An Appointment with History

This Week's Soundtrack celebrates the re-opeing of the Civic Theater in the CBD, bringing acts like The Waterboys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Passion Pit to the Crescent City.

This Week's Soundtrack celebrates the re-opening of the Civic Theater in the CBD, bringing acts like the Waterboys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Passion Pit to the Crescent City.

This Week's Soundtrack on Spotify

1. "Teenage Disease" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: The garage rockers from L.A. come to New Orleans October 14, to play the newly refurbished Civic Theater in the CBD. One of the oldest theaters in New Orleans, the venue's return to the scene is exciting, and the fall concert series will be booked by the company that handles New York City's Bowery Ballroom.

2. "Freak Train" - Star & Dagger: Featuring Sean Yseult (of White Zombie and Rock City Morgue) and Donna She-Wolf (of Cycle Sluts from Hell), Star & Dagger are a female-fronted heavy rock band. Tipitina's hosts their CD release show Thursday for their debut album Tomorrowland Blues. With Rough 7 opening, it should be a raucous good time.

3. "Let it Happen" - The Waterboys: This track is from their reunion album A Rock in the Weary Land, released in 2000 after nearly a decade of working on solo projects. That album was also the last time the band came to New Orleans (2001), and for many was a demonstration that they'd reached a compromise between their folkier side and their rock roots. The Waterboys come back to New Orleans to play the Civic Theater October 29.

4. "A Full Moon in March" - The Waterboys: From their new album An Appointment with Mr. Yeats, this track is what we can expect from the band this time around. Based on 20 poems by William Butler Yeats, the band continues its love affair with Irish culture through these musical renditions of the island's most prized wordsmith. 

5. "Glastonbury Song" - The Waterboys: Reaching back to 1985's This is The Sea this track depicts the sound the band had become known for, and a style dubbed by frontman Mike Scott as "Big Music," which he described as "a metaphor for seeing God's signature in the world." Or in laymen's terms, sweeping rock that dealt with metaphysical and spiritual themes, often using literary references in the lyrics. It was a style that the band eventually moved away from, but it's still an influence on most modern Irish rock.

6. "Pinball Machine" - Bellx1: Case in point.

7. "Tokyo" - California Wives: This Chicago band plays Siberia Tuesday, touring their debut album Art History.

8. "Every Bone" - Big History: Delicious electro-pop from this New Orleans band. They play with other locals Sports & Leisure, and Breton Sound at Tipitina's Saturday. 

9. "I'm Not Gonna Grow Old" - Club 8: Following an earworm unearthed by the last track, to Sweden...

10. "We R The Handclaps" - Junior Senior: ...and then Denmark...

11. "Architectured Love" - Sally Shaprio: ...and then back to Sweden. This track comes off the remix collection that was companion to her recent release Somewhere Else.  

12. "Hey Love" - Quadron: Sticking with Scandanavian electro-pop, this track is the single from the Danish duo's recently released second album Avalanche. 

13. "Pack Jam" - Jonzun Crew: In light of some of our recent interviews and the synthy nature of this soundtrack, this is a classic Tommy Boy Records dance track from the '80s electro-funk hip hop group Jonzun Crew. Though they used drum machines recording the tracks, they were known for using a live drummer and actually playing their synthesizers onstage.

14. "Constant Conversations" - Passion Pit: They'll play the Civic on October 11. 

15. "Crime" - Mayer Hawthorne feat. Kendrick Lamar: From L.A.'s multi-instrumentalist DJ and producer, off his new album Where Does This Door Go released two weeks ago.

16. "Postal" - Souls of Mischief: These '90s hip-hop legends from Oakland, Ca. will be coming to play the Hi-Ho Wednesday. 

17. "Viral" - Hebronix: A track from new album Unreal, the first solo release of ex-Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg. 

18. "Star Dream Girl" - David Lynch: From The Big Dream, David Lynch's recently released new album. For those only acquainted with his work as the director of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, his music will have a disturbingly familiar feel. 

19. "Everytime I'm With You" - Danger Mouse feat. Jason Lytle: Sparklehorse collaborated with Danger Mouse to compose and produce Dark Night of The Soul, a compilation of tracks, each featuring a different vocalist, to narrate a collection of David Lynch's photography. The album came with a 100-page booklet of his photos. This track, featuring Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, captures that limping-down-a-highway-at-night characteristic so prevalent in Lynch's Twin Peaks drama.

20. "Felix Helix" - Futurebirds: Coming from Athens to play One Eyed Jacks Saturday.

21. "Welcome to L.A." - Truth & Salvage Co: From the second album by this Nashville band, Pick Me Up July, released this month. They play Gasa Gasa Monday.

22. "Dog in The Yard" - Jamey Johnson: The country singer and guitarist returns to New Orleans to play the Civic November 14, to follow his late June show with Merle Haggard at Champions Square.

23. "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" - Merle Haggard: They made sense together.