Annuals CD release show and contest

Photo by OldKing

Annuals:
"Brother"
"Dry Clothes"
(from He Be Me 2006. Buy it here.)

Way back in March, I was pretty excited about Raleigh's Annuals when they played at SxSW. Little did I know that they were on the cusp of a whole lot of attention. They signed to New York label Ace Fu, got a whole lot of love from bloggers (and Pitchfork), and -- after a CD release show tomorrow night (10/17) in Raleigh-- head out on the road with the likes of the equally blog-beloved Tapes 'N' Tapes, the up-and-coming Evangelicals, and the flat-out spectacular Calexico.

They garner lots of comparisons to the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, which seems accurate in terms of the ambition of their music -- the songs have an epically expansive sonic palette, coupled with a yearning sincerity to the lyrics. I've only just gotten hold of He Be Me, their Ace Fu debut, so I can't say for sure what I think of Grayson Currin's suggestion here that its complexity and scope run a little wild at times. I suppose this sort of Romantic passion runs the risk of self-indulgence in some cases, but I admire Annuals for going all-out. In the doses I've heard so far, the results are compelling.

You can hear a few samples of what I'm talking about above. But suppose you'd like to hear the whole thing for yourself? You can buy it or download it, but (thanks to the kindness of the folks at Ace Fu), I actually have a signed copy of the CD to give away. Send me an e-mail (oakroom @ gmail.com) and mention the Annuals contest -- I'll pick the winner by the end of the week.

The CD release show is tomorrow night (10/17) at the Brewery in Raleigh. Also on the bill are the Never (previously), who may well be Annuals' equals in terms of drama and amibition (they made a concept album, for cryin' out loud!), and Tom Yoder, who's not from around here and I know nothing about. As the picture at the top of this post suggests, Annuals seem to pack as much dramatic stimulation into their stage show as they do their recorded music, so it should be a good time.