new video: Cut Off Your Hands- "Turn Cold"

Ever since bursting onto the scene in '07 with their Shaky Hands ep, the New Zealand post punk/new wave outfit, Cut Off Your Hands have been a band to look out for. The group released just last week, their debut full length You and I in the US and Canada, which features the first single, "Turn Cold." The band is now out on tour in Australia, before jaunting over to the States for some select dates supporting Ra Ra Riot later on in February.

Cut Off Your Hands- "Turn Cold":


Upcoming tour schedule:
Jan 31 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Brisbane
Feb 1 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Melbourne
Feb 4 BEACH ROAD HOTEL Sydney
Feb 6 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Perth
Feb 7 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Adelaide
Feb 8 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Sydney
Feb 21 RICHARDS ON RICHARDS W/ RA RA RIOT, Vancouver
Feb 24 DOUG FIR W/ RA RA RIOT, Portland
Feb 25 NEUMOS W/ RA RA RIOT, Seattle
Feb 27 INDEPENDENT W/ RA RA RIOT, San Fran
Feb 28 EL REY W/ RA RA RIOT, Los Angeles
Mar 1 THE LOFT W/ RA RA RIOT, San Diego
Mar 2 DETROIT BAR W/ RA RA RIOT Costa Mesa, LA
Mar 7 KILBY COURT Salt Lake City
Mar 15 FIREBIRD, St. Louis
Mar 16 CONSERVATORY, Oklahoma City
Mar 24 THE CINEMAT W/ RA RA RIOT, Bloomington IN
Mar 25 MUSICA W/ RA RA RIOT, Akron OH
Mar 26 BLIND PIG W/ RA RA RIOT, Ann Arbor MI

Listen to Cut Off Your Hands on myspace.

Hear the new Great Lake Swimmers: (free download)

The Great Lake Swimmers new LP, Lost Channels doesn't come out until March 31st, but right now you can preview and download for free the first single off the album, "Pulling On A Line." The track is up over at Stereogum, along with a brief Q&A with lead singer Tony Dekker. The band are out now on an extensive tour in advance of the upcoming disc, that leads them well into the Spring. For a full list of all the dates, you can check their website here.

From 2007's Ongiara.

Your Rocky Spine - Great Lake ...

Black Keys singer ready for Solo debut

The Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach has recorded five critically acclaimed albums for the rock duo. Now Auerbach is about to embark on a journey of his own, with his first solo project, the new 14 track Keep It Hid, which comes out this Feb 10th. On the disc, Auerbach is said to have gone in a more expansive direction, working with a full band and handling a wide variety of instruments himself. The album includes cameos from some of Auerbach's friends and family, including his father Chuck, who wrote the song "Whispered Words," his uncle James Quine sings and plays guitar on "Street Walkin'" and protege Jessica Lea Mayfield, who's album With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt he produced, accompanies him on "When the Night Comes." You can currently check out three of the albums tracks over on his myspace.
Auerbach will also be heading out on his first solo national tour, beginning next month, backed by Hacienda, an Austin based band that he’s long admired, who will also serve as support act, along with Those Darlins.

Keep It Hid Track listing:
SIDE A
Trouble Weighs a Ton
I Want Some More
Heartbroken, In Disrepair
Because I Should
Whispered Words
Real Desire
When the Night Comes
SIDE B
Mean Monsoon
The Prowl
Keep It Hid
My Last Mistake
When I Left the Room
Street Walkin'
Goin' Home

upcoming DAN AUERBACH tour Dates:
Feb 28 - 9:30 Club - Washington DC, Washington DC
Mar 1 - Paradise Club - Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 2 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
Mar 3 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York
Mar 5 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 6 - Metro - Chicago, Illinois
Mar 7 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 10 - The Showbox - Seattle, Washington
Mar 11 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, Oregon
Mar 13 - Bimbo’s - San Francisco, California
Mar 14 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, California

Dan Auerbach on myspace.
Black Keys on myspace.

Metric announce album details

The Canadian band Metric, led by dynamic frontwoman Emily Haines, have announced the details of their fourth studio album, titled Fantasies, which is scheduled for an April 14th release date. The band took an unusual and risky chance on the new record, deciding to self-finance the album, which includes even going as far as hiring their own distribution staff to handle the release in major markets such as the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. They band will use existing labels for the release in Canada and Mexico.
The new album which was produced by Gavin Brown and Jimmy Shaw, will be available for pre-sale starting on March 2nd if you go to www.ilovemetric.com. Those that pre-order, will receive the album's first single, "Help I'm Alive" plus other bonus materials in advance of the release date. Also, if you head over to the site now, you can receive a free acoustic version of the track.

Fantasies track listing:

Help I'm Alive
Sick Muse
Satellite Mind
Twilight Galaxy
Gold Guns Girls
Gimme Sympathy
Collect Call
Front Row
Blindness
Stadium Love

From 2005's 'Live It Out':

Monster Hospital - Metric

Metric on myspace.

The Appleseed Cast- new album and tour

Kansas indie rock veterans, The Appleseed Cast are almost ready to unveil their seventh full-length studio album since 1997. Their new 9 track LP, Sagarmatha drops this February 17th on the Militia Group. The four-piece self-produced and recorded 'Sagamartha' in their hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, and the latest disc is said to feature some dreamy shoegaze and experimental post-rock influenced tunes. You can preview the bands sound on the new track "As The Little Things Go" below. The band kick off a brief tour across the US beginning this Feb 4th, in Oklahoma.


Sagarmatha track listing:

So The Little Things Go
A Bright Light
The Road West
The Summer Before
One Reminder, An Empty Room
Raise The Sails
Like A Locust (Shake Hands With The Dead)
South Facing Col
An Army Of Fireflies

Upcoming The Appleseed Cast tour Dates:

02/04 – Norman, OK @ Opolis
02/05 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola’s
02/06 – Houston, TX @ Rudyard’s
02/07 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
02/10 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush
02/11 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
02/12 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
02/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory
02/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
02/16 – Portland, OR @ Satyricon
02/17 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
02/18 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
02/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
02/21 – Denver, CO @ High Dive
02/23 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
02/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
02/25 – Madison, WI @ High Noon
02/26 – DeKalb, IL @ House Café
02/27 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
02/28 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
03/07 - Lawrence, KA @ Jackpot Saloon

The Appleseed Cast on myspace.

This Weeks New Releases

This weeks short list features new releases that range from Bruce Springsteen's latest effort to new albums from The Bird and the Bee, Sweden's Loney Dear, newcomers Cotton Jones, and the new EP from Illinois

This Weeks New Releases (WK 1/27):

Beirut- March of the Zapotec & Real People
The Bird and the Bee- Ray Guns are Not Just the Future
Mike Bones- What I Have Left EP
Cotton Jones- Paranoid Cocoon
Gary Louris & Mark Olson- Ready for the Flood
Golden Boots- The Winter of Our Discotheque
Gringo Star- All Y'All
Illinois- The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe (chp4) EP
Johnny Cash- Johnny Cash Remixed
Lithops- Ye Viols!
Loney Dear- Dear John
P.T. Walkley- Mr. Macy Walks Alone
The Rifles- Great Escape
School of Seven Bells- Alpinisms
Bruce Springsteen- Working on a Dream
J. Tillman- Vacilando Territory Blues
Various Artists- Just Like Heaven (A Tribute to the Cure)

new video: Loney Dear- "Airport Surroundings"

Swedish import Emil Svanangen’s project, Loney Dear, has a new album, Dear John hitting stores today. From early returns it could be Svanagen's most solid work to date. The new album features the urgent new single "Airport Surroundings", which just received a video release.

Loney Dear-"Airport Surroundings":


visit Loney Dear.com

'Video & Song of the Week': James Yuill- "No Surprise"

James Yuill's acoustic guitar meets electronic beats based sound has been dubbed as 'folktronic' music by various music critics. Yuill who hails from London in the UK, just released last week, a new EP for his single "No Surprise", which features various remixes of the track. The track originally appeared in the UK on his, Turning Down Water For Air LP back in '07. Yuill is also well know for his remixes, as he has done tracks for Headless Heroes, Tilly And The Wall, Empire Of The Sun, and Aurevoir Simone.

James Yuill- "No Surprise":


James Yuill's myspace.

Ohbijou- new album update

The Canadian folk/pop ensemble, Ohbijou have announced that they are all wrapped up with the recording of their new disc. Singer Casey Mecija said in a recent Myspace post..."I can confidently say with a celebratory hooray that our album is finished - mixed, mastered and off to the presses. The album is called Beacons and we will be releasing it sometime in April, so please watch for the unraveling details."
She went on to list some other band happenings, which include a future appearance in Austin, Texas this March for SXSW, as well as the group planning a North American tour for this coming April/May. Below you can check out a live recording of one of the bands new tracks, "Black Ice" from an LA Spaceland performance recorded several months back.

St. Francis (remastered) - Ohb...

Ohbijou on myspace.

Jessica Lea Mayfield gets release date in UK

One of our favorites at Burn The Bowery, Jessica Lea Mayfield grabbed the number 7 slot on our 'best of 2008 list' with her debut album, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. Now fans in the UK will be able to hear what they've been missing out on, as Mayfield's disc will be finally be unveiled in the UK on March 2nd via Munich Records. In the meantime Jessica Lea will continue on with a heavy load of touring across the US, that sees her playing dates with the Anuuals, and the Avett Brothers.

Kiss Me Again - Jessica Lea Ma...

Upcoming tour schedule:

Jan 25 - La Sala Rossa - Montreal, QC
Jan 27 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
Jan 28 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Jan 30 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
Jan 31 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Feb 6 - Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, NC
Feb 7 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
Feb 8 - Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
Feb 10 - The Parish @ HOB - New Orleans, LA
Feb 11 - Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 12 - Walter's On Washington - Houston, TX
Feb 13 - The Parish Room - Austin, TX
Feb 14 - Pontiac Garage @ HOB - Dallas, TX
Feb 17 - The Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ
Feb 18 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA
Feb 19 - Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA
Feb 21 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
Feb 23 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
Feb 24 - Pit Pub @ Univ. Of BC - Vancouver, BC
Feb 25 - TBA - Seattle, WA
Feb 27 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 28 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO

Jessica Lea Matyfield's myspace.

new video: Animal Collective- "My Girls"

It's only January, but that's not stopping some of the big music blogs from declaring Animal Collective's new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion as the best album of 2009. Although it might be jumping the gun a little bit, you can judge for yourself, as the bands new disc hit stores this past Tuesday, and features the song "My Girls", which the group just released a new video for. The video was produced by Knowmore Productions and animated by Jon Vermilyea.

Animal Collective-"My Girls":

Say Hi: New label and New LP

The solo project from Seattle musician Eric Elbogen, Say Hi, is almost ready to release his first disc for new label Barsuk Records. Say Hi is joining a pretty stellar roster on Barsuk, that includes label mates like, Death Cab For Cutie, Ra Ra Riot, Menomena, and Nada Surf. Elbogen, who's Say Hi used to go by the name Say Hi To Your Mom, changed the project's name after a move from Brooklyn to Seattle, Wa. back in '06. The new album, Oohs and Aahs arrives in stores March 3rd, and follows up last year's The Wishes and the Glitch. Elbogen wrote and recorded the new disc at his home studio in Seattle over the course of 2008. You can currently preview one of the new tracks off the album, "November Was White December Was Gray" over on his myspace.

Oohs and Aahs tracklisting:

1. Elouise
2. Hallie And Henry
3. Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
4. November Was White, December Was Grey
5. Dramatic Irony
6. Maurine
7. One, Two ... One
8. Audrey
9. The Stars Just Blink For Us
10. Sallie's Heart Is Stone

Northwestern Girls - Say Hi

Say Hi on myspace.

Crystal Antlers: ready debut & tour

One of the more hotly anticipated albums of 2009, is the new debut disc from California's Crystal Antlers. The new full length, titled Tentacles will be coming out April 7th US/ April 6th in Europe on Touch & Go records, and it will be the follow up to their 2008 self titled EP. The band recorded the new disc over a one week span in San Francisco's Closer studios. The sessions saw the bands original guitarist Errol Davis rejoining the group for the making of the album. The group will be heading out on a huge tour later this month, which includes their first ever dates in Europe. To see all the listings you can visit their myspace.

Tentacles Track listing:
1- Painless Sleep
2- Dust
3- Time Erased
4- Andrew
5- Vapor Trail
6- Tentacles
7- Until the Sun Dies (Part One)
8- Memorized
9- Glacier
10- Foot of the Mountain
11- Your Spears
12- Swollen Sky
13- Several Tongues

Crystal Antlers myspace.

Samantha Crain plays Daytrotter session (download 4 free tracks)

One artist that we think is due for big things in 2009, is young Oklahoma folk singer Samantha Crain. Crain came out with her brilliant EP, The Confiscation in 2008, which featured the song "Traipsing Through The Aisles". 2008 also saw Crain nab a coveted slot on the singer songwriter showcase, the 'Hotel Cafe Tour', alongside performers such as Thao Nguyen, Rachael Yamagata, and Meiko. This coming year will see Crain release her debut full length, Songs in the Night, which will be released on April 28th. She recently stopped in over by the folks at Daytrotter, with her band the Midnight Shivers to perform a 4 song live session that is available for download if you click here.

Traipsing Through The Aisles -...

Samantah Crain on myspace.

This Weeks New Releases

Now that the holidays and New Year are over, the '09 music releases can officially swing into full gear. Catch your breath, as the next two weeks unveil a heavy dose of big name indie releases. Here's some of what we thought you might find interesting.

New releases WK 1/20:

AC Newman- Get Guilty
Andrew Bird- Noble Beast
Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion
Antony & The Johnsons- The Crying Light
Anya Marina- Slow & Steady Seduction, Phase II
Ben Nichols- The Last Pale Night In The West
Black Gold- Rush
Bon Iver- Blood Bank EP
Clue to Kalo- Lily Perdida
Cut Off Your Hands- You and I
Flight of the Conchords- Angels (single)
The Kills (live session/iTunes)
Matt & Kim- Grand
Metronomy- Nights Out (bonus track version)
Modern Skirts- All Of Us In Our Night
Neko Case- People Got a Lotta Nerve (single)
Thom Yorke- The Eraser remixes
James Yuill- No Surprise EP
White Lies- self titled

The Naked Hearts: New 12" EP

The NYC indie duo of Amy Cooper & Noah Wheeler, The Naked Hearts, met in New York City back in '07 while both played seperately the same night at the same club. The pair who have worked together ever since, have just come out with a brand new 6 song EP, These Knees, which comes out today. The EP is available as a 12" vinyl, as well as digitally via iTunes. The band also have an upcoming East Coast tour scheduled, that kicks off thursd. night in NYC, with a CD release show at Cake Shop.
You can listen to three tracks from 'These Knees' over at the bands myspace.

These Knees tracklisting:
1. Cat & Mouse
2. Call Me
3. No One Nothing
4. One False Move
5. Crashing Horses
6. Only For You

Upcoming tour schedule:
Jan 22 THESE KNEES RELEASE SHOW! at CAKE SHOP New York, NY
Jan 23 THE FIRE Philadelphia, PA.
Jan 24 GARFIELD ARTWORKS Pittsburgh, PA.
Jan 25 THE TREEHOUSE Columbus, OH.
Jan 26 THE BLUE NILE Harrisonburg, VA.
Jan 27 NARA SUSHI Richmond, VA.
Jan 28 THE CAVE Chapel Hill, NC.
Jan 29 THE RED & THE BLACK Washington D.C.
Feb 6 Death by Audio Brooklyn, NY.

Listen to The Naked Hearts on myspace.

photo credit: Duly Lee

New U2: single streaming , album details

U2's new single "Get On Your Boots" from their upcoming album, No Line on the Horizon, debuted today around radio stations around the globe. The band have also made the track available for streaming over on their myspace page, as well as here. The brand new LP will be released March 3rd in the US & March 2nd in the UK and rest of the world, and it will come out in six different formats, which is starting to become a disturbing trend it seems. You can get the more traditional formats of CD, vinyl and digital, but then the album is also available as a magazine, a deluxe gatefold CD, which is accompanied by a video shot by Anton Corbjin, and as a boxed set. The new disc was recorded last year in Fez, Morocco, Dublin, London and New York, and sees the band working with longtime U2 producers, Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production provided by another U2 stalwart Steve Lillywhite.

No Line On the Horizon's track listing:

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Moment of Surrender
Unknown Caller
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Get On Your Boots
Stand Up Comedy
Fez - Being Born
White As Snow
Breathe
Cedars Of Lebanon

U2's myspace.

Gregory and the Hawk- Moenie & Kitchi

The Meredith Godreau led project, Gregory and the Hawk already enjoyed a fair share of DIY success since starting out back in '06 with their 'The Boats and Birds' EP. The band have since signed on to Fat Cat Records, which might have raised expectations for their newest disc, Moenie & Kitchi.
The latest effort definitely sees the band expanding their sound, going with a broader array of instrumentation and much fuller arrangements than on previous works. There's no doubt that upon hearing Godreau's voice, that there is an unmistakable innocence and child like quality to it. But on Moenie & Kitchi she manages to make the latest batch of songs sound more mature, and in a sense gives them a timeless quality. Straight from the album's opener "Oats We Sow", you can tell that you're in for a much different G&H album, as the track is built around off kilter beats and strings, which come to a nice little flourish at the end. In fact, it should be noted that the drumming on the album from Adam Christgau is outstanding, and heavily steers the album at its core.
There are defining moments on the disc, like the tracks "Ghosts" and "Stone Wall, Stone Fence", where Godreau sets the tone of the record. While G&H's songs are known for their simple, delicately built manner, Godreau steers these tracks into different waters. “Ghost” is a departure, with more of a straight ahead electric feel to it, even adding trumpet, and much bigger sounding drums. “Stonewall, Stone Fence” has a much darker, menacing tone, that sees the track descend into a heavy industrial-electro led groove. Even the more classic sounding G&H filled tracks on the disc take on a different feel. Like the slow easy shuffle of "Doubtful", which builds into a noisy crescendo that never quite explodes, and the song "Harmless", where Godreau's voice takes a lower register, but yet still seems to float over the heavy strumming of her electric guitar.
The recording of 'Moenie and Kitchi' was said to have been somewhat different for the band, with many of the instruments & most of vocals being recorded simultaneously in just one take. Perhaps that is what gives the album its unique yet familiar feel for G&H, being built around that gentle foundation, but yet adding just the right edge to it.

Ghost - Gregory and the Hawk

Stone Wall Stone Fence - Grego...

Gregory and the Hawk myspace.

Dark Was The Night- Free download, tracklist and streaming info

One new album we've been totally stoked waiting for, is the new the new 4AD charity compilation Dark Was The Night. The 2 disc set will be released next month and comes in with 31 exclusive tracks curated by The National’s guitar section of Aaron and Bryce Dessner and the AIDS charity Red Hot. They have just made available a free download of the track "Knotty Pine" by The Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, as well as starting a streaming track-by-track premiere of the record. From Jan. 15th-Feb. 15th, each track, in order will be streamed for one day only at the Dark Was The Night myspace page, where you can grab the free download too. Check out the roster and tracklist below.

Disc one:
"Knotty Pine," Dirty Projectors and David Byrne
"Cello Song," the Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
"Train Song," Feist and Ben Gibbard
"Deep Blue Sea," Grizzly Bear
"So Far Around the Bend," the National
"Tightrope," Yeasayer
"Feeling Good," My Brightest Diamond
"Dark Was the Night," the Kronos Quartet
"I Was Young When I Left Home," Antony and Bryce Dessner
"Big Red Machine," Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner
"Sleepless," the Decemberists
"Die," Iron & Wine
"Service Bell," Grizzly Bear and Feist
"Blood," Sufjan Stevens

Disc two:
"Well-Alright," Spoon
"Lenin," the Arcade Fire
"Mimizan," Beirut
"El Caporal," My Morning Jacket
"Inspiration Information," Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
"With a Girl Like You," Dave Sitek
"Blood Pt. 2," Buck 65 remix featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti
"Hey, Snow White," the New Pornographers
"Gentle Hour," Yo La Tengo
"Another Saturday," Stuart Murdoch
"Happiness," Riceboy Sleeps
"Amazing Grace," Cat Power
"The Giant of Illinois," Andrew Bird
"Lua," Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch
"When the Road Runs Out," Blonde Redhead and Devestations
"Love vs. Porn," Kevin Drew

get to know: Great Bloomers

There's been a growing number of Canadian bands and musicians out there that have really been nailing down the Americana, roots based sound. Bands like, The Wooden Sky, and The Acorn, quickly come to mind. Well, there's another new band that you can add to that list, the Toronto based Great Bloomers. The band put out a self titled EP last year, that featured the instant classic, "Catching Up". They just recently announced plans for their first full length, Speak Of Trouble, which they just wrapped, which will feature 11 new songs from the band. There's no definite date set yet for the release, but according to the band it should be coming out sometime in the late Spring. In the meantime you can take a look at the video for "Catching Up."



Great Bloomers on myspace.

Radiohead- first 3 albums getting reissued with bonus material

Radiohead and Capitol Records didn't split on friendly terms, but that's not stopping the label from trying to squeeze a bit more cash from the bands name. The label is reissuing Radioheads first three albums, Pablo Honey, The Bends and OK Computer, in numerous forms. There will be expanded double and triple disc formats ,with each album getting the collectors edition treatment. What does that mean? Well all three will come out as a Collectors Edition 2 CD set, featuring the original album with a bonus disc of B-sides and live performances from the group. Then there's also a Special Collectors Edition, which adds on the regular expanded set with an added DVD with various music videos and live footage of the band. None of the discs actually feature any new previously unreleased material from the group. Capitol is putting out the reissues this March 24th.

Our new video series: 'Field Recordings' .... first performance w/ Sharon Van Etten

One of the projects we started up this New Year on the blog is a new video performance series called 'Field Recordings'. It's live performances in various settings and locales. Our first performance comes from Brooklyn's super talented singer Sharon Van Etten, who performed for us on a pier in Long Island City, Queens overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

Pt1: Sharon Van Etten- "It's Not Like"


Pt2: Sharon Van Etten- "I Am Giving Up On You"


Sharon Van Etten on myspace.

Video & Song of the Week: Loney Dear- "Harsh Words"

Swedish singer/songwriter, Loney Dear, has a new album Dear John coming out later this week (January 16th (US) & March 2nd (UK & Europe). He recently took some time out to stop by the cool UK site Bandstand Busking, which features up and coming indie bands performing in old bandstands across London. Some of their recent performers have been, Frightened Rabbit, Of Montreal, and The Acorn, to name a few. Loney Dear previewed some new songs from Dear John at the performance, one of which was the track, "Harsh Words".



Dear John tracklist:

1. Airport Surroundings
2. Everything Turns to You
3. I Was Only Going Out
4. Harsh Words
5. Under a Silent Sea
6. I Got Lost
7. Summers
8. Distant Light
9. Harm/Slow
10. Violent
11. Dear John

Loney Dear myspace.

Bat For Lashes- plans new album and tour dates

It's been over two years since the Natasha Khan led project Bat For Lashes has put out a full length of new material. Khan did keep herself busy in 2008 though, as she headed out on tour with mega-band Radiohead for some opening dates, as well as seeing her hit the studio to record a new disc. The UK singer has unveiled some details of her new upcoming work, called Two Suns, which is scheduled to be released on April 6th 2009 in the UK and April 7th in the US. Two Suns also sees Natasha working with the guys from Yeasayer and Scott Walker.

Horse And I - Bat For Lashes

Bat for Lashes UK dates:

April 7th - Manchester Ritz
April 8th - Glasgow Queen Margaret Union
April 9th - Newcastle Northumbria University
April 11th - Leeds Metropolitan University
April 12th - Birmingham Town Hall
April 13th - Oxford Regal
April 15th - Bristol Ansom Rooms
April 16th - Brighton Corn Exchange
April 17th - London Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Bat for Lashes myspace.

Harlem Shakes- debut full length in March

Brooklyn's Harlem Shakes have wrapped up work on their long anticipated debut full-length record, Technicolor Health. The new disc will feature 10 new tracks, and it will be hitting the streets this coming March 24th. The debut album is the follow up to their 2006 Burning Birthdays EP.
You can currently check out a new song from the forthcoming LP, "Strictly Game" which is up on the bands myspace.

Upcoming Harlem Shakes tour dates:

Feb 14 Southpaw w/ Shilpa Ray Brooklyn, New York
Feb 24 Lupo’s w/ Tokyo Police Club Providence, RI
Feb 25 Webster Hall w/ TPC & and Born Ruffians New York, NY
Feb 26 Black Cat w/ TPC & Born Ruffians DC, Washington DC
Feb 27 Swarthmore College w/ TPC Swarthmore, Penn
Feb 28 Mr Smalls w/ Tokyo Police Club Pittsburgh, Penn
Mar 1 Grog Shop w/ Tokyo Police Club Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 2 Basement w/ Tokyo Police Club Columbus, Ohio
Mar 3 Mad Hatter w/ Tokyo Police Club Covington, Ky
Mar 5 Earl w/ Tokyo Police Club Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 6 Downunder w/ Tokyo Police Club Talahassee, Fl
Mar 7 The Social w/ Tokyo Police Club Orlando, Florida

Harlem Shakes on myspace.

Paper Route- play Daytrotter session (download 5 free songs)

While out on their tour across the US last year, electro-indie band Paper Route made some time to record a live session with the famous Daytrotter people. The band played 5 songs, most of which are off of their latest EP, Are We All Forgotten, which came out last Summer. All the tracks are available to download here. The band is currently out on another leg of a busy tour schedule, which sees them hooking up with buzz band Passion Pit for some dates later on in Jan. Also in the works is a new full length from the band, no date has been set as of yet.

Daytrotter session setlist:
American Clouds
Empty House
You Kill Me
Are We All Forgotten
Only Words

Upcoming tour schedule:

Jan 10 The Note West Chester, Pennsylvania
Jan 11 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Jan 13 Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 14 Exit/In Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 15 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Jan 16 The Shelter Detroit, Michigan
Jan 17 Diesel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jan 18 Fletcher’s Baltimore, Maryland
Jan 22 Le Divan Orange w/Passion Pit Montreal, Quebec
Jan 23 Zaphod Beeblebrox w/Passion Pit Ottawa, Ontario
Jan 24 Horseshoe Tavern w/Passion Pit Toronto, Ontario
Jan 26 The Pike Room w/Passion Pit Pontiac, Michigan
Jan 27 Schubas Tavern w/Passion Pit Chicago, Illinois
Jan 28 The Spot w/Passion Pit Cleveland, Ohio
Jan 29 Northside Tavern w/Passion Pit Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 30 The Summit w/Passion Pit Columbus, Ohio
Jan 31 Knickerbocker Theater Holland, Michigan
Feb 2 The Ottobar w/Passion Pit Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 3 Black Cat -Backstage w/Passion Pit Washington DC
Feb 4 Bowery Ballroom w/Passion Pit NYC, NY
Feb 6 Middle East Downstairs w/Passion Pit Cambridge, Mass
Feb 7 Iron Horse w/Passion Pit Northampton, Mass

Paper Route on myspace.

Bon Iver- streaming new EP

If your like us and you've been anxiously awaiting to hear new material from Justin Vernon's Bon Iver, the wait is partially over. His new 4 song EP, Blood Bank is now streaming in full over on his myspace. You'll have to wait a few more weeks though if you have to get your hands on a physical copy, as the new work will be hitting stores January 20 in the US & January 19 in the UK.

new video: Blitzen Trapper-"Furr"

Blitzen Trapper's 2008 effort Furr, clocked in at #8 on our top 20 best of the year list. Though the album and song of the same name have been out since early Fall, the track has never received the full video treatment until now. The new Jade Harris directed video captures the mellow old school tone of the track perfectly.

Blitzen Trapper-"Furr"

Whitest Boy Alive- plan new album

Erland Oye, lead man from Kings Of Convenience, has announced plans to release a new album under his The Whitest Boy Alive side project. The new disc, Rules is scheduled to be released on March 3rd. The Berlin and Denmark based band released their indie meets electronica debut album, Dreams back in 2006. In other related news, Oye has also been keeping himself busy working with Eirik Glambek Bøe on Kings of Convenience’s first album since 2004’s Riot on an Empty Street, which is being recorded in locales such as Bergen, Norway, and in Italy. No release date as of yet for that one.

Burning - The Whitest Boy Aliv...

Rules Tracklist
01. Keep a Secret
02. Intentions
03. Courage
04. Timebomb
05. Rollercoaster Ride
06. High On The Heels
07. 1517
08. Gravity
09. Promise Less Or Do More
10. Dead End
11. Island

The Whitest Boy Alive on myspace.

Ride shotgun with: East Hundred

East Hundred are a new five-piece from Philadelphia, who's lush and melodic sound has drawn comparisons to Denali, Land of Talk, and even Death Cab For Cutie. Next Tuesday January 13th, the band will self-release their first full-length effort, the 9 track LP, Passenger. East Hundred has an interesting backstory, as the group began as a small basement recording project in '04 when brothers Brooke and Will Blair (guitars and drums, respectively) invited Beril Guceri, Brooke’s then-girlfriend, to add vocals to their synth heavy downtempo tracks. Later in '07 just as work started to begin on Passenger, Brooke and Beril’s relationship ended. Rather than call it quits with the band also, the two trudged on with the recording, which resulted in a wealth of new material filled with new heartache, emotions and of course awkwardness. What was intended to be an EP soon became a full-fledged album. Below you can check out the track "Slow Burning" from the new disc.


"Slow Burning Crimes" from East Hundred on Vimeo.

East Hundred on myspace.

new discovery: Actual Water

The Toronto and Montreal region has brought us plenty of indie rock/pop goodness over the last several years. From Broken Social Scene and Stars to Arcade Fire and Feist. Our newest discovery that we stumbled across is, Actual Water. The group aren't what you would traditionally think of when you think of our neighbors to the North. The band has a disctinct retro/garage rock sound, something along the lines of Crystal Stilts came to mind upon first giving them a listen. The band are offering up two free LP's that they released in '08. Just follow these links...
The first one is Death Projections , which clocks in at 22 SONGS in 30:15 MIN
http://www.mediafire.com/?z0uygnyjhyt
the second is Double Negatives, which is 12 SONGS in 34:21 MIN
http://www.mediafire.com/?jmtumt4njym

Just a tip, but you might watch your volume as the mix is a bit off!

Actual Water on myspace

iTunes unveils new pricing plan

Apple's iTunes music store has come out with a brand new pricing plan, in an attempt to appease angry music industry executives. Music big-wigs have long ciriticised the 99 cents structure for songs, along with the DRM (digital-rights management) issue. Under the new pricing plan, which is scheduled to take effect April 1, back catalog tracks will be available for 69 cents, current songs for 99 cents and the price of hit singles will be raised to $1.29.
Apple also stated that the remeaining big three lables, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group will now allow songs to be sold without the controversial digital-rights management copy protection coding, that limits the amount of music players a song can be used on. EMI has allowed their music to be sold DRM-free since 2007. Apple stated that 8 of its 10 million songs are currently available DRM-free, and the remaining two million will be offered code-free by the end of March.
No word as of yet on what will happen with songs that have already been purchased.

Tindersticks add new dates

After a 5 year hiatus that saw the band undergo some major lineup changes, the Tindersticks came back in '08 with a new album, The Hungry Saw. The UK group, who have been around since the early 90's, have a dark and somber sound that has often been cited as being influential on bands like The National. The band have just recently announced some new dates, which see the lads kicking things off across Europe in Feb. before heading to Canada & the States for a handful of shows beginning in March.

The Hungry Saw - Tindersticks

Tindersticks- upcoming tour dates:

Feb 5 La Carene, Brest
Feb 6 L’Olympic, Nantes
Feb 7 Krakatoa, Bordeaux
Feb 8 L’Auditori, Barcelona
Feb 9 Teatro Haagen Dazs, Madrid
Feb 10 Teatro Victoria Eugenia, Donostia-San Sebastián
Feb 11 Capitol, Santiago De Compostela
Feb 12 Teatro Micaelense, Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Feb 13 Coliseum, Lisbon
Feb 14 Casa Da Musica, Porto
Feb 16 Teatro Cervantes, Malaga
Feb 21 Badminton, Athens
Mar 4 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Penn.
Mar 5 930 Club, Washington DC
Mar 6 Masonic Temple, Brooklyn New York
Mar 7 Somerville Theatre Boston, Mass.
Mar 9 La Salla Rossa Montreal, Quebec
Mar 10 Opera House, Toronto Toronto, Ontario
Mar 12 Epiphany Episcopal Church, Chicago Ill.

The Ettes: new EP & live dates

Garage rockers, The Ettes will be coming out with a new 5 song EP, Danger Is this coming March. The EP includes two live tracks as well as two songs recorded with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who also worked with the band on an upcoming limited edition vinyl single. The new EP will be the follow up to 2008's Look At Life Again Soon. In other Ettes news, the 3 piece will be embarking on a tour of the US later this week which sees them hitting SXSW in March, then later crossing over to the UK in April.

Crown of Age - The Ettes

Upcoming live dates:

Jan 10 MERCY LOUNGE Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 14 THE HI-TONE MEMPHIS, Tennessee
Jan 15 THE CONSERVATORY OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma
Jan 16 THE ATOMIC CANTINA ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico
Jan 17 ROGUE WEST W/ THE LOVE ME NOTS PHOENIX, Arizona
Jan 21 SPACELAND LOS ANGELES, California
Jan 22 RICKSHAW STOP SAN FRANCISCO, California
Jan 23 SLABTOWN PORTLAND, Oregon
Jan 24 KEXP INSTUDIO SEATTLE, Washington
Jan 24 SUNSET TAVERN SEATTLE, Washington
Jan 27 VISUAL ARTS COLLECTIVE BOISE, Idaho
Jan 28 BURT’S TIKI LOUNGE SALT LAKE CITY, Utah
Jan 29 LARIMER LOUNGE DENVER, Colorado
Jan 30 THE 49R W/ BRIMSTONE HOWL OMAHA, Nebraska
Jan 31 THE WAY OUT CLUB ST LOUIS, Missouri
Mar 18-21 SXSW AUSTIN, Texas
Apr 1 CAPTAIN’S REST GLASGOW, Scotland
Apr 2 CLUB NME - ROCKHOUSE DERBY
Apr 3 DUTCHESS, YORK
Apr 4 KASBAH, COVENTRY
Apr 5 BARFLY - CARDIFF
Apr 6 THE WINDMILL - BRIXTON, LONDON
Apr 7 PORTLAND ARMS, CAMBRIDGE

The Ettes on myspace.

KaiserCartel- live performance "Oh No"

The duo of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel, Kaiser Cartel, recently stopped by My Old Kentucky Blog's live performance series 'Laundro Matinee'. The band who are known for their lush harmonies performed the track "Oh No" from their 2008 album, March Forth. The group is currently gearing up for a new round of tour dates that will see them hit both coasts of the US. Check the full list of dates below.



Upcoming tour dates:

13.jan The Triple Door Seattle
14.jan John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts Eugene
15.jan The Seasons Performance Center Yakima
16.jan Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
17.jan Grizzley Rose Boise, Idaho
18.jan Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center Salt Lake City, Utah
19.jan The Grind Coffee House Cedar City, Utah
21.jan Silver Lake Lounge Los Angeles, California
25.jan Shuga’s Colorado Springs, Colorado
28.jan Hob Nob’s Coffee House Phoenix, Arizona
29.jan Plush Tuscan, Arizona
30.jan Burt’s Tiki Lounge Albuquerque, New Mexico
02.feb Replay Lounge Lawrence, Kansas
03.feb The Picador Iowa City, Iowa
04.feb Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, Iowa
04.feb Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, Iowa
07.feb AT NIGHT ART SHOW Indianapolis, Indiana
08.feb BrilloBox Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
13.feb The Space Hamden, Connecticut
14.feb Bamfest @ PCS Brooklyn, New York

KaiserCartel on myspace