Local flavor

One of the perks of working for a media company is that every once in a while, something really exciting passes across your desk. Friday was one of those times for me, when I was given an advance copy of the first major release by a local band, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. Their name has been popping up around town for the past year or so (they played several nights of the Midwest Music Summit and a lot of dates at the now-defunct Patio), but I was never really that interested in seeing them. I kept envisioning a female-fronted ska band. Well, I'll happily admit my mistake on this one. The Dust of Retreat is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. The music is bittersweet and gorgeous, and the first comparison that came to my mind was Bright Eyes without Conor Oberst's lisp. Aside from the usual guitar-bass-drums setup, the band also incorporates cello, keyboards, and trumpet, giving the songs a rich, layered texture that creates a surprisingly mature sound for a band that's only been together for less than two years. Dust has actually been released already on a small local label, but it's been remixed and remastered by Artemis and is slated to get a national release in March. MNSS is already touring the East Coast in support.

You can hear the album streaming at Margot's MySpace page, and read more about them in their official bio (not much help), AllMusic's bio (better), and NUVO, the local alternative weekly paper here in Indy (the most interesting read of the bunch). Me, I'm just excited. I had pretty much given up hope on the local music scene, but if stuff as good as this is coming out of here, maybe it deserves a second chance. I have a feeling big things are ahead for MNSS, but even if that's not the case, I'll keep listening. I mean, they named their band after a character from a Wes Anderson movie. Obviously, genius at work.

Other news from the weekend: Fox ran two hours worth of Arrested Development on Friday night as the "season finale". But as Kristin at E! Online reports, it might as well have been a series finale. Sucks that Fox had such little respect for this show that they put it up against the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and probably ran a total of two commercials over the month leading up to it. At least AD went out on a high note. I still hurt from laughing.

Later that night, the US men beat up on Japan in San Francisco. The final score (3-2, good guys), was in no way reflective of the game. Japan got two late goals after the US had started subbing out half of their starters. Granted, I'd like to have seen the Nats close out the game in a better fashion, but they had played 60 minutes of full-throttle soccer with their foot on Japan's throat, and it's hard to maintain that pace for an entire match. Great games again from Taylor Twellman, with a goal and two assists, Clint Dempsey, who was beaten down almost every time he touched the ball and still managed to score a classy goal, and Eddie Pope, who seems to be rounding into form after a long recovery from injury. For a game that was supposed to be a much tougher test after walking over Norway, the US still looked mighty impressive. And that's always a good sign in a World Cup year.

And finally, I guess the Olympics started. Yawn.