Better Late Than Never

Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for my absence last week. Work overload and creeping illness made it difficult for me to give you guys the goods. However, this week I've got a couple things up my sleeve, mostly in honor of SXSW, which begins this Friday in cool kid capitol of the world, Austin, Texas.


When I was in ninth grade, I harbored a borderline unhealthy obsession with Canadian indie pop group Sloan. In the span of a few months, my best friend and I attended two of the band's concerts and even managed to weasel our way into a long conversation with unofficial bandleader Chris Murphy about Jim Carrey movies.

Though I can't say I hold Sloan - or any band, for that matter - at the same level of psychotic esteem I did during my teenage years, the quartet will always hold a special in my heart. That being said, it makes me really happy that not only does the group have a relatively new album chock-full of happy-go-lucky hits, Never Hear The End Of It, but that the Toronto export will also be on board at this year's SXSW festival.

A little later-years Lennon, a bit AC-DC and a whole lotta '70s Steely Dan, Sloan's latest is charmingly catchy and unapologetically un-cool - much like its partially bespectacled creators. That's what I will always love about Sloan: The foursome has never tried to be anything but itself, which can only be lovingly described as refreshingly unpretentious.

Though Never Hear The End Of It has been out since the latter portion of last year, the album's relevance lives on thanks to its mammoth, 29-song tracklist and Yep Roc's recent online series, "30 Days of Sloan," a behind-the-scenes collection of videos counting down to Sloan's rapidly approaching SXSW performance.

You can watch the goofiness ensue here and stream the entire new album on Sloan's website. "Who Taught You To Live Like That" is especially noteworthy.

Buy Never Hear The End Of It @ Yep Roc
+Myspace


In other news, Blonde Redhead is gearing up to release its much anticipated follow-up to 2004's critically acclaimed Misery Is A Butterfly. The multilingual threesome will also begin touring again March 14 at SXSW.

If the title track is any indication, 23 promises more lush, atmospheric soundscapes and Kazu Makino's predictably gorgeous but unintelligible vocalizing. I know I can't wait. If you live in Atlanta and are a Blonde Redhead fan, mark your calendars: The trio is set to play Variety Playhouse May 4.

From 23 (Buy April 16 @ 4AD)
23

Keep bootscootin,
Amy