RecaPitulation: No Age, Friendly Fires, Grooms, Beaujolais

A.M. listening: Beaujolais‘ Admirations (September 29, Parasol) reminds us of a train ride through the outskirts of Paris as twilight arrives. Even though we’ve never been to France before. The album appears to tell the story of a protagonist - or rather, the one-man-band’s Joe Ziemba (the Like Young) - who is collecting himself psychologically, spiritually and romantically following a divorce. Like the record’s warm bed of indie-pop, slightly imbued with electronics, Ziemba’s lonely reflections actually turn out to be comforting, not distressing. “I accept as fate. I bury your letters,” he confesses on “Curtains.” “A shrug of my shoulders.” We’re also tickled by a fleeting reference to Rabbit from John Updike’s heralded literary series. Fans of Updike - or Eminem, for that matter - know Rabbit as the 20-something who struggled through a troubled marriage (as Em’s Updike-inspired “8 Mile” character, Rabbit, also did). Ziemba’s a bit older, and - if Admirations is sincere, and it sounds like it is - he seems to have learned many lessons. “There’s who I was, and now, there’s me,” he sings on the closing song, “Night of a Thousand Firsts.” Can’t get much more succinct than that. …

On a more demented note, there’s Grooms, who sound like an Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star-era Sonic Youth - but 10 times more off-tuned. Still, no matter how ear-splitting the band’s Rejoicer (October 13, Death by Audio) can be at times, it manages to be downright musical too. The Brooklynites’ first foray could use a little tightening here and there, but like any great debut, it’s delightfully unselfconscious. …

We’re still trying to wrap our head around how a band as noisy as No Age can wind up sounding so damn listenable. Exhibit F is this new download:

“You’re a Target”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Check out the rest of the gang’s new EP, Losing Feeling, which is streaming free right here. In other No Age news, we read in the LA Times this morning that the band will be breaking out its score for Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 1988 movie, “The Bear,” in Hollywood Sunday night. …

Rob Zombie probably didn’t know what hit him as he watched Friendly Fires perform on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after his chat with the host the other night:

For more on the Fires, including a free MP3, go here. …

Fans of Kyp - Malone, not Winger - we have some news from you. The TV on the Radio majordomo is taking his Rain Machine project on the road with a stretch of dates that runs from September 21 in Brooklyn through October 23 in Philly. As if we even need to remind you, the act’s self-titled debut comes September 22 on Anti-. …

MV & EE have a new one, Barn Nova, landing October 13 on Ecstatic Peace. And while you now know about it, they know that a lot of people don’t, so they’re staging an acoustic tour to take care of that. The low-key affair begins Saturday at the Wickermania Festival in Goshen, Massachusetts, and lasts until an October 1 show with Sonic Youth in Tempe, Arizona. That matchup makes sense and all, since Ecstatic Peace is owned by Thurston Moore. While we’re dropping names, we should tell you that J Mascis and one of the Woods guys are on the MV & EE record. We’re so there. …

Weird image of the day, courtesy the weirdly named My Milky Way Arms:

The man with the Arms, Space Kill (a.k.a Chase Hill), is squirting out Lightsaber Circuit Breaker on September 8 through Milky Syndication. And the Austin oddball is threatening a quick tour in support of it, from September 3 in his hometown till 10 days later in NOLA. Here’s a cut from the record; it sounds like what might have gone through Luke Skywalker’s brain as he was on the verge of freezing to death on Hoth:

“Fillenium Malcon”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

File this one under: Whaaa? We just learned that there’s a Boston hard-rock band called Machines of Grace. With absolutely no relation to Austin industrialists Machines of Loving Grace (you know, the ones who were on the “Crow” soundtrack). Lawsuit, anyone? …

We usually don’t approve of a show being banned anywhere, for any reason, but we’re making an exception today. Malaysia has scotched a Black Eyed Peas concert. No, not because, when not making music, they spend their time sucking a big bag of donkey dicks, but because the country discovered that Guinness was sponsoring the show. Muslims don’t drink alcohol, that whole thing. Good for Malaysia. …

We’ve been talking a lot about health care lately, but beyond that, we’d still be remiss if we didn’t pay at least some sort of tribute to EMK: