Mercury Rev- Two new albums, one 4 free

Legendary rockers Mercury Rev will be releasing two new albums come this September, one of which will be available as a free download. The psychedelic group will unveil the new nine track Snowflake Midnight along with the 11-track Strange Attractor, the latter of which will be available as a free download for those on the bands mailing list.

Both will be out on September 29th, and are the first new new material from the group since 2005's The Secret Migration . Reportedly the two new albums show the band dabbling in more electronic soundscapes than it's previous endeavors.

Glasvegas- new single

The Scottish band Glasvegas are set to come out with their brand new single "Geraldine" on June 23rd. The single is taken from the groups forthcoming debut album which they recorded in New York, and was co-produced by James Allan & Rich Costey (Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Muse). The debut disc is slated for a release later this year.

Here's the video for "Geraldine" by Glasvegas:

Geraldine

Rachael Yamagata- new label... up next new album

After nearly four years since her last work and apparently lot's of label troubles, Rachael Yamagata say's that she is very close to having a new album out in the fall. The new album will be the follow up to 2004's Happenstance, and was supposed to be released nearly a year ago, but has since gone quiet with legal tangling going on behind the scenes.

Rachael explains on a new blog post on her Myspace ..."I’ve just signed with Warner Bros Records and we are working overtime to get all ducks in a row for an early October release! Thank you for hanging with me all this time – it’s been a long road of red tape trails, but I’m very excited about the new team of peeps and I can finally say that we are on our way!"

She goes on to say ...."I am pleased to announce as well a little something available for your listening pleasure – an ep. The L Word was kind enough to premiere one of the songs a few weeks back (The Other Side). We heard you were looking, and lord knows you’ve been waiting for a record, so while I work on getting that out, I’ve put three songs up to tide you over."

The three song EP is available for purchase on her website.

Santogold- Opening for Coldplay on some dates

Santogold has just been announced as the opening act on several dates of Coldplay's upcoming US tour. The slot will help spread the word to the masses of her already critically and underground successful new self titled album which was released back in April.

But before hitting the road with Chris Martin and Co. though, Santogold will be performing at Central Park SummerStage as the headliner on July 20, and will later be doing a spot at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August.

The dates are as follows:

July 20- New York, NY Central Park SummerStage - headlining
July 23- Chicago, IL United Center
July 25- Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
July 29- Montreal, Bell Center
July 30- Toronto, ON Air Canada Center
Aug 1- Lollapalooza, Chicago, ILL.
Aug 2- Hartford, CT XL Center
Aug 3- Washington DC Verizon Center
Aug 4- Boston, MA TB Banknorth Garden

Bright Eyes frontman solo details & tour news

Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst today announced his first dates in support of his upcoming self titled solo effort, which will be released August 5th in the US and August 4th over in the UK. The new album was recorded in a mountain villa in Mexico, where he was backed by the musicians known as 'The Mystic Valley Band', which includes Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes, Nik Freitas, and Rilo Kiley drummer Jason Boesel.

In other news, Oberst’s new website was launched today and is streaming two tracks from the forthcoming album, along with a list of all the upcoming dates.

This weeks New Releases

June is shaping up pretty good so far with another very solid week of new releases. Here's some of what you might want to check out:

Mono In VCF- (Self Titled)
Bowerbirds- Hyms For a Dark Horse (Re-Issue w/ bonus tracks)
The Hold Steady- Stay Positive
South San Gabriel & Centro-Matic- Dual Hawks
It Hugs Back- The Record Room/First Four Singles
Wolf Parade- Mount Zoomer
Adem- Takes
My Brightest Diamond- A Thousand Sharks Teeth
Tilly And The Wall- o
Coldplay- Viva La Vida...
Silver Jews- Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
The Notwist- The Devil, You + Me
Dead Heart Bloom- Fall In
Teddy Thompson- A Piece of What You Need

Wk 6/16 Video & Song of the Week- Motek "Tryer"

This weeks choice for video and song of the week is by indie-experimental Belgian band Motek, and their song "Tryer". The video is all (DIY) as the band shot, produced and edited the video themselves. In fact the group is actually known for it's audio visual and performance art pieces and you can watch and listen to Motek on their website. "Tryer" is off the band's 2nd and latest album Port Sunshine .

Motek- "Tryer":

new music to check out- Weinland

Have you ever heard a song for the first time and it just freezes you dead in your tracks? Well that's what happened the first time we heard the song "Sick As A Gun" by the Portland band Weinland just recently. The song is from the bands La Lamentor CD and it isn't the only gem the band has to offer.
The group who were originally called John Weinland after lead singer John Adam Weinland Shearer, craft delicate haunting songs of loss, desperation and even glimmers of hope. On La Lamentor, Shearer (who worked in the mental health field w/emotionally disturbed children for six years) chronicles much of the pain and hardships that he encountered while in the field, along with battles in his own personal life.
Other standout tracks to check out besides "Sick As A Gun", include "God Here I Come", "Gold", "With You Without You" and the title track "La Lamentor".
Weinland's work on La Lamentor already has us looking ahead to 2008's year end list, where they just may have reserved a spot.

Give a listen to Weinland here.

Rogue Wave- New video

Rogue Wave have put out a new video for their song "Chicago x 12". The hilarious new video features comedian Bob Odenkirk from 'Mr Show' comedy series fame trying to take the boys through his directorial ideas he has for them.
In other Rogue Wave news, the band can currently be seen on tour with Death Cab For Cutie.

Rogue Wave-"Chicago x 12":

Jakob Dylan- Seeing Things

With Rick Rubin at the controls for his first solo project, Jakob Dylan takes it back to basics. Similar to what Rubin did for Johnny Cash on his later recordings, Rubin & Dylan stripped down the sound to it's bare bones on Seeing Things. The new work is largely an acoustic affair which focuses on the strong songwriting and imagery of the singer. Being the offspring of one of the finest and acclaimed songwriters in music history is a tough act to follow, but Jakob does have those Dylan genes after all, and is quite capable of weaving a tale himself as he shows on 'Seeing Things'.
Whether its singing of the plight of the American heartland ..."Here on the surface the earth looks round, but it's godless city of cold flat ground" on the track "Will It Grow" or tackling the Iraq War on "Valley of the Low Sun" Dylan seems at home in his new styling. Two of the strongest tracks actually bookend the album, the melancholy opener "Evil Is Alive and Well" and the rootsy "This End of The Telescope".
'Seeing Things' shows a new refreshing sound For Dylan, and leaves us curious if it is one that he'll continue to pursue, either in future solo projects or with the Wallflowers?

Listen to Jakob Dylan on Myspace.

The Duke Spirit- new video

Fresh off of the release of their new single "My Sunken Treasure" from their latest album Neptune, The Duke Spirit have put out a new video for the track. It features the UK group running around in the Golden State of California.

The Duke Spirit- "My Sunken Treasure":



The band is currently making the rounds on the festival circuit in the UK before making some appearances in the States.

Jun 13 ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL ISLE OF WIGHT
Jun 26 THE ELECTRIC PALACE CINEMA BRIDPORT-DORSET, Southwest
Jun 27 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL-PARK STAGE PILTON, Southwest
Jun 28 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL-Q STAGE PILTON, Southwest
Jul 4 WIRELESS FESTIVAL (BELLA UNION STAGE-ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE) HYDE PARK, LONDON
Jul 5 Roskilde Festival Roskilde, Sjælland
Jul 11 2000 TREES FESTIVAL CHELTENHAM, Southwest
Jul 17 HAMMER MUSEUM-INDIE 103.1 SHOW LA, Ca.
Aug 8 ALL POINTS WEST FESTIVAL New York / NJ, NY
Aug 9 AMERICAN EAGLE MUSIC FESTIVAL PITTSBURGH, Penns.

The Hold Steady- Streaming new album

Although their new album isn't available until June 15th, Brooklyn rockers The Hold Steady are streaming their new album Stay Positive in it's entirety over on the bands Myspace. Stay Positive was produced by legendary producer John Agnello, who has worked with such acts as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Son Volt, and Screaming Trees in the past, and the album features more of the in your face straight ahead rock that the group is known for. The band kick off it's tour schedule on June 27th in Baltimore.

Take a listen to the new album here.

KaiserCartel- March Forth

Courtney Kaiser and Ben Cartel, who make up the indie-folk duo KaiserCartel, are out with a new LP March Forth. The new disc which was produced by Matt Hales aka Aqualung, plays right into the bands strengths, utilizing the warm soft harmonies and the playfulness of the pair. Perfect examples of which are the opener "Oh No" and the track "Okay" which has a beautiful give an take between the two on the verse. Courtney, who was a back up singer for John Mellancamp has an old school quality about her voice that reminds one of an old country starlet from years gone by, and she showcases it on tracks like "Good Ones" and "Free Will Zone" which are both standouts on the album. The duo trade lead vocal duties throughout 'March Forth', as Ben takes over on the vulnerable "Inside Out" and the carefree "Favorite Song".
Part of what makes KaiserCartel (which is an actual couple outside of the band) work so well is that they convey an openness in the music that translates to the listener. It has an engaging quality to it, that it's not just as if your a fly on the wall to the relationship between the two, but an old friend who's seen the relationship grow through good times and bad. 'March Forth' is out now on Blue Hammock music.

Kings Of Leon- working on new album

Still not that far removed from 2007's Because Of The Times , Kings Of Leon are already making plans for their next release. Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine recently, the group revealed that they were wrapping up recording in Nashville’s Blackbird Studio and that the new album should be ready by September.
Having recently recovered from surgery to fix his arm after a scuffle with his brother and bandmate Nathan, lead singer Caleb apparently started writing for the new album only days after the surgery when they removed his arm from a sling. According to Caleb ... “I don’t know if it was the pills or what, but the melodies were so much stronger than anything I’ve ever done — it’s just really beautiful songs.”

The band can currently be seen on tour w/ Pearl Jam, before heading out at the end of June and into July for some festival dates across Europe.

June, 12- Tampa, FL w/Pearl Jam
June, 16- Columbia, SC w/Pearl Jam
June, 17- Virginia Beach, VA w/Pearl Jam
June, 27- Glastonbury Festival
June, 29- St. Gallen, Switzerland ,
July, 02- Quart Festival,Norway
July, 04- Roskilde Festival,Denmark
July, 05- Werchter Festival,Belgium
July, 08- ZENETH Festival,Paris
July, 11- Oxegen Festival,Ireland
July, 13- T in the Park,Scotland
July, 18- Summercase Festival,Madrid

The War On Drugs-Wagonwheel Blues

Philadelphia's the War on Drugs are one of the freshest sounding new bands out there right now, as the 5 piece combine elements of indie rock, shoegaze and alt-country. The band who have been making waves in Philly and the east coast, have recently been signed to Secretly Canadian and are out with their debut LP, Wagonwheel Blues.
If you hear some hints of Dylan in the music it may be because the group was created when Adam Granduciel(vox, guitar) and Kurt Vile (guitar) met at a party back in 2003 and discovered their affection for the singer. Granduciel's vocals and imagery paint a picture of a time gone by and putting the Dylan comparisons aside he is a dynamic frontman and gifted songwriter.
There are plenty of stellar tracks on 'Wagonwheel Blues', from the opener "Arms Like Boulders", which sets the tone early with walls of gangling guitars and harmonica under Granduciel's urgent vocals. "A Needle In Your Eye #16" starts out sounding like Springsteen with it's hammond organ but then jumps into a full fuzz and reverb stomper. There are lighter moments on the album also, like the instumental "Coast Reprise" which feels like it was meant to be played with the windows down, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway as the sun rises.
Two other favorites off 'Wagonwheel Blues' are the frantic "Taking The Farm" which shows the bands spacier indie rock side and the 9 plus minute epic "Show Me The Coast".

Tuesday 6/10 New releases

A busy day today for new music, there's lots to check out in terms of some highly anticipated releases.
Here's some that you might want to give a try...

My Morning Jacket- Evil Urges
The Twilight Sad- Here, It Never Snowed...
The War On Drugs- Wagonwheel Blues
Priscilla Ahn- Dream
Marth Wainwright- I Know Your Married....
Lykke Li-Youth Novels (in the UK) only
KaiserCartel- March Forth
Burning Brides- Anhedonia
Styrofoam- A Thousand Words
Jakob Dylan-Seeing Things
Arms- Kids Aflame
Jon Foreman- Summer EP
Ten Kens- Bear Fight/Ya'll Come Back Now (single)

The Twilight Sad- new old material

Glasgow's The Twilight Sad are out with a new EP titled Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did . The new EP is a reworking of 4 tracks from the groups 2007 album ‘Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters’ plus two previously unreleased tracks, a Daniel Johnston cover "Some Things Last A Long Time", and the title track "Here It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did", the latter of which was originally intended for their debut LP but didn't make the cut.
According to the group the concept for the reworking of the tracks came about from playing much different arrangements of the songs in some of their live shows from last year. Guitarist Andy MacFarlane explains "We wanted to record re-worked versions of some songs from ‘Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters’ as we felt there was another side to some of them that worked just as well as the originals. The idea came about from playing certain gigs or sessions with a more basic line-up of just fan organ, glockenspiel and percussion. We developed that sound in the recordings by plugging the fan organ through effects, adding guitars, drones, violins and experimenting with the alternate sound”.

Fans of the band need not worry, as Twilight Sad still deliver on their epic sound on the reworked tracks, giving them a new life, while on the new tracks lead singer James Graham's voice demands as much attention as ever. Fans of the band will be left happy and if your new to the material you get a glimpse of two sides of the group and the material.

Wk 6/09 Video & song of the week- My Brightest Diamond

Shara Worden aka My Brightest Diamond recently released a new EP Inside A Boy , which will be followed by a new full length later this month. The title track off the EP "Inside A Boy" is our choice for video and song of the week this week. The video sees Shara performing a live version of the song outside in a park in Paris.

My Brightest Diamond- "Inside A Boy":

Our "Liner Notes" interview w/ Thao Nguyen

One of the most buzzed about albums so far this year has been We Brave Bee Stings by Thao Nguyen. Labeled as a singer-songwriter but much more than that, Thao brings an ecclectic mix of folk, country, blues and other styles to the mix with first rate guitar playing and off beat tempo's. We had the chance to sit down with her recently to discuss her sound, her musical growth and how she got her big break by sending a demo to singer Laura Veirs.

Ray LaMontagne- New album in Fall

Ray LaMontagne will coming out with his 3rd album in September, Gossip In The Grain . The album sees the return of producer Ethan Johns who in the past has worked with Ryan Adams.
According to LaMontagne's website the forthcoming disc will be more of a group affair than previous releases, as members of LaMontagne's touring band, bassist Jennifer Condos and guitarist Eric Heywood, with Johns mostly on drums round out the main players. There is even a guest appearance on two tracks by singer Leona Naess.

LaMontagne says of the new work ..."It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record. I'm really very critical of myself and it's sort of a process of opening up. I felt like I was in the right space to show that side of myself."

give a listen - Ten Kens

Coming off of being newly signed to Fat Cat records, the Toronto group Ten Kens are releasing their debut double A sided single Bear Fight/Y'all Come Back Now . The band which formed back in 2003 has drawn some heavy comparisons to groups such as Liars, Arcade Fire and even Destroyer.
The song "Bear Fight" is all explosive energy complete with soaring vocals over furied drumming. "Y'all Come Back Now" shows a different side of the band as it slows things down a bit with a lo-fi reverb soaked shuffle that would make Sonic Youth proud.

The single 'Bear Fight/Y'all Come Back Now' comes out on June 10th in the US & June 9th in the UK & the rest of the world, and is the pre-cursor to the groups debut LP, which is scheduled for an Autumn 2008 release.

Listen to Ten Kens on Myspace.