Leila’s Three Picks of the Week – The Slackers, Nouvelle Vague, The Cribs

Another fabulous trio of videos, freshly picked by yours truly!

The Slackers lovely soulful and sweet version of ska keep the genre hip 'n' cool. And they're off on tour again, stopping at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. on January 28. Get your tickets now at Ticket Alternative.

Sometimes your punk and new wave classics need a shot of smooth French bossa nova. That's where Nouvelle Vague come in. And lucky for you they're about to tour. They're planning a tour right now so watch this space for tickets!

ça plane pour moi, performed by Jenia Lubitch

Nouvelle Vague | MySpace Music Videos

The Cribs maybe be one of the coolest band in Yorkshire right now (Wakefield to be exact). We obviously like them (check out the review of their latest record, Ignore the Ignorant, over on Atlanta Music Guide), and are pretty happy that they're going to be playing Atlanta's EARL on January 20, with their latest member, a little-known chap called Johnny Marr. Tickets are on sale now at Ticket Alternative.

Since they don't seem to like people imbedding videos from the new record, here's an oldie but a goodie from the band's 2005 record, The New Fellas.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

In video form again!

Bowerbirds – North Carolina's Bowerbirds may seem like pretty sleepy music but they put on a stellar show. They're coming to Washington D.C.'s Rock and Roll Hotel on December 2 and Atlanta's EARL allll the way into next year on February 12. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Groove Armada – They're back with an incredible video "I Won't Kneel," with the stunning voice of Saint Savour. We can't wait for the new record to drop in February.

Robbie Williams – We're pretty Brit-centric around here, and are pretty excited to see that Robbie is finally making that big comeback, at least over in the UK. Let's see if we can make a bit of a wave for him over here too… 

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week – Halloween Edition!

Here's what I'd be checking out this weekend for Halloween if I were you. We're gonna pop up some videos this time around so you get a chance to hear the band's I'm gushing about right off the bat.

Atlanta's own Constellations just got signed to Virgin Records and are surely headed on to much greatness with their hip, indie-funk sound. They'll be playing the bawdy event "The Most Legendary Halloween Party You Will Ever Attend" this Saturday in Atlanta so catch them then if you can – tickets are available here.

Modern Skirts

Modern Skirts | MySpace Video

The Modern Skirts have been making all kinds of good music up in Athens, from glorious indie pop to tribal drumming madness. They play Smith's Olde Bar – tickets are here.

Travelers of their own funky galaxy, Noot D' Noot play The EARL with rock 'n' rollers Gentleman Jesse and His Men. Get your tickets here.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

And we're back. Summer's been a hectic time over here at Ticker Alternative and with fall on the way there is soon to be a deluge of incredible shows upon us. There sure "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" – oops, sorry, Cage The Elephant was an old pick! So on with the new…

The Coathangers – while I will quickly admit that the Atlanta garage rockers' sophomore album didn't blow me away (with the exception of the previously-released swoonfest "Dreamboat"), the all-girl group still thrills with their live shows, mixing '50s girl group melodies with punk attitudes. They're playing the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on September 28. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Pixie Lott – following in the pop diva steps of many British-favored chicks (Little Boots, Kylie Minogue, Amy Winehouse), Pixie Lott has a voice with a heckuva lot of soul and songs with a ton of pop sensibilities. She has yet to descend on America, but with the success of girls like Duffy, she's sure to be introduced to us all soon. In the meantime, shake your booty to the video of "Boys and Girls" above.

Mayer Hawthorne – with an oddly old school soul sound (think the brass-led '70s grooves of Stevie Wonder), Mayer Hawthorne sounds vintage while keeping totally hip with no hint of irony whatsoever. His gloriously sun-shiny songs will warm any cold heart. He'll be taking his blue-eyed soul on the road and stopping off at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn October 6. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

Did you miss the feature last week? We had an office outing, complete with massive quantities of Mexican food, so had to cut the day short, which meant this poor little feature got cut. But now it's back and better than ever! Or, at least, hopefully just as good as it usually is.

Karen O & the Kids – Don't tell me you haven't heard the delightful song Karen O and various other uber-cool musicians have recorded for Where The Wild Things Are? Well then listen to "All Is Love" via the video at the top of the post and get your cheerful on.

The Whiskey Gentry – The Atlanta music scene was pretty bummed out when Missy Gossip and the Secret Keepers, a rockin' indie band with a hefty dose of tradional country, broke up just as they were getting started. For many of us, they could do no wrong. But thankfully, there's a new band that has risen out of those ashes to heal our hurt, and that band is The Whiskey Gentry. The band's debut EP was reviewed on our sister site Atlanta Music Guide, and we proclaimed it was "how music ought to be," with banjos, mandolins and fiddles filling out the group's country-fried curves nicely. They'll be playing The EARL on September 9 with Mike LaSage and the Stumbling Troubadours, and tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Slaraffenland – I've been keen on this hard-to-spell, impossible-to-pronounce Danish band since I saw them at SXSW. Over at Atlanta Music Guide, their debut record was reviewed to high praise, with a sound that we've never heard before yet is not in the beyond-bizarro category. It's glorious, soaring and deep with layer upon layer of vocals and looped sounds. Though it might be tough to categorize it sure ain't difficult to love, so even the most intimidated of music fans should check them out.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

Hello campers! It's been a pretty crazy week over here at the Ticket Alternative offices – and summer is supposed to be our downtime! Guess all those ticket orders didn't get the memo. Not that we're complaining…

Anyway, onwards and upwards to my three picks of the week, most of which have to do with some pretty awesome concert announcements.

The Selmanaires – Always nice to start with some local boys, this Atlanta band manages to stride multitudes of genres, from post punk to world beats to esoteric jazz, while still keeping their sound hip and sharp. They're touring with Broadcast and Atlas Sound, who will be stopping in D.C. and Atlanta (tickets at Ticket Alternative now). 

Heavy Trash – We all need some good, solid, raw rock 'n' rawl every once in a while, and Heavy Trash – made up of Jon Spencer (of Blues Explosion fame) and Matt Verta-Ray (Madder Rose and Speedball Baby) – deliver in spades. They'll be at The EARL in Atlanta on November 19 (tickets at Ticket Alternative). 

ChipMunk – And lastly, a little taste of what's been on the buds of folks overseas in the Mother Country. ChipMunk is that perfect summer blend that Lily Allen also serves up – cheeky, charming and cheerful. There's a lil' bit of ska here, a good dash of hip-hop there, and a fab stock of solid pop cool to hold it all together. The kid's only just got his A Level results (yesterday in fact) and he's got a record deal and a hit record. And he was still fretting over his grades! Good lad we say – study hard, kids! Check out his video for the new single, "Diamond Rings," above.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

The Aliens – Billy Jack Live from The Aliens on Vimeo.

Oh dear. It seems this feature has been seriously neglected. But never again, I swear! So without further ado, let's get to what's been kicking around my iTunes this week (or, actually, for the past few weeks).

Drummer – though the band is made up an array of different (you guessed it) drummers from bands like Black Keys, Teeth of the Hydra, Party of Helicopters, Beaten Awake, Houseguest and Six Parts Seven, the drums are just awesome enough to feature but not overshadow the record. Fuzzy guitars and college rock melodies make the band's debut album Feel Good Together a must-listen this year. The band is about to embark on their first tour and will be playing The EARL in Atlanta on October 16. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

The Aliens – the relatively-new project from members of the oft-overlooked Beta Band might have only been making a noise on the most underground of levels so far, but when their quirky mix of psychedelia, garage rock and elecro fuzz hits the American shores on October 20 in the form of their LP Luna, you can be sure every hipster will be grabbing a copy for a good old freak out. Check out their video for the live version of "Billy Jack" above.

Cage The Elephant – I've gushed about this band in my SXSW posts way back in March, and the band's self-titled debut has also received praise on our sister blog Atlanta Music Guide; now it looks like their down-and-dirty mix of "bluesy Delta rock, American grunge and early Britpop" is taking over the rest of the country. They're touring with Silversun Pickups and Manchester Orchestra in a triple-threat-indie-rock-out fashion, and will be hitting Little Rock's Revolution Music Room on September 25 and Johnson City's Electric Cowboy September 29. Tickets are on sale now at Ticket Alternative.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

We skipped a couple of weeks on this feature due to happy summer holidays, but we're back on track now and ready to give you some great bands making some great music.

Y-O-U – a band of many faces in our Atlanta hometown, their original music comes in the form of Y-O-U, a glorious celebration of all that is good in rock and pop. We'll be reviewing their latest run of sharp, smart songs as well as chatting with the band's head honcho Nick Niespodziani on Atlanta Music Guide soon ahead of the CD Release Party. The band plays Smith's Olde Bar on July 25 to celebrate the EP's release, and tickets are at Ticket Alternative.

Soulsavers – with Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan, this British production duo manages to make some seriously moving dark, gothic pieces. They're about to set out on tour, playing DC's Rock and Roll Hotel on September 21. Tickets are available on Ticket Alternative.

The Noisettes – moving from "soulful pop" to "electro-dance music," this UK gem epitomises catchy and versatile. They play Rock and Roll Hotel on August 12. Tickets are at Ticket Alternative. Check out their video for the infectious "Don't Upset The Rhythm" below and read their full review here.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week

I know it’s a little late in the day, but here’s my three picks for this marvelous week:

Elbow – with a just stunning latest release, The Seldom Seen Kid, Guy Garvey leads his band of men into lush, grandeous songs with sweeping strings and luscious musical landscapes. As I said in our Atlanta Music Guide blog, “If
the above video of the band playing “One Day Like This” (from their new
record, The Seldom Seen Kid) to a crowd of thousands at Glastonbury,
complete with huge string section, doesn’t give you chills, you must be
dead.” They’re about to embark on a North American tour too.

Little Boots – we just reviewed her American debut, Illuminations, and I have to say her track “New In Town” is gloriously addictive with squishy beats and screaching keyboards spurs on Victoria Hesketh’s sassy lyrics and cooing vocals.

Jarvis – also known as Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, we think he just needs one name now. He’s indie rock’s godfather, the Madonna of Britpop. His latest release, Further Complications, has an extra dose of rock swagger, while keeping with his observational, wry humor.

Leila’s Three Picks of the Week