new video: Robert Francis-"Nightfall"

A few weeks ago we were talking about Robert Francis' new LP, Before Nightfall , and the throwback nature of his vocals and music. The best example of his old school ways is on the album single, "Nightfall" that evokes some classic Dylan, and which he just released a new video for.
Francis is currently touring with Noah and the Whale. You can watch the video and check all the dates below.



Robert Francis upcoming tour dates:
Oct 28--Majestic Live-Madison, WI
Oct 29--Lakeshore Theater-Chicago, IL
Oct 30--Crofoot's Pike Room-Pontiac, MI
Oct 31--The Horseshoe Tavern-Toronto, ON
Nov 2--Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
Nov 3--Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
Nov 4--Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
Nov 9--The Fly-LONDON, United Kingdom
Nov 10--Camden Enterprise-London, England
Nov 11--L'Etage-Paris, France
Nov 16--Rams Head Live!-Baltimore, MD
Nov 17--9:30 Club-Washington, DC
Nov 21--The Trocadero-Philadelphia, PA
Dec 12--The Wiltern-Los Angeles, CA

Robert Francis' official site.

Serena Ryder covers Band of Horses, "Funeral"

This is a cover that's been around since the Spring, but I just recently discovered through the very good, I Am Fuel You Are Friends blog , run by Heather Browne. Toronto singer Serena Ryder is known for her powerful vocal range, but here on this cover of Band Of Horses, "Funeral" shows patience and restraint on the explosive choruses that give her version a more haunting vibe.
The song appeared on a four song covers EP that also included, "Slow" by Kylie Minogue and "Ramblin Man" by Hank Williams. Most recently Ryder worked as a lead vocalist on Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels, and put out her latest album, Is It O.K. earlier this year, with a physical release slated for this Tuesd, Nov 3rd.

Serena Ryder-"Funeral"

visit Serena Ryder.com

Midlake: New album due in early 2010

I first discovered these guys back in 2006 when they appeared on a Paste magazine CD sampler, with the track, "Roscoe." Little did I know at the time that the band and their album, The Trials of Van Occupanther had been a critical darling, earning spots across many year end lists. Well it's been more than three years since 'Van Occupanther' came out, and now the Texas band are finally putting the finishing touches on their third and newest album called, The Courage of Others. The new disc will hit stores this February 2 in the U.S. and February 1 in the UK and Europe, and according to a press release from Bella Union, the album will feature a more traditional folk influence.

The Courage of Others track listing:
01 Acts of Man
02 Winter Dies
03 Small Mountain
04 Core of Nature
05 Fortune
06 Rulers, Ruling All Things
07 Children of the Grounds
08 Bring Down
09 The Horn
10 The Courage of Others
11 In the Ground

Roscoe - Midlake
visit Midlake.net

new video: Land of Talk-"It's Okay"

Even though their album Some Are Lakes came out back in 2008, Montreal band, Land Of Talk just dropped a new video for the album track, "It's Okay", that was directed by WeWereMonkeys.
The band also just recently released a new EP, titled, Fun and Laughter on Saddle Creek records, which includes 4 new tracks and 3 videos from the band, all taken from 'Some Are Lakes'. In addition to the new "It's Okay" video you can also preview one of the aforementioned videos off the EP for the song, "The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle)", which was directed by Joseph Yarmush, with Petros Kolyvas producing.
check them both out below.



Fun and Laughter EP track listing:
Sixteen Asterisk
May You Never (1996)
As Me
A Series Of Small Flames
The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle) (Video)
Troubled (Video)
Some Are Lakes (Video)

Fall dates:
10/26 - Encinitas, CA, Lou's Records (free in-store at 5pm)
10/27 – San Diego, CA, Casbah
10/29 – Los Angeles, CA, Spaceland
10/30 – Visalia , CA, Cellar Door
11/2 – San Francisco, CA, Café DuNord
11/4 – Portland, OR, Doug Fir
11/5 – Seattle, WA, High Dive
11/6 – Bellingham, WA, The Nightlight
11/7 – Vancouver at the Biltmore Caberet 11/12 - Montreal, QC, Segal Centre
11/18 - Cambridge, MA, Middle East
11/19 - Burlington, VT, Club Metronome
11/20 - Northampton, MA, Iron Horse
11/21 - New York, NY, Mercury Lounge

follow Land of Talk on myspace.

'Wednesday In Words' : The Rural Alberta Advantage-"The Ballad of the RAA"

This week on one of our new features, 'Weds. in Words' we take a look at the band The Rural Alberta Advantage and the track, "The Ballad of the RAA." The Rural Alberta Advantage were born out of Canadian singer/songwriter Nils Edenloff's exodus from Edmonton, Alberta to Toronto, Ontario in 2003 that not only inspired the band's name, but also became the meat of his subject matter on the bands debut disc, as Edenloff's lyrics documented his feelings of loneliness and of being homesick after the move. Give it a listen and read along below.

The Rural Alberta Advantage-"The Ballad of the RAA"
We invariably left the prairies
In my heart
Since we never moved an inch
Does the love grow home with the wild rose?
now somethings moving out here

We invariably left the prairies
In my heart
Since we never moved an inch
Then you found me alone on a Friday,
now somethings moving out here

Swap Garneau for Dundas
My parents for your dad
The Rockies for the Great Lakes
And my heart pounds as you say

Swap Garneau for Dundas
My parents for your dad
Rockies or the Great Lakes
And my heart pounds as you say

And all these things will past
It's the good ones that will last
And right here what we've had
Is a good thing, it will last

And all these things will past
It's the good ones that will last
And right here what we've had
Is a good thing, it will last

The RAA on myspace.

'Song of the Week': Matthew Ryan- "We Are Snowmen"

An old favorite of mine who never seems to disappoint me after all these years is Nashville artist, Matthew Ryan. Not to say that Ryan is old but he's been delivering great album after great album since back in '97, and I've been hooked on his music ever since. Today Ryan releases his 12th studio album, Dear Lover, which is available digitally, and it will be in-stores on Feb. 16, 2010 via CIMS/Junket Boy. The album features this standout, the passionate new track, "We Are Snowmen."
Right now if you head on over to Blurt Online you can get an exclusive stream of Dear Lover. And stay tuned in the next week or so for a new 'Field Recordings' session we shot with Matthew while he was in NYC recently.



'We Are Snowmen'
.....The cathedrals and the banks
The stones we throw at tanks
The endless war of man vs himself
The traffic night and day
The things we try and say
The growing din of human wreckage....

For more info on Matthew Ryan
visit ormatthewryanonline.com

Fanfarlo: New Headlining tour

Fresh off two successful short stints barnstorming across the U.S., including just last week at CMJ, UK group Fanfarlo have announced a full on headlining tour in the States. The band has been generating a steady buzz all year ever since they self released their debut, Reservoir which resulted in them getting signed by Atlantic/Canvasback and getting access to the masses.
The headlining dates kick off in Chicago on Nov. 9th and wraps up in NYC on Dec 18th, hitting the West coast and Toronto, Canada in between.

See our review of their last show in NYC here.

Drowning Men (Album Version) - Fanfarlo

Fanfarlo U.S. Headlining Tour:
Nov 9th*Chicago, IL*Schubas
Nov 11th*Minneapolis, MN*Triple Rock Social Club
Nov 13th*Denver, CO*Moe’s
Nov 14th*Salt Lake City, UT*State Room
Nov 16th*Boise, ID*Knitting Factory
Nov 17th*Seattle, WA*Crocodile Cafe
Nov 18th*Vancouver, BC*Media Club
Nov 19th*Portland, OR*Doug Fir Lounge
Nov 20th*Sparks, NV*Great Basin Brewing Company
Nov 22nd*San Francisco, CA*Rickshaw Stop
Nov 23rd*Los Angeles, CA*Echo
Nov 24th*San Diego, CA*Casbah
Nov 27th*Santa Barbara, CA*Soho Restrnt & Music Club
Nov 29th*Tucson, AZ*Club Congress
Nov 30th*Santa Fe, NM*Santa Fe Brewing Co
Dec 2nd*Austin, TX*Independent
Dec 3rd*Dallas, TX*The Loft
Dec 4th*Houston, TX*Walter's on Washington
Dec 6th*Birmingham, AL*Bottletree
Dec 9th*Baltimore, MD*Metro Gallery
Dec 10th*Philadelphia, PA*Johnny Brendas
Dec 13th*Arlington, VA*Iota
Dec 12th*Pittsburgh, PA*Brillobox
Dec 14th*Detroit, MI*Majestic Cafe
Dec 15th*Toronto, ONT*El Mocambo
Dec 16th*Montreal, QUE*Il Motore
Dec 17th*Boston, MA*T.T. The Bear's
Dec 18th*New York, NY*Webster Hall

fanfarlo.com

Friday Freebies

Another new feature we started up on the site a few weeks back to highlight some of the new music (mp3's) we've received in our inbox over the course of the week. These are the ones that maybe we didn't have time to spotlight, but we still thought were interesting enough to pass along and share with you guys.

Grooms-"Dreamsucker"
The Brooklyn band (formerly known as Muggabears) came out with Rejoicer this Oct. 20th on Death By Audio.

Capgun Coup- "Bad Bands"
The garage rocking first single off of the band's upcoming album Maudlin, which comes out Nov. 3rd on Team Love.

Real Estate-"Beach Comber"
This indie-pop Jersey quartet release their new self titled LP on Woodsist this Nov. 17th.

Midnight Masses- "Walk on Water"
The band’s new EP, Rapture Ready will be released Nov 10th via Collect Records, and features appearances by members of TVOTR and Here We Go Magic.

Tape Deck Mountain-"Ghost Colony"
Debut album Ghost from Tape Deck Mountain, project of San Diego native Travis Trevisan. Out Nov. 17 on Lefse.

Seven Saturdays- "Beautiful Day"
New ambient instrumental project from Jonathan D. Haskell (FIRS), new EP out soon.

Google to launch 'One Box' music service

Thought this was interesting for all music lovers and iTunes users out there. Google is going to be launching a new music service called 'One Box' that is designed to take on and compete with iTunes. Not all the details are in on the new service, but what's been leaked so far is that 'One Box', will be a collaboration between streaming music sites such as Lala, Imeem, and iLike, where users can stream 30-second clips, and whole songs in some instances. The service is also said to be able to give fans a more interactive experience than iTunes, giving more access to things like, album art, band info and, lyrics. No solid launch date has been set for the service as of yet, stay tuned for more info.

get to know: Tim Williams

Singer-songwriter Tim Williams new album, Careful Love literally chronicles his scary battle of life and death. Following the release of his last LP and tour, Williams required intensive heart surgery that required his left pulmonary valve be replaced. Williams underwent the procedure in the summer of '08, and left him a long recovery and plenty of time to think, inevitably finding a way into his writing. One such track to be influenced was, “I Hit Another Wall,” of which Williams says ... “I wrote the song as a reminder of how lucky I was to make it through,” .... “It was physically the most painful experience in my life.” Don't be scared though, it's not all gloom and doom for Williams on the new LP. His newfound love for California also served as a major inspiration, so much so that 3 weeks before the record's release Tim picked up and moved to LA from Brooklyn, NY.

'Careful Love' hit stores this past week on Dovecote Records (Ed Harcourt, Mason Proper, Trevor Guiliani).

Tim Williams- "Murderous Air"mp3
Tim Williams-"I Hit Another Wall"mp3

new video- El Perro Del Mar-"Change of Heart"

El Perro Del Mar's new album, Love Is Not Pop, dropped earlier this week via The Control Group, now she's out with a new video for the sleek and sexy track, "Change of Heart." The slightly disturbing and uncomfortable new video was directed by Filip Nilsson and features flexible pair, Sandor Vlah and Gyula Takaes, a k a The Golden Power, from Budapest, Hungary.
Next month EPDM will be heading out on tour with Peter Bjorn & John, with a few select headlining shows mixed in (see all the dates below).



upcoming tour schedule:
11.07 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC*
11.08 – Theater of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA*
11.09 – Webster Hall – New York, NY*
11.11 – Phoenix Theatre – Toronto, ON*
11.12 – Metro – Chicago, IL*
11.13 – Gargoyle Club – St. Louis, MO*
11.14 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX*
11.15– La Zona Rosa – Austin, TX*
11.17 – Rialto Theater – Tuscon, AZ*
11.18 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA*
11.19– Great American Music Hall – San Fran, CA*
11.20– Great American Music Hall – San Fran, CA*
11.21– Club Nokia – Los Angeles, CA*
11.23 – Hotel Cafe – Los Angeles, CA***
***Headlining show
* w/ Peter Bjorn & John

El Perro Del Mar-'Change of Heart"mp3

Wednesday In Words (#6): Los Campesinos- "The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future"

Here's pt. 6 in our ongoing new feature, 'Weds. In Words', spotlighting songs and lyrics that have gotten stuck in our heads. This week we take a look at the upbeat Welsh septet, Los Campesinos and the song, "The Sea Is a Good Place To Think of the Future." The band leaked the track a few months back, as they were in the middle of recording their upcoming sophomore LP, which they've been working on in Stamford, Conn. with producer John Goodmanson (Sleater-Kinney). The upcoming CD is said to be slated for a release sometime next year, but no word as of yet if this track will make the final cut.

Los Campesinos-"The Sea Is a Good Place To Think of the Future"
"I grabbed hold of her wrist and my hand
Closed from tip to tip
I said “you’ve taken the diet too far
You have got to let it slip”
But she’s not eating again, she’s not eating again
She’s not eating again, she’s not eating again
I ask her to speak French
And then I need her to translate
I get the feeling she makes the meaning more significant
She was always far too pretty for me to believe
In a single word she said, believe a word she said

At fourteen her mother died in a routine operation
from allergic reaction to a general anesthetic.
She spent the rest of her teens
Experimenting with prescriptions
in a futile attempt to know more than the doctors

She said one day to leave her
sand up to her shoulders
Waiting for the tide
To drag her to the ocean, to another sea’s shore
This thing hurts like hell
But what did you expect?

(chorus) And all you can hear is the sound of your own heart
And all you can feel is your lungs flood
And the blood course
But oh I can see five hundred years
Dead set ahead of me
Five hundred behind
A thousand years in perfect symmetry

Best known left wrist right finger
through all the Southern States
on every video games machine
They call her triple A.
There were racists on the radio
trying to give up smoking
the chat show host he joked
“you have to wait for the government program”.
You talk about your politics
and I wonder if you could be one of them
but you could never kiss a Tory boy
without wanting to cut off your tongue again.

A good place to look to the future
is when you are sat at the sea
with the salt up to your ankles
and a view of the end of the pier
you may look down at your model’s feet
and wish that you’d just float away
and the weather here is overcast
and the sea is the same shade of grey
so the landscape before you
looks just like the edge of the world
but to the left side and the right side
either way is a crazy golf course

The sea is a good place to think of the future.
(repeat chorus)

Elephant Parade- "For You"

While doing my usual routine of perusing various music sites the other day, I stumbled on this great track from a band called Elephant Parade (courtesy of the site A Certain Romance). The two piece Brooklyn band (Estelle and Ido) have been around since 2005, and in '06 they released the album, Bedroom Recordings, a home made LP, which is a dreamy lo-fi pop gem, in the lines of a Gregory & the Hawk.
A little background on the band, they met at a bad eighties party in New York, where they found a lot of common grounds when trying to compose a list of music they would play if they could take over the DJ booth. Estelle came from the Gainesville, FL indie pop scene, where she released two albums with Brittle Stars (ShelfLife records) and also recording and performing with New York rock group, Human Television. Ido, was a video artist from Israel, who was composing experimental soundtracks in his bedroom, and playing with a few local bands. Before long the pair were playing shows around NYC with acts like Beirut, Chris Garneau, and Gregory & the Hawk. The band is currently mastering their new upcoming CD, but in the meantime you can get familiar with the band and their track "For You" below.

Elephant Parade- "For You" mp3

Elephant Parade covering Counting Crows, "Color Blind"


elephantparade on myspace.

The Wooden Sky: New documentary Pt's (1&2)

Just a few months ago this Toronto band released what could be my favorite album of the year, with their sophomore effort, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. The band who has been on the road for much of the Summer prior to and after the albums release, just released the first two parts of a 10 part documentary by director Scott Cudmore, that captured the group during a portion of that tour, which was entitled 'Bedrooms and Backstreets.' The short films titled, “A Documentary in Pieces” takes a closer look into the group’s interaction with each other and fans, as well as intimate performances from throughout the tour.
The band are on the road now touring with Elliot Brood, with select dates in the U.S. (see all the dates below).

The Wooden Sky - A Documentary in Pieces - PART ONE (HD) from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

The Wooden Sky - A Documentary in Pieces PART TWO (HD) from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

The Wooden Sky-"Something Hiding For Us In the Night"

tour schedule:
Oct 19 Off Broadway- St. Louis, Missouri
Oct 20 Schubas - Chicago, Illinois
Oct 21 Beachland - Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 23 CMJ- New York, New York
Oct 24 CMJ- New York, New York
Nov 7 Phog Lounge - Windsor, Ontario
Nov 13 Lee’s Palace- Toronto, Ontario
Nov 15 Merchant Ale House - St. Catherines, Ontario
Nov 20 The Albion Hotel - Guelph, Ontario
Nov 21 The Montreal House - Peterborough, Ontario
Nov 24 Call The Office - London, Ontario
Nov 26 L’Agitee - Quebec City, Quebec
Nov 27 The Blacksheep Inn - Wakefield, Quebec
Nov 28 Club L’Ambi - Montreal, Quebec

The Wooden Sky on myspace.

'Song of the Week': Noah and the Whale-"Slow Glass"

We've been talking a lot about the heartbreakingly beautiful new disc from Noah and the Whale, The First Days of Spring. The melancholy new work which evolves around a post relationship situation and trying to start over again, is a personal one from frontman and singer Charlie Finks. Finks not only penned the album but he also made a film that accompanies and chronicles the entire disc.
This week we wanted to highlight the slow building track "Slow Glass."

Slow Glass - Noah and the Whale

visit the bands myspace.

Lissie: debut EP out next month

Young folk singer, Lissie will release her debut EP, Why You Runnin', this November 10th on Fat Possum Records. She had help on the new five-song EP from friends like Tyler Ramsey and Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses) the latter of which produced and played bass on the record, and Ed Harcourt who worked on the track "Oh Mississippi." The songs were recorded at her home in Ojai, CA, and at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC, and range from hand-clapping, foot-stomping numbers like, "Little Lovin" to country and soulful '60s pop-esque ballads, centered around her powerful and raw vocals.

Lissie will be hitting the road soon opening up for Ray LaMontagne, with a few solo dates scheduled in NYC and Los Angeles.

Lissie-"Little Lovin" mp3
Why You Runnin' track listing:
1. Little Lovin'
2. Wedding Bells
3. Oh Mississippi
4. Everywhere I Go
5. Here Before

Lissie upcoming tour dates:
Nov 1 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Fox Theatre*
Nov 7 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Tower Theatre*
Nov 9 – New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge
Nov 12 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre*
Nov 13 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre*
Nov 15 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Nob Hill Masonic Center*
Nov 17 – Denver, Colo. @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House*
Nov 18 – Denver, Colo. @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House*
Nov 20 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpheum Theatre*
Nov 21 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpheum Theatre*
Nov 22 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpehum Theatre*
Nov 24 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Bootleg Theater
* w/ Ray LaMontagne.

new video: Frightened Rabbit- "Swim Until You Can't See Land"

We're always excited here at BTB when anything new comes out from one of our favorite bands, Frightened Rabbit. So when news broke last month about a new upcoming single, 'Swim Until You Can't See Land", out Nov. 16th and plans for a new album in 2010 we can't help but look ahead to the New Year. In addition to the single and album news, the band just released the official video for the track.
You can pre-order the single here http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release
Can't wait for 2010!

Sea Wolf- "Wicked Blood"

Expanding on the sound of his critically acclaimed '07 debut, 'Leaves in the River', that featured the track "'You're A Wolf", Sea Wolf returns with his second LP, White Water, White Bloom. According to Sea Wolf, aka Alex Brown Church, right from the get go the intention was to have a fuller band sound on the new album, with lush and fuller arrangements. Recruiting the help of producer/multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis (Monsters of Folk, Rilo Kiley, Bright Eyes) didn't hurt in achieving the desired effect, as the new disc is filled out by string sections, piano's, organs, and violin and cello's, creating a much bigger sound than on his quiet debut. One great example of the new orchestration is the soaring album track, "Wicked Blood."
You can currently sea Sea Wolf out on tour with Port O'Brien and Sara Lov (dates below).

Wicked Blood - Sea Wolf

Oct 16 Union Hall Brooklyn, NY
Oct 17 North Star Bar Philadelphia, Penn
Oct 18 The Talking Head Baltimore, Marylnd
Oct 19 DC 9 Washington DC
Oct 21 Nightlight Bar & Club Chapel Hill, NC
Oct 23 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia
Oct 24 Exit/In Nashville, Tenn
Oct 27 The Cavern Dallas, Tx
Oct 28 Emo’s Jr. Austin, Tx
Oct 30 Modified Arts Phoenix, Ariz
Oct 31 The Legendary Park Plaza Hotl LA, Calif

Sea Wolf on myspace.

Langhorne Slim-'Be Set Free'

I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow Langhorne Slim is a guy that had really slipped under my radar with his first two albums. Luckily I woke up and took notice with his newest disc, Be Set Free, and it's been on heavy rotation ever since. Slim wears his heart on his sleeve on the new disc, weaving warm Americana inspired tunes under
lyrics of life, love and loss, with an overall upbeat tempo with hints of gospel.
Going back and looking at Slim's past work, this seems to be his most focused and complete work yet. Over the past few weeks we've highlighted the standout tracks 'Back To the Wild", "Say Yes", and "I Love You But Goodbye", but this week we want you to hear the title track, "Be Set Free."

Be Set Free - Langhorne Slim

Langhorne Slim- "I Love You But Goodbye" mp3

Langhorne Slim tour dates:
Oct 17 TT The Bears Cambridge, Mass
Oct 21 The Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 22 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, Michigan
Oct 23 Lincoln Hall Chicago, Illinois
Oct 24 High Noon Saloon Madison, Wisc
Oct 25 400 Bar Minneapolis, Minn
Oct 26 The Waiting Room Omaha, Neb
Oct 28 Jackpot Saloon Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 29 Hi-Dive Denver, Colorado
Oct 30 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, Utah
Oct 31Neurolux Boise, Idaho
Nov 2 Tractor Tavern Seattle, Washington
Nov 3 Media Club Vancouver, British Columbia
Nov 4 Crystal Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Nov 6 The Independent San Francisco, Cal
Nov 7 Cellar Door Visalia, California
Nov 8 Troubadour Los Angeles, Cal
Nov 9 The Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Nov 11 The Mohawk Austin, Texas
Nov 13 The Basement Nashville, Tennessee
Nov 14 Earl East Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 15 Cats Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina
Nov 16 The Southern Charlottesville, Virginia
Nov 17 Rock N Roll Hotel Washington DC
Nov 19 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Penn
Nov 20 Chameleon Club Lancaster, Penn
Nov 21 Le Poisson Rouge NYC, NY

visit Langhorne Slim on myspace.

new video: Thao w/ The Get Down Stay Down-"When We Swam"

Fresh off the release of her new sophomore effort, Know Better Learn Faster, which came out this past week, Thao w/ the Get Down Stay Down have put out a video for the album track, "When We Swam." The clip was produced and directed by Aubree Bernier-Clarke, and aptly captures the quirky and playful nature of Thao's music with a bizarro beach party.



follow Thao on myspace.

Kittens Ablaze-"Gloom Doom Buttercups"

This Brooklyn six-piece's music has been described as “grand” and “orchestral,” with a line-up that features violin, cello, and a lead singer on the drums. While their music has gotten compared to Ra Ra Riot, and Cursive, their rousing and playful live shows are what have been bringing the band attention.
The band’s emotionally-charged new disc, The Monstrous Vanguard was released earlier this year led by the song, "Gloom Doom Buttercup" which you can get familiar with below.

Gloom Doom Buttercups - Kittens Ablaze

Kittens Ablaze upcoming tour dates:
10.22 CMJ Music Festival NYCTaper Showcase Bruar Falls
10.22 CMJ Music Festival After The Jump Showcase Cakeshop
10.24 CMJ Music Festival Stereoactive Showcase the Delancey
10.24 Yabyum Records/Detroitscaresme Party Shea Stadium
11.01 The Fire/IOU Records (Philadelphia, PA)
11.02 Reggie's (Chicago, IL)
11.03 400 Bar (Minneapolis, MN)
11.04 Madison, WI
11.06 Lager House (Detroit, MI)
11.07 Bernie's (Columbus, OH)
11.14 Empire (Portland, ME)
12.17 Middle East (Boston).

Kittens Ablaze on myspace.

Swell Season announce new tour dates

With an Oscar now in their back pocket, the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, The Swell Season, are about to release the follow up to their critically acclaimed soundtrack for the movie, 'Once'. The new 12 song LP, titled, Strict Joy hits store shelves Oct 27th via Anti- Records, with the new disc being produced by super hot producer, Peter Katis (The National, Frightened Rabbit, Fanfarlo), at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT. In addition to the new album on the way, the pair will be hitting the road next month for a world tour, with dates scattered across Europe and N. America (see below).

In These Arms - The Swell Season

Swell Season tour schedule:
Nov 1 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, Wisc
Nov 2 Clowes Memorial Hall Indianapolis, In
Nov 3 Massey Hall Toronto
Nov 4 Olympia de Montreal
Nov 6 Berklee Performance Centre Boston, Mass
Nov 7 Lupo’s Providence, RI
Nov 8 Merriam Theater Philadelphia, Penn
Nov 9 9:30 Club Washington DC
Nov 12 House Of Blues New Orleans, Louisna
Nov 13 Warehouse Houston, Texas
Nov 14 Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Nov 15 Paramount Theatre Austin, Texas
Nov 17 Mesa Arts Centre Mesa, Arizona
Nov 18 The Wiltern Los Angeles, Ca
Nov 19 The Wiltern Los Angeles, Ca
Nov 20 Paramount Theatre Oakland, Ca
Nov 22 Paramount Theatre Seattle, Wa
Nov 23 McDonald Theatre Eugene, Oregon
Nov 24 Crystal Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Nov 25 The Center Vancouver
Nov 27 The Egyptian Theatre Boise, Idaho
Nov 28 Jeanne Wagner Theatre Salt Lake City, Uth
Nov 29 Ogden Theatre Denver, Colorado
Nov 30 Uptown Theatre Kansas City
Dec 3 Auditorium Theater Chicago, Illinois
Dec 4 The Pageant St. Louis
Dec 5 State Theatre Minneapolis
Jan 14 O2 Sheperds Bush Empire London
Jan 16 City Halls, Candelriggs Glasgow, Scotland
Jan 17 The Lowry Manchester
Jan 19 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY
Feb 4 Kaufleuten Zurich
Feb 12 Alter Schlacthof Dresden
Feb 13 Admiralspalast Berlin
Feb 14 Kampnagel Hamburg
Feb 17 Trädgårn Gothenberg
Feb 18 Filadelfiakyrkan Stockholm
Feb 20 Kulttuuritalo Helsinki
Feb 21 Savoy Theatre Düsseldorf
Feb 23 Paradiso Amsterdam
Feb 24 Ancienne Belgique Brussels
Feb 25 Bataclan Paris