“The Casbah has always been a special place for us,” Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison informed the enthusiastic, sold-out crowd.
It was his band’s third appearance at the quintessential San Diego venue — which he claimed had given them their first headlining gig — and you could tell that his professed love was genuine. The show was the second to last stop on Frightened Rabbit’s US tour, but the smiles on their faces made it clear that it was far from just another gig. Continue reading…
As it does every year, the Coachella Music Festival is about to descend upon Indio, California. From April 16 – 18, the one-horse town will be transformed into an indie music mecca, with hipsters converging from far and wide to soak up the tunes and 115-degree heat.
Coachella can be a terrific time but also a taxing one, so you’ll want to get your mandatory three-day ticket’s worth. To help ensure that you don’t risk all that dehydration and sunstroke for nothing, your friendly neighborhood Owl and Bear have compiled a list of this year’s must-see bands. Continue reading
Does anyone remember an album called Funeral, released by a then-unknown band called Arcade Fire? I know you’re racking your brain to remember. Do you remember how you felt when you first heard it? The sheer jubilation you enjoyed when the anthemic chorus erupted and subsided, sending chills down your spine? Some might say this is a stretch, but I experienced that once again listening to the album Reservoir, by yet another unknown band named Fanfarlo. Continue reading
Frightened Rabbit, the lads responsible for Owl&Bear’s 2008 Album of the Year, are back with a video for “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”, the A-side off their new 7-inch single. It’s great to hear Scott Hutchison’s quivering brogue again, and you can mark us down as officially excited for the band’s upcoming album. The elegant clip goes to show that you don’t need high-concept ideas or quirky animation to make a captivating video. Sometimes you just need a great band, a great song, and some flashlights.
The marriage of indie rock and corporate advertising can be a strange coupling. Of Montreal, Modest Mouse, and The New Pornographers are just a few bands that have had their tunes co-opted to hock steaks, cars, and beer. If you watched any television last year, chances are you caught the commercial for the Saturn Outlook, which prominently featured a bubbly little tune called “5 Years Timeâ€. Catchy as it was, the advertisement gave little indication that the band behind the jingle, London folk rock act Noah & The Whale, had created one of 2008’s best albums: Peaceful,The World Lays Me Down.
Sounding like a poppier version of Scottish soul mates—and Owl&Bear album of the year winner—Frightened Rabbit, Noah & The Whale use acoustic guitars and mournful vocals to craft aching confessionals that would break your heart if you weren’t so busy tapping your foot. The band is set to release its sophomore album, entitled The First Days of Spring, on August 31st in the UK and October 6th in the US.
As a companion piece for the album, the band has created a film version of The First Days of Spring, which will be screened at select locations in August and September, and will also be available as part of the album’s deluxe edition. You can watch a trailer for the Wes Anderson-inspired film, as well as download a Twelves remix of the song “Blue Skiesâ€, after the jump. No Saturns were harmed during the making of the film. Continue reading