Secretly Canadian’s Richard Swift released Dressed Up For The Letdown this year, which was my first exposure to his music. At first listen to the track “The Songs Of National Freedom,” I couldn’t help but hear similarities with Phil Collins smash hit “That’s All.” Most people would be turned away or stop listening to things when a comparison like that raises his head, but since my parents were keen on Collins and his contributions to Genesis, I kept on listening.

Richard Swift is the type of artist that I picture myself listening to while driving a convertible driving through the Arizona desert. His music is jubilant and confidant and after checking out his previous record, The Richard Swift Collection Vol. 1, I can unabashedly say this is an artist who’s growth is apparent with each release which only means great things are in the future for Richard.

Myspace: Richard Swift
MP3: Richard Swift – Kisses For The Misses

Here are the Wisconsin concerts we recommend you take in this week. Check them out below and let us know which ones you’ll be attending or ones you think should really make our list.

3/26 – The One AM Radio – Cafe Montmartre, Madison
3/26 – Patty Griffin – Barrymore, Madison
3/28 – Paleo/Gabriel Reed – Cafe Montmartre, Madison
3/30 – James Hunter – Northern Lights Theater, Milwaukee
3/31 – Patchwork – Cafe Montmartre, Madison
4/1 – The Black Lips – Mad Planet, Milwaukee

+++++Please remember you can always find a list of upcoming shows in Milwaukee and Madison by visiting our shows page +++++

Upon returning from last night’s Man Man/Girl Talk show at Club 770 I’ve tried to put myself in the position of the young college couple located directly behind me who appeared to be on a first date because of the awkward exchanges of “so do you go to a lot of concerts,” and “do you listen to Dave Matthews?” I was first surprised to learn that Dave Matthews is, in fact, still playing and recording music, and, on top of that, people are still listening to it. What I found most interesting though was their choice of place to spend their Saturday night with a bunch of total strangers as Man Man and eventually Girl Talk played to extremely enthusiastic crowds.

If it was your first exposure to Man Man last night you know doubt questioned when Tom Waits got young, joined a carnival, and started experimenting with excessive amounts psychedelics. I’d seen these guys last summer in Chicago at the Pitchfork Music Festival and was immediately impressed with the way they throw themselves into each performance and make crowds of like minded individuals (sans the two I mentioned earlier) absolutely lose their brains. The release of Demon Bag in 2006 catapulted the group to the forefront of indie rock and earned them the ability to tour extensively behind it; the majority of their live performances continue to derive from it, which works just fine as it’s those tunes that got them their fans and the songs that people come out to hear night after night. The band is currently working on their second release in Chicago.

I was initially skeptical when I heard the bill would include Man Man and Girl Talk, thinking their fans might not exactly blend together in a seamless manner. I couldn’t have been more incorrect. In fact Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) stood to my right for the majority of the Man Man performance and seemed to genuinely be enjoying it. It was hard to tell which artist the people in attendance were there to see, but it was apparent that everyone on stage with Girl Talk absolutely loved the mash up/laptronica tunes he was playing.

I’ll admit it’s hard for me to enjoy music like his for excessive periods of time, although I was able to enjoy his latest, Night Ripper from start to finish this morning. What translates with his live performances is the energy they bring about that you just don’t get during an hour with his record. Constant tempo changes and escalating beats educed a furry of dance moves and grinding both on stage and off. It was clear that everyone was enjoying the show supremely and to get a measure of Girl Talk’s enjoyment you’d have to look no further than his sweat soaked body and occasional stage dives in the audience to realize that he not only succeeds in winning over and audience but seems to enjoy it night after night.

Girl Talk is not a DJ and he’ll tell you that straight up. His music, and more importantly his live performances are built of the thesis of giving people a good time through familiar and well known songs combined together. With only one stop due to technical difficulties, there was little to complain about once he took the stage. I’m sure a lot of individuals were looking for an after party that would provide a similar experience to keep the night going.

It remains unknown if the couple I mentioned at the beginning made it through Man Man’s set or if they caught any of Girl Talk’s.

Myspace: Man Man
Myspace: Girl Talk
MP3: Girl Talk – Hold Up
MP3: Girl Talk – Bounce That
MP3: Man Man – Van Helsing Boombox

We’re just beginning to digest the new Modest Mouse album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, which was released this week. So far the overall reaction I’ve read and heard has been less than positive, but I think we all owe it to Isaac and the rest of the crew to let this album settle in a while.

We have a limited edition 7″ to give away that includes the album track “Fire It Up” and the unreleased “King Rat”. Leave a comment telling me why I should love or hate the album for your chance to win.

Buy: Insound
Wikipedia: Vinyl/Records
Myspace: Modest Mouse
Pitchfork: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank [7.8]

Heading into Austin for SXSW there were a few bands on my “short list” of artists I couldn’t miss while in town. The Rosebuds were at the very top of that list. With the release of Birds Make Good Neighbors in late 2005, I instantly became enamored with the band and listened to them obsessively for months while devouring their previous releases.

It was only a few weeks ago that their upcoming album, Night Of The Furies landed in my mailbox along with cautionary tales from friends and respected online sources that the Rosebuds had gone and made a departure record. Upon first listen it was apparent to me that The Rosebuds were a band that refused to stay stagnant and release carbon copies of each of their previous records. Instead, they wanted to push forward and reach challenging new landscapes. They succeeded in that aspect with their upcoming record, and cemented my appreciation of their music when they took the stage at Club De Ville in Austin as part of the Hot Freaks! showcase.

In a ten song set drew heavily from Night Of The Furies, and showcased the band winning over a crowd that was partially there to catch the Polyphonic Spree’s upcoming set. Ivan Howard slipped and fell a couple of times due to slippery boots and Kelly Crisp held down the keyboards and vocal parts flawlessly. The set culminated into the band inviting a dozen fans onstage during “Night Of The Three Furies” while led to massive amounts of jumping, bad dancing (mostly on my part), and for many individuals the only chance they’ll have to say they’ve been on stage as part of a performance during SXSW.

Big thanks to The Rosebuds and The Hot Freaks! for putting on the most memorable show of SXSW for us and the majority of those in attendance. All those in attendance, don’t miss the opportunity to head over to Lullabyes and download the entire performance.

Night Of The Furies will be released on April 10th. We highly recommend it.

UPDATE: You can now stream Night Of The Furies in full on Rhapsody.

MP3: The Rosebuds – Get Up Get Out
Myspace: The Rosebuds

We promise to get back to our recap from SXSW (unless we don’t), but wanted to share the first track available from The National’s upcoming album, The Boxer. The song “Fake Empire” includes the addition of a horn section and is certain to get you excited about the rest of the album – as if you weren’t already.

Don’t forget about The National’s upcoming performance at the High Noon Saloon on June 9th. Tickets are $12 and going fast! The Boxer hits stores on May 22nd on Beggars Banquet.

MP3: The National – Fake Empire
Myspace: The National