round up

a quick run through some new & noteworthies that have landed in the anyone's guess world headquarters and on which we'd like to shine a small spotlight:

the kooks - kids

the kooks played this acoustic mgmt cover live on triple j radio while touring australia last month and completely transformed the song. they come to s.f. next month (unfortunately it's the warfield); perhaps they'll bring this song with them.

the bookhouse boys - valley

the bookhouse boys are a nine-piece from london whose first, self-titled album came out last month. they self describe as surf alternative, and some of their songs do have an appealingly west coast influenced rock sensibility, though "valley" is a more restrained banjo piece. paul van oesteren, who handles vocals, sounds here a bit like the national's matt berninger.

monsters are waiting - i wanna be adored

ones and zeros, the new ep from los angeles's monsters are waiting includes this cover of the stone roses' song "i wanna be adored." to judge by this song and the few others we've heard, annalee fery and monsters are waiting likely aren't lacking admirers.

the shaky hands - we are young

portland, oregon rockers the shaky hands will be playing the hemlock in october behind their new album, lunglight, for which the loose & propulsive "we are young" is the first single.

pistolera - nuevos ojos

en este camino, from which comes "nuevos ojos," is the second album by new york city folkloricos pistolera, who continue to own whichever genre of music in which you might classify them.