A Feast of Beast

Tennis - Guiding Light

“Patrick and I argued for hours over which song to cover next. First is was going to be a Kinks song, then a Kate Bush song, then a Phil Collins, etc. This is one of literally two songs that we could agree on. Fortunately, we love Television and this is one of our favorite songs of all time.” ~Alaina

HA, I remember that.  It was that shitty daytime soap opera always on when I was faking sick and staying home from school.

Tennis - My Better Self

Tennis: ATP Recordings will be releasing the second single (double A-side) from our album ‘Young & Old’. The release will be on 7” vinyl picture disc limited to 500 copies, as well as digital download.

Tennis - My Better Self/Petition 7” Picture Disc pre-order here now

Damn that is one gorgeous picture disc?!  Makes you want to listen to vinyl, eh, eh? The four track 7” comes back with an exclusive alternate versionof My Better Self and a non-album track, Tell Her No.Happy Day.

Tennis - Origins (Recorded Live in Portland, Oregon on 12/12/11 at the Doug Fir Lounge)

Tennis - Never To Part

Premiere from the new Young And Old LP

The new Tennisreleases in a couple short weeks on that black black holiday you love/hate known as valentine’s day.  In the meantime this fruitful week of leaks has given us this one a bit early as well.  Keep your eyes peeled, I promise there’s one more I’ve been waiting on for tomorrow. 

The new Young and Old LP sounds like Tennis, and on first listen I’m having mixed feelings.  They do change up their sound a couple of select tracks, most notably in major soul vibe on Petition, and in the slightly darker tones and drums heard here on Never to Part.  Track 4, Traveling sounds like the perfect pop combination that they debuted with and caught them such acclaim their Baltimore 7” . 

So its a solid sophomore release, but on first listen I can’t help but feel they played it a little safe.  Not  whole lot of change ups here, and definitely nothing surpassing their first tracks.  But I’ll suppose I’ll take safe over bad.  

Tennis - Young and Old LP is up for pre-order directly from the band here with all sorts of beer koozies and tee-shirts available as well.

Tennis - Tear in the Typing Pool (Broadcast cover)

Any readers here know that I love Broadcast.  Picking favorite bands for a year is cheap talk compared to your all-time favorites.  I listen to a lot music, maybe too much, and sure not all of it has the same staying power, but Broadcast has unequivocally always satisfied me.  Trish Keenan’s iconic voice does beautiful mystical things on each and every one of their LPs, and its nice to see Tennis paying tribute where tribute is deserved.  Interesting I never really saw Tennis as having an influence from Broadcast, but I suppose it makes sense.  

Grab this gem of a cover for the price of your email above, and definitely do yourself a favor by listening to more Broadcast.

Tennis - South Carolina

Tennis - Deep in the Woods

An unsettling new video from Denver’s Tennis: “Deep in the Woods” appears on the band’s limited new 7″ single, out today on Forest Family. Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Tennis - Origins / Deep in The Woods 7” is not quite sold out everywhere and you can snag a copy here from Plastic in Paper.  The new 7” is Ltd to 1000 copies on blue vinyl, featuring this non-LP track backing Origins.

Source:

Tennis - Origins

I’ve been hearing rumblings of the new Tennis LP in the making and sure enough their sophomore effort, Young and Old will come out on Fat Possum this Valentines day 2012.  The album is produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney.  While you’re pining away for more sweet pop tunes from Alaina & Patrick you can snag the above Origins b/w Deep In the Woods 7” via Forest Family Records.  This 7” in on blue vinyl and Ltd to 1000 copies sure to disappear quick.  Definitely irks me that its $10 for a 7” from insound.  Plus shipping.  wtf.  Damn doug, that record better be 200gram vinyl that that cost.  Maybe it won’t be gone quite so quickly ha.

Tennis - Origins b/w Deep In the Woods 7” is availble for pre-order from insounderz or Paper in Plastic is $4 cheaper between shipping and cost (every penny counts), but the pre-order button ain’t up just yet.  Stick it out.  The 7” drops December 6th.

Tennis - Tell Her No (Zombies cover)

Tennis said:

We will be announcing a Forest Family release in the next couple of weeks as well as tour dates to make up for the Vaccines tour cancellations. Also, we are excited to announce the existence of our next album (produced by our new friend Patrick Carney) coming out early  next year. In the meantime, we made this cover of the Zombies “Tell Her No.” It’s been a long  time favorite of ours and is the best use of a lone-clap we’ve ever heard.

Word of a new Forest Family 7” release, new album this winter, and an excellent Zombies cover.  Couldn’t ask for more, cept for maybe the album right now. <3

Tennis released a cover of Brenda Lee’s 1964 jam “Is It True,”  Download the mp3 for free here.

Tennis - Take Me Somewhere

Simple, perfect, and yes, just right.

Directed by Ian Perlman, shot on Chesapeake Bay using a vintage 16mm Bolex camera.

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Tennis - Long Boat Pass

Oh glorious day, Cape Dory by the delightful married duo Tennis leaked, prolly bout an hour ago on what.  So here’s a brand new track for your preview pleasure.  Snatch yourself a copy and make sure you buy the vinyl from Fat Possum for only $10 bones?!  Same price as a compact disc, isn’t that just beautiful?  Or even on cassette if you so choose.  Grab your copy here if you haven’t already pre-ordered it. <3<3<3  

I really love labels that are supporting vinyl by making it the same price as a cd or even less.  Something about about paying for digital electrons just doesn’t seem right, and a cd might as well be an mp3 download these days.  Wouldn’t you rather have a big heavy piece of artwork to hold in your hands and spin…than a cd to scan into your itunes and never play again?

Listening to it now as I write.  Solid as Iraq (at 4:11).

Birthdays - Howolding Girls

Early Birthdays Polaroid of mine from the york ave dungeon maybe two years ago?  An apparition of Samual Yager past, huddled on the floor playing by the light of his electronics.

In the real world, I live in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Do you know where that is? Probably not, and the only people that do are because in the summer its a friggin horse/racetrack tourist trap for families.  We don’t exactly have a local ‘scene,’ and our only exception for good music was Charlie Everywhere, before Josh & Sarah changed their name to Phantogram, who you’re likely familiar with.  Four years ago I can remember seeing them play locally weekly, oh those were the days! 

Anyways Phantogram has deservedly moved on to tour round the world, and though we’ve already lost him to Boston, Samual Yager who is Birthdays, is another Saratogian you should be paying attention to.  Two summers ago I was working a terrible restaurant serving job and Sam was working at the hospital and conveniently are schedules lined up with out trying that we ended up meeting at ye old coffee shope every afternoon to chill.  He’s a talented kid that was just beginning to experiment with electro pop & beats when he played an awesome show in my dungeon at the ol’ york ave house.  He stuff is accelerating quickly to more danceable and upbeat, without losing its playful, experimental roots.

Grab his first release on cassette, Hawaiian Punch Wave, from Impose Records here

Debut vinyl Howolding Girls 7” from Samual’s bro at Fire Talk is available here and is limited to 300 copies.  You know Tennis got their first 7” launched from Fire Talk, just sayin…

PS imgur is the best free image hosting site! I found it litterally by searching: “image hosting that doesn’t suck”