Not on the Guest List

Hail to the Swish Podcast

It is a very sad day indeed when a blog folds, especially when one so beloved as The Swish Blog. Now I know what fans of Blue States Lose felt before it found life on Gawker. And apparently the Swish Blog will live on-still on the Swish Blog, but not for a number of months. This is my first podcast ever- that I worked on previous to the announcement, but seeing as his were the first and only (aside from Smashed Robot! which isn't so much a podcast as a radio re-airing) podcasts I've listened to I thought -hey-what better title is there for this post?

Tracklist:
1. The Truth About Cats and Dogs - Pony Up
2. Darlin' - Xerox Teens
3. She's on the Radio - Poni Hoax
4. White Light White Light - Supersytem
5. Je Veux Te Voir - Yelle
6. Postcard of a Painting - Maximo Park
7. Jerk Me - New Young Pony Club
8. Little Birds - We Are Wolves
9. Oh Marie - Ladyfuzz
10. 2014 - The Unicorns
11. Hey Boy - The Blow

Download Podcast (in MP3 format)

The Truth About Cats and Dogs (is that they die) - Pony Up (CA)
Loved 'em since I happened upon them while browsing the Dim Mak site last year and heard their witty indie pop.

Darlin' - Xerox Teens (UK)
They're from London that's all I know. And possibly affiliated with Styleslut. I guess I know that too.

She's on the Radio - Poni Hoax (FR)
You know what I like? Crazy French bands who are without a doubt singing about Britney Spears. I mean they mention her being across the sea-Britney's in the US, they're in France. Then "she's on the radio,"-who knows-maybe she still is in France. Then the clincher is they mention her favorite animal being a tiger and we all know about Britney and her love of tigers.
Discovered by browsing the Pop Montreal line-up (SCREW Art Pop for not holding an exhibition of my polaroids. Screw Art Pop)

White Light White Light - Supersytem (US)
This band is amazing! Their continued blend of nature and science in their lyrics is inspiring. Of course I will be out in the woods when they venture through Portland on their fall tour and I was too broke/had other commitments when they played in London town earlier this year. If memory serves me correct I had just come back from Berlin after blowing 400 pounds in 3 days, gotten fired barely two weeks later, and there may have or may have not been an equally entrancing concert in Glasgow. Plus I think it was a week day.

Je Veux Te Voir - Yelle (FR)
Discovered skipping across people's profiles on myspace. By skipping across I mean stalking across. Man this girl has a following on myspace!

Postcard of a Painting - Maximo Park (UK)
Included because of the mention of postcards in Pony Up's track and the fact that NotGL's 'Picture of a Postcard' post theme is on the verge of beginning. This is beyond my favorite Maximo Park song-god I love it! Cinematic in a 60-ish way yet aside from a waif-ish girl (ala those girls that rolled around on the floor naked in Blow Up) galavanting around Europe and writing postcards home to a frustrated Paul Smith who in turn writes postcards back from a flat in Edinburgh (Newcastle just doesn't fit), but alas has no place to send them, I can't really see any other images-so maybe not so much cinematic as just conjuring up some images, but not enough apparently. Of those images I'm seeing fade-ins as opposed to wipes with a little Monet transposition thrown in for good measure. The floral ones kinda like the ones included as prints on postcards in art museum gift shops.

Jerk Me - New Young Pony Club (UK)
Didn't think it was possible to include this many Pony (or Poni tracks), but apparently it is. Purposely left out the Ponys, and all the other Pony bands (hey-there are more Pony bands than Wolf bands!), but NYCP fit. Saw them in London in December and was under-fulfilled. Still addicted to 'The Get Go'.

Little Birds - We Are Wolves (CA)
Related post: We Are Wolves

Oh Marie - Ladyfuzz (UK)
I can envision Eddie Argos running through the streets of London hung over after waking up on the sidewalk next to the Safeway gas station a block away from the Barfly in Camden Town three weeks prior to stalking out drummer Mikey B at Merk or whatever store in Covent Garden he tracked him down at. Track courtesy of Artrocker

2014 - The Unicorns (CA)
Alright I threw this in on purpose as to kinda screw around with the gratutius nature of the number of songs by artists with Pony and Poni in their name. The first and only Unicorns track I've ever heard.

Hey Boy - The Blow (US)
Portland! Portland! Portland! And they'll be writing postcards into Not on the Guest List come their Fall Architecture in Helsinki tour too!
Related blogs: YACHT: Mr. Me Too and The Touch Me Feeling

Why Jamin Why?

Well, I don't sincerely mean that title as I've been around a lot of bands lately that aren't completely happy in their situations and when you have greener pastures like Jamin does with Jeff and Infinity Cat it's kinda like -'Hey! Why not?' So Jamin has said a bit of a 'Hey-why not' and left Be Your Own Pet.

That said- this is a shake up! I love that boy! And even when I talked to the band in Glasgow they weren't entirely chuffed with touring the UK. And Jamin's galpal goes to Sarah Lawrence so that musta been a bit 'worlds a part'-ish. Jamin's dad has made it a bit easier by highlighting that this isn't the first departure in the band, and without the one prior we never would have been graced with the presence of Nathan.
Good luck to him! Now I'm second guessing whether they'll don the Bill O'Reilly shirts I'm making them for their Portland show as he was apart of the factor in terms of those shirts.

All that said did you know he doesn't like Fall Out Boy! That's worth a "Why Jamin Why?"

Pitchfork: Drummer Departs Be Your Own Pet

Message Board: Leave messages of condolence here

Cat Power in Concert

"Excuse me. Photographer girl-what's you name?"
Announcing it not only to her but the dead quiet venue, "Nilina."
"Can you take pictures after the show cause it's really distracting me."
And so began the second of two Cat Power shows this past Saturday at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland. Quickly she returned to the strings as I returned to my seat.
Earlier that evening she played a set in the seven o'clock hour that she described as "horrible" and "awful" many a time. Due to start at seven, the only inkling that she would indeed be playing was a quick wave from the side of the stage just after 7:30 and then a descent back into the shadows at which point my comrade and I left for another show, making the resolution to return for the 10:30 p.m. set.
And return we did, just as Cat Power did, once again to a nearly sold-out house to play solo in support of The Greatest. Barefoot and in skinny jeans that she lectured on twice, Chan played the first three tracks of the set seated and on the guitar the last of the trio being 'Could We', then seamlessly transitioned into 'The Greatest' on the piano. Previous to the performance I read previews that questioned how much of the album would translate with out the rich horns and other accompanying instruments, but their not being there didn't disrupt.
Soon she was standing, side of the stage on the right, guitar in hand to indulge in a cover of 'Hit the Road Jack' with a somewhat schizophrenic quality to it as she after inserting her name sung both parts as if having a conversation between herself and Jack in the song.
Commissioning a cigarette from the audience after admitting her desire for one, she soon squatted down at the side of the stage to grab the light then continued to stay there in conversation with the fellow smoker. The large seated audience watched on as it continued and within a few minutes she had returned to her seat beside the piano to indulge in the cigarette in near silence until she made a remark about living in Portland and a member of the audience urged her to tell of her experience.

She hemmed and hawed over picking what to divulge of her memories of her three and a half month long stay in Oregon during which time she lived in Portland. Chan advised of best menu items to aid a hang over and shared an almost serendipitous tale of wanting a job at the YWCA assisting with an after-school program. For three and a half months she had gone after the job-calling and applying only never to receive a celebratory call back. Then one day she got a call from her booker of a show booked in New York and that she'd have to leave Portland immediately for the show. On that very day she returned home to find a message waiting on her answering machine that she had indeed gotten the job at the YWCA. She instead went to New York for the show, then ended up canceling the tour in an effort to confront and end her alcoholism.
The smoking continued with her tipping her ashes into the left upper pocket of her button up shirt, looking out to the crowd and a feeling of anticipation coupled with a slight bit of uneasiness began to emanate.
Through out the set she consistently responded to audience feedback-to someone questioning if she had just tipped it's ashes into her coffee (she had) then continued to drink it.
When she couldn't remember the keys to a song mid-way through the show, she began several false starts each accidentally feeding into 'The Greatest'. From her description is was because she hadn't played it in so long and her initial forbearance about playing it was she didn't think she'd be able to remember the lyrics, but that was not the case. So she'd begin and stop and ask out to the anonymous faces, "Is that right?" four times before being able to play it as written. Then in the middle of the song after singing a lyric she stopped again to ask if that was really in the song. After a moderate response that it wasn't she launched into a short telling that it was supposed to have been, sat motionless, then returned to finishing the song.

At the end of each coupling of songs through out the set she'd elaborately shake her hands in a duel signal that the song was over seemingly as a signal for clapping and also to reciprocate the response.
Playing a host of covers from the requested 'Freebird' straight into 'Satisfaction' both on guitar Cat Power's versatility was fully intact, not only visible in the instrument transitions, but between styles and performing each song to the point where one would believe it to be fully her own.
To achieve different strengths and styles of vocals she circled the mic with her mouth, singing directly into on some occasions, other singing as far away as possible from her position or to the side, often including all in one song.
She took a stab at being a comedian multiple times. After commissioning yet another cigarette from a member of the audience and casting it as "intermission," she after a pause, told two related, pointless but entertaining stories about her French friend and Bob Dylan, including hilarious impressions of the French friend-accent and all.
Moments of inappropriate laughter from the audience during the entire set were offset by the multiple occasions that she burped into the mic, addressing the last one by saying, "I shouldn't do that."
Finishing up the tipping of ashes into her pocket she spouted, "If you're a Bob Dylan fan you'll know what this means. . . No you won't," ending her attempt at a joke.
The evening was truly an exchange and a equal exchange of music, conversation, and silence.
She brought up her sobriety on two occasions and admitted that she realized she "was whacked out" and that's not what she wanted to be and how "great it is not to be depressed." She also talked about that she can't wait for fall tour when she'll be back with a band-a band that have no baggage.
Penetrating moments of silence as she sorted her next move became repetitious and as the night rolling onto the a.m. the audience began to get anxious for the off kilter night to come to a close with movement in seats, audience departures, and repeated cups tipping over.

The absolute highlight of the set was 'Names', performed soulfully and languid.
To conclude she once again took her place at stage right shortly after playing 'Willie' and launched into a close infinantly greater than the already above sufficient set she'd just been playing. Southern accent out in tow she shared the story of how her grandmother used to tape her and her sister singing when they were younger doing covers of Kenny Rogers and Oreo commercials. Sounding like a book on tape-a great book on tape, she changed her voice several times to fully embody that of her grandmother, that of her sister in childhood, and herself in childhood, singing and talking. The pain and happiness of her childhood was visible and the segment was truly captivating.
Seeing out a two and a half hour long set, she finished the bit, did a hlf circle wave, then dashed behind the curtains to congratulatory clapping and an audience all the wiser.
Seemingly free of society's conditionings and fear, the Cat Power Portland saw was fragile near broken, but easily triumphant still.

Related/unrelated side note:
Once when on the beach in high school I realized I had never been chased by seagulls. So I took an entire jar of animal crackers and started running ("And I run, I run so far away"), crumbling them up in my hand at the same time. They all started to flock towards me-hundreds and hundreds and that's kinda like Cat Power stoppoing her song and asking my name-that had never happened to me before and now it has-yet another thing to cross off my list of things to do thatI didn't even know needed doing.

Death From Above 1979 DIE-Part 2!!!

Want to talk crazy shit? Death From Above 1979 are using one of my photos as their default on their official myspace!!!!!! Want to talk even crazier shit!?! This is the SECOND time a band has used my photo as their myspace default when they've broken up!!!!!!! Yeah-Raary put up mine on Test Icicle's page back when they made their announcement! Crazy ass shit!!!

Death From Above 1979 myspace
http://www.myspace.com/deathfromabove1979

Test Icicles former myspace default photo

And see the rest of the photos I took of DFA 1979 at Lowlands last year on my website here:
http://nilina.com/ngallery/n1979.html

PS-it's so weird too because the moment I found out they broke up I was upset for many reasons but the biggest being I was pitching them that photo to use in the album booklet of their next album. Jesse has been very supportive of my photography-ie I get to use his commentary on it whenever I pitch my portfolio.

'Sexy Results' Death From Above 1979 MP3

I am now SO SKIPPING the Hold Steady in Seattle to see MSTRKRFT in Portland on October 21st!!!! And it'll be my first over 21 concert being 21!!!!

Bit of weirdness-the first time I was ever supposed to see Test Icicles was when they supported DFA 1979 in Edinburgh on May 23rd 2005.

Related Entry:
Death From Above 1979 DIE

Proof Tom Cruise is right: Frog Eyes+Wolf Parade

(And proof you can't decide content until after you've seen the show)

"You're not on the guest list. Do you hear me? You're not on the guest list. Okay?"
-that's what we were greeted to when Photo "only speaks to me when convienent" Justin fresh off the back of his Rolling Stone debut (photographing TAI nonetheless) and I stepped up to the will call window at the Crystal Ballroom on Tuesday night shortly before set time. I couldn't really say "You've seen my face over and over," as I haven't been to a show there since Franz Ferdinand on September 24th 2004. So we waited for the tour manager to verify that yes indeed we did have photo passes for the night's show. So we waited and they bitched. By they I'm referring to Justin's crew for a day- a makeup artist and a hair stylist that Swan Lake refused when he had shot them for DIW earlier. So in between them being deemed "the rudest Canadians" ever met (probably just perceptive) I was told I owed him toward $425 worth of damage that occured to his car a day after we got back from Sasquatch in May at which point I had already Greyhounded it to PDX. Apparently I was liable (?)

Whale Bones' lead singer looked distractingly Kevin Barnes-esque while the bassist was distractingly Wolfmother-esque. They were good. The whole time I stood there wondering "Am I old?" As I looked around me all I could see was a sea of thirteen year olds that I wanted to be no where near.
Had I been in eighth grade I would have loved all those boys with their indie hair and the fact that they're in eighth grade attending a concert on a tour titled 'Spirit Quest', but I'm not in 8th grade.
And as I stood there arms bruising, and standing next to the most annoying teens EVER discussing back to school shopping I agreed right then and there with Tom Cruise. Hyper active kids shouldn't be given ritalin-they should be taken out and shot! I contemplated leaving as it was the kid's mission next to me to force me out and it became more than uncomfortable, but painful and yeah-my mood was going south fast having to wait for the change over for Frog Eyes.

I also think I may have been on drugs (I wasn't) as after closing my eyes to escape the negativity, I didn't need a set list to differentiate each song. One was like falling through dew beaded cobwebs to parts of your life you most want to go back to. I had similar visuals for each of their songs over the course of their short yet oh so fulfilling set, including a song that reminded me of the final chapter in Ask the Dust.

Their set came to a close on a slightly out of tune note in terms of interaction after Spencer Krug gave a bottle of water to someone in the audience, causing lead singer Carey Mercer to launch into a lecture: "Hey you should pay him for that! That comes directly out his pocket!," continuing angerily. I guess riders don't exist anymore. (PS the Crystal Ballroom has someone whose specific job it is to go out and buy the rider-he was interviewed for a Franz Ferdinand feature in Willamette Week)
The band reluctantly/bashfully joined hands at the end of their set for a joint bow, then made their way down the staircase and off the stage.

'The Oscillator's Hum' Frog Eyes MP3

So how blogger chic am I? Knew nothing of Wolf Parade until just before the show. I stumbled upon a myspace profile after getting a friend request and the song on their page was one by Wolf Parade. I then clicked on to theirs, listening to another, and then called it a day. But hey-I haven't lived in this country for two years and they're not nearly as big in the UK as they are here.

Needless to say they made me want to raise a half eaten chocolate bar in the air and dance. Or at least that's what it appeared people were doing next to me. Soon it became noticable as they passed it towards resident noise maker Hadji that it was actually a swan fashioned from tin foil. It soon took it's place on top of his keyboard and he brought it back out on stage with him for their encore.

Soon after taking to the stage Spencer solicited sweatbands from the crowd and then also received a plethora of shoes and other objects. Themselves full of energy to the point of knocking down mic stands and beyond passionate about the music that they were purveying to the equally as passionate crowd, the real crush began. With frenzied hands in the air it became near impossible to breathe presses against the stage with no barrier as it also became near impossible not to smile at the same time as their set set soon became almost like an awakening fitting perfectly with 'Shine a Light'.

Playing what I can only assume were the majority of tracks off their Apologies to the Queen Mary album and EP, they played two new tracks that definitely had a less produced feel to them than the others. Who knows if this is their Isaac Brock-less sound or just because the songs are new and haven't been fully arranged. They were great and fit into the set seemlessly. Still, 'I'll Believe in Anything' stood out being the most familiar track to me and the immediacy of the lyrics were fully embodied onstage by Spencer.
The band retreated then came back for an encore of older songs from their back catalog, bringing with them Carey of Frog Eyes. The last song they played seemed to stretch on forever, and thankfully so. Bashing drums, extending the theremin to it's limits, and taking advantage of each instrument to it's full extent, Wolf parade played their way out of the Crystal Ballroom on the highest of notes, conluding their over hour and a half long set.

Expressing delight earlier on that Portland wasn't Seattle and elaborating on that a little bit more to inform us that the Seattle audience hadn't been nearly as receptive, the Portland audience certainly held to that expectation.
They also officially tackled Be Your Own Pet for the title of coolest set-list. I thought I'd seen it all when theirs appeared on paper plates that Good Shoes quickly snapped up, but Wolf Parade went one further as theirs appeared on a banana.

Now what I most want to do is go back and see if I can match each Frog Eyes song to my "visions" (it's almost as if I'm on Passions). Oh that and kidnap the entire country of Canada.

Hosting Hold Steady

So what can I say about the new album? It is 10 times better than their other efforts-well at least in my opinion. My favorite tracks are 1,2 ('Chips Ahoy'), 3, and 7. But you know what's even better?! The tracks they left off the copy protected album!!!! They are so unbelievably great! And word is they'll be available as downloads in the future!

'Chips Ahoy' The Hold Steady MP3

(Above photo is just a portion of the press kits for their past two albums)

An account of shooting the super cool album cover here (he seems pretty obsessed with the band)

Interview with the Subways-Oh Yeah Oh Yeah!

Last weekend I had a short sit down chat with Charlotte Cooper of the Subways about touring and their second album before they graced the stage at the Bite. Talking M.I.A. to the Dodgers, here are some excerpts as well as an mp3 of the interview to listen to and download below including a snippet of new song 'California'.

Do you find that you have a different work ethic in comparison to other touring bands?
"We just love it. It does annoy me a little bit when I see bands going 'Oh it's so hard.' It's like-well yeah, but don't you like doing it? We're doing this because we love it. We work really hard because we enjoy the hard work. It's amazing-it's an amazing opportunity to get to see these places and play to this many people. Get a bit more happy people-it's good."

Reveals an October All American Rejects tour
"The plan is just to stay out and record the album, but if we get an amazing tour offer then we'll obviously jump on that."

In regards to the Taking Back Sunday / Angels and Airwaves tour:
"It's so cool. The fans are so loyal. I suppose it's because the bands have toured so much they've built a real connection with them. That's the kind of thing that we want to build up. Just kind of. . . I like the way that even though these people have probably never meant the people in the band they feel like they kind of know them and I like that familiarity between the band and the fans."

In the songs that you're demoed, do you hear a change in the sound?
"Each song that we've written has been completely different. And something we're really enjoying at the moment is trying out new ideas that we never thought we could try before. That's definitely the way we kind of work-is that we have to try to make each one of them different-kind of a different mood and different atmosphere in each song."

Delving into the second album:
"We're thinking about it constantly. . . We're definitely always thinking about it."

On the break due to Billy's pallups:
"Went a bit crazy. It was kind of a very strange sort of time. All of a sudden we have all this idle time. The first week was really hard, we were like 'Oh my god-what are we going to do?'- kind of almost panicy."

How would you describe the band in 5 words or less for people that aren't aware of you yet, or even people that are?
"Okay. This is really lame:
The Subways love to rock."

They "feel so uplifted after shows," and hope that the audience "takes that away with them."

Charlotte reveals ambition to share the stage with Sonic Youth, Death Cab for Cutie, or the Like.

And on Pancake Mountain:
"Pancake mountain was awesome. Every band should go on Pancake Mountain. It's just the most fun you'll ever have. It's very very strange, but it's fun.
"I keep going on it and watching all the performances. I like the M.I.A one-I think that's awesome."

Stand out shows:
"The Big Day Out tour in Australia was amazing. Every time we go to Japan. Like we've been to Japan twice and it's just this massive whirlwind of four days. It's like you do gigs and you going partying and eat amazing Japanese food and you meet the crazy Japanese people. It kind of blows your mind. . . It's a different world-a completely different world."

Delight at my ill-timed cues in editing:
Download the Subways Interview MP3
Interview 13 minutes and 44 seconds

Click to delight in their performance on the ultimate of shows Pancake Mountain
You can get the DVD from Pancake Mountain's official site

The Subways love to rock

Opening with the song 'With You', the Subways burst onto the stage on the final date of their two month long US tour at Oregon's Bite, headlining the main-stage on Portland's waterfront.
Replacing Snow Patrol after they canceled due to flying restrictions, the Subways now the sole international/national act on the main-stage bill playing between Portland bands Point Juncture Washington and the March Fourth Marching Band.
With energy to spare they quickly launched into 'City Pavement' in the beginning of their set amid audience shouts, Charlotte dancing like an itunes commercial-one can only assume she's where they drew inspiration from as she easily outshines the previous silhouettes.
Upon playing 'Oh Yeah', Billy scaled the stage scaffolding to take an enormous leap back down-soliciting screams and cheers with repeated jumps for the duration of arguably one of their more anticipated songs in regards to popularity.
Throughout the set several members of the audience sang along to each word just as Charlotte did while not on mic duties for her vocal parts.

It almost seems as though their energy has increased since they really began to be noticed on a national scale upon the few months preceding the release of their album in the UK and certainly since the first time I saw them take to the stage at King Tut's in Glasgow a year and a half ago.
This set was different to their previous US tour in March of smaller clubs as it seems the smaller stages bred further interaction between band members. Now taking to larger stages in the US in support of Angels and Airwaves and their own headline slots the band easily fill the larger stages as they normally do in the UK and just as easily as the smaller clubs that housed them previous.

There was no difference in audience interaction or audience reception for that matter as they're still able to affectively initiate and maintain a relationship with the crowd through out their set-winning them over through their sheer passion for their own music in addition to conversation in between songs.

At an event in benefit for the Special Olympics, Bill addressed the audience and yelled at onlookers lining the bridge above to come in and pay the seven dollars if they were going to watch.

Billy introduced new song 'California' as a portrayal of time spent in LA conceding it was a slightly weird experience.
Later, he instructed the audience to name their first born, regardless of sex, "Rock and Roll Queen" as the preamble into launching into their set closer 'Rock & Roll Queen'.

Billy once again scaled the stage's scaffolding to lead an audience wide clap along during the final song of the set then jumped down and onto Josh's drum-kit to participate in yet more clapping from his position there.

Despite the no speaking ban in affect before shows, that reservation completely disappeared as Billy sang from his place behind the mic with an unfaltering voice, only sounding under distress during his final shouts before exiting the stage.
The Subways still remain easily accessible even with increased exposure which seems key to their deserved success and visible commitment which they prove each time each time they take to the stage.

More photos after the jump

Is that Tom Vek I spy?

Who is that dashing young lad gracing international stages in sunglasses like a vision visor (not unlike the guy from Reading Rainbow and Star Trek) making the crowds go crazy somewhat like a mythical creature who only emerges every few moons? Why is that Tom Vek!?! It can't be! Doesn't he have his hands full being Tom Vek and not being in the abandoned Naked Babes? This is a solo project that makes you wonder if he really was born in 1981- How is it possible for him to be strutting his skinny stuff over Spanish and Swish stages in 2002 to seemingly that much foreign accolade at 21?

And hey. . . didn't he have his hands full with the Poverty Jetsets (with the Semifinalists Ferry) during that time anyway?
Well when I interviewed him a while back last year he seemed to be a bit in love with Tummy Touch-this being after defecting to Island and an apparently disappointing partnership with Startime International aka Vagrant for the American release of We Have Sound and now finding out about Souvenir (home is Tummy Touch) it all fits together like a puzzle-very much unlike the enigma of his musical activities.

'LA Crime' Souvenir MP3

Wanna make him a music video?

. . . I mean he played Benicassim in 2002! How is that possible to have never heard of this? By the way, whatever happened to his male vocal choir with Mr. Aggwelt? Mr. Reel to Reel is a very busy man indeed (and multi-tasking in his multi-projects-has he ever been seen without a cigarette in hand?).

And is that Tom Vek I spy at Misshapes?

We Are Wolves

Photo courtesy of dan fucking hogan

Are there any bands not from Montreal? Weirdly enough, I was at an in-store for We Are Scientists when We Are Wolves first made themselves known to me. After WAS finished their set, Music Millennium put on a cd which I instantly had to ask about. What they were playing was track one of Non-Stop Je Te Plie en Deux.
We Are Wolves are French-Canadian and sing in English, French, and Spanish (due a bit to the lead singer having South American roots). They're on Fat Possum, also home to Fiery Furnaces in the US, and have been touring like crazy for quite a bit, most recently in Europe-where they played a Bread and Butter party in Berlin a few weeks ago-oh how I wanted to go.
They. Are. So. Good. They're very arty too, as witnessed at their recent shows, including SXSW.

'Little Birds' We Are Wolves MP3

We Are Wolves myspace

Watch the insanely awesome video for 'Little Birds'

Ponchos + dancing? Brilliant!

Did I mention I'm obsessed by this band?