Arcade Fire: Live DVD on the way?

Yesterday, Arcade Fire fans who logged onto the band's website were being directed to a page with the words 'Miroir Noir' - which is French for 'Black Mirror', and also happens to be the name of the opening song from their 2007 album 'Neon Bible'. Although no official press release has been made, the website showed previously-unreleased live footage of the band - along with a message 'Miroir Noir, Neon Bible Archives, Coming Soon' appearing at the end of the video.

The Arcade Fire fan site, Us Kids Know was also reporting ..."Miroir Noir will feature live footage from the 'Neon Bible' tour, filmed by Vincent Moon (La Blogotheque)and directed by Vincent Morisset. Keep an eye on Miroir-noir.com for details."

Update: The 70-minute film is actually available for download Mond. the 15th, with a DVD edition being made available later in January. Fans who pre-order the DVD will digitally receive the documentary immediately. For fans willing to go the extra mile, they can receive a deluxe DVD that features live performances from Friday Night With Jonathon Ross, Saturday Night Live and the BBC Studio Maida Vale.

Headless Heroes: Best covers album you may not have heard

The collaborative effort known as the Headless Heroes have got it covered on their new LP,The Silence of Love. The album is a beautiful melancholy themed album of all cover songs, created by Eddie Bezalel and Hugo Nicolson. The pair pulled together the songs with the help of fellow musicians (Josh Klinghoffer, Woody Jackson, Joey Waronker, Leo Abrahams & Gus Seyffert), along with the sweet voice of Alela Diane, who Bezalel found via her Myspace. Bezalel said upon hearing her voice, he instantly knew she was the one to carry the tunes. The LP is a collection of lost classics and unearthed gems that stretches over 40 years of time, ranging from Daniel Johnston, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, to Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs and The Gentle Soul.
The album is currently out just in Europe, while in the U.S. & Canada it is due to hit stores in May of 2009.
Below you can check out versions of Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You in The End" and the Jesus & Mary Chain's, "Just Like Honey."




Headless Heroes myspace.

The Dears- Missiles

We often talk on the blog about all the great indie bands coming out of Canada. One of the forefathers of the 'Montreal sound' are the husband and wife combo of Murray Lightburn & Natalia Yanchak, The Dears. Lightburn and Yanchak burst onto the scene in 2000 with their debut album, 'End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story', which showcased the bands orchestral, dark pop sound. The band is out with their newest and fourth studio album Missiles, which was born out of troubled sessions that led to the departure of most of the band. Left with what could have been a career killer, the couple indulged in some needed musical soul-searching, which turned any possible setbacks into what some have called one of their most consistent and polished releases to date.
The album opens with the dramatic, anthemic “Disclaimer”, featuring a swelling wall of synth and flourishes of horns. From there on out the atmospheric journey begins, with tracks “Dream Job”, awash in organ and strings, and "Lights Off" leading the way. The latter track is one of the albums strongest, starting out with a dreamy acoustic & string led intro that later gets treated with some Radioheadesque guitar work. Also standing out are, "Berlin Heart", with it's tender orchestration, "Money Babies", and "Crisis 1&2", which sees Yanchak tackling lead vocals.



The Dears on myspace.

Pearl Jam: find 4 ways to reissue 'Ten'

Pearl Jam's 1991 debut disc, 'Ten' will be getting four new reissue editions this coming March. The band have unearthed a host of unreleased tracks and special surprises from deep in the vaults. Depending on your finances, here's the breakdown on how it will be available: The Legacy Edition- features two discs, one with the original album remastered and another with the album both remastered and remixed by longtime PJ producer Brendan O'Brien, also included is six bonus tracks "Brother," "Just a Girl," "State of Love and Trust," "Breath and a Scream," "2,000 Mile Blues" and "Evil Little Goat." The Deluxe Edition- includes everything in the Legacy Edition, as well as a DVD of Pearl Jam's "MTV Unplugged" show from 1992. Then there's the Vinyl Collection edition- which is the same as the Legacy Edition minus the bonus tracks and on vinyl: one LP with the original Ten remastered and one LP with Ten remastered and remixed by Brendan O'Brien. Then last but not least you can get the Super Deluxe Edition- which contains everything in the Deluxe Edition and the Vinyl Collection, with extra's that include a live 2 LP set recorded in Seattle from 1992, a replica of "Momma-Son", Pearl Jam's original demo cassette, as well as a replica Eddie Vedder composition notebook filled with personal notes and images from the collections of Vedder and Jeff Ament.
All four new editions are set to arrive in stores this March 24th.

PJ Harvey: unveils new LP plans

It's hard to believe it's been nearly 17 years since PJ Harvey came out with her first CD back in 1992. A mainstay in the indie rock world, Harvey has recently announced plans for her 9th album titled, A Woman A Man Walked By. The album is due out on March 30, 2009, and is a collaboration with John Parish, with whom she also worked with on her (1996) LP 'Dance Hall At Louse Point', as well as co-producing 'To Bring You My Love'(1995), and Harvey's most recent release 'White Chalk'(2007). Parish has worked with artists including the Eels and Giant Sand. A Woman A Man Walked By was recorded in the UK and was mixed by Flood.

Listen to PJ Harvey on myspace.

Bear Hands: add dates, new videos

Brooklyn's Bear Hands recently got back from some shows in the UK, where the band just saw their 2007 debut EP, Golden receive it's release. Now that the band is back on their home turf, they just announced some upcoming shows next month across the States, which see the group supporting the likes of Dept. of Eagles, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Pomegranates.

While on their recent jaunt across the UK, the band stopped in to The Fly TV where they performed some acoustic numbers, one of which was "Long Lean Queen" from their Golden EP.

The Fly - Bear Hands `Long Lean Queen` FlyTV In The Courtyard on MUZU.

Bear Hands tour schedule:

Jan 8 The Space Hamden, CT
Jan 9 TBA New York, NY
Jan 10 Rock and Roll Hotel Washington, DC
Jan 11 The Summit w/ Pomegranates Columbus, OH
Jan 12 Southgate House w/ Pomegranates Newport, KY
Jan 14 Tomorrow Never Knows Festival @ Schuba’s Chicago, IL
Jan 15 Grog Shop w/ Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson Cleveland, OH
Jan 16 Brillobox w/ Pomegranates Pittsburgh, PA
Jan 17 Johnny Brenda’s w/ Department of Eagles Philadelphia, PA

Bear Hands on myspace.

An Horse: new music

Fans of Tegan and Sara might be familiar with the Aussie power-pop duo, An Horse. The group supported the sister's during one of their tours through the land down under, and won them over with their catchy hooks. In fact Sara Quin liked the pair so much that she collaborated closely with An Horse on their forthcoming US release Rearange Beds, which will physically be in stores on March 17th. Said Quin ... “I get goose bumps, electrical currents running up my arms listening to them – I love this band.” The album is available digitally on iTunes right now.



An Horse on myspace.

new video: The Acorn-"Crooked Legs"

The Acorn's debut album Glory Hope Mountain, came out in their home land of Canada back in 2007, later seeing it's US release this past Spring. The album, which is a concept album of sorts, chronicles singer Rolf Klausener's mother's life story, from her beginnings in an orphanage in Honduras. The LP is a sweeping acoustic filled journey, that steers clear of turning the disc into a complete narrative tale. One of the highlights of the album is the track, "Crooked Legs", which the band has released a new video for this past week.

The Acorn-"Crooked Legs":


The Acorn on myspace.

'Video & Song of the Week':Point Juncture, WA-"Sioux Arrow"

One of our newest discoveries that we've been excited about at Burn The Bowery, is the band Point Juncture, WA. We stumbled across the Portland band on myspace recently, and they instantly added to the theory that there just has to be something in the water in the Northwest city. The group have come out with their 2nd full length Heart To Elk, which is available now through thier website, with a full national release scheduled for February 10th by Mt. Fuji. You can check out the single "Sioux Arrow", which gets the nod for this weeks choice for 'Video and Song of the Week'.

Point Juncture, WA:

SIOUX ARROW from Hart Ryan Noecker on Vimeo.

Point Juncture, WA on myspace.
pointjuncturewa.com

M. Ward: new album and tour dates

With a list of star-studded producing credits and guest appearances to his name, M. Ward's schedule can feel at times fully booked. The singer/songwriter, who most recently collaborated on the acclaimed project She & Him, with Zooey Deschanel, has announced some plans of his own, unveiling details of his highly anticipated new release, Hold Time , which is due this February 17th, on Merge Records. Ward will also be hitting the road this winter to coincide with the albums release, touring on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ward's new LP will be the follow up to his 2006 release, Post-War. The new disc sees guest performances by Lucinda Williams, Jason Lytle (ex Grandaddy) and Zooey Deschanel.

M. Ward upcoming tour dates:

February 18 Boston, MA @ Somerville Theater
February 19 New York, NY @ The Apollo Theatre
February 20 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
February 21 Washington, DC @ Sixth and I Synagogue
February 25 London, UK @ Borderline
February 26 Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse
February 27 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
March 4 Los Angeles, CA @ Music Box at Fonda
March 5 San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts
March 6 Seattle, WA @ Showbox At The Market
March 7 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater

new Cut Off Your Hands track:"Turn Cold"

Though their new album, You and I doesn't arrive in stores until Jan. 20th on French Kiss records, New Zealand's infectious Cut Off Your Hands have just posted a new track, "Turn Cold" on their myspace. The band is coming off of being nominated for the "Breakthrough Artist Of The Year" Award at the 2008 New Zealand Music Awards. The new LP, which will be the bands debut full length in the US, is currently out in their homeland, where they can now be seen out on tour.



Cut Off Your Hands myspace.

Dirty On Purpose: Officially call it a wrap at year end

Brooklyn's Dirty on Purpose have announced they will perform their final show as a band this New Year’s Eve in New York City. The band will play for the final time, in the opening slot for friends, A Place To Bury Strangers at Mercury Lounge. The decision came after the band decided they did not want to record a new album together. In a statement from the band they said... "After six years of spending an unhealthy and unusual amount of time together, Dirty on Purpose is going the way of the dodo. We got back from tour about a month ago and sat down to talk about recording another record, and realized we didn't really want to record another record. Not now anyway. So we're going our separate ways. Our best friends and practice space sharers of many years, A Place to Bury Strangers, offered us the opening slot on their New Year's Eve gig at Mercury Lounge. We thought it was an appropriate way to wind things down and say goodbye to our friends and fans." Later adding ... "Finally, we're all still buddies and live in the same town, so we reserve the right to change our minds and get back together in six months if we feel like it."
All the band members are still pursuing other music projects, Doug Marvin plays with Joe Jurewicz in Neckbeard Telecaster , George Wilson plays bass with Coin Under Tongue and Joe leads the band Joe and the Flying Spoons.

Ohbijou: wrapping up new album

Back in 2006, Toronto Canada's Ohbijou released the indie-pop gem Swift Feet For Troubling Times, which featured the gorgeous track "St.Francis". The band has recently been holed up in the studio where they are putting the finishing touches on a new album, which now has a tentative release date of April 2009, and a title, Beacons. Earlier this year Ohbijou were chosen as one of three bands for the Banff Centre's first Indie Band Residency, where they had the opportunity to spend two weeks working with some top producers and recording engineers. You can preview one of the new track's, "Black Ice" on the bands myspace now, and also take a look at a live version of "St. Francis" from a recent concert in L.A. @ Spaceland.

new video: City and Colour-"The Girl"

Throughout the year we've been heaping praise on Dallas Green's low key acoustic project, City and Colour. The ex-singer of the hardcore group Alexisonfire, released his sophomore solo effort this past year, the intimate Bring Me Your Love, which features among many stellar tracks, the song "The Girl". Green has just come out with a new video for the song, in which he actually recorded all new audio for the first half of the video. The beginning softer part of the song was captured live, on set (under a bridge, on a balcony and in a few different rooms in an empty house), while the second half picks up with the original recorded version of the track.

The Girl

Deerhunter: new tour dates & single

Deerhunter's newest album Microcastle, has been one of the most blogged about albums of 2008, with people either seeming to fall into the category of loving it or hating it. If you fall into the first category you'll be glad to know that the band will be releasing the next single from the disc in the New Year, for the song "Never Stops". In other news, the Atlanta based band will be heading back out on the road again come February, this time across the Atlantic in Europe. The group will get things started in Prague on Feb. 11th, where from there on out there will be a near non-stop schedule of back to back shows until closing things out on March 11th in Germany.

Deerhunter upcoming tour dates:
12.04.08 - Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana
12.05.08 - One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana
12.06.08 - Bottletree Birmingham, Alabama
02.11.09 - Prague, Czech Republic (Rock Cafe)
02.13.09 - Amsterdam, Netherlands (Paradiso)
02.14.09 - Rotterdam, Netherlands (Rotown)
02.15.09 - Brugge, Belgium (Cactus)
02.16.09 - Brussels, Belgium (Botanique)
02.17.09 - Zurich, Switzerland (Rote Fabrik)
02.19.09 - Mulhouse, France (Generiq at Le Noumatrouff)
02.20.09 - Dijon, France (Generiq at Le Noumatrouff)
02.21.09 - St. Malo, France (Route De Rock)
02.22.09 - Paris, France (Nuits De L'Alligator)
02.25.09 - Dundingen, Switzerland (Bad Bonn)
02.26.09 - Berlin, Germany (Magnet Club)
02.27.09 - Liepzig, Germany (Nato)
02.28.09 - Cologne, Germany (Luxor)
03.03.09 - London, UK (Scala)
03.04.09 - Manchester, UK (Deaf Institute)
03.05.09 - Glasgow, UK (Stereo)
03.06.09 - Belfast, UK (The Black Box)
03.07.09 - Dublin, Ireland (Whelans)
03.08.09 - Liverpool, UK (Korova)
03.09.09 - Brighton, UK (Audio)
03.11.09 - Dresden, Germany (Beatpol)

Deerhunter on myspace.

Great Lake Swimmers- new LP on the way

The Tony Dekker led atmospheric acoustic project, the Great Lake Swimmers have a new disc coming out March 31st, Lost Channels from Nettwerk Records. The album takes its name from the region: the Lost Channel, which is the passage of water in the Thousand Islands where mysterious disappearances reportedly happened during a battle in 1760. The group found inspiration for the new LP, after having received an invitation to check out the region of Ontario, by a local historian. The band was so taken by the area, that it sat down and wrote songs based on the region and others like it. They also chose to record in unusual locales such as Hammond, N.Y.'s Singer Castle and St. Brendan's Church in Rockport, Ontario.
Lost Channels will follow up 2007's brilliant Ongiara. The band will tour North America in March and April, starting with a string of dates in Eastern Canada.



Lost Channels Track Listing:

1. PALMISTRY 2:32
2. EVERYTHING IS MOVING SO FAST 4:19
3. PULLING ON A LINE 3:18
4. CONCRETE HEART 3:31
5. SHE COMES TO ME IN DREAMS 4:02
6. THE CHORUS IN THE UNDERGROUND 3:20
7. SINGER CASTLE BELLS 0:48
8. STEALING TOMORROW 2:50
9. STILL 2:50
10. NEW LIGHT 3:18
11. RIVERS EDGE 4:17
12. UNISON FALLING INTO HARMONY 3:25

Listen to Great Lake Swimmers on myspace.

new video: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-"Everything With You"

The dreamy noise-pop group from Brooklyn, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, recently came out with a new 7" single for the track "Everything With You". The track not only will appear as the 7", but will also be included on their debut album, which is scheduled for a release in early February '09 on Slumberland in the US and Fortuna Pop in the UK. In the meantime the band put out a new video for the aforementioned track, directed by Art Boonparn, which features keyboardist/vocalist Peggy and her best friend mixing it up.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-"Everything With You":


Upcoming tour dates:
Dec 4 Pure Groove Records in-store London and South East
Dec 4 Academy w/ The Wedding Present Oxford
Dec 5 Princess Charlotte w/ The Wedding Present Leicester
Dec 6 Academy w/ The Wedding Presnet Manchester
Dec 8 Pavillion w/ The Wedding Present Cork
Dec 9 Andrews Lane Theatre w/ The Wedding Present Dublin
Dec 10 Limelight w/ The Wedding Present Belfast
Dec 11 Sneaky Pete’s Edinburgh, Scotland
Dec 12 Captain’s Rest Glasgow, Scotland
Dec 13 The Cockpit: w/ The Manhattan Love Suicides Leeds
Dec 14 The Social Notthingham
Dec 16 Twee as Fuck @ Old Blue Last London
Dec 17 The Lexington London and South East
Dec 18 Forum w/ The Wedding Present London
Feb 7 Mercury Lounge New York, New York
Feb 8 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 9 Black Cat Backstage Washington DC
Feb 11 Schubas Chicago, Illinois
Feb 12 Neutral Toronto
Feb 13 Il Motore Montreal
Feb 15 Middle East Massachusetts

Indie rock all-star line-up revealed for 'Dark Was The Night' compilation

With yesterday being World Aids Day, the line-up was revealed for the jam packed Dark Was the Night , the compilation release benefiting AIDS/HIV awareness group, The Red Hot Organization. The effort was produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, and will feature 32 exclusive new tracks from some of indie rocks biggest names. Not all the tracklisting has been unveiled, but some details that have already leaked are: David Byrne teaming up with the Dirty Projectors, Feist joining both Grizzly Bear and Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst performing with Gillian Welch, José González doing a cover of Nick Drake's "Cello Song", My Brightest Diamond singing "Feeling Good", as well as The National contributing a track of their own, and Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner teaming up for another.
The compilation will be made available on on double CD, triple LP, or digital download on February 17th from 4AD.

Dark Was The Night full line-up:

Andrew Bird
Antony + Bryce Dessner
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Beirut
Blonde Redhead + Devastations
Bon Iver
Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner
The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
The Decemberists
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Kevin Drew
Feist + Ben Gibbard
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear + Feist
Iron & Wine
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Kronos Quartet
Stuart Murdoch
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
The New Pornographers
Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
Riceboy Sleeps
Dave Sitek
Spoon
Sufjan Stevens
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo

Neko Case: new release this Spring

It's been over two years since we've had new material from Neko Case, the last being 2006's critically acclaimed Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. Case is said to be releasing a new disc this coming March the 3rd, titled Middle Cyclone, which includes appearances by Calexico, M.Ward and the Lilys. Case toured intermittently throughout the year with her old band The New Pornographers, where she had been previewing 3 or 4 songs off the new disc, none of which were titled at the time. You can check the tracklist below. Here's "Hold On, Hold On" from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.



Middle Cyclone track listing:

This Tornado Loves You
The Next Time You Say Forever
People Got A Lotta Nerve
Polar Nettles
Vengeance Is Sleeping
Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
Middle Cyclone
Fever
Magpie To The Morning
I'm An Animal
Prison Girls
Don't Forget Me
The Pharaohs
Red Tide
Marais La Nuit

Neko Case on myspace.

Our new 'Liner Notes' video interview w/ Damien Jurado

One of my recent obsessions of late has been Damien Jurado and his new album, Caught In The Trees. Having been around since the mid 90's Jurado has put out an impressive and diverse catalouge of work, ranging in differing styles over the years. Usually known for his gift of fictional story telling, the new disc sees Jurado shift gears into much more personal territory, which results in what could be his finest work yet. We had the chance to catch up with Damien at a recent tour stop in Belgium, where he sat down with us to discuss the Seattle music scene in the 90's, his new album, and how the music business has changed over the years.

'Video & Song' of the Week: Jessica Lea Mayfield-"Bible Days"

At just 19 years old, Jessica Lea Mayfield sounds wise beyond her years on her debut disc, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. Mixing elements of alt-country twang and indie-rock, Mayfield's debut is as strong as anything that's come out this year (for our review click here). This weeks choice for 'Video & Song' of the week is the track "Bible Days", taken from an intimate home recording of Mayfield from several months back.

Jessica Lea Mayfield-"Bible Days":



Listen to Jessica Lea Mayfield on myspace.