Dan Deacon in New Orleans

Dan Deacon is coming to New Orleans at Tulane University on Monday, April 13 2009. And you should be there. If you do not know who Dan Deacon is, then stop reading this and start reading this. His new record Bromst was released a few weeks ago, and it is one of the best records of the year. Bromst combines lush electronic arrangements with interesting beats and a bevvy of backing instruments. "Red F" and "Snookered" are just two of the outstanding tracks that Dan Deacon had provided for his faithful followers on Bromst.

Anyways, Dan and his Bromst band are touring the country in a school bus that has been converted to run on vegetable oil. It is as awesome as it sounds. In an effort to keep costs down and recycling up, Dan is asking folks coming out to his concerts to bring some vegetable oil by his show in exchange for a +1 on the guest list. His full request can be read here, via Pitchfork

hello,

the school tour bus the 20 of us are riding in runs on veggie oil. we need help gathering that oil to fuel our bus. if anyone can bring at least 5 gallons of waste veggie oil to one of the shows we will put you on the guest list. it is easily found behind almost all restaurants.

if the oil looks dark and full of crud we can't use it. the lighter the color and the less viscous the better. if you can bring us CLEAN and filtered oil we can put you + 1 on the list.

an easy way to filter the oil would be to stretch a tight sheet or t-shirt over a bucket and pour the oil into the bucket through the sheet to get all the gunk out. a slower way, but better way, would be to tie one of the pant legs of jeans into a tight knot and hang that over a bucket and pour the oil into the jeans, and clean oil will slowly pass into the bucket.

to arrange the grease for list swap you can call geoff at 862-266-6130. call or text him. he is our oil master. the more oil the better. we have enough storage for 100 gallons of oil. if you can get us 30 gallons we'll cook you dinner on the bus (we have a little kitchen and many great cooks).

please repost this to anywhere you think it might help. thanks you!

dan deacon

Not only is this a good cause, it's a great show. Consider bringing yours to Tulane when you come over to the show on Monday. Listen to "Build Voice" from Dan Deacon's new record, Bromst, via Nasty Panda.

Ratatat in New Orleans at House of Blues

Everyone's favorite guitar-synth duo Ratatat are returning to New Orleans for a show at the House of Blues. Tickets are still available at the door, and Ratatat are a guaranteed good time. Last year's LP3 made most top ten lists, so I am not only one hyping this show. So put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to climb aboard the Ratatat railway. Check below for a sample of their sound.

"The Hazards of Love" by The Decemberists

Everyone's favorite "kings among runaways,"The Decemberists, have gone and done it again. Combining witty lyrics with lush rock arrangements seems like an impossible task, but Colin Meloy and company have made a successful career out of it.

For their second album on major label Capitol the band have picked up where their last release, The Crane Wife, left off. Hazards is by no means a sequel to Crane Wife, rather it expands on the band's successful story telling rock songs. However, while the Crane Wife was only partially oriented to the Japanese myth of the same name, Hazards of Love is a rock opera devoted to the story of Margaret.

It is a record that flows from start to finish. And while it has been billed as a "rock opera," there is as much folk as there is rock.

This is not a record of singles like previous releases. Rather, this record is best enjoyed in its full context. This may vex some fans looking for a quick fix, but for those willing to set aside an hour of listening pleasure, this is a treat.

The album reaches its stride by track 8, "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid," which is a back and forth dialogue between Meloy and his guest vocalist.

There are also a number of potential sing-alongs, including "The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)" which features the creepy chorus of corpse children.

Overall, it is an exciting outing that showcases the band's mastery of storytelling, song writing, and instrumentation. While it does seem to start out slow, it holds to the operatic structure by building up to a strong climax before settling into the denouement.

1	Prelude
2	The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)
3	A Bower Scene
4	Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
5	The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
6	The Queen's Approach
7	Isn't it a Lovely Night?
8	The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid
9	An Interlude
10	The Rake's Song
11	The Abduction of Margaret
12	The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
13	Annan Water
14	Margaret in Captivity
15	The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)
16	The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)
17	The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)