Fall Festival Fever :: New Music Update, Vol. 4, N

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Vol. 4, No. 38 :: September 19, 2007 ::

Fall Festival Fever

When it comes to festivals, summer's traditionally the Big Kahuna. But if you take a look at your music calendars, you might be surprised to find autumn attempting a takeover. This past weekend we had a couple of biggies, Austin City Limits in Texas and the first-ever Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco. (Technically it was still summer, but try telling that to these trees.) Coming up we've got the fiftieth Monterey Jazz Festival this weekend in California; the always-amazing (and free) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco Oct. 5-7; the eco-themed Echo Project Oct. 20-22 in Atlanta; annual U.K. fest In the City that same weekend in Manchester; and CMJ in New York, Oct. 16-19. Even Mexico's jumping into the mix with Manifest on Oct. 27.

Even if you're not traveling to any of these, you can still dig this week's soundtrack, featuring bands scheduled to play these various events. Click the green stream this list button to listen, or follow the links below to download free MP3s.

This Week's Soundtrack: Fall Festival Fever

	Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, "I'm Gonna Make It" For 16 years Del has been the funkiest homo sapien around, and here's guessing he'd outclass every other species, genus, and phylum too. That Elektra cut one of the true masters of flow--a contrast with so many deadweight rhymers--before his third LP dropped is sad and befuddling. Thankfully, Hiero hasn't let Future Development die, releasing this masterly blend of glowing beats and mature prophecy. Filed under: Underground Rap Location: Oakland, California
	Interpol, "Pioneer to the Falls" On third album Our Love to Admire, New York's vaunted indie crew is mature enough to branch out and wise enough to keep its core tone. The stiff, military drums and piercing tenor--essential stuff--remain, but are now melded with gunky keyboard fogs and newly self-aware vocals. Filed under: Indie Rock Location: New York
	Nick Lowe, "The Club" Equally channeling Patsy Cline, Elvis Costello, and whatever they're pouring at the corner pub, Lowe's long-awaited new LP is a broken-down, elegant sort of waltz. Few meld gritty ditties with country trappings--honky rhythms, shambling horns, plucky banjos--like the languorous Lowe. Filed under: Pop/Rock Location: United Kingdom
	Diana Krall, "The Look of Love" The word "chanteuse" may have been coined for Canada's Krall, who has emerged as one of the preeminent jazz voices of our era--mostly by her mastery of a bygone one. On The Very Best, the singer slinks and sashays through more than a decade's worth of reinvigorated standards. Filed under: Contemporary Jazz Location: Canada
	Mates Of State, "Think Long" Husband-and-wife duo Mates of State takes the less-is-more approach to new heights. Layering the songs with joyfully upbeat vocal harmonies and slabs of quirky, overdriven keyboard sounds, Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel treat pop music as it should be: a celebration. Filed under: Indie Pop Location: San Francisco, California
	Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler" While bands with "disco" in their names are in right now (Shitdisco, Panic! at the Disco), more importantly, so is electro. SMD prove less can be more with minimalist big beats, a la dance-pop pioneers Technotronic. The group is known for both their original live material as well as their DJ sets. Filed under: Electro Location: London
	Thievery Corporation, "Warning Shots" Not one to shy away from experimentation, Thievery Corporation (Rob Garza and Eric Hilton) creates impressionistic multilayered downtempo grooves that continue to reflect the worldly tones and harmonies found in everything from dub, reggae, and hip-hop to electronic music. Predominantly instrumental, the duo's fourth release, "Cosmic Game" includes special vocal appearances from Perry Farrell, David Byrne, and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, all of which are placed in the right places for that post-club mesmerizing charm. Filed under: Downtempo Location: Washington D.C.
	The Killers, "For Reasons Unkown" The Killers tried to stop being the most addictive band in America. Really--they were all set for some R 'n' R. But alas, Brandon Flowers' awesomeness could not be put on hiatus, and so we have "Sam's Town," a cleverer, more culturally snappy set that keeps all the grand arena hooks of "Hot Fuss." Filed under: Indie Rock Location: United States

Featured Label: Saddle Creek

Omaha, Nebraska doesn't immediately jump out as a city leading the indie-rock avant-garde. But it now has something of a, ahem, reputation, at least in rock and roll circles, thanks to a little Omaha label named Saddle Creek, home to bands like the Faint, Cursive, Two Gallants, and the Good Life--not to mention, of course, Bright Eyes, the group led by indie-rock darling Conor Oberst, whose popularity has largely been responsible for gaining Saddle Creek such visibility.

A sampling of Saddle Creek artists on Download Music: