Tours: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie

(To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie)

Boduf Songs + To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie:

11-15 Minneapolis, MN - Uptown Bar#
11-17 Milwaukee, WI - BBC Upper Level
11-19 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
11-20 Philadelphia, PA - The Fire
11-21 Richmond, VA - Ghost Print Gallery
11-23 Arlington, MA - Regent Theatre (Brainwaves Festival)
11-24 Providence, RI - The Living Room
11-25 New York, NY - Pianos
11-28 New York, NY - The Annex
11-30 Montreal, Quebec - Casa del Popolo
12-01 Cleveland, OH - TBA
12-02 Ann Arbor, MI - Yellow Barn
12-03 Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle *
12-04 Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club

# TKAPB solo date
* w/Zelionople

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie MySpace Page

New To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "You've Gone Too Far"

Stream: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "You've Gone Too Far"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Children's Minds Are Malleable"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Enter Weatherly Scott"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"

Nothing says music for a rainy day like the out-of-this-world, glacial soundscapes of Minneapolis duo To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie. The twosomes soothingly apocalyptic sounds on last year's The Patron made that album a favorite of many, including this site (as well as more prominent ones).

So, naturally, anticipation is high in some quarters as to what the Bourgeoisie will do next. I mean, besides plunder the nation's poor for all they're worth and bankrupt an entire country. Oh, wait, that's already happened.

While there's no word yet on a proper follow-up to The Patron, the heady concept album about two corporations in love, curious listeners can hear what the band is up to by heading over to the group's MySpace Page. It's there that TKAPB have posted a new track called "You've Gone Too Far". Beginning with a wave of white noise, "Too Far" slowly and steadily incorporates a minor-third melody on piano, a just-there-enough drumbeat, and, of course, Jenna Wilhelm's haunting vocals.

Around the four-and-a-half minute mark, the tide of sound becomes ever higher, a gorgeous pattern of ambient melodies emerge, and the duo ride out the rest of the song on it. What's even more interesting is the tribal drums at the very end, suggesting that maybe TKAPB will incorporate a little Liars influence on their next record.

"You've Gone Too Far" is probably one of the more mellow tracks that the band has ever done. If, as the band stated on the Modern Radio message boards, this is on their next album, then expect an effort that's as excellent as The Patron was.

Stream "You've Gone Too Far" over at the TKAPB MySpace Page. The song is incredible, you should really check it out.

(Jonathan Graef)

Pet.s EP Release Party at the 7th St. Entry Tonight

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"
Download: Daughters Of The Sun - "Light As A Feather"

Wes Statler's noisy-ish new band Pet.s takes a sharp turn away from the pop-savvy Melodious Owl that he once fronted. When Pet.s played at the Beat this summer, Statler's stage performance incorporated victorious moments of catching a touchdown pass in slow motion and rushing the crowd. Should definitely be an interesting set of shows, especially the late show; just check out that awesome bill.

Early Show:
Pet.s
Zibra Zibra
obchod na korze
5pm - All Ages

**Late Show:
To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
Pet.s
Daughters of the Sun
Zibra Zibra
9pm - 21+

Pet.s on MySpace

(Ian Anderson)

Chicago In Minneapolis: Scotland Yard Gospel Choir Tonight At The Triple Rock

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir

Download: The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - "Aspidistra"
Download: The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - "Pins And Needles"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "I Box Twenty"

Monday night at the Triple Rock is going to be an fantastically fascinating juxtaposition of music, particularly if you're a fan of dry, witty blasts of poppy anglophilia or ethereal, creeping soundscapes with lovely, ghostly female vocals which are 7 minutes when the band wants to engage in brevity. It may seem odd that both Chicago-based Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, who earlier this year put out their great, but not entirely flawless, self-titled album on alt-country mecca label Bloodshot, and To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie, whose sci-fi tale about two corporations falling in love, The Patron, is a triumph of mediative mind-melting, would occupy the same musical universe, let alone share a bill together.

You seriously could not have two completely different bands in one room. But, in some way, this could be the genius musical pairing of the year. Those who have the patience to take in TKAPB heavenly, no-wave-meets-Portishead noise will be able to have the Belle and Sebastion-esque twee-pop of Scotland Yard Gospel Choir (neither based in Scotland Yard, nor a gospel choir of any kind) should serve as the ideal musical palette cleanser. Those who want avant-garde adventurism and indie-rock comfort food will have the best of both worlds on stage for one night. That's the kind of music event any Patron could get behind.

Also playing is Patrick Tierney, whose music is self-described as "John Fogerty Singing Elliot Smith Songs". There's definitely a lot the latter's influence in the St.Paul-based folker's sound, but not so much the former. Which is a shame, because a little bad moon rising goes a long way, especially if you're trying to separate yourself from the singer-songwriter pack. What's interesting to not is that Tierney is playing the show on his birthday. Somebody bring Patrick a cake and a slice from Chuck E. Cheese. Listen to his songs on his MySpace.

Tickets for the 21+ show can be bought here. Doors open at 9.

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir MySpace Page
To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie Myspace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie Receive A 6.7 On Pitchfork

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"

The score is a little on the low side, but Pitchfork's Aaron Leitko makes some interesting points regarding the band's use of a narrative (The Patron tells a story about two merging companies falling in love) and praises the band by saying that "the duo's combination of pop melody and lo-bit-rate noise provides plenty of lilting and creepy moments." However, the review also says that "for all of its myriad atmospheric charms, the sampler-and-guitar set-up inhibits TKPB a little. Plodding lifeless rhythms largely dominate the record and any dynamic shifts come slowly, if at all."

In listening to The Patron, which we reviewed here, the rhythms don't come across as plodding at all, but rather, they have the icy quality of a moving glacier. The Patron sounds like the sonic equivalent of a Stanley Kubrick film (to make a potentially pretentious comparison), with each atmospheric texture serving the same purpose as the film director's long, uninterrupted takes: to look at humanity's failings in as coldly objective way as possible, and to maybe mourn the loss of that humanity. That theme may not necessarily come out explicitly in the lyrics, but the music certainly makes the subtext as clear as it can with the juxtaposition of the haunting, sorrowful vocals and the jarring, detached sonic textures.

Read P4K's take on TKAPB here. The band plays Thursday night at the 7th Street Entry. Buy tickets here. Update: Never mind, show has been canceled. However, the openers for TKAPB are still playing, if you are interested in seeing them.


MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Saturday: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie At Castle Greyskull

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"
Download: Unicorn Basement - "Catch A Rainbow"

With Unicorn Basement and Twin.

Details here

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie MySpace
Unicorn Basement MySpace Page
Twin MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - The Patron

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "The Patron"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Very Lovely"

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
The Patron (Kranky, 2007)
Grade: A-

Loneliness and acute isolation are difficult emotions to convey for an entire album, mostly because they're such alienating concepts to portray for an complete record's worth of material. So it's an incredible achievement that the full-length debut of Minneapolis duo To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie, The Patron, is such an intensely fascinating marriage of Portishead's chilly trip-hop with My Bloody Valentine's chrysalis of dreamy noise-pop.

The Patron starts off with bloodcurdling feedback (I pity the foo' who begins listening to this record with the volume all the way up) and then settles into the hypnotic pulsing drone of the title track. Eventually, the track devolves into abstract noise and sound manipulations, but above all of the sonic fray floats singer's Jehna Wilhelm angelic voice. Like the musical hybrid of Beth Gibbons and Rachel Goswell, Wilhem's vocals are the only warm thing about To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie's music.

Even though that humanity is an essential component in the band's sound, if it were not there The Patron would still be filled intoxicating sonic collages and haunting electronic textures. There are a scant few songs on the record that are shorter than 6 minutes long, and it's a credit to the band's sonic creativity that tracks like "Very Lovely", "Long Arm" and "The Man With The Shovel, Is The Man I'm Going Marry" never become turgid, boring or self-indulgent. When the group does do a song that's a little more melodic, such as "Lovers and Liars" or "I Box Twenty", To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie don't lose their experimental focus either. It may seem unbelievable that a ambient group would be able to figure out how to write pieces of music that are both tuneful and avant-garde, but in listening to The Patron, one discovers that To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie figured out that conundrum to the point of smashing success.

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie play the Turf Club on Oct. 31st. Details here.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Live Shows Tonight: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie and Fog

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "The Man With The Shovel..."

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie have a record release show (for The Patron, out on Tuesday) tonight at the Hexagon. Show is 21+. More details at More Cowbell.

MySpace Page

Fog

Download: Fog - "We Will Have Vanished"
Download: Fog - "You Did What You Thought"

Fog play the Cave in Northfield, MN tonight. The FREE all-ages show starts at 8 p.m.

Directions to the Cave via I-35:

Directions from I-35 via Highway 19 to Northfield and Carleton Campus

* Take I-35W to Highway 19 East (Exit 69, Northfield exit).
* Drive east on Highway 19 for 7 miles to Northfield.
* At the first stop light (where Highway 19 meets Highway 3), turn left and drive north for 3 blocks to 2nd Street.
* Turn right and drive east on 2nd Street, continuing up the hill.
* Turn left at College Street, which takes you directly into the campus

Click here for a map.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

To Kill A Petty Bourgeosie's P4K Video Premiere

(Imeem, via Pitchfork)

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "The Patron"

Stereogum darlings and MPLS natives To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie have just unveiled a new video for "The Man With The Shovel Is The Man I'm Going To Marry", a track from the duo's upcoming Kranky debut The Patron. You can watch the moody clip at the top of the post, as well as listen to the album's title track.

The Patron is out on Oct. 16th. Pre-Order it from Amazon.

Band Website
MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Is MFR Reader Tara Psychic? To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie Make Stereogum's "Band To Watch" List

Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "A Box Twenty" (Via Stereogum)
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "The Patron"
Download: To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - "Lovers and Liars"

In the comment section of Ian's piece about the 2007 edition of City Pages' "Picked To Click" series, reader Tara suggests that To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie will be one of the bands that are picked to click. Even if they aren't included on the City Pages' list, at someone else on the almighty interweb thinks that TKAPB is worthy of attention. That someone else is Stereogum, who recently featured the band as part of its "Band To Watch" feature.

When all is said and done, a Stereogum endorsement would certainly help a band to click, no? If so, nicely done, Tara.

The new album, The Patron comes out on Oct. 15th on Kranky.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)