Warm weather calls for a different type of music. No more of this mopey, sad-sack stuff. Bust out the upbeat, the melodic, the toe-tapping goodness that is reserved for the time of year when the weather is nice and no one can stop you from wearing sandals outside.

New Jersey’s own The Black Hollies aren’t exactly reinventing the musical wheel with their newest full length Casting Shadows, but their brand of decades old rock is just the thing that spring calls for. Tracks like “Paisley Pattern Ground” and “That Little Girl” are just the kind of song that would have young girls screaming at the TV set back in the black and white era.

Read more after the jump!

Quick and catchy guitar rhythms prop up slightly echoey vocals, with melodies that will remain in your head for long after the track is over. The drums throughout the album have that loose, carefree style that is just sloppy enough to allow for some experimentation, yet they always remain on track. Guitars remain in lock-step rhythm and then veer off into a fuzzed-out territory when need be, like on “Under A Winter’s Spell.” The track takes the band to a psychedelic level that serves as a nice break from their consistently upbeat pop.

Sure the talk of “harvest moon[s]” and “kaleidoscopic wishes” may not resonant with someone who is not currently on LSD, but lyrically the band is able to craft songs that half the time aren’t nearly as upbeat as they sound (just read the lyrics to “ Bruised Tangerines” and you’ll get what I mean). With a style that harkens back to the “Summer of Love” and a time when hippies roamed the earth, The Black Hollies are able to do more than just coast on similarities to a generation gone by and utilize catchy songwriting to put their own modern take on an old style. Will I still be listening to Casting Shadows when the days get shorter and the weather colder? Probably not, but for now it’s a great addition to any spring musical lineup

Photo by Linda Wildemann

Nick Cave has released two more videos from his stellar new full-length Dig, Lazarus, Dig !!! (Anti-/Mute). You get one for “Night Of The Lotus Eaters” and the other for my personal favorite from the record “More News From Nowhere.” Check them both out after the jump.

“Night Of The Lotus Eaters”

“More News From Nowhere”

“Two guys in rollerskates. That’s way hotter than one.” Yeah, that about sums up the new Flight Of The Conchords video for “Ladies Of The World.” Bret and Jemaine were awesome last week at their Town Hall shows in NYC. Hell, everyone from Susan Sarandon to My Morning Jacket were there enjoying the jams. But I’ll avoid going into a rant like the dude in the beginning of the video. Just enjoy.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the documentry Heavy Metal Baghdad over the last few months. The story follows Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda, who have headbanged through the fall of Saddam Hussein and the violence that has plagued their country to the present day. Check out the trailer below and there is more info after the jump.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad will have a limited theatrical run in NY and LA beginning May 23rd and the Collector’s Edition of the DVD, featuring over 90 minutes of bonus material, will be released June 10th. For more information and to pre-order your copy of the DVD now visit www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com

DVD Bonus features include:
- 45 Minute Featurette: HEAVY METAL IN ISTANBUL – the documentary that picks up where Heavy Metal in Baghdad left off
- 7 Additional and Deleted Scenes: 30 minutes of extra content including extended interviews with the band plus a meeting with the “Iraqi Godfather” in Syria 3 Live Performances: Acrassicauda Live! – Original Acrassicauda songs “Underworld”, “King Without A Throne” and “Message From Baghdad” performed in 2006 and 2008
- 8 Page Booklet: including the original Vice magazine article “No War For Heavy Metal”
- Movie Trailer

You better not have any plans for this Sunday, May 18th, because Cloak/Dagger will be stopping by Generation Records for an in-store performance. The free show begins at 4 P.M. and space will be very limited. Get there early, shop around, and then enjoy one of the best bands on the scene today…for free! Check out Generation’s Myspace for any further updates.

On Wednesday, May 14, I’ll be hosting an acoustic showcase that will be doubling as a benefit show and a birthday gathering for yours truly. I’m truly stoked for all of the acts that are playing and I hope as many of you as possible can make it out. The cover is $7 and I’m working on getting a drink special or two. Also, please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested.

Fontana’s
105 Eldridge St.
New York, NY

The Line-Up
7:00 - Frank Corva
7:30 - Chris Simmonds
8:15 - Brian Wallace
9:00 - Stephen Blackwell
9:45 - Timothy Thomas Cleary

Information On The Benefit
The benefit is for two of the immigrant workers at the restaurant that I work at. One of them recently had his child hospitalized in the Dominican Republic after the child grabbed at a pot of boiling milk, spilling it all over himself. Now the family is left with a large hospital bill that they do not have the money to pay off on their own. The other was recently jumped and stabbed in the face four times. He was hospitalized for 48 hours after getting over 100 stitches in his face. As a result he will be out of work for a few weeks and will have to pay the medical bills by himself due to the fact that he doesn’t have health insurance. The proceeds of the show as well as any other donations received that night will be going directly to these two men.

First off, Astpai are European. How fucking hardcore is that? Ok, maybe not terribly so. I mean, I lived there for a while and I’m not that hardcore. Still, the Austria-based band represent the genre perfectly. A great mix of politically-minded thrash, hardcore, with a touch of pop-punk melodies can be found on their Corruption Concealed (Under Deceptive Slogans), out now on Rise Or Rust Records. The record takes some time to pick up and find itself, but by the end of the second song you will be totally into it. Somewhat surprisingly, you do find songs like “Hard To Manage Broken Windows” delving into a more melodic acoustic sound, something that you’d think someone like New Found Glory would be using. Soon enough though, the Look Back And Laugh-esque parts kick in with the blistering guitars and vocals growling, enough to sound like they’re bleeding. All of this without the misplaced machismo you’d usually associate with vocals like that. I’ve been on a hardcore fix for a while now and Astpai definitely are helping to sooth that craving, so check out Corruption Concealed… if you come across it.

Cursive stopped by the Daytrotter studios recently and recorded a few tracks including “Sierra” from The Ugly Organ as well as two new tracks, “Donkeys” and “Let Me Up” which will likely appear on their upcoming album. Head over to Daytrotter now to snag the downloads and explore the rest of this great site.