Last weekend's Peelander-Z concert (read my review) lived up to my hype, even if it ended up costing me breakfast and kept me out until two in the morning in the pouring rain. It was completely worth it. Having said that, I can't think of a single thing to spend your money on this week.
I was so excited to recommend that you buy tickets for Divine Fits' first show ever, but Britt Daniels is so popular in this town that the tickets were announced, went on sale and sold out between columns. I hope you were on it and snagged one anyway. Paying $15 to see a super group's very first show is a steal. Clearly everyone else thought so as well. The good shows are sold out this week. Frank Ocean is Thursday night's hottest ticket, but if you're as (bi)curious as most seem to be about him, you could head to La Zona Rosa and try to scalp a seat. The cheapest on StubHub is $150, but don't consider paying more than $40 a ticket. Your other big Thursday option is Tenacious D, but I'll cover that in Stay Away. At least we have a couple new videos and album streams to enjoy this week.

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Passion Pit (stream) new album Gossamer
This brilliant new Passion Pit album kept me up late last night. I was ready to run my friend Ira's Facebook joke in which he imagined a conversation between Passion Pit, where the band went off and recorded an album that was so poppy and synth-filled and arena-ready that it would give Katy Perry a run for her money and brought it to the lead singer who responded by recording the most depressing break-up lyrics over it. Her described it as the most "cognitively-dissonant" album of the year, and it really is. When I asked if I could borrow his analysis, he linked me to this incredible profile (seriously, read every word of it. It's perfect.) that illustrates how deeply, deeply troubled lead singer Michael Angelakos really is, and I felt bad for even joking about it. On Monday, he canceled a few tour dates, posting, "I am going to take the time to work on improving my mental health. For now, I'd like to thank all of our fans for their understanding. I hope to see all of you very soon in a much different light." I sure hope he can pull himself out of it. Passion Pit is still scheduled for Lollapalooza and Osheaga festival in a few weeks. Honestly, I'd be surprised if they make it. I felt compelled to re-watch these acoustic videos I took of them at Waterloo two summers ago, and they seemed to be doing well then.



Freelance Whales "Locked Out"
These indie-rock darlings are going a little more electronic on their sophomore album. It works for them. I'd wondered how they fit in with the other electronically tinged rock at Osheaga, and this new single makes it perfectly clear. It's a big step forward for a band that always seemed a little tentative. I'm hopeful this helps them break out even bigger when the album comes out in October.



Stay Away
Tenacious D (concert) on Thursday, July 19th at Austin Music Hall(Sold Out)

I crashed their SXSW show this year, and had a solid time. It's still the D. It's still the right mix of funny and rocking, but man, do they have to work for it these days. They sweat an uncomfortable amount for two dudes just standing there playing acoustic guitars, and still rely on the old stuff for sing-a-longs. The new songs are decent, but they're still living off of the album from a dozen years ago. I gave their new album a "stay away" in my second column, so it shouldn't be surprising that I don't recommend the live show. Look, it's sold out. If you paid the $50, have a blast. I'm done with the D for now.

Last Summer on Earth Tour (concert) with Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, Cracker and Big Head Todd and the Monsters on Saturday, July 21st at Moody Theater for $39 to $69
Speaking of bands that peaked a dozen years ago. I'll admit, Blues Traveler is still decent live, and I've heard good things about Barenaked Ladies, but I'm not going to give you the "Run Around." This is not how I want to spend my Saturday night. See you in ... "One Week."


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