New Video: Frightened Rabbit- "Late March, Death March"

Frightened Rabbit just released a new video for the song "Late March, Death March" off their latest LP, Pedestrian Verse. The video follows the band across a recent tour in Australia with various live footage. Speaking of touring the Rabbits will also be playing at a number of festivals this summer including Glastonbury, with dates in support of The National back in the US also on deck.

 
http://frightenedrabbit.com/

Field Report (Folkadelphia Session) features 2 New Songs

In case you forgot how great the 2012 debut album from Field Report was, this recent set the band played for Philly station WXPN's 'Folkadelphia sessions' is here to remind you. It features two tracks from that aforementioned debut along with two new songs I've yet to hear.

http://www.field-report.org/

The National- "Don't Swallow The Cap" Live on Letterman

It's a big week for the guys in The National. Not only does their brand new album, Trouble Will Find Me hit stores today, but last night they made an appearance on the Late Show w/ David Letterman where they played this magnificent version of "Don't Swallow the Cap" with an accompanying string section.
Fans can also catch the band appearing on The Colbert Report this Wednesday.

http://www.americanmary.com/

The Bony King of Nowhere- "On My Way Home" + N. America Tour

An old blog favorite from my days living in Belgium, The Bony King of Nowhere is embarking on a short North American tour starting tomorrow. It's a rare appearance across the Atlantic, so if you're on the West coast or in Canada you should really try to check him out. Take a watch of this beautiful live session of "On My Way Home" he played for the folks at Bruxellesmabelle.


Upcoming Tour Schedule: 
May 21 CoHo , Stanford, CA
May 23 Amnesia, San Francisco, CA w/ Upside Drown
May 29 sam bond's garage , Eugene, OR w/ Laura Cortese
June 2 The Alberta Rose Theatre , Portland, OR w/ The Americans
June 6 Columbia City Theater , Seattle WA w/ Pocket Panda and Thousands
June 11 Melodies in Mind radio session w/ Ryan Fletcher, Vancouver, CANADA
June 20 Le Sous-Bois, Chicoutimi, CANADA
June 21 La Petite Boite Noire, Sherbrooke, CANADA
June 22 Le Bal du Lézard, Québec, CANADA
June 25 Le Quai des Brumes, Montréal, CANADA

http://thebonykingofnowhere.be/ 
http://www.bruxellesmabelle.net/

Valerie June- "Wanna Be on Your Mind"

Late last year I talked about Valerie June and how she was readying her debut full length. There's good news and bad news on that front, as said debut, Pushin' Against a Stone is available now in the U.K. and Europe, the bad news being that it doesn't come out here in the U.S until late Summer. In the meantime her LP is being well received overseas and she has a slate of Festival dates over the Summer that should bring her talents to the masses. I would bet that by the time her debut drops here stateside that you'll be hearing a lot more about Ms. June.

Pushin' Against a Stone comes out in the U.S. on August 13th. 

http://www.valeriejune.com/

Song of the Week: The National- "Heavenfaced"

With the release of The National's new album, Trouble Will Find Me just around the corner, I've been like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to come. Luckily the album has been streaming this week over on iTunes so that can hold me over momentarily. After many many listens it's too early for me to say if it's my favorite LP from the band, but I do know that it clearly surpassed the high expectations I had already set out in my head. One of the standouts for me has been the hypnotic and slow building, "Heavenfaced." I've always been taken with frontman Matt Berninger's lyrics but this album he seems to be on a whole other level.


The National- "Heavenfaced"
I could walk out, but I won’t,
In my mind I am in your arms.
I wish someone would take my place,
Can’t face heaven all heavenfaced.
No one’s careful all the time,
If you lose me, I’m gonna die.

How completely high was I?
I was off by a thousand miles.
Hit the ceiling, then you fall,
Things are tougher than we are.
I could walk out, but I won’t,
In my mind I am in your arms.
I wish someone would take my place,
Can’t face heaven all heavenfaced.

Let’s go wait out in the fields with the ones we love.
Let’s go wait out in the fields with the ones we love.
Let’s go wait out in the fields with the ones we love.
Let’s go wait out in the fields with the ones we love.

She’s a griever, my believer
It’s not a fever, it’s a freezer
I believe her, I`m a griever now
She’s a griever, my believer
It’s not a fever, it’s a freezer
I believe her, I`m a griever now

Because we’ll all arrive in heaven alive
We’ll all arrive
Because we’ll all arrive in heaven alive
We’ll all arrive

Get to Know: Rodeo Queen- "Later Bedrooms"

Rodeo Queen hails from a small town in east Texas with a population of 5,000, growing up with guns, horses, and a knack for mischief. After a stay in Hollywood he is now calling Houston his home base, where he just finished up recording his debut album, Goodness Gracious. He debuted the first song off the forthcoming disc last week, with the track "Later Bedrooms." You can grab it for free over on his bandcamp page now. Can't wait to hear more off of this one.


http://rodeoqueenmusic.com/

New Video: David Ramirez "The Bad Days"

David Ramirez's The Rooster EP came out just last week, and from top to bottom it's probably the best EP my ears have heard this year. He just released a new video for the track, "The Bad Days" which you can watch below. Here's what he told American Songwriter about the song ... “The Bad Days” is an acknowledgement that love itself isn’t enough. There will be days we can’t stand one another but it takes work and effort if we intend to see our love through."


http://davidramirezmusic.com/

Frightened Rabbit cover Best Coast's- "The Only Place"

At a recent tour stop down under, Frightened Rabbit stopped by the Australian radio station Triple J to partake in their 'Like A Version' series. The band chose to tackle Best Coast's "The Only Place" along with an acoustic version of their own track, "The Woodpile" off their latest disc, Pedestrian Verse. Watch them both below.



http://frightenedrabbit.com/

Rogue Wave- "Siren's Song"

After a 3 year hiatus Rogue Wave are back with a brand new album, Nightingale Floors. It's available June 4th via Vagrant records and you can listen to the latest track to leak, "Siren's Song" which has been on steady repeat for me this week. 


http://roguewavemusic.com/

New Video: The National- "Sea of Love"

I've been counting down the days to The National's newest release, Trouble Will Find Me,  which gets a May 21st release date via 4AD. Holding me over are days like this when the Brooklyn band unveiled a new video for the album track “Sea of Love.” According to the group the video is an homage to their favorite punk rock band, Zvuki Mu from Russia, who's video for their song “Grubiy Zakat,” is a mirror image.Watch The National's take below.

 http://www.americanmary.com/

Song of the Week: Gregory Alan Isakov- "Saint Valentine"

Boulder, Colorado's Gregory Alan Isakov is readying his third full length album, The Weatherman. He recently gave fans a first taste of the upcoming LP with a new song titled "Saint Valentine."
Isakov had this to say about his forthcoming release ... "I wanted to make something that felt genuine. We recorded everything with analogue gear and mixed it on tape, which gave the songs a raw and vulnerable feeling." ... "The idea of a weatherman is really powerful. There's this guy on television or on the radio telling us the future, and nobody cares. It's this daily mundane miracle, and I think the songs I chose are about noticing the beauty in normal, everyday life."
The Weatherman hits store shelves this July 9th, and be sure to check his website for the latest tour information HERE.

Local Natives- "Bowery" (live video)

Another phenomenal track from Local Natives off their latest LP, Hummingbird. Here's the song "Bowery" performed in Minneapolis with a group of ballet dancers giving their interpretation of the song while the band plays live.


http://www.thelocalnatives.com/

Stream David Ramirez's New EP 'The Rooster'

Austin musician David Ramirez has become a big favorite of mine over the last six months or so, starting with his epic 2012 full length Apologies. Also over the last several months Ramirez has been teasing tracks from a brand new 5 song EP titled 'The Rooster', and everything I've heard so far has had me counting down the days to it's May 6th release date. Fortunately for those impatient like myself you don't have to wait until next Mon. to hear the whole EP, as Ramirez is sharing it over at American Songwriter. Here's a little bit of what he had to say about his latest work....

Via American Songwriter-(click HERE for the full article)

In September of last year I released a full length album titled Apologies. It was a very “heart on the sleeve” journey through some of my regrets and remorse. I’ve healed since then in a lot of ways and I have an itch to discuss it. A Rooster, as we know, introduces the dawn. It’s an opportunity for us to try again; to be new.

Although I’m now writing more about love, this isn’t an upbeat pop record. I’m still carrying my low-tempo melancholy self through these beautiful new moments. “Fire of Time” is a confession of who I’ve become but resolves with being reminded who I was and who I can be. “The Bad Days” is an acknowledgement that love itself isn’t enough. There will be days we can’t stand one another but it takes work and effort if we intend to see our love through. “Glory” is a beautiful lullaby. Sweet, simple, and lovely. I revisit some old themes in “Don’t Call Me Cryin,” and “The Forgiven” is entirely new ground for me where I discuss my observations in the relationship between an audience and their artists.

http://davidramirezmusic.com/