(Enjoy another excellent writeup from our new contributor Paige Maguire)
Since 1990, Chicago’s Tortoise has effortlessly defied easy categorization. Operating somewhere between Krautrock and prog, post-rock and jazz, the group and their longtime label (Thrill Jockey) have offered indie music much to be inspired by and indebted to.

It’s been five years since the band released a full-length with all new material, and we’re ready for it. Few do what these guys do well, making the remix, electronica, jazz and ambient noise play nicely with deep rhythm sections and patient atmospheres. It’s no easy task, but the veterans show they’ve still got chops.

Tortoise has always been somewhat genre negligent, but this record finds them articulating this flexibility with a stiff sort of force. At times, the songs float in a post-Virgin Suicides Air-powered dance club (“Minors”, “The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One”) reminiscent of the Tortoise we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. The real highlights on this album, however, happen in between those moments. “Gigantes” is a six and a half minute, busty jaunt through the band’s more upbeat tendencies, and “Monument Six One Thousand” pays homage to several modern day glitch and avant auteurs (Four Tet, Clark) with dancey blips. “De Chelly” goes post-modern, sounding like Wendy Carlos’ Beethoven performed in Eden. Closing track “Charteroak Foundation” meanders through elements focused on previously throughout the record, but at over five minutes begins to pull its partners down. I can’t help but wish that the album ended with “De Chelly” one minute longer, closed with a John McEntire drum solo heart attack.

Overall the album is meticulously arranged, perhaps too much so. Its brightest moments fuse Tortoise’s unmistakable sound with post-Tortoise inspirations, making it an unbelievably ambitious undertaking — like writing your own biography and finishing the last few chapters with comments on how much your children are like you. Always gorgeous and immensely listenable, Beacons is bound to appear on many end of the year lists.

Tortoise - Prepare Your Coffin
Tortoise - High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In

It’s here! The WOXY.com iPhone application for your iPhone or iPod Touch is now available for free download in the App Store! We are pretty excited about this and hope you will love using it. This is the first version of the app and we hope to add new features down the road to continue to bring you more and more of WOXY.com on the go!

Here is a link to grab the brand new WOXY iPhone App!

Joe gave you this quick preview a few months ago. Have a quick look….

WOXY iPhone App Preview on 12seconds.tv

If you are unable to use the iPhone app though, there are still other ways to stream WOXY.com and WOXY Vintage from your mobile phone. Have a look below at some of these options after the jump…
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Future Sounds first caught wind of Lissy back in November of 2008, when we got an early copy of the rough demos that would later be the Self-Taught Learner EP and instantly connected with the tough-chick vocals that are reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. A former graphic designer and high-fashion model, she appeared in places like Elle and SOMA and was the face of Chloe Sevigny’s clothing line, as well regular scene DJ in New York City. Yet, it was music that was always her calling. Lissy (real name: Lizzy McChesney) formed a band that caused enough of a stir that she’s recently signed with Wichita Records in the UK, and with Downtown Records in the US (what indie band wouldn’t be in heaven with that combo?).

We chatted them up and found out they are writing their forthcoming full-length and so gave Future Sounds & WOXY the exclusive preview of a new song, “U Bleed U” from the next batch of tracks.

The Lissy Trullie cover of “Ready For The Floor” rivals, if not tops, Hot Chip’s original version, but on this Friday morning after they played a sold out show at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles with The Virgins, they delivered a couple tracks we’ve been spinning on the weekly show live: “Boy Boy” and “Self-Taught Learner”. The band is still on the road with The Virgins rapping up a US tour before jumping over to Europe in Mid June for tour dates there.

Track Listing:
Bad Boy
Self-Taught Learner
U Bleed U (unreleased)

Lissy Trullie - Bad Boy (Live On WOXY.com)
Lissy Trullie - Self Taught Learner (Live On WOXY.com)
Lissy Trullie - U Bleed U (Live On WOXY.com / unreleased-new)

(For today’s “This Just In” feature, please join me in welcoming our new contributor Paige and get ready to hear a lot more from her in the coming months.)

The last full length Dave Longstreth and his Dirty Projectors released was 2007’s Rise Above, an imagined version of Black Flag’s Damaged culled together from memory. Since that brave if somewhat difficult release, Angel Deradoorian has joined the group permanently as bassist and vocalist, they’ve written with David Byrne, and generally risen to indie-fame with a slew of tours and festival performances. All this attention is remarkable considering the band’s reputation for being geeky, avant and generally difficult to listen to.

The steadfast Longstreth follower was probably pleased with the treatment of Rise Above: it was a noticeable development for him in terms of arrangement and execution, and the touring band he assembled (now his cast for Bitte Orca) raised the bar for just about everyone. The Projector novice could listen and become familiar with Longstreth’s loping vocals, the absolutely academic guitar work and the band’s love affair with close-range harmony and listener challenges without ever giving a damn about Black Flag. Compared to previous releases, Rise Above took the complexity of Longstreth’s songwriting to a new level but bordered on exclusionary. Bitte Orca marks a resolution between the songwriter that is, at heart, a pop artist and an avant composer simultaneously.

It’s unavoidable: Bitte Orca is a challenge. There’s absolutely no allegiance to traditional structures or signatures, and the three vocalists (Longstreth, along with Deradoorian and rhythm guitarist Amber Coffman) effortlessly play with each other’s voices through harmony and note-hopping gymnastics throughout. Still, Bitte Orca manages to be utterly listenable, lithe and concise. There’s no fluff here, no filler tracks. Rarely is such a brainy record so purely enjoyable.

Opener “Cannibal Resource” introduces the rest of the album as well as any lead track could. The off-kilter time signature, layers of vocal harmony and intermittent claps are pinned together by Longstreth’s guitar, which is remarkable considering the fact that the guitar only appears occasionally in the tune. Right away we’re asked to cope with the agility of the group’s songwriting, and yet here it is, track one, utterly melodic and memorable. “Temecula” and “The Bride” scream Jimmy Page immediately with both tune and production, slowing down the frenetic mood leftover from track one. Their ease and accessibility are sequestered for “Stillness Is the Move”, a jaunting, toe-tapping tune that introduces female lead vocals and a modest dose of four on the floor relief. “Two Doves” brings things even closer to earth with its loose homage to Nico’s version of Jackson Browne’s “These Days”. “Useful Chamber” — a sort of title track — brings Longstreth’s Page fantasy to fruition with a mid-song breakdown and fuzzed-out guitar chorus. Another highlight is transition-tune “No Intention”, a sweetly sung pop swash hoisted by intricate guitar noodling and soaring falsettos. All the while, Longstreth’s skills are met with remarkable technical precision from the rest of the band. As often as he is referred to as the driving force of this group, he’s been unbelievably generous with the group — they’re given the keys and asked to drive throughout.

At any point on this record, the ensemble is struggling between pop fancy and compositional esotericism, and though many will find the songs busy or overwhelming, careful listens reveal an astounding restraint in these arrangements. After years of burgeoning home recordings and rotating band members, Longstreth has released his most shining accomplishment yet — one that will earn him attention in circles that might surprise him. Longtime fans that are frustrated with increased accessibility take note: Bitte Orca might be more accessible than anything prior, but it’s certainly not any less dense. Easily one of 2009’s most gratifying and addictive listens.

Dave Allen, founding member of the critically-acclaimed post-punk band Gang of Four and blogger at Pampelmoose.com, a music, media and MP3 web site, brings his weekly Pampelmoose New Music Hour to WOXY. Below, listen to the latest Pampelmoose New Music hour, and download some of the music Dave has selected below as well.

Autopilot Is For Lovers - Trust
Blind Pilot - Go On, Say It
The Old Believers - That’s All
Loch Lomond - Blue Lead Fence
The Intelligence - Thank You God For Fixing The Tape Machine

Twin Tigers - Envy
Telefon Tel Aviv - Helen of Troy
Faux Hoax - Foxworthye
Menomena - Evil Bee
Lackthereof - The Columbia
Gratitillium - Monkey Play

Nurses - Technicolor
Y La Bamba - Chiquilla
Reporter - Valin Seel
Adam Gnade - Honey Slides
Viva Voce - Devotion

Dave Allen, founding member of the critically-acclaimed post-punk band Gang of Four and blogger at Pampelmoose.com, a music, media and MP3 web site, brings his weekly Pampelmoose New Music Hour to WOXY. Below, listen to the latest Pampelmoose New Music hour, and download some of the music Dave has selected below as well.

White Denim - Mirrored and Reverse
Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Born On a Day the Sun Didn’t Rise
Acrylics - Molly’s Vertigo

City Center - Open House
Pattern Is Movement - Crazy In Love [Beyoncé cover/Daytrotter Session]
The Crystal Method - Drown In The Now [feat. Matisyahu]
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek [Tommie Sunshine's Acid Edit]
Jarvis Cocker - Angela

Glasser - Apply
Papercuts - You Can Have What You Want
Netherfriends - Nunya
Neon Indian - 6669
Jaydiohead - Wrong Prayer [Jay-Z Radiohead Mashup]

To catch up on all of the previous Pampelmoose New Music Hours, head to the archive page.

We were recently turned on to Oklahoma’s Stardeath And White Dwarfs with their WB debut, a 7″ single for “I Can’t Get Away.” The guys have actually been together for a few years now, not only making music, but also working on the road crew for The Flaming Lips.

Both bands also recently partnered up for a cover of Madonna’s “Borderline” for a Warner Bros. 50th Anniversary compilation. It is also being issued as an exclusive 7″ single for Record Store Day this weekend. The band performed their cover here in the Lounge, although we cannot include it in the downloadable podcast for legal reasons.

What we can give you is a taste of their original cuts, which will give you a good idea of what to expect when their debut full-length The Birth is released later this Spring. You can expect the vinyl edition in stores on May 19th and the cd/digital download to follow on June 2nd.

Track Listing:
The Age Of The Freak
New Heat
-interview -
The Birth
Those Who Are From The Sun Return To The Sun

Stardeath & White Dwarfs - Age Of The Freak (Live On WOXY.com)
Stardeath & White Dwarfs - New Heat (Live On WOXY.com)
Stardeath & White Dwarfs - The Birth (Live On WOXY.com)
Stardeath & White Dwarfs - Those Who Are From The Sun Return To The Sun (Live On WOXY.com)

Stardeath & The White Dwarfs - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)

Have a listen below to the latest Pampelmoose New Music Hour hosted by Dave Allen!

Dave has also been kind enough to host all the songs he played during his show if you enjoyed them, feel free to grab them below or on the archive page.

And don’t forget, the next Pampelmoose New Music Hour is slated for this coming Tuesday at 6pm ET right here on WOXY.com!

Twin Tigers - Sexless Love
Cage The Elephant - Tiny Little Robots
Great Northern - Houses
Cortney Tidwell - 17 Horses

Luminous Things - White Ceiling
James Yuill - Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box
Radiohead Vs Dave Brubek - 5 Step
The Saturday Knights - 45
Quest For Fire - Bison Eyes
Red Fang - Prehistoric Dog

Dead Confederate - It Was A Rose
The Streets - Heads Will Roll
Metric - Help I’m Alive [The Twelves Remix]

This San Francisco trio have been playing together since 2006. Roland Curtis & Chris Crawford became friends when they were working in a record store together. They met singer Jason Heiselmann soon after and worked through a few setups before settling on playing together as a trio. All three guys have recording & engineering experience, but decided to hit the studio with Trans Am’s Phil Manley so that they could capture their live sound with a little outside input from someone who is genuinely a musical hero for the guys. Late last year those recordings became their self-titled debut cd and we fell in love with it immediately, giving it quite a bit of airplay here at the station.

The best thing about our yearly excursion to EAR Studios is the ability to meet up with bands that we really love who may not be stopping in Cincinnati anytime soon. We started inquiring about French Miami’s availability in Austin almost as soon as we started making plans for this year’s performances. Turns out that it was the first SXSW trip for the band and their stop at EAR was their first of many, many performances for the week. In the interview, they give us the heads up that they’ve already started working on a second album, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for some new music from the band.

In this performance you’ll hear several tunes from their debut record, most of which will be familiar to anyone who has regularly listened to WOXY over the last few months.

View the entire photoset here…

Tracklisting
Goddamn Best
SFO
Science Fiction
-interview-
Multi-Caliber Rifles
Lil’ Rabbits

French Miami - Science Fiction (Live On WOXY.com)
French Miami - Multi-Caliber Rifles (Live On WOXY.com)
French Miami - Lil’ Rabbits (Live on WOXY.com)
French Miami - Goddamn Best (Live On WOXY.com)
French Miami - SFO (Live On WOXY.com)

French Miami - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)

Born in Alabama, Dorothy Mae Whitsett (aka Lady Dottie) got her start singing in a gospel choir. She was raised in a family of 14 but it’s hard to imagine that she ever had trouble being heard with her powerful voice. Her musical prowess knows no bounds. She started singing the blues at age 20 and, at one point, even performed jazz standards in a piano bar.

Along with her band The Diamonds, Lady Dottie has become a San Diego staple, serving up a raucous mix of the blues, soul, and rock with three current weekly residencies across the city. Their live performances are legendary, sometimes even crossing the 4 hour mark. They do a mixture of covers & original tunes, many of which surfaced last year on a self-titled debut release from the Hi-Speed Soul label. We were hooked from the moment we heard the band’s single “I Ain’t Mad At Ya” and started spinning a few cuts from the record. When the
possibility of a Lounge Act session was mentioned for our week in Austin, it was one of the easiest decisions of the week.

Lady Dottie proved that she can tear the roof off at any time of the day or night when she showed up for this 9am performance on the last day of SXSW. You’ll hear a full set of original tunes from the band in this session which we hope will turn even more listeners on to this talented group of musicians.

View the entire photoset here…

Tracklisting
I Ain’t Mad A Ya’
Come Along Together
Crazy Bout’ You Baby
-interview-
Livin’ It Up
I’m Ready

Lady Dottie & the Diamonds - I Ain’t Mad At Ya’ (Live On WOXY.com)
Lady Dottie & The Diamonds - Come Along Together (Live On WOXY.com)
Lady Dottie & The Diamonds - Livin’ It Up (Live On WOXY.com)
Lady Dottie & The Diamonds - Crazy Bout’ You Baby (Live On WOXY.com)
Lady Dottie & The Diamonds - I’m Ready (Live On WOXY.com)