” via Pitchfork. The song marks the first publicly available taste of the nine album cuts (of 16 total) produced by top 40 pop mastermind Mark Ronson, and features some of the long murmured-about new instrumentation that resulted from the collaboration, including a rare pitch-perfect performance on singing saw. The 2 minute blast of visual psychedelia comes courtesy of Brian Butler, friend and protégé of celebrated arthouse director and Manson family documentarian Kenneth Anger. Butler’s clip offers a solid nod to his primary field of expertise, the occult, transpiring in the dark, other-worldly interior of New Orleans’s Saturn Bar, lined with the anachronistic paintings of Michael Frolich, and featuring a co-starring cast that includes a human skull, a squid, and a rooster. Click the link below to take a trip to the other side.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES: /> (all April dates w/ Vivian Girls) /> 4/6/11 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle /> 4/7/11 Baltimore, MD Ottobar /> 4/8/11 Washington, DC Black Cat /> 4/9/11 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero /> 4/12/11 New York, NY Webster /> 4/13/11 Pawtucket, RI The Met /> 4/14/11 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club /> 4/15/11 Montreal, QC Le National /> 4/16/11 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre /> 4/17/11 Detroit, MI Magic Stick /> 4/19/11 Columbus, OH Outland Live /> 4/20/11 Newport, KY Southgate House /> 4/21/11 St. Louis, MO The Firebird /> 4/22/11 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium /> 4/23/11 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater /> 4/25/11 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room /> 4/26/11 Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club /> 4/27/11 Dallas, TX The Loft /> 4/28/11 Austin, TX Emo’s /> 4/29/11 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s /> 4/30/11 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon

5/6/11 Barcelona, SP Bikini Venue /> 5/7/11 Santiago de Compostela Sala Capitol /> 5/8/11 Madrid, SP Sala Heineken /> 5/9/11 Montpellier, FR Rockstore /> 5/11/11 Strasbourg, FR La Laterie /> 5/12/11 Hamburg, DE Grunspan /> 5/13/11 Berlin, DE Festsaal Kreuzberg /> 5/14/11 Munich, DE Garge Fest (Feierwerk) /> 5/16/11 Amsterdam, NL Trouw Amsterdam /> 5/17/11 Paris, FR 104 /> 5/18/11 Brussels, BE Les Nuits Botanique /> 5/19/11 London, UK The Garage /> 5/20/11 Liverpool, UK Sound City Fetival (The Masque) /> 5/21/11 Cheshire, UK Friends Of Mine Festival /> 5/22/11 Leeds, UK Brudenell Social Club /> 5/24/11 Glasgow, UK Stereo /> 5/25/11 Dublin, IRL The Button Factory /> 5/26/11 Cork, IRL Cypress Avenue /> 5/27/11 Galway, IRL Roisin Dubh /> 5/31/11 Zurich, CH Exil

(all June dates w/ Cerebal Ballzy) /> 6/9/11 San Diego, CA The Casbah /> 6/10/11 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones /> 6/11 & 12 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall /> 6/14/11 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom /> 6/15/11 Vancouver,BC Commodore Ballroom /> 6/16/11 Seattle, WA Neumos /> 6/17/11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House /> 6/18/11 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge /> 6/19/11 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater /> 6/21/11 Tucson, AZ Plush /> 6/22/11 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room /> 6/23/11 Costa Mesa, CA The Detroit Bar /> 6/24/11 Los Angeles, CA The Music Box /> 6/25/11 Pomona, CA The Glass House

The Black Lips – Modern Arts video

The Newport Folk Festival has announced that The Decemberists will headline the first night of their 2011 festival on Saturday, July 30. General public tickets will go on-sale March 31 at 10:00am ET. The band’s outdoor stage performance on ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! will air on April 5. They have also added an August 12 date at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles to their summer touring schedule. See below for a full list of tour dates or visit The Decemberists’ website.

Following the #1 Billboard debut of their album The King Is Dead on Capitol Records, The Decemberists have notched another career first #1 as the album’s lead single “Down By The Water” ascends this week to the top spot on the Mediabase AAA radio charts. The band also continues to enjoy their biggest Modern Rock radio success to date with “This Is Why We Fight” climbing into the Top 20 at the format.

On April 16, The Decemberists will release Live At Bull Moose, a limited edition EP in conjunction with Record Store Day. The seven-track CD—which will be available exclusively through participating independent record stores—was recorded live at Bull Moose in Scarborough, Maine, and includes songs from The King Is Dead, as well as a cover of the country ballad “If I Could Only Win Your Love” by The Louvin Brothers.

TOUR DATES: /> April 16, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO+ /> April 17, Holland Performing Arts Center, Omaha, NE+ /> April 18, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA+ /> April 19, Overture Hall, Madison, WI+ /> April 21, Benedum Center, Pittsburgh, PA+ /> April 22, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI /> April 23, The LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH+ /> April 25, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI+ /> April 26, Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, KY+ /> April 27, The Pageant, St. Louis, MO+ /> April 29, House of Blues, Dallas, TX= /> April 30, Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Austin, TX= /> May 1, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA /> May 2, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta, GA+ /> May 29, Les Schwab Amphitheater, Bend, OR* /> May 30, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Quincy, WA /> June 10, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, TN /> June 11, Raleigh Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC# /> June 13, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD# /> June 14, Celebrate Brooklyn @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn, NY# /> June 15, Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA# /> June 16-19, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, CO /> July 30, Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI /> August 5, The Lawn @ White River State Park, Indianapolis, IN /> August 12, Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

+ with Justin Townes Earle /> = with Other Lives /> * with Rodrigo Y Gabriela /> # with Best Coast

Atlanta’s Black Lips, notorious master artisans of hook-laden psychedelic garage-pop, and one of the most irresistible live bands around, are extending their US tour this summer. In addition to previously announced dates with Vivian Girls set for this April, the quartet will be bringing their sunny sounds up and down the west coast in June for a run of dates with NY’s punk/hardcore ragers Cerebal Ballzy. Fresh out of the studio with top 40 wizard Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Busta Rhymes, etc), the band will be showcasing new material from their upcoming new full length on Vice Music, tapped by Spin as one of their “30 Must-Hear Albums of 2011″.

New Tour Dates: /> (all June dates w/ Cerebal Ballzy) /> 6/9/11 San Diego, CA The Casbah /> 6/10/11 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones /> 6/11 & 12 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall /> 6/14/11 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom /> 6/15/11 Vancouver,BC Commodore Ballroom /> 6/16/11 Seattle, WA Neumos /> 6/17/11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House /> 6/18/11 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge /> 6/19/11 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater /> 6/21/11 Tucson, AZ Plush /> 6/22/11 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room /> 6/23/11 Costa Mesa, CA The Detroit Bar /> 6/24/11 Los Angeles, CA The Music Box /> 6/25/11 Pomona, CA The Glass House

Previously Announced Dates: /> (all April dates w/ Vivian Girls) /> 2/24/11 Miami, FL Grand Central * with Surfer Blood, Vivian Girls, Thee Oh Sees /> 2/25-2/28/11 Miami, FL Bruise Cruise *with Thee Oh Sees, Surfer Blood,Ty Segall /> 3/7/11 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks *with Quintron and Miss Pussycat /> 4/6/11 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle /> 4/7/11 Baltimore, MD Ottobar /> 4/8/11 Washington, DC Black Cat /> 4/9/11 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero /> 4/12/11 New York, NY Webster Hall /> 4/13/11 Pawtucket, RI The Met /> 4/14/11 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club /> 4/15/11 Montreal, QC Le National /> 4/16/11 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre /> 4/17/11 Detroit, MI Magic Stick /> 4/19/11 Columbus, OH Outland Live /> 4/20/11 Newport, KY Southgate House /> 4/21/11 St. Louis, MO The Firebird /> 4/22/11 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium /> 4/23/11 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater /> 4/25/11 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room /> 4/26/11 Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club /> 4/27/11 Dallas, TX The Loft /> 4/28/11 Austin, TX Emo’s /> 4/29/11 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s /> 4/30/11 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon

Atlanta’s Black Lips, notorious master artisans of hook-laden psychedelic garage-pop, and one of the most irresistible live bands around, are extending their US tour this summer. In addition to previously announced dates with Vivian Girls set for this April, the quartet will be bringing their sunny sounds up and down the west coast in June for a run of dates with NY’s punk/hardcore ragers Cerebal Ballzy. Fresh out of the studio with top 40 wizard Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Busta Rhymes, etc), the band will be showcasing new material from their upcoming new full length on Vice Music, tapped by Spin as one of their “30 Must-Hear Albums of 2011″.

New Tour Dates: /> (all June dates w/ Cerebal Ballzy) /> 6/9/11 San Diego, CA The Casbah /> 6/10/11 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones /> 6/11 & 12 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall /> 6/14/11 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom /> 6/15/11 Vancouver,BC Commodore Ballroom /> 6/16/11 Seattle, WA Neumos /> 6/17/11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House /> 6/18/11 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge /> 6/19/11 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater /> 6/21/11 Tucson, AZ Plush /> 6/22/11 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room /> 6/23/11 Costa Mesa, CA The Detroit Bar /> 6/24/11 Los Angeles, CA The Music Box /> 6/25/11 Pomona, CA The Glass House

Previously Announced Dates: /> (all April dates w/ Vivian Girls) /> 2/24/11 Miami, FL Grand Central * with Surfer Blood, Vivian Girls, Thee Oh Sees /> 2/25-2/28/11 Miami, FL Bruise Cruise *with Thee Oh Sees, Surfer Blood,Ty Segall /> 3/7/11 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks *with Quintron and Miss Pussycat /> 4/6/11 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle /> 4/7/11 Baltimore, MD Ottobar /> 4/8/11 Washington, DC Black Cat /> 4/9/11 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero /> 4/12/11 New York, NY Webster Hall /> 4/13/11 Pawtucket, RI The Met /> 4/14/11 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club /> 4/15/11 Montreal, QC Le National /> 4/16/11 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre /> 4/17/11 Detroit, MI Magic Stick /> 4/19/11 Columbus, OH Outland Live /> 4/20/11 Newport, KY Southgate House /> 4/21/11 St. Louis, MO The Firebird /> 4/22/11 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium /> 4/23/11 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater /> 4/25/11 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room /> 4/26/11 Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club /> 4/27/11 Dallas, TX The Loft /> 4/28/11 Austin, TX Emo’s /> 4/29/11 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s /> 4/30/11 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon