Song of the week- "Y'all Come Back Now" by Ten Kens

Our choice for song of the week this week comes from Toronto's indie rockers Ten Kens, for the track "Y'all Come Back Now". The track was out last month on a double A sided single along with their song "Bear Fight". The group has been in studio for much of the year and are ready to make their full legth debut in September with their self titled work on Fat Cat Records.

Listen to more of Ten Kens.

The Secret Life Of Sofia- 'Seven Summits'

If we were to tell you that one of our favorite albums of late has a running theme about mountain climbing adventures, you might not believe us. But it's true, the new album Seven Summits from Brooklyn's The Secret Life Of Sofia brings to life both true and fictional tales of mountaineering adventures of the seven summits (which are the seven highest summits of the seven continents). Lead singer Kyle Wilson in fact has some training as a mountaineer and has a sort of fascination with the subject. Lucky for us the man knows what he's talking about, and it shows on the new disc. 'Seven Summits' is a smart, complex album that reveals it's charm and intricacies more & more with each listen. Not that it's not engaging as a first spin but it is appreciated more with each turn. Right from the start of the dreamy opener "Fifty Fourteeners" the listener is drawn in & swept off to a different locale altogether as Wilson's storytelling paints a lush picture. The folkish track "Outside" shows the bands ability to switch gears with it's delicate harmonies and composition, while the dark and brooding "Nepal, 1905" which is about the notorious climber Aleister Crowley again shows off the bands broad repertoire. Other highlights of 'Seven Summits' include the synth heavy "Weathering" which is based on an infamous disaster that occurred on Mt. Everest in 1996 along with the track "Nanda Devi" with it's beautiful orchestration.

The new work sees the band more seasoned and sounding more confident in it's ability than on their 2006 self titled EP. Secret Life of Sofia is no doubt a band on the rise (no pun intended), and we look forward to hearing more from them in 2008.
If you want to see the band live, you can currently catch them out on the road as they kick off their tour tonight starting in Brooklyn.

Jul 25 2008 Pete’s Candy Store Brooklyn, New York
Jul 26 2008 Double Wide Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jul 27 2008 Carabar Columbus, Ohio
Jul 28 2008 House show Louisville, Kentucky
Jul 29 2008 Bluebird Bloomington, Indiana
Jul 30 2008 Noah’s Marion, Indiana
Jul 31 2008 Howard’s Club H Bowling Green, Ohio
Aug 1 2008 Village Green Records Muncie, Indiana
Aug 2 2008 Catacombs Butler, Pennsylvania
Aug 21 2008 Jezebel Music Feature @ Union Pool Brooklyn, New York

Listen to Secret Life Of Sofia on Myspace.

Grizzly Bear perform new song on Letterman

Though their new album isn't likely to hit stores until 2009, Grizzly Bear debuted a new song "Two Weeks" on the Late Show with David Letterman on Weds. night. The band has currently been in the studio working on their next album and is also prepping to head out on the road for select dates with Radiohead as well as some festival appearances. Of the newer material singer Edward Droste says "I think the orchestrations will be equally complex and intricate, but the mood is slightly more a sunny afternoon versus a fall afternoon."
The debut of the new material on the late night talk show circuit wasn't the first for Grizzly Bear, as earlier in the spring the band debuted another new track off the forthcoming disc "While You Wait for the Others," on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

"Two Weeks":



upcoming Grizzly Bear Tour dates:

Jul 31, 2008 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
Aug 01, 2008 - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
Aug 02, 2008 - Louisville, KY - 930 Listening Room
Aug 03, 2008 - Noblesville,IN -Verizon Wireless Center w/Radiohead
Aug 04, 2008 - Cuyahoga Falls,OH -Blossom Music Center w/Radiohead
Aug 06, 2008 - Montréal,QC -Parc Jean Drapeau w/Radiohead
Aug 07, 2008 - Northampton, MA - Calvin Theater w/ The New Pornographers
Aug 08, 2008 - Jersey City, NJ - All Points West Music & Arts Festival
Aug 11, 2008 - Washington, DC - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Aug 12, 2008 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center w/ Radiohead
Aug 13, 2008 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center w/ Radiohead
Aug 14, 2008 - Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Aug 15, 2008 - Toronto, ON -Molson Amphitheatre w/Radiohead

Feist playing free show

If you happen to live in the NYC area and can manage to get to work a bit late on Fri. morning, you might be able to catch a free performance from Feist. She will be playing tom 7/25 at Bryant Park as part of the Good Morning America concert series and will go on at approximately 8:44am. If you can stand the traditional morning show banter you might want to arrive early as it gets crowded quiet fast. Bryant Park is located on (41st St. @ 6th Ave.).

Greg Laswell- new video for "How The Day Sounds"

Singer/songwriter and Hotel Cafe alum Greg Laswell is fresh off putting out his new full length Three Flights From Alto Nido, and has just put out a new video for the single "How The Day Sounds". The video was directed by Autumn De Wilde and features actor Elijah Wood.
Check back later in the week for a full review of 'Three Flights From Alto Nido', in the meantime here's the video:

Greg Laswell:

How the Day Sounds

Cold War Kids post new song

Though their new album Loyalty to Loyalty doesn't hit the streets until September 23rd, the Cold War Kids have just posted a new track off the album, "Something Is Not Right With Me" on their myspace. The track features some classic Cold War Kids staples, with a thumping bass opening and the signature yelps of lead singer Nathan Willett. To listen to the new track "Something Is Not Right With Me" click here.

If your looking to get more of a sneak peak at the bands new material, you'll have to catch them out on the road. Here's a rundown of their tour itinerary leading up to the release date.

Aug 2 2008 Splendour in the Grass - Byron Bay
Aug 3 2008 Tivoli Brisbane
Aug 4 2008 Enmore Sydney
Aug 6 2008 Palace - Melbourne
Aug 9 2008 Belladrum Festival Inverness
Aug 10 2008 Summer Sundae Leicester
Aug 11 2008 Bloomsbury Ballroom - London
Aug 12 2008 Concorde 2 Brighton
Aug 14 2008 La Route Du Rock St Malo
Aug 15 2008 Pukkelpop Hasselt
Aug 22 2008 Outside Lands Festival San Francisco, California
Aug 23 2008 Sunset Junction Festival Los Angeles, California
Aug 24 2008 Les Schwab Amp w/ Beck Bend, Oregon
Sep 20 2008 Street Scene San Diego, California

The weeks new releases

Here's the list of what we put together for this weeks new releases you might find interesting. Not many big names on the list besides the much hyped new albums from CSS and Black Kids. But besides those, be sure to check out some quality releases from lesser known projects like Windmill, Lackthereof and Bodies of Water that are among the early favorites of this weeks lot.

Here's the list:

CSS- Donkey
Black Kids- Partie Traumatic
Brendan Canning- Something For All Of Us
One Day As a Lion- (self titled) Ep
Natalie Walker- With You
Bodies Of Water- A Certain Feeling
Lackthereof- Bodies Of Water
Avett Brothers- Second Gleam
Faun Fables- A Table Forgotten
Low vs Diamond- (self titled)
Windmill- Puddle City Racing Lights
The Ruling Class- Flowers (single)
Jay Reatrd & Deerhunter- Fluorescent Grey/ Oh It's Such a Shame (single)

new Gutter Twins track

The collaborative project of Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli known as the Gutter Twins , have just released a new track titled "Belles". The track shows a much lighter shoegaze type vibe from the duo & is actually a cover of a song from the americana rock group Vetiver. The song is from the new forthcoming Gutter Twins exclusive I-tunes release, Adorata. The new release will feature various covers and outtakes the two recorded during the Saturnalia sessions.

Listen to "Belles" on the bands myspace.

Photo credit: Sam Holden

Land Of Talk sign to Saddle Creek

Montreal's Indie rock outfit Land Of Talk, led by dynamic frontwoman Elizabeth Powell have just signed up with Saddle Creek records. In doing so, the group have announced the release date of their debut full-length, Some Are Lakes which will be out on October 7th.
The group recorded 'Some Are Lakes' in their hometown of Montreal with help from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame, and is the follow up to their 2006 EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss which featured the electric single "Speak to Me Bones".

Some Are Lakes track listing:

1. Yuppy Flu
2. Death By Fire
3. The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle)
4. Some Are Lakes
5. Give Me Back My Heart Attack
6. It's Okay
7. Young Bridge
8. Corner Phone
9. Got A Call
10. Troubled

If you want a sneak preview of the new material, here you can take a listen to a live version of the title track "Some Are Lakes" that the band performed earlier in the year in Paris.

Thao Nguyen- Headlining tour begins

Coming off their recent tour in support of Rilo Kiley, Thao Nguyen and her band the Get Down Stay Down are prepping to head back out on the road this summer. The upcoming tour will be the bands first headlining tour in support of their We Brave Bee Stings and All which featured the infectious songs "Bag Of Hammers", "Beat(Health Life & Fire)" and "Swimming Pools". Opening acts slated for the tour so far include David Schultz and the Skyline, Pepi Ginsberg, Horse Feathers and Tune-Yards.

Also, if you haven't seen our "Liner Notes" video interview with Thao, you can see it here.

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down tour dates:

07-19 Columbus, OH - Cafe Bourbon Street
07-20 Cincinnati, OH - Northside Tavern
07-21 Lexington, KY - Skull Alley
07-22 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
07-23 Des Moines, IA - The Houes of Bricks
07-24 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
07-25 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
07-26 Stanley, ID - Pioneer Park
07-29 Portland, OR - Holocene
07-31 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
08-01 Irvine, CA - Phoenix Grille at UC Irvine
08-02 West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
08-03 San Diego, CA - Casbah
08-04 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
08-05 Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprock's
08-06 Austin, TX - Emo's
08-07 Dallas, TX - Club Dada
08-08 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall
08-09 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
08-11 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
08-12 Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear's Place
08-13 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
08-14 Washington, DC - Black Cat
08-30 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
09-29 Upland, IN - Taylor University

The Hold Steady on Letterman

One of the hardest working rock bands in the business, Brooklyn's The Hold Steady made an appearance on The Late Show w/ David Letterman Wednesday night. In addition to the usual musical performance though, the band was included in a comedy skit by Letterman reporter Andy Kindler, who oddly and funny enough as you'll see, resembles Hold Steady lead singer Craig Finn. As far as the performance is concerned the band played "Sequestered in Memphis" from their newly released Stay Positive.

Check out the performance and sketch below.

CSS- new album + bonus material

CSS' long awaited and much buzzed about forthcoming album Donkey is almost ready to hit stores this summer. The sophomore disc is set to be released on July 21st in the UK and the 22nd in the US, and for a limited time if ordered before Tuesday through the Sub Pop webstore, fans will receive a three-song bonus CD that has two tracks not on the new disc, as well as a demo version of the the track "I Fly" that appears on 'Donkey'.
The electro-pop group from Brazil's new LP is the follow up to 2006's successful 'Cansei de Sei Sexy' which was hailed by critics and bloggers alike.

Bonus disc tracklist:

1- Hit & Run
2- Blackwing
3- I Fly (demo version)

Great Lake Swimmers- Add tour dates

The Toronto indie-folk group, Great Lake Swimmers have just announced a handful of new tour dates across the US. Singer/songwriter Tony Dekker and the group will be heading back out on the road in August and September touring in support of 2007's 'Ongiara', which featured the hauntingly beautiful "Your Rocky Spine". As far as new material from the band is concerned, we'll have to wait until at least spring 09' for the 4th disc to be released.

Great Lake Swimmers new tour dates in the US:

Aug 14 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Aug 16 Lyons, CO @ Folks Festival
Aug 17 Manitou Springs, CO @ KinFolks Music
Aug 19 Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Aug 20 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Aug 21 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
Aug 22 Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Sep 25 Northampton, MA @ The Iron Horse Music Hall
Sep 26 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sep 27 Hastings-on-Hudson, NY Common Ground Coffe House
Sep 28 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall

Listen to Great Lake Swimmers on Myspace.

This Weeks New Releases

The trend of slow release weeks continues for the month of July.

Here's what we dug up to check out for this week:

The Alternate Routes- The Watershed Ep
Death To Anders- Fictitious Business
The Hold Steady- Stay Positive
Joshua James- B Sides It's Dark Outside
MGMT- Electric Feel (Justice remix) single
Scarlett Johansson- I-tunes (Live session)
Nas- (self titled)
Herman Dune- I Wish That I Could See You Soon EP
The Cure- Sleep When I'm Dead (Mix 13) single
Matt Pond Pa- This Is Not The Green Fury (reissue)
Rocky Votolato- (self titled) reissue
Wire- Object 47

Jenny Lewis- reveals newest solo album details

Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis has just announced details of her new solo work Acid Tongue, which will be released this September. The new disc is the second solo album from Lewis, and is the follow-up to 2006’s successful ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’. The new album was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA in a short span over just three weeks and features collaborations with Johnathan Rice, M Ward, Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, actress/singer Zooey Deschanel as well as a duet with Elvis Costello.
In addition to the release of 'Acid Tongue’ in September, Lewis will be hitting the road supporting the album with some brief tour dates as follows:

Sept 16- Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Sept 17- Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Sept 19- Chicago IL Epiphany Church
Sept 20- Omaha, NE Anchor Inn
Sept 21- Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Sept 22- Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
Sept 23- Fayetteville, AK George’s Majestic
Sept 24- Oxford, MS The Lyric Theatre
Sept 25- Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
Sept 26- Austin, TX Austin City Limits
Oct 2- Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Oct 4- New York, NY Apollo Theatre

She Keeps Bees- new songs

The dynamic duo She Keeps Bees, which is comprised of singer & guitarist Jessica Larabee and drummer Andy LaPlant have just put up three new songs from their new upcoming disc Nests on their myspace page. Jessica's voice, if you haven't heard it, is one of the more fresh and unique sounding talents out there, you could say it's a mix of Catpower with even more soul, with a touch of the rawness of early PJ Harvey.
The new disc 'Nests' from She Keeps Bees, which is the follow up to 2007's Shhhh EP, still doesn't have an official release date as of yet, but the three new tracks "Focus", "Release" and "Gimme" are more than promising enough to hold fans over in the meantime.

new She & Him video- "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here"

The hit project She & Him, from actress Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward have just released their first video for the single "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" from the critically successful Volume One , which was released back in March. The two met on the set of the film Go-Getter, in which Ward was doing some soundtrack work and Deschanel was starring in. The director actually had them record a song for the end credits and the pair hit it off after discovering their shared musical interests, which in the end resulted in the throwback 60's country stylings heard on 'Volume One'.

She & Him- "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here":

Liam Finn hitting the road w/ Eddie Vedder

New Zealand's Liam Finn (son of Crowded Houses Neil Finn) has just announced some added tour dates in the US opening for Pearl Jams Eddie Vedder. Finn has been on the road for much of 2007 & '08 in support of his outstanding debut disc, I'll Be Lightning . Currently Finn is playing solo gigs across the UK that run till the end of July, and after that he'll hit the road with Vedder.

Liam Finn new dates w/ Eddie Vedder:

Aug 1 2008 Opera House w/ Eddie Vedder Boston, Massachusetts
Aug 2 2008 Opera House w/ Eddie Vedder Boston, Massachusetts
Aug 4 2008 United Palace Theater w/ Eddie Vedder New York, New York
Aug 5 2008 United Palace Theater w/ Eddie Vedder New York, New York
Aug 7 2008 New Jersey Performing Arts Centre w/ Eddie Vedder Newark, New Jersey
Aug 9 2008 Salle Wilfrid Pelletier/Place w/ Eddie Vedder Montreal, Quebec
Aug 12 2008 Massey Hall w/ Eddie Vedder Toronto, Ontario
Aug 13 2008 Massey Hall w/ Eddie Vedder Toronto, Ontario
Aug 16 2008 Warner Theatre w/ Eddie Vedder Washington, Washington DC
Aug 17 2008 Warner Theatre w/ Eddie Vedder Washington, Washington DC
Aug 19 2008 The Riverside Theater w/ Eddie Vedder Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Aug 21 2008 Auditorium Theater w/ Eddie Vedder Chicago, Illinois
Aug 22 2008 Auditorium Theater w/ Eddie Vedder Chicago, Illinois

Listen to Liam Finn.

New Death Cab For Cutie video- "Cath"

Death Cab for Cutie has just put out a new video for their second single off of Narrow Stairs, for the song "Cath".
Be sure to check out those chops on lead singer Ben Gibbard.

Death Cab For Cutie- "Cath":

New Albert Hammond Jr video- "GfC"

If your a fan of The Strokes, check out the new solo project from their guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.
While in between Strokes albums Hammond Jr. has just released his second solo project titled, Cómo Te Llama? which hit stores yesterday. In addition to the new album, Hammond Jr. has recently put out a brand new video for the single "GfC".




Listen to Albert Hammond Jr. on Myspace.

This Weeks New Releases

Another light release week this week, but not nearly as quiet as what the first week of July brought last week. The list this time out features some heavy hitters.
Here's what we think is worth checking out this week:

Beck- Modern Guilt
Paper Route- Are We All Forgotten
Greg Laswell- Three Flights From Alto Nido
Albert Hammond Jr.- Como Te Llama
Vancougar- Canadian Tuxedo
Blind Pilot- 3 Rounds And a Sound
Imogen Heap- Not Now But Soon (single)
Joseph Arthur- Foreign Girls
Ratatat- LP3
Son Ambulance- Someone Else's Deja Vu
Tricky- Council Estate EP
The Old Believers- Eight Golden Greats
Kerli- Love Is Dead