Do you realize that one of the most epic concerts took place at Barton Hall last night? The Flaming Lips took over the Cornell campus on Sunday evening, proclaiming that they were determined to put on the second best show this town has ever seen, right behind the legendary Grateful Dead show of ‘77. After performing for the last 27 years, the band has their act down. I am not a Flaming Lips fanatic, but the combination of glitter, Wayne Coyne’s human sized hamster ball, and contagious enthusiasm created an extremely enjoyable atmosphere.

The highlight reel includes: the band being birthed on to stage from the crotch of a woman (what a way to make an entrance!), an avid fan in a Captain America costume headbanging to “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” and hearing “She Don’t Use Jelly” live (a personal fave of mine). Another noteworthy part of the evening was the band’s performance of Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage.” The group’s rendition was pretty good, but it also affirmed the fact that I probably don’t have to go out of my way to catch the Flaming Lips play the whole Dark Side of the Moon album on the summer festival circuit. Still, the show was satisfying, to say the least.

The Love Language’s self-titled debut was one of last year’s most-overlooked albums, wrought with uncanny melodies and 60’s-soul-inflected indie pop that actually, you know, felt soulful (read: vulnerable). Their July performance at Rochester’s Bug Jar was one of summer 2009’s more memorable moments, too, dutifully showcasing the band’s unflagging energy and keen ability to balance their distinctive ballads with an anthemic, supercharged side.

Unsurprisingly, they’ve graduated to indie-major Merge Records and are gathering steam behind the new record, Libraries, due 7/13. “Heart to Tell” is the first official single from the July release, delivering a taut, instantly-gratifying jangle that should ward off everyone who hates sunshine and leave the spoils to us. The competition for Summer Jam 2k10 begins here.

The Love Language – “Heart to Tell”

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Record Store Day only comes once a year? What’s in store this year besides limited edition releases by awesome bandz like Beach House, Dum Dum Girls, and Hole? Well, Angry Mom Records in conjunction with WVBR  is giving us one hell of a day here in Ithaca!  Angry Mom (located in the basement of Autumn Leaves Bookstore in the commons) will be hosting live music from 1-5 pm all day featuring local acts like AwesomeAwesomes, Blow!, and more.

& That’s not all! Later that night, head on over to the Shop for even more live music starting at 8! Saratoga Springs’ Verbs will be in town playing alongside, Elsa and the AwesomeAwesomes, and Blow!  You can download Verbs’ album on their website here. Also, don’t forget to pick up yr beach fossils tix at the shop while there!!

Schedule of Angry Mom Events, Below!
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Thao Nugyen embarks on a Northeast tour this weekend which will bring her to Ithaca’s Castaways this Sunday the 18th! Thao with the Get Down Stay are touring in support of their unbelievable sophomore album, Know Better Learn Faster. Working with Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Spoon, Laura Veirs), Thao and her boys created one of most saucy, gritty, yet catchy albums of 2009. We’ve been looking forward to this show for months, however the skipster crew has to miss out ‘cos of a last minute trip to NY- which means you have to go and tell us how it was for a change. Can you do that? Please?

&For those of you still bummed that you couldn’t snag tickets to the now sold out Flaming Lips show (which occurs Sunday night, also)- mark my words: Thao. Will. Be. Better. Her live show is like 30,000 naked people storming through your house unexpected…It’s loud, full of energy, sweaty, yet still sexy.

If you do have tickets to flaming lips- you might wanna throw those babies on craigslist…you know, time’s are tough- and hey, they’re playing at Canandaigua’s CMAC in July with the Black Keys!

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best coast > everything else

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Everyone ready to hit the floor? We’re super pumped/jazzed/various other effusive adjectives to be announcing our second official “Skipster presents” evening program, this time featuring ascendant Brooklynites Beach Fossils with support from our local heroes Hotel Reverie.

If you’ll recall, we first encountered Beach Fossils’ blissful lo-fi pop last summer when the Dustin Payseur-helmed project was in its infancy. They’re about to drop their long-anticipated debut album via Captured Tracks, and the timing couldn’t be more serendipitous as we coast into the final weeks of the school semester on an unseasonably warm breeze. As Dustin stated in our interview, “My favorite things to do are go on vacation, have lazy days and daydream… I do those as frequently as possible despite the weather.” Hey, us too.

Hotel Reverie are also set to release their great new Dirty Sheets in the coming weeks, so get excited because many of these razor-sharp blues are about to make their Ithaca premiere. What’s more, the Skipster team will be DJ’ing an indie dance party following Beach Fossils’ set, featuring faux-disco jams and remixes galore. Our sole ambition is to make you sweat, so start lacing up your Heelies and sending in requests as soon as possible.

Beach Fossils w/ Hotel Reverie @ WildFire Lounge, Ithaca 106 S. Cayuga St. Sat. May 1st Doors: 9pm Tickets: $8 adv/$10 day Advance tickets will go on sale this Friday at The Shop and/or WildFire.

more pictures below:
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So both halves of skipster united this weekend to see Sleigh Bells tear up Buffalo’s Mohawk Place on Friday. While we knew we were in for an aural & physical treat with the ‘Bellz, we did not expect to be blown out of this world by the opening DJs Shock and Awe.

Out of sheer curiosity and interest, we struck up a convo with Kaitlin and Jessa (pictured above), who comprise the Buffalo-based DJ troupe, Shock and Awe. The two fashionistas are not only glamorously cool, but their taste is impeccable creating a dance experience that is something akin to a Lisa Frank picture under relentless military siege. They are officially skipster’s favorite DJs of WNY.

Read below for all you need to know about Shock & Awe…
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Surfer Blood, Turbo Fruits, and Family Portrait
@ The Shop (Seneca St.),  Doors at 7:30
5 Bucks to get in
(tip: get there early)

[[skipsterz googlez chatz]]

me: is family portrait any good live?
Sent at 12:36 PM on Monday

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Family Portrait / “Mega Secrets”
damn. that is good. mike’s always right.

Kori and Jason of Mates of State are back in action, with a new album coming out this summer…the catch? Well it’s a covers album. (cue groans)  If cover albums are your thing- then you’re in for a treat. If not- well look on the bright side, the Mates have totally perfected the art of covers, having Nico’s “These Days” , Bowie’s “Starman”, & Phantom Planet’s “California” all under their belts. So although it’s not new material, it’ll still be sick. The chosen tracklist is quite diverse ranging from songs by Vashti Bunyan to the Mars Volta. While I”m unsure if this is the cover above, or just an appropriation of an old promo shot, the disc will be called Crushes.  (h4ha lyke g3t it? Dey hav3 crushez on deez PPl so dey;re COVRING DEM!)

“Laura” originally by Girls, and track 1 on the new album can be heard below and downloaded at Mates of State’s website. I also threw in an oldie for good measure off of MoS’s impeccable third release, Team Boo.

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tracklist //
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