Alex Bleeker & The Freaks

Alex Bleeker (bassist in Real Estate and all round nice guy) and his Freaks will be releasing their debut long player on the always amazing Underwater Peoples in the coming weeks. Having been lucky enough to hear it, I can safely say the Neil Young & Crazy Horse/ Grateful Dead comparisons are not over the top. Its rambling, timeless music for driving along long lonely roads and sitting, staring at mountains and stuff.

This video from Sawyer of Underwater Peoples explains more, with 'Summer Epilogue' playing in the background:

To My Boy 'Us + The Wind'

A couple of years ago.To My Boy released an underrated synth pop album, instead of the now almost obligatory Yazoo referencing, they sounded more like an electrocuted Devo playing OMD songs too fast. But there was always an undercurrent of melancholy in Jack's voice that hinted at a darker future.

So after their debut album the band (Jack, Sam and laptop) returned to university to study nuclear physics. Not much was heard from them until Jack sent me over the new album. It's an astonishing leap forward, a concept album about when the world runs out of natural resources and has to find a new planet to inhabit. It's a really great record, which conjures up images of disused nuclear bunkers on the grey plains of Northern England, The Quiet Earth and Phillip K Dick's existential angst.

Below is a link to 'Us + The Wind', further songs will pop in time:

TO MY BOY - 'US + THE WIND' MP3 [YOUSENDIT LINK]

WOODS

WOODS are in the UK from Sunday as part of the Shred Yr Face tour (with Espers and Cave Singers).

They recently had a chat with Drowned In Sound, where they talk about tapes, Wavves, dating music lovers and what not. Click here to read it.

They'll be playing an instore at Pure Groove in Faringdon this Sunday (8th) at 3pm, which is here (FYI)

08/11/09 : Pure Groove (3pm) – London (UK)
08/11/09 : Lexington - London (UK)

09/11/09 : The Farmhouse – Canterbury (UK)

10/11/09 : Hare & Hounds – Birmingham (UK)

11/11/09 : Crawdaddy – Dublin (EIR)

12/11/09 : Speakeasy (Radar Club) – Belfast (UK)

13/11/09 : Stereo – Glasgow (UK)

14/11/09 : The Electric Circus – Edinburgh (UK)

15/11/09 : The Cluny – Newcastle (UK)

16/11/09 : The Brudenell Social Club – Leeds (UK)

17/11/09 : Academy 3 – Manchester (UK)

18/11/09 : The Freebutt - Brighton (UK)

19/11/09 : Fleece – Bristol (UK)

20/11/09 : ULU – London (UK)

Real Estate live at CMJ

Some more Real Estate videos from CMJ. Pitchfork have also upped the entire set from their gig at the Market Hotel (MP3s below).

Real Estate - "Fake Blues" from Flipswitch on Vimeo.

'Basement' live at Pianos. Which will appear on their upcoming 12" on Mexican Summer

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner: Real Estate [Part 3 of 14] from Ray Concepcioñ on Vimeo.

You can download the whole set from the Pitchfork gig at the Market Hotel below. The tracklisting is as follows:

01. Pool Swimmers
02. Basement
03. Beach Comber
04. Younger Than Yesterday (mp3 mislabeled)
05. Suburban Beverage
06. The Mall [Ducktails cover]
07. Fake Blues

DOWNLOAD HERE