Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Post Teen Daze Remix of "Life Is Hard" and Video of Live Performance on NYC's WVUF

Original Version:

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros just posted an all new video for the single "Life Is Hard". The video features an acoustic version of the song, recorded live at WVUF in New York, set to the World Press Photo Contest winners of 2013, held yearly to showcase the highest standards in photojournalism and share them with millions.

Lead singer Alex Ebert said of the collaboration, "On some sleepless and homeless night, towards the end of my first trip to Amsterdam, I stumbled into what perhaps was a cathedral. It must have been midnight or thereabouts, but it was aglow and bustling. I entered and never forgot the experience not the name of the experience - it was an exhibit of World Press Photo winners. Years later, I am honored to have been given permission to put some of the photography from this year's winners to an acoustic recording of a song that means a lot to me called 'Life Is Hard'."



Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have always been passionate about the community. From their earliest days in 2007, the band has consistently created music that uplifts and brings people together from all over the world. Individually and collectively, they've actively supported a variety of charitable endeavors, including: Charity Water, VH1 Save The Music Foundation, The American Red Cross, and many more. It is in this spirit that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have formed the Big Sun Foundation - a non-profit organization that believes in the power of a unified world community. "We will identify causes and social issues that are important to all of us and work together to create opportunities to make a difference in the world one beautiful human at a time," said the members of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. "In joining together, we will bring awareness and support to causes that are fighting for the rights and basic needs of all beings."

The band just successfully wrapped up Big Top, a SOLD OUT self-curated festival featuring an outdoor bazaar with local vendors and a performance stage, as well as music happening all day under a traditional big top tent in Los Angeles.

Links:
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

AlunaGeorge (UK Electronic Music Duo) Sign to Vagrant / First US Tour in Sept. Includes Stops At Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom

I'm generally not much for dance music but I've been getting into the minimalist trip-hop glitch meets R and B/soul sound of London duo AlunaGeorge.   I like the quote from the BBC which describes the band as "strik[ing] a rare balance between dancefloor legitimacy and pop nous."

The band just signed with Vagrant Records and their debut disc, Body Music, will be released July 30th. The band is also kicking off their first US tour at the end of August at Chicago's North Coast Music Festival and are making their NYC debut with shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Sept. 5th and 6th.   At both shows, AlunaGeorge is supported by Chicago's Supreme Cuts. Tickets for each show (Bowery Ballroom, MHOW) are $15 in advance and $18 DOS; each of these shows start at 9PM.



Taking the boom of British bass culture and marrying it to the sweet slickness of classic American R&B, AlunaGeorge – aka Aluna Francis and producer George Reid – are excited to announce the details of their eagerly awaited debut album Body Music, released on July 30th via Vagrant Records.

Body Music – Track List:
1. Outlines
2. You Know You Like It
3. Attracting Flies
4. Your Drums, Your Love
5. Kaleidoscope Love
6. Bad Idea
7. Diver
8. Lost And Found
9. Best Be Believing
10. Superstar
11. Just A Touch
12. Body Music
13. Friends to Lovers
14. This is How We Do It (bonus track)

In the 12 months since their first release went viral, AlunaGeorge’s DIY video for “You Know You Like It” has clocked up over 2 million views, the band were crowned the most blogged artist of 2012, they sold out a European tour, performed at Moschino’s catwalk show during London Fashion Week and made the top 3 for both last year’s prestigious BRITS Critics Award and the BBC Sound of 2013 (#2). On top of all of the above, scored a #2 single in the UK with their Disclosure collaboration “White Noise”.





Links:
AlunaGeorge

The 1975 Announce Two Headlining Shows at Bowery Ballroom in October (Vagrant Records)

(Photo: Dave Ma)

Manchester buzz band The 1975 have announced a 23-date US tour, which includes two headlining shows at Bowery Ballroom on October 9th and 10th.  The band made their NYC debut this past March with a show at Mercury Lounge and this upcoming headlining tour is in support of the band's full-length debut, which is due out on Vagrant Records in September.

Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom shows go on-sale this Friday, July 12th, at 12PM and the cost is $16 in advance and $18 DOS.




The 1975 Fall 2013 US Tour
Oct 5th - Short Mountain Distillery – Woodbury, TN
Oct 8th – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Oct 9th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 10th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 11th – Black Cat – Washington, DC
Oct 12th – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 13th – The Mod Club - Toronto, Canada
Oct 15th – A&R Music Bar – Columbus, OH
Oct 18th – Firebird – St. Louis, MO
Oct 19th – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Oct 20th – The Rave Bar – Milwaukee, WI
Oct 21st – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 23rd – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
Oct 24th – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 26th – Neumos – Seattle, WA
Oct 27th – Venue – Vancouver, Canada
Oct 28th – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
Oct 30th – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
Oct 31st – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
Nov 1st – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA 
Nov 2nd – Vinyl @ Hard Rock Casino – Las Vegas, NV
Nov 3rd – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA
Nov 4th – Club Congress – Tucson, AZ

The 1975 Press Bio:
Critics have been bemused and thrilled by the Manchester four-piece and their amorphous drifts between brooding art rock, crisp electronica, dance-floor R and B, and 80s gloss pop. “I don’t think it’s confusing,” says singer Matty Healy of his band. “Feeling a lack of identity and the searching within oneself to acquire a real understanding of what you want to be, that’s something that loads of people can connect with. It’s so strange that with music people want so many rules.”

Matty has known what The 1975 is for some years now, just waiting for the right moment to unveil their stories of lust, intoxication and the unabashed grittiness of modern youth.  “This record is a proper soundtrack to our formative years,” he says of their debut album, co-produced with Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, The Kooks). “It’s everything that I know and every single song on the album, at some point, has been the most important thing in my life. I’ve spent my adult life working towards this album. It’s literally everything I am.”

Matty’s adult life’ started young. He picked up the guitar when his dad’s best friend died, leaving him two guitars. His confrontational attitude was in place early too - the private school kick-out (“I didn’t really care for being there, I got in a couple of fights. I got asked to leave, I never actually got expelled...”) transitioning to public school at the age of fourteen he started drumming in a punk band with eventual band mates Adam Hann (guitar) and Ross MacDonald (bass).

One day, “This weird kid turned up at school, he was really tall but he looked about nine and was this odd character”. This was George Daniel, drummer and soon to be Matt’s co-songwriter and “My kind of boyfriend. Well, not really, but he might as well be, we don’t really leave each others’ sides.” The pair bonded over their dislocated childhoods – Matt moved between London and Newcastle while George was born in Belgium and grew up in Seattle – and the sense of isolation they felt in their new homes in the Manchester suburbs.

Adam had heard of a “hippy council worker” who rented out local space for kids to play shows, and the band formed in order to get involved. “Everyone would go and get drunk and it was a proper scene at a time when there wasn’t really much going on.”  They developed an artful sophistication and electronic adventurism to their punk rumbles, it was an intriguing track called ‘Robbers’ that earned them a manager in 2009.  Based around a violent, cinematic tale of lust on the lam. “I got really obsessed with the idea behind Patricia Arquette’s character in True Romance when I was about eighteen,” Matty recalls “That craving for the bad boy in that film it’s so sexualized, and the gore with the sexual lust really merges together. It was something I was obsessed with.”  For two years, they relentlessly toured the country and interest began trickling in. But the band, operating under a variety of names, waited. They’d seen contemporaries get snapped up, restyled and spat out by the music industry and wanted everything to be in place– the sound, the songs, and the aesthetic – before they announced their arrival.

“We said ‘we’re not desperate to be famous, we’re not desperate to be in a massive band, let’s do it our way, on our terms, and make sure that our projection of ourselves is controlled by us’.” Throughout 2011, as their cache of self-produced demos grew to album size they decided to sign to Dirty Hit in the UK and spent 2011 touring and getting the songs just right live.  Though 1975 was the year The Sex Pistols formed and Talking Heads played their first gigs, the moniker has nothing to do with the date itself. Matty found it in the back of a beat-era book given  to him by a “gregarious artist” he met at a yard sale in northern Majorca at the age of 19. “He showed me round his house, it was like a sixties bizarre haberdashery. He had photos of him with Hendrix, I thought this guy was fucking crazy!  He gave me loads of beat generation literature, Kerouac and stuff. When I went home I read them and in the back of one of them there was all these mental scribblings, it was almost suicidal, and it was dated at the bottom ‘1st June, The 1975’. I was quite freaked out when I read it, the use of the word ‘The’ really stuck with me. It was the perfect band name.”

The newly monikered group headed to the studio in December of 2011 resulting in the‘Facedown EP’ - the first in a trilogy of EPs to be produced by the band, released in August of 2012. ‘ Sex’ shortly followed in November of 2013. The final EP installment is ‘Music For Cars', which was co-produced by Mike Crossey with the band. The band and Crossey quickly reunited to work on the band’s debut  album, which will be released in September of 2013.

Links:
The 1975

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Announce New Self-Titled Disc Out July 23rd (Vagrant) / Only Local Appearance at Governor's Ball on June 8th

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros announced that a self-titled third disc, the follow-up to 2012's Here, will be released on July 23rd. Frontman Alex Ebert said: "These songs mean everything to me. It's the rawest, most liberated, most rambunctious stuff we've done".

Some of the material from this new disc has been part of the band's live set for the last few months...



Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Track List
Better Days
Let’s Get High
Two
Please!
Life Is Hard
If I Were Free
In The Lion
Country Calling
They Were Wrong
In The Summer
Remember To Remember
This Life

The band is out on an extensive summer tour that kicks off tonight in Napa, CA. The only local tour stop is at the Governor's Ball Music Festival on Randall's Island on June 8th (with Guns N' Roses headlining that night) and this show is completely sold out.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Summer 2013 Tour Dates
May 11, 2013 -- Napa, CA, Bottle Rock Festival
May 23, 2013 -- Lake Tahoe, NV, Montbleu Resort Casino
May 25, 2013 -- Portland, OR, The Rose Festival
May 26, 2013 -- Quincy, WA, Sasquatch Festival
May 28, 2013 -- Billings, MT, Babcock Theatre
May 29, 2013 -- Jackson, WY, Pink Garter Theatre
May 30, 2013 -- Salt Lake City, UT, Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
June 02, 2013 -- Morrison, CO, Red Rocks
June 04, 2013 -- Council Bluffs, IA, Stir Cove
June 05, 2013 -- Des Moines, IA, Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater
June 07, 2013 -- Pittsburgh, PA, Three Rivers Arts Festival (Free)
June 08, 2013 -- New York, NY, Governor’s Ball Music Festival
June 09, 2013 -- Portland, ME, State Theatre
June 11, 2013 -- Shelburne, VT, The Green at Shelburne Museum
June 12, 2013 -- Montreal, Canada, The Metropolis
June 13, 2013 -- June 16th, 2013 -- Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo
June 15, 2013 -- Atlanta, GA, Midsummer Music Festival (Free)
June 18, 2013 -- Chattanooga, TN, Track 29
June 19, 2013 -- Knoxville, TN, Bijou Theatre
June 21, 2013 -- Norfolk, VA, The Norva
June 23, 2013 -- Dover, DE, Firefly Festival
June 24, 2013 -- Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo State Theatre
June 25, 2013 -- Minneapolis, MN, Cabooze Outdoor Plaza
June 26, 2013 -- Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
June 28, 2013 -- Chicago, IL, Old St. Pat’s Church Block Party
June 29, 2013 -- Kansas City, KS, Kanrocksas Music Festival


Links:
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Wake Owl - 'Wild Country' CD Review (Vagrant) // Show at Rockwood Music Hall on Feb. 22nd

Wake Owl began with primary member Colyn Cameron, who started writing songs around age 16. The Vancouver, by way of Southern California, native traversed the world in his late teens and early 20s and his vast travels acted as a songwriting catalyst: after returning home to British Columbia and spending a brief period playing in other bands, Cameron began creating and recording his own songs as Wake Owl. Now also comprised of multi-instrumentalist Aiden Briscall and additional supporting players, Wake Owl has toured Canada supporting Bahamas, Zeus and The Jezabels, and have played a number of their own US shows. The band's debut EP, "Wild Country", comes out January 29th on Vagrant Records.

"Wild Country" is comprised of six tracks and has a distinctly Southern California sound. Cameron's lyrics are introspective but he breaks away from his alt-folk contemporaries by adding rich vocal harmonies and the band's pedal steel, violin, and brushed drums take on a mellow rock sound rather than alt-folk. The end result sounds like something that could have come out of Laurel Canyon in the 70's and has elements of both Crosby, Stills and Nash and the initial albums from the Lindsey Buckingham lineup of Fleetwood Mac.

The music is fairly varied across the disc's six tracks - opener "Wild Country" starts out with a acoustic guitar providing the foundation for a twisting and bending electric guitar line but other instruments kick in shortly thereafter and the song molds itself into a moody SoCal rock number. "You'll Never Go" is an upbeat number that is powered by Cameron's upfront vocals and the song has a repetitive, catchy rhythm that is likely to have a live audience swaying in place. This is followed by "Gold" which has a melancholy aura as the sparse piano and emotive vocals of the song's beginning build up to a sing-along chorus where Wake Owl sounds a sounds a bit like Fleetwood Mac. A demo version of "Gold" closes this disc and this is a nice counterpoint as this demo version is stripped down and rawly emotive. Overall, the six songs on this new EP pass by way too quick leaving me looking forward to a full-length release from the band.



Wake Owl Tour Dates:
Feb 08 - Sunset, Seattle, WA
Feb 09 - Bunk Bar, Portland, OR
Feb 14 - 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Feb 17 - Old Town School of Folk / Szold Hall, Chicago, IL
Feb 20 - Cafe 939, Boston, MA

Feb 22 - Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2), New York, NY
* Tickets are $10 and this is an early show - 6:30PM doors.  Opening band is (probably) Andy Shauf

Feb 23 - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
Feb 25 - Jammin Java, Vienna, VA
Feb 26 - Brillobox, Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 28 - Basement, Nashville, TN
Mar 03 - Riot Room, Kansas City, MO
Mar 04 - Hi-Dive, Denver, CO
Mar 07 - Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA
Mar 08 - Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA
Mar 09 - Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA

Links:
Wake Owl

California Wives: Manchester's NO CEREMONY Posts Remix of 'Marianne' (from 'Art History' - Vagrant)

Chicago new-­wave quartet California Wives released their debut Art History (Vagrant Records) last month and Manchester's NO CEREMONY just posted a chill remix of "Marianne", the original version is on the band's debut album Art History.

The band just finished their Fall tour with Diamond Rings and Stars last week in San Francisco and new tour dates will be announced soon. In the interim, check out this acoustic version of "Marianne" from California Wives' appearance on "Good Morning Arkansas".



Links:
California Wives

California Wives - "Art History" CD Review / Live Photos from Webster Hall, NYC 9-22-12

Chicago new-­wave quartet California Wives released their debut Art History (Vagrant Records) earlier this month and the band's tour brought them to Webster Hall on Sept. 22nd, opening for Stars.

For Art History, the band worked with producer Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol, Neon Indian, Wild Nothing) for the eleven tracks that present a cohesive gallery of modern‐day pop portraits framed with a retro '80s fit. The new Art History CD follows the band's 2010 EP "Affair", which won over local and national press, with My Old Kentucky Blog raving, "This could be the next buzz band everyone is talking about."

For folks like me who "shot up" on college radio in the 80's, this disc has an immediately recognizable post-punk sound with a gauzy shoe-gazer core which the band is able to build upon with some incredibly catchy hooks and melodies. I haven't given a lot of thought to an end-of-year list as of yet but, as this disc hasn't yet left my iPod, Art History will likely be toward the top of the list.

The disc starts with two of its strongest tracks - "Blood Red Youth" and "Tokyo" - before heading into the wistful indie-pop of "Marianne". "Blood Red Youth" sets the tone for the disc with its 80's-sounding New Wave synthesizers coupled with strong guitar lines and a driving beat. "Tokyo" is a bit more chipper and sounds somewhat like a Smashing Pumpkins song, though, with more self-restraint and less bombast. This track also pulls some ringing guitar lines out of the shoe-gazer swirl. Adding to California Wives' big sound, guitarist/vocalist Jayson Kramer sings in an understated voice so that his vocals become another "instrument", guiding the songs and melodies but never riding on top of them. The band is also able to replicate the 'big sound' of their new disc in concert. Below is a live clip from the show at Webster Hall that I found on YouTube.



Overall, the disc doesn't stray far from its core - "The Fisher King" is swirling and moody and sounds like a cross between The Cure and the Cocteau Twins, "Los Angeles" sounds like it could have come out of The Church's back catalog, and "Photolights" has the atmospheric ambiance and ringing guitar lines of U2's Joshua Tree coupled with a nagging New Wave synth line. While the disc comes close to capturing the urgency and energy of the opening tracks on "Purple" some of the other tracks on the back-half of the disc sag a bit. "Better Homes" gets a bit too close to 70's schmaltz rock and "The New Process" sounds strangely like post-Waters Pink Floyd (the later isn't a bad thing, just unexpected).

All-in-all though, it is a strong disc from a band that shows a lot of potential.



California Wives' tour with Stars and Diamond Rings run through the Midwest and West Coast next month. Here is a link to upcoming tour dates.

Links:
California Wives

California Wives Release Video for "Purple" / Show at Webster Hall on September 22nd

Chicago new-­wave quartet California Wives released their debut Art History LP last week (Vagrant Records) and have just released their first video for the song "Purple". The video uses artwork submitted from fans and other artists throughout the video.

The band worked with producer Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol, Neon Indian, Wild Nothing) for Art History and the eleven tracks present a cohesive gallery of modern‐day pop portraits framed with a retro '80s fit. The new disc follows the band's 2010 EP "Affair", which won over local and national press, with My Old Kentucky Blog raving, "This could be the next buzz band everyone is talking about." Joy Division / New Order's Peter Hook also took notice, appointing the band to open his headlining set at The Light at Chicago's Metro Cabaret.



California Wives are playing Webster Hall on September 22nd along with Stars and Diamond Rings. Tickets are $29 in advance and $34 (DOS). Every ticket includes a digital version of Stars' new album The North.

Links:
California Wives

California Wives: Chicago New-Wave Quartet Releases "Blood Red Youth" from Debut Album as Free Download / Show at Webster Hall on Sept. 22nd

Chicago new-­wave quartet California Wives has announced the release of its debut Art History LP, out on September 4 with Vagrant. The band worked with producer Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol, Neon Indian, Wild Nothing) for the eleven tracks that present a cohesive gallery of modern‐day pop portraits framed with a retro '80s fit. The new Art History LP follows the band's 2010 EP "Affair", which won over local and national press, with My Old Kentucky Blog raving, "This could be the next buzz band everyone is talking about." Joy Division / New Order's Peter Hook also took notice, appointing the band to open his headlining set at The Light at Chicago's Metro Cabaret.



Lead-off Track from Art History


"I felt like I was asleep for years," says California Wives' lead vocalist / keyboardist Jayson Kramer of his decision in 2009 to leave behind a promising career in medicine for a professional go at music. "I was completely honest with myself for the first time in my life and recognized that I had no desire to go on with medical school." Around this time he moved back to his hometown of Chicago where he was introduced to drummer Joe O'Connor, and bassist Dan Zima. It was via their shared appreciation of music and compatible chemistry that California Wives was formed in 2009, with the current lineup being cemented in 2012 upon the new addition of lead guitarist Graham Masell.

California Wives are playing Webster Hall on September 22nd along with Stars and Diamond Rings. Tickets are $29 in advance and $34 (DOS). Every ticket includes a digital version of Stars' new album The North.

Links:
California Wives

School of Seven Bells Post Remix from REWARDS (aka Aaron Pfenning) / Cover of Siouxsie's "Kiss Them For Me" out Apr. 20th

Vagrant Records just posted free download of a new School of Seven Bells remix on Soundcloud. This one comes from REWARDS, NYC producer and former Chairlift member Aaron Pfenning, and is a great take on SVIIB's "The Night." The original version of "The Night" (also posted above) is the lead track on SVIIB's new album Ghostory which just debuted last week and is available through iTunes, Amazon and all the traditional outlets.

To celebrate the release of Ghostory, School of Seven Bells played back-to-back sold out shows at Mercury Lounge.



School of Seven Bells will be releasing an exclusive 7” for Record Store Day on April 21. The new 7" will feature the band's unique take on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Kiss Them For Me,” as well as an unreleased SVIIB studio track called “When She Was Me.” These limited-edition tracks (only 1,000 7” singles will be pressed) will be available digitally on April 24 as well.

Links:
School of Seven Bells

Reptar Posts "Sebastian" from Forthcoming Full-Length "Body Faucet" / Show at Bowery Ballroom on April 14th

Athens, GA band Reptar has announced that their debut full-length album, Body Faucet, will be released on May 1st via Vagrant Records. Produced by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Washed Out), Body Faucet is the follow up to the group’s heralded debut EP "Oblangle Fizz Y’all", which Rolling Stone praised for its “…blend of upbeat rhythms, reggae-infected vocals and psychedelic textures.”

“When we were recording the album, we tried to strike a balance between giving each song it’s own distinct character and identity and still having the album feel like a cohesive statement,” said the members of Reptar. “It feels like a long journey between a bunch of different parts of the same dream, some of them based in reality, some definitely not based in reality, and some based in space. We tried to keep a physical feel to all of the songs, where each one makes you want to move in a different way, while at the same time trying to create a specific and distinct feeling and atmosphere for each one.”

Building on the infectious dance-driven melodies established by the band on "Oblangle Fizz Y’all", Body Faucet finds the band delving deeper into world-music influences to compliment their unique blend of danceable and electro infused pop. As put by Spin Magazine, “Their playful electro-pop channels MGMT’s debut-album psychedelic-yet-ready-for-the-masses sheen, and their rambunctious antics recall the Black Lip’s punk bravado.”

Fans can download a new Reptar track “Sebastian” from Body Faucet, on their newly redesigned website at www.reptarmusic.com by entering their email address and signing up for the bands mailing list. The band also unleashed a live performance trailer for the album with the song “New House” as the music bed.



In celebration of the release, Reptar kicked off an extensive run of U.S. dates in Nashville, TN at The Basement on February 20th and will wind down on April 14th at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom show are $15 and Reptar is sharing the stage with Quiet Hooves.

The band will return to Austin, TX for South By Southwest from March 15th-March 18th and are scheduled to perform at both “Sennheiser and Paste Present the Stages On Sixth” and “Filter Magazine’s Showdown on Cedar Street” with a complete list of events to be announced in the coming weeks. The band will also support Grouplove on a run of dates in May and June.



Hailing from Athens, GA, Reptar began playing music in late 2008. Since then, the boisterous quartet has gained a reputation for their riotous, must-see live show. Paste Magazine declared, “These Southern-fried electronic Afro-poppers are known for the sticky dance riots of their live shows.” Reptar likes to first and foremost make people dance, and have been likened to The Talking Heads, Animal Collective, Prince, and The Jackson 5.

In addition to the spectacle of their live show, Reptar are also known for their intimate house party performances. In true DIY spirit, the band has played countless shows in cramped living rooms and backyards around the country. Last week after the cops busted up one such Georgia house party, the band and over 600 fans continued the party at a local venue.



Reptar is Graham Ulicy (Vocals, Guitar), Andrew McFarland (Drums), Ryan Engelberger (Bass), and William Kennedy (Synth, Keys)

Links:
Reptar

School of Seven Bells Post "Lafaye" from Upcoming Disc "Ghostory" (out Feb. 28th on Vagrant)

School of Seven Bells - Lafaye by Vagrant Records

School of Seven Bells have just posted the first official single, “Lafaye”, from their upcoming third CD, Ghostory. The track will be available as a single through all digital retailers on Tuesday, January 17th, along with an exclusive b-side titled "Love From A Stone."

School Of Seven Bells' third release, Ghostory, comes out February 28 on Vagrant Records/Ghostly International. Recorded in-between tours, Ghostory exemplifies a fervent progression of SVIIB’s growth as artists, preserving the common themes found on their last two releases but exposing them in different fashions. The familiar ethereal and enigmatic tones are omnipresent, surrounded by layers of influences from ‘80s pop, shoegaze and ambient electronic sounds. However, Ghostory comes with a story in mind; the tale of a young girl named Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life.

“Everyone has ghosts”, says Alejandra Deheza; “They're every love you've ever had, every hurt, every betrayal, every heartbreak. They follow you, stay with you.” This detailed storytelling is evident from start to finish on the record, weaving a tale that moves between a fervent synthesized adventure and spacious lyrical euphoria. Tracks like “Love Play” and “Show Me Love” create a hauntingly indelible atmosphere that grab attention with the ambitious wordplay in the center of it all. Surrounding tracks like “Lafaye” and “Scavenger” entice the vibe of previous School of Seven Bells releases with their steadily dance-centric tempo and uplifting melodic progressions. Ghostory flows seamlessly and effortlessly, a result of the shared songwriting process.

School of Seven Bells is playing Feb. 28 and Mar. 1st at Mercury Lounge but both shows are already sold out.

Links:
School of Seven Bells

Craig Finn Posts Acoustic Performance of "Jackson" from Forthcoming Solo Disc (out Jan. 24th)

"In July 2011, I went to Austin Texas to make a record. The Hold Steady was on a four month break, and I wanted to try something a little different. Earlier in the year, I had written a bunch of songs that were outside of the norm for The Hold Steady, a little quieter and perhaps more narrative. I also wanted to gain some experience and insight into the process of making a record by working with new
people.

I'm calling this record “Clear Heart Full Eyes”. It's a juxtaposed reference to Friday Night Lights, a TV show that excited and moved me and also happened in Texas. Further, “Clear Heart” signifies honesty and transparency, and “Full Eyes” suggests experience. Thus, it's about being optimistic and open without succumbing to the weariness or doubt that comes with age and experience. To me, that is what it's all about." - Craig Finn

Finn invited The A.V. Club to his Brooklyn apartment where he discussed the making-of his debut solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes, and performed an acoustic version of the excellent song "Jackson" for their One Track Mind series.


Craig Finn discusses and performs "Jackson"

Craig Finn Tour Dates:
2/01 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
2/02 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
2/03 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
2/04 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
2/06 - Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
2/07 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
2/08 - Detroit, MI @ The Lager House
2/09 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
2/10 - St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
2/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
2/13 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
2/19 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah
2/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
2/21 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
2/23 - Portland, OR @ The Doug Fir Lounge
2/24 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
2/27 - Ringwood, NJ @ Live @ Drew’s House
2/28 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
2/29 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Early Show) SOLD OUT
2/29 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Late Show) SOLD OUT
3/1 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s (Tickets are $15 and are still available)
3/2 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
3/3 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
3/5 - Atlanta, GA @ Earl

Links:
Craig Finn

Band of Skulls Releases Second Track - "Sweet Sour" - From Forthcoming Sophomore Album (out Feb. 21st)

Sweet Sour by Band of Skulls

Southampton’s Band Of Skulls have just posted the second track from their forthcoming sophomore disc Sweet Sour (out Feb. 21st on Vagrant Records). and the band is kicking off a US tour in March next year with shows at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Sessions for Sweet Sour started in January of this year when the trio returned to the cradle of their first album, their home studio in Southampton. The creative juices soon started flowing, and the three songwriters – Marsden, Hayward and Richardson – were collaborating more fully than ever before. Scraps of melodies, lyrics and riffs fell into place, and complete songs began to emerge: the slow-burning album opener "Sweet Sour", rockers "Lies" and "The Devil Takes Care Of His Own". The results were designed for bigger crowds. “We wanted to write material that’s primed for where we’d got to,” says guitarist/vocalist Russell Marsden. “Beefier songs for bigger stages.”

By the time they reached Rockfield, the legendary residential studio in Wales, the band were primed to road-test the new material, playing a handful of US dates in a break from the album sessions. The response was electrifying: at the Beachside Festival in San Diego, one over-zealous fan rocked out so hard during new track, "You’re Not Pretty But You’ve Got It Going On" he was tasered by the police. “I guess he was having too much of a good time,” shrugs bassist Emma Richardson. “It felt like a real moment”. Later, a performance at the Bonnaroo festival went on to shape the album’s character. “The new songs went down so well there we decided to incorporate some of the mistakes and mishaps into the studio versions,” says Marsden. “We had Ian [Davenport, returning Baby Darling... producer] jumping on top of our Fender amps to recreate one bit where the reverb was crackling and making weird noises. All the gear still had the dust and mud on it from the festival, so the dirt was there – a bit of filth from the road that made it onto the record.”

Band of Skulls had previously released the track "The Devil Takes Care of His Own" (from the forthcoming album) and have now followed this up with a video for the song.



Band of Skulls' show at Webster Hall is on March 22nd and tickets are $20. The band's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg is on March 27th and tickets are also $20.

Links:
Band of Skulls

School of Seven Bells Announce Third Disc, "Ghostory", Out Feb. 28th (Vagrant Records / Ghostly International)

School Of Seven Bells are back with their third release, Ghostory, out February 28 on Vagrant Records/Ghostly Inernational. The highly-anticipated album finds the band’s lineup has evolved along with the music; formerly a trio, the band is now a duo: guitarist / producer Benjamin Curtis and vocalist Alejandra Deheza

Recorded in-between tours, Ghostory exemplifies a fervent progression of SVIIB’s growth as artists, preserving the common themes found on their last two releases but exposing them in different fashions. The familiar ethereal and enigmatic tones are omnipresent, surrounded by layers of influences from ‘80s pop, shoegaze and ambient electronic sounds. However, Ghostory comes with a story in mind; the tale of a young girl named Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life.

“Everyone has ghosts”, says Alejandra Deheza; “They're every love you've ever had, every hurt, every betrayal, every heartbreak. They follow you, stay with you.” This detailed storytelling is evident from start to finish on the record, weaving a tale that moves between a fervent synthesized adventure and spacious lyrical euphoria. Tracks like “Love Play” and “Show Me Love” create a hauntingly indelible atmosphere that grab attention with the ambitious wordplay in the center of it all. Surrounding tracks like “Lafaye” and “Scavenger” entice the vibe of previous School of Seven Bells releases with their steadily dance-centric tempo and uplifting melodic progressions. Ghostory flows seamlessly and effortlessly, a result of the shared songwriting process.

“Ghostory is our most collaborative music to date,” describes Benjamin Curtis, “Alley (Alejandra) and I have always written our music together, but always independently and on our own time. We knew we wanted to do something that was more sensual and spontaneous than anything we had ever done before, and that meant writing together in a room, coming up with ideas quickly and immediately reacting to what the other person was doing.” Within Ghostory, the story of both Lafaye’s and the band’s journey will be told.

The band premiered some of these songs live at a late Summer show at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn.



School Of Seven Bells formed in 2006 as a trio (including Claudia Deheza) and released their debut full-length, Alpinisms, on Ghostly International in 2008. The group’s appeal grew exponentially, with their signature sounds stemming from pieces of electronic subgenres and shoegaze bands before them. By 2010, the group released the critically acclaimed Disconnect From Desire on Ghostly International and Vagrant. Ghostory is truly their defining work, beautifully crafted and haunting, with the story of Lafaye permeating the psyche long after the music stops.

Ghostory Tracklist:
01 The Night
02 Love Play
03 Lafaye
04 Low Times
05 Reappear
06 Show Me Love
07 Scavenger
08 White Wind
09 When You Sing

Links:
School of Seven Bells

PJ Harvey - "iTunes Session" CD Review

Earlier this month, PJ Harvey became the first person to win the UK’s Mercury Music Prize twice. Harvey previously won the award in 2001 for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea and this second award was for her eighth studio album, Let England Shake, which was released earlier this year.

PJ Harvey is releasing an exclusive iTunes Session on Monday, September 13th that features seven recently recorded live tracks along with a twenty-four minute interview with Harvey where she discusses her musical background, song writing process and how her collaboration with Seamus Murphy evolved. The Session includes four songs from Let England Shake (Vagrant/Island), as well as "Angelene" from 1998's Is This Desire?, and "C'mon Billy" and "Down by the Water" from 1995's To Bring You My Love.

iTunes Session track listing:
1. “Let England Shake”
2. “The Words That Maketh Murder”
3. “The Last Living Rose”
4. “Written On The Forehead”
5. “Angelene”
6. “C’Mon Billy”
7. “Down By The Water”
8 – Interview -

After winning the Mercury Music Prize, Harvey said: “I feel surprised and astonished that I’ve won twice and I do feel proud, it’s amazing, I can’t quite take it in but at the same time I feel that making music and words is very important to me and I’ve always tried to make it the best it could possibly be and I hope to continue doing that. I hope to be back here again in another 10 years’ time with another record because it’s very important to me to keep making word that is of relevance, not just to myself but to other people.”

Below is PJ Harvey's performance of "The Words That Maketh Murder" from the Mercury Music Prize Ceremony along a live audience video from Harvey’s show at Terminal 5 earlier this year of “Let England Shake”.





PJ Harvey Tour Dates:
Oct 21 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Filadelfiakyrkan
Oct 22 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Filadelfiakyrkan
Oct 24 – Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
Oct 25 – Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
Oct 27 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Lucerna Hall
Oct 30 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
Oct 31 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall

Links:
PJ Harvey

Alexander (Ebert): Performed "Truth" on Conan O'Brien on Sept. 12th (Edward Sharpe)

DOWNLOAD: Alexander - "Truth" (album version)



Links:
Alexander

Active Child Release Second Track from Debut CD as Free Download / Show at Bowery Ballroom on Sept. 10th

DOWNLOAD: Active Child - "Hanging On" (from You Are All I See)
Active Child - Playing House (Ft. How To Dress Well) by VagrantRecords

Active Child, the musical project from choirboy-turned-indie-pop musician Pat Grossi, have announced their first North American headlining tour. Having opened for the likes of School of Seven Bells, White Rabbits, and James Blake, fans will be treated on this tour to the first performances of Active Child as a full band.

Active Child will be touring in support of their debut album You Are All I See which will be released on August 23 via Vagrant Records. The album comes as a follow-up to last year’s critically-acclaimed "Curtis Lane" EP which NPR praised as “a young singer and musician already living up to his own promise”. You Are All I See was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (Cass McCombs, Glasser, We Are Scientists, Major Lazer) and features 10 brand new tracks, including “Playing House” – a collaboration with lo-fi r&b singer How To Dress Well – which Pitchfork praised in their premeire saying, “Active Child’s sound now seems positively ahead of its time.”

The local tour stop is at Bowery Ballroom on Sept. 10th and Active Child are playing with Com Truise. Tickets are $15 and doors are at 8PM.

Links:
Active Child

City and Colour Release New CD "Little Hell" on June 7th // Download "Fragile Bird" for Free

DOWNLOAD: City and Colour - "Fragile Bird" (from Little Hell)

Dallas Green will be releasing his 3rd solo album as a singer-songwriter under the moniker City and Colour on Vagrant Records. The album titled Little Hell is scheduled for release on June 7th, 2011 and it is the follow-up to the 2008’s Bring Me Your Love, which was certified platinum in Green’s native Canada. Alternately sparse and inviting, intense and delicate, Little Hell shows music fans another side of Green’s incredible songwriting skills, and features some of his finest songs to date.

Little Hell was recorded earlier this winter at Catherine North Studios in Hamilton, ON with producer/engineer/mixer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Mars Volta, Death Cab For Cutie). Fans got a sneak preview of a brand new track from the upcoming album when an alternate version of the song titled “Northern Wind” recently made its debut on a special Valentine’s Day episode of the hit series One Tree Hill. Green performed on the episode as part of the show’s story line.



Little Hell – named after the album’s title track, a song that explores the little heavens and little hells that comprise a relationship – is the first of Green’s albums to be recorded and mixed to tape. This sonic move ultimately resulted in the album’s warm immediacy, allowing the songs to take on a spaciousness previously unheard in City and Colour albums. The record allows Green to highlight all of the facets of his songwriting, from Blues-tinged rockers to pedal steel-soaked acoustic gems. Songs like “Northern Wind” have a beautiful intimacy, as if Green is in the same room and singing right to you, while “Sorrowing Man” is dark and brooding, anchored by an ominous organ in the chorus. The record also highlights Green’s impressive vocal range, from driving a full band on the rousing chorus of “Natural Disaster” or sighing mellifluously on opener “We Found Each Other in the Dark.”



Links:
City and Colour

The Elected (Featuring Blake from Rilo Kiley) Releases First Track from Forthcoming Album as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: The Elected - "Babyface"

As of spring 2010, Blake Sennett, had quit music. Abandoned it completely. No more Rilo Kiley, no more The Elected. The former guitarist and songwriter focused his efforts elsewhere, writing and directing a short film, moving out of his house of 12 years, and taking in a rescue dog affectionately named “The Baby”. Music was a thing of the past, an afterthought. Dead and gone.

So why is there a new record by The Elected, titled Bury Me in My Rings, set to be released through Vagrant Records (former home of The Get Up Kids, current home to PJ Harvey) on May 17th? Did Blake struggle in his new endeavors, find failure in the harsh realm of the film industry?

The answer, one simply finds, is no. Agents were found, meetings were taken, and a script was in development. The wheels turned with an ease few in pursuit of cinematic relevance ever encounter. It was simply the interest of friend and colleague Jason Cupp that culled Blake from the depths and had him writing again. Jason, the man that mixed The Elected’s previous effort, Sun, Sun, Sun, suggested an impromptu recording session. Blake had no material, no songs to explore, but Cupp insisted. Pressure free, no expectations. These initial recordings sired what would become the album’s opening track, “Born to Love You,” a 3 minute ode to the majesty of determined love. The song came relatively easy, quick, and most importantly, reminded Sennett of the overall joy that music making can and should provide.

He was having fun again, so the feature film was put on hold in order to finish what months before he couldn’t conceive: A new Elected album. Familiar faces contributed (longtime Elected guitarist Mike Bloom, the aforementioned Cupp, Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis), but this album differed from past experience, with fewer initial collaborators. "At first, I just played all the instruments myself,” Blake comments. “I just thought, may as well take it as far as I can alone…then I brought in my friends to fill in the blanks.”

The results stand as a singular vision, in what is The Elected’s strongest work to date. For longtime listeners, there are new sounds to enjoy, such as the mid 70’s Bowie bounce of “Go For The Throat,” or the calculated “Miss You” era Stones cum Early Talking Heads groove of ‘Babyface." Signature tones remain, and can be found on the island sunset serenade “Trip Round the World,” with the melodic slide of the lap steel, the comforting pluck of a ukulele, offering new ears a sense of what’s come before.

None of this serves as departure or retread. Everything shines through the prism that is The Elected, Blake’s songwriting as distinct as it is indebted, as simple as it is refined. Instead of retracing his steps, he’s forged new ground. More than a mere dalliance, this former side project now begs the attention reserved for one’s main focus. As the ghosts of Rilo Kiley fade into the ether, Bury Me in My Rings presents the man responsible an opportunity to further himself from the past, and to continue to develop his artistic identity.

Bury Me In My Rings will be made available everywhere on May 17th via Vagrant Records.



Links:
The Elected