The Helio Sequence touring with Keane

Most bands try to reinvent their sound for a reason, Portland Oregan's, The Helio Sequence were forced to go back to the drawing board for their 2008 disc, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. The band which consists of Brandon Summers on guitar and vocals and Benjamin Weikel (who has also played for Modest Mouse) on keyboards and drums, almost suffered a devastating setback when Summers damaged his vocal cords in 2005, and was forced to relearn to sing. The band which has been around since '99, adapted their sound to fit Summers' vocals, and the result turned into one of the years best LP's, mixing elements of electronica, indie rock, and folk, along with two of the years best tracks, "Lately" and "Shed Your Love."
The group have been touring for most of the past year in support of 'Keep Your Eyes Ahead', and the band continues to look ahead themselves, as they have added a leg of dates as the support act for Keane, on a big arena tour starting next month, culminating with a show in Radio City Music Hall in NYC on May 27th.

Lately - The Helio Sequence

Shed Your Love - The Helio Seq...

Helio Sequence tour schedule:
May 8 Fox Theater w/KEANE Oakland, California
May 9 Hollywood Palladium w/KEANE Los Angeles, California
May 10 The Grove of Anaheim w/KEANE Anaheim, California
May 12 Kingsbury Hall w/KEANE Salt Lake City, Utah
May 13 The Ogden Theatre w/KEANE Denver, Colorado
May 15 Myth w/KEANE Maplewood, Minnesota
May 16 Aragon Ballroom w/KEANE Chicago, Illinois
May 19 DAR Constitution Hall w/KEANE Washington DC
May 20 Tower Theater w/KEANE Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
May 21 Bank of America Pavilion w/KEANE Boston, Massachusetts
May 23 The Sound Academy w/KEANE Toronto, Ontario
May 24 Time Warner Amphitheater w/KEANE Cleveland, Ohio
May 26 Wellmont Theater w/KEANE Montclair, New Jersey
May 27 Radio City Music Hall w/KEANE New York, New York

The Helio Sequence on myspace.

Paper Route: Debut disc out soon, add new tour dates

In anticipation of their new debut full length, Absence hitting store shelves this coming April 28, the Nashville based indie-electronic group, Paper Route, have just added a new round of live dates for this May & June. In what has been a busy past year for the group, with the release of their Are We All Forgotten EP just last June, and touring basically non stop since, this Spring is gearing up to be an even bigger one.
Right now if you pre-order the new LP, you'll receive a bonus 7-minute Paper Route documentary, which was directed by Olivier Groulx (Arcade Fire, Human Highway).
Check out the lead single off of Absence, "Carousel" below.

Carousel - Paper Route

PAPER ROUTE upcoming tour dates:
4/9 - Iowa City, IA - Picador *
4/10 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom *
4/11 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater *
4/13 - Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club *
4/14 - Poplar Grove, IL - Chubby Rain - House of Tunes *
4/15 - Columbus, OH - The Basement *
4/16 - Toronto, ONT - Opera House *
4/17 - Purchase, NY - Purchase College - Visual Arts Field *
4/18 - Millville, PA - Mr. Smalls *
4/20 - Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw *
4/21 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock *
4/22 - Farmingdale, NY - The Crazy Donkey *
4/24 - Washington, DC - The Rock and Roll Hotel *
4/25 - Raleigh, NC - The Brewery *
4/26 - Virginia Beach, VA - The Jewish Mother *
4/28 - Greensboro, NC - Greene Street *
4/29 - Jacksonville, FL - Free Bird Café *
5/2 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In (Record Release show)
5/8 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction #
5/10 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of The Hill #
5/12 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan #
5/13 - Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge #
5/15 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court #
5/16 - Las Vegas, NV - Beauty Bar #
5/18 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit #
5/19 - Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington #
5/20 - Austin, TX - Mohawk #
5/22 - Miami, FL - The Vagabond #
5/23 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum #
5/24 - Orlando, FL - The Social #
5/27 - Washington, DC - DC9 #
5/30 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar #
5/31 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs #
6/2 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom #
6/4 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop #
6/5 - Detroit, MI - The Shelter #
6/6 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen #
* w/ Copeland
# w/ Young Love

Paper Route on myspace.

Loney Dear plays Daytrotter session (download 4 free tracks)

Swedish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear has drawn some big comparisons with his latest disc, Dear John. The richly textured, and atmospheric new work has drawn comparisons to the likes of Sufjan Stevens and fellow Swede, Jens Lekman. The praise is all well deserved, as 'Dear John' features some truly brilliant tracks including, "Airport Surroundings", "Everything Turns to You" and "Violent", the latter two of which appear on a recent live session for the website Daytrotter that LD recently did, along with 2 other tracks. To get a taste of Loney Dear for yourself, the 4 tracks in total are all available as a free download if you just click here. Loney Dear is currently out on tour in support of 'Dear John' across Europe, with dates to follow in the US in May.

Airport Surroundings - Loney, ...

Summers - Loney, Dear

Loney Dear Tour dates:
Apr 11 Motel Mozaique Festival Rotterdam
Apr 12 Doornroosje Nijmegan
Apr 14 The Scala London
Apr 15 Night and Day Manchester
Apr 16 Sugar Club Dublin
Apr 17 Brudenell Social Club Leeds
Apr 18 Stereo Glasgow
Apr 19 Glee Club Birmingham
Apr 20 Le Grand Mix Tourcoing
Apr 21 Botanqiue Rotonde Brussels
Apr 22 Point Ephemere Paris
Apr 24 Le Romandie Lausanne
Apr 25 59:1 Münich
May 4 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 5 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
May 6 Great Scott Boston, Massachusetts
May 7 Motore Montreal, PQ, Quebec
May 8 Rivoli Toronto, ON, Ontario
May 9 Schuba’s Tavern Chicago, Illinois
May 10 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN, Minnesota
May 13 Crocodile Café Seattle, Washington
May 14 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
May 15 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, California
May 16 Spaceland Los Angeles, California
May 17 UCSD San Diego, California
May 22 Tavastia Helsinki

Loney Dear on myspace.

get to know: Lady Of the Sunshine

If your familiar with the Australian duo, Angus and Julia Stone, then you already know a little bit about Lady of the Sunshine. The new project is one half of the pair, Angus Stone’s new solo debut. Angus shows a more dark and moody side on the new disc, Smoking Gun, which just came out in the States this Tuesday. Where in his work with Angus and Julia Stone, they leaned more towards the folk based, traditional stylings, Angus delves into heavier guitar, and even rhythm and blues territory.
Angus wrote, sang, and played electric and acoustic guitar on the album, of which he co-produced with Govinda Doyle, who played drums and bass.
Stone had this to say on the new project, “I’ve been skipping off in between tours for about a year now to shake my head of these songs” ... "Every one of the emotions in your head has it’s own voice and this album is what became of them."
The first single off the new album is, "White Rose Parade", which you can see a video for below.

Paper Aeroplane - Angus & Juli...

Lady of the Sunshine on myspace.

Jessica Lea Mayfield: premieres 1st video, hear two new songs

Any regular visitors of the blog surely know how much we love Jessica Lea Mayfield and her debut disc, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. We've been hyping the album since back in mid '08, and she even landed at #7 on our year end 'best of list', so it's cool to finally see Mayfield getting some well deserved praise. Like we've said in the past the album is stacked from start to finish with heart breaking songwriting, and a depth that many her age (19) can't begin to express. Mayfield has just released a new video for one of the albums strongest tracks, "Kiss Me Again" which just premiered over on on Stereogum music blog. The video was directed by the talented people over at Crackerfarm.
And check out below to hear two new tracks not on the disc, that Mayfield has been playing out on tour, "Nervous Lonely Night" and "Grown Man."

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Son Volt: sign to new label, ready debut

One of the legends of the Alt-Country genre, Son Volt, are about to drop a new album called, American Central Dust this July 7 on their new label, Rounder Records. The disc will be the bands 6th full length, and the 12 new songs are supposed see a return to the bands roots, like on their 1996 debut, Trace. The former founding father of Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar had this to say about signing to the new label... "Rounder has shown a long term commitment to music forms, like folk and blues, that I have a lot of respect for. Going with Rounder has been a kind of a full circle continuum -- the first Rounder person I met with was instrumental in booking Uncle Tupelo gigs years ago"
Son Volt will be heading out on the road in the summer, but dates are still in the works, stay tuned for more info.

Tear Stained Eye - Son Volt

Afterglow 61 - Son Volt

‘AMERICAN CENTRAL DUST’ tracklist:
1. Dynamite,
2. Down To The Wire
3. Roll On
4. Cocaine And Ashes
5. Dust Of Daylight
6. When The Wheels Don’t Move
7. No Turning Back
8. Pushed Too Far
9. Exiles
10. Sultana
11. Strength And Doubt
12. Jukebox of Steel

Son Volt on myspace.

Silversun Pickups: new album streaming in full + new video for"Panic Switch"

Silversun Pickup fans anxiously waiting to hear the groups new album Swoon, don't have to wait any longer. The album isn't physically released until next week, April 14 on Dangerbird records, but the band is streaming the album all this week in full over on MTV's 'The Leak' if you(click here).
Also the group has just premiered the official video for the lead single off of 'Swoon', the frantically paced, "Panic Switch" which was directed by James Frost, who has worked with Radiohead on "House of Cards" and also on Coldplay's "Yellow."

White Rabbits: stream new track, add tour dates

Ever since their eclectic and energetic debut, 2007's Fort Nightly, White Rabbits have been tabbed by many as a band to watch out for. Well, 2009 could be the bands banner year, as the Brooklyn 6 piece are armed with a soon to be released new disc, It's Frightening, which comes out May 19th on TBD records. The group have just posted the first single off 'It's Frightening' on their myspace page, called "Percussion Gun" and it sounds promising of what's to come. The album which was produced by Spoon's Britt Daniel and Mike McCarthy, was recorded over a four week period in their home base of Brooklyn.
The band has also just announced a full on tour that kicks off shortly after the new albums release, beginning in NYC on May 21st, then hitting most major markets across the States. Full dates below.

It's Frightening track listing:
1. Percussion Gun
2. Rudie Fails
3. They Done Wrong / We Done Wrong
4. Lionesse
5. Company I Keep
6. The Salesman (Tramp Life)
7. Midnight and I
8. Right Where They Left
9. The Lady Vanishes
10. Leave It At The Door

Upcoming tour schedule:
May 21 Bowery Ballroom New York, New York
May 30 Grog Shop CLEVELAND, Ohio
May 31 Do Division Fest CHICAGO, Illinois
Jun 1 Southgate House NEWPORT, Kentucky
Jun 2 Rock N Roll Hotel WASHINGTON, Washington DC
Jun 4 Middle East CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts
Jun 5 Johnny Brendas PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania
Jun 6 Brillobox PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania
Jun 7 The Summit COLUMBUS, Ohio
Jun 9 Mojos COLUMBIA, Missouri
Jun 10 Firebird SAINT LOUIS, Missouri
Jun 11 Bonnaroo MANCHESTER, Tennessee
Jun 14 Emo’s AUSTIN, Texas
Jun 16 Club Congress TUCSON, Arizona
Jun 17 Casbah SAN DIEGO, California
Jun 18 Troubadour WEST HOLLYWOOD, California
Jun 19 Cellar Door VISALIA, California
Jun 20 The Independent SAN FRANCISCO, California
Jun 22 Crocodile Cafe SEATTLE, Washington
Jun 23 Doug Fir PORTLAND, Oregon
Jun 24 Neurolux BOISE, Idaho
Jun 25 Urban Lounge SALT LAKE CITY, Utah
Jun 26 Bluebird DENVER, Colorado
Jun 27 Slowdown JR OMAHA, Nebraska
Jun 29 400 Bar MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota
Jun 30 High Noon Saloon MADISON, Wisconsin
Jul 1 Empty Bottle CHICAGO, Illinois
Jul 2 Pike Room PONTIAC, Michigan
Aug 2 All Points West Liberty State Park, New Jersey

Listen to White Rabbits on myspace.

This Weeks New Releases (WK3/07)

This weeks list sees some big releases we've been looking forward to hearing from the likes of, Crystal Antlers, Bat for Lashes, The Thermals, and The Doves, as well as the new Arcade Fire Documentary, Miror Noir.

New Releases (Wk 3/07):
Arcade Fire- Miror Noir DVD
Bat For Lashes- Two Suns
The Coathangers- Scramble
Crystal Antlers- Tentacles
Doves- Kingdom of Rust
The Ettes- Danger Is EP
Eulogies- Here Anonymous
Piers Faccini- Two Grains of Sand
The Felice Brothers- Yonder is the Clock
Halloween, Alaska- Champagne Downtown
The Hold Steady- A Positive Rage
It Hugs Back- Inside Your Guitar
The Juan MacLean- The Future Will Come
Lady of the Sunshine- Smoking Gun
Lady Sovereign- Jigsaw
Bob Mould- Life and Times
Superchunk- Leaves in the Gutter EP
Telekinesis- Self titled
The Thermals- Now We Can See
Various Artists- Score! 20 Years of Merge Records
The Veils- Sun Gangs
Neil Young- Fork in the Road
Jenny Owen Youngs- Led to the Sea EP

'Field Recordings' pt 2 with THE BONY KING OF NOWHERE

In this second part of our 'Field Recordings' session with THE BONY KING OF NOWHERE, we catch Bram performing the emotional track, "Maria" in the Sint-Baafsabdij, from the 7th century, in his hometown of Gent, Belgium.
His new album, 'Alas My Love' is available now on Helicopter Records.



and in case you missed it, here's (pt1) of our session:


The Bony King of Nowhere on myspace.

'Video & Song of the Week': Fever Ray- "When I Grow Up"

Different project, same sinister results. Swedish electronic artist, Karin Dreijer Andersson, best known as half of The Knife, is out on her own with her new solo outing, Fever Ray. Andersson still knows how to deliver the same dark, mysterious, and haunting beats on the new disc, from the tracks "If I Had A Heart" and "Keep The Streets Empty For Me", to this weeks choice for 'Song of the Week', "When I Grow Up", Andersson's spine chilling vocals can still give the strong hearted the creeps.



Fever Ray.com

Oxygen Ponies: sophomore disc on the way

The second album from the Paul Megna led project, The Oxygen Ponies comes out this May 19th on Hidden Target recordings. Fittingly titled, Harmony Handgrenade, Megna deconstructs his lo-fi formula from his successful, critically acclaimed self titled debut. Right from the slow building opening track "Love Yr Way" forward you know your in for a different affair. Megna's raspy voice is still at the core, but the instrumentation is wider and the arrangements more in-depth, complete with strings, horns, and backing vocals present throughout. Where his first disc was more autobiographical, 'Harmony Handgrenade' sees Megna tackling the everday struggles of the working class pitted against corporate America. Tracks to look out for include, "Grab Yr Gun", "Fevered Cyclone", and "Villains."
4 tracks are available to stream over on his myspace now, as well as a sneak peak video preview of the album below.



Oxygen Ponies on myspace.

Alexi Murdoch: new headlining tour

Decidedly quiet since releasing his full length debut, Time Without Consequence back in 2006, ambient/folk singer Alexi Murdoch is about to embark on a new headlining tour. The month long trek kicks off in Washington State tonight and takes Murdoch east, across the US eventually wrapping up in Boston on April 23rd. Supporting Murdoch on tour will be the Portland Cello Project http://www.myspace.com/celloproject on select dates, and Dawn Landes http://www.myspace.com/dawnlandes for the other dates.
For those that don't remember, Murdoch first burst onto the scene in 2002 with some strong backing from KCRW’s influential DJ Nic Harcourt. Harcourt asked Murdoch for a few songs to play on his syndicated program, 'Morning Becomes Eclectic', which then got the ball rolling to an eventual four-song EP, which received critical and mass support. His brilliant debut, Time Without Consequence followed in 2006 featuring the tracks, "Orange Sky", "All Of My Days", and one of my favorites, "12."

All of My Days - Alexi Murdoch

12 - Alexi Murdoch

Upcoming Tour Schedule:
Friday, April 3 Bellingham, WA – Nightlight
Saturday, April 4 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Sunday, April 5 Seattle, WA – The Vera Project
Tuesday, April 7 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Wednesday, April 8 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
Saturday, April 11 Omaha, NE – Sokol Underground
Sunday, April 12 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
Monday, April 13 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theatre
Tuesday, April 14 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Thursday, April 16 Ann Arbor – Blind Pig
Friday, April 17 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Saturday, April 18 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
Sunday, April 19 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Showcase
Tuesday, April 21 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
Wednesday, April 22 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Thursday, April 23 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club

Alexi Murdoch on Myspace

Iron & Wine: double dose of rarities

To hold over fans while working on his new album, Sam Beam's, Iron & Wine is set to release a two-disc album of rarities, Around The Well this June 1st. The collection will be split into two discs, featuring rare tracks, cover songs, and previously unreleased material ranging from 2002 all the way up until the sessions for 2007's The Shepherd’s Dog. The album gets it's name from the line in the song "The Trapeze Singer", which was written for the film 'Good Company.' Three other songs written for the film appear on the rarities disc, "Homeward, These Shoes"
, "Belated Promise Ring", and "God Made The Automobile."
Also appearing on the disc are the popular covers of The Flaming Lips "Waiting For A Superman" and New Order's "Love Vigilantes."

Around The Well track listing:
Disc One
Dearest Forsaken
Morning
Loud as Hope
Peng! 33
Sacred Vision
Friends They Are Jewels
Hickory
Waitin’ for a Superman
Swans And The Swimming
Call Your Boys
Such Great Heights

Disc Two
Communion Cups & Someone's Coat
Belated Promise Ring
God Made The Automobile
Homeward, These Shoes
Love Vigilantes
Sinning Hands
No Moon
Serpent Charmer
Carried Home
Kingdom Of The Animals
Arms of a Thief
The Trapeze Swinger

Iron and Wine.com

Lanterns on the Lake: new EP next month

Self described as creating a blend of indie, ambient, cinematic post-pop, the UK's Lanterns on the Lake no doubt create beautiful lush harmonies that sound as if they came to you in a dream. The band led by the ethereal voiced, Hazel Wilde have a new EP on the way, Misfortunes & Minor Victories , which comes out on May 4th.
The new EP is the 2nd in a series of EP's that the band is releasing, with 'The Starlight EP' being released last year, and the next probably coming this Autumn according to the band. The EP was written, recorded and produced by the group themselves both at home and in the Northumberland countryside. If you order the physical CD from the bands myspace page beginning on May 4, it comes in handmade packaging from the group themselves, while if digital is your thing, it will also be available on Itunes.

You can stream the new track "A Kingdom" over on their myspace page now.

Misfortunes & Minor Victories Track list:
1-A Kingdom
2-Giants
3-There's A Light On In Your Home
4-You Need Better

and if you vistit the bands Last FM page there are lot's of free downloads available there. www.last.fm/music/lanterns+on+the+lake

We Were Promised Jetpacks: new single, LP soon to follow

We've been excited to get our hands on the debut from Glasgow's We Were Promised Jetpacks, ever since discovering the band on Frightened Rabbit's myspace page a while back. Just a few months ago the band landed themselves a deal on Fat Cat records alongside their Scottish mates in FR, and now their intense debut is almost ready to be heard.
Fresh off their appearance at SXSW, the band has announced that lead single "Quiet Little Voices", will be coming out on May 4th, as a 7" single and as a digital download via the Fatcat website here. In album news for the band, their debut full length, These Four Walls will be ready for a June 15th release date. Expect to hear a lot more about these guys in the months to come.

"Quiet Little Voices" live



We Were Promised Jetpacks myspace.

Marissa Nadler: Adds dates across US & Europe

Marissa Nadler's music has been described as everything from, Ambient and Americana, to Nu Folk and space rock. Whatever the case may be, there's no doubt that Nadler has a haunting voice, and her latest disc, Little Hells could be her finest work yet. From the first single, "River of Dirt", to tracks like "Mary Come Alive", and "The Hole is Wide", Nadler is clearly hitting her stride on the new disc.
Nadler will be soon be taking her show on the road, as she just announced a new round of tour dates. She'll be kicking things off in LA on April 7th, which then sees her working her way across the US, before heading onto Europe, which takes her into June.


Marissa Nadler - River of Dirt - Directed by Joana Linda from Kemado Records on Vimeo.

MARISSA NADLER tour dates:
Apr 7 - 8:00p - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA
Apr 8 - 9:00p - Cafe du Nord - San Francisco, CA
Apr 10 - 8:00p - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA #
Apr 11- 8:00p -The Media CLub _Vancouver, BC
Apr 12 - 9:00p - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
Apr 16 - 9:00p - 400 Bar - Minneapolis, MN +
Apr 17 - 8:00p - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI+
Apr 18 - 8:00p - Shubas Tavern - Chicago, IL +
Apr 19 - 8:00p - Shubas Tavern - Chicago, IL +
Apr 21 - 8:00p - El Mocambo - Toronto, Ontario +
Apr 22 - 8:00p - Black Sheep Inn - Wakefield, Quebec +
Apr 24 - 9:00p - Lizard Lounge - Cambridge, MA +
Apr 25 - 8:00p - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY +
Apr 26 - 8:00p - IOTA - Arlington, VA +
May 1 - Vooruit - Gent, Belgium - w/ the Great Lake Swimmers
May 2 - The Chapel Arts Center - Bath, UK
May 3 - Halifax Parish Church - Halifax, UK
May 5 - Arts Center - Norwich, UK
May 4 - Captain's Rest. - Glasgow, Scotland
May 6 - The Luminaire - London, UK
May 7 - The Glee Club - Birmingham, UK
May 9 - Chapelle St. Jacques - Vendome, France
May 10 - Parlement de Bretagne - Rennes, France
May 14 - Init - Rome, Italy w/ Josephine Foster!
May 15 - Casa 139 - Milano, Italy
May 16 - Spazio 211 - Torino, Italy
May 20 - Le Romandie - Lausanne, CH
May 22 - Admiralspalast 101 - Berlin, Germany
May 23 - Studio 672 - Koln, Germany
May 24 - Brotfabrik - Frankfurt, Germany
May 25 - KAMPNAGEL - Hamburg, Germany
May 27 - Club Woody - Gothenburg, Sweden
May 28 - Revolver - Oslo, Norway w/ Jamie Stewart
May 30 - Orange Blossom Festival - Beverungen, Germany
May 31 - De Buze - Steenwijk, Netherlands
June 1 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
+ - w/ the Handsome Family
# - w/ Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter

Marissa Nadler on myspace.

Bat For Lashes (stream new album)

If you've been waiting to hear the new Bat for Lashes album, Two Suns, now is your chance. The album doesn't hit stores until next week, April 6th & 7th depending on your locale, but you can listen to it now in full, streaming over on Last FM.
The Natasha Khan led project, kicks off her world tour soon after the albums release, which sees her jetting all over, from Europe to the US, and then back again.
You can check all the dates over on her myspace.

Click here to hear 'Two Suns' on Last FM.

This weeks New Releases: (WK 3/31)

It's not about quantity this week, it's quality. This weeks short list includes releases we've been looking forward to from, Great Lake Swimmers, PJ Harvey and John Parrish, and Gomez.

This weeks New Releases (Wk 3/31):

Black Diamond Bay- Calm Awaits
Death Cab for Cutie- The Open Door EP (digitally)
Doves- Kingdom of Rust EP
Fever Ray- When I Grow Up
Gomez- A New Tide
Great Lake Swimmers- Lost Channels
Illinois- The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe Chp.6
Kaki King- Mexican Teenagers EP
Leonard Cohen- Live in London
Michelle Malone- Debris
My Brightest Diamond- Shark Remixes Vol.3
Other Lives- self titled
Peter Bjorn and John- Living Thing
PJ Harvey & John Parrish- A Woman a Man Walked By
Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains- Who Do We Care For EP
The Whitest Boy Alive- Rules
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- It's Blitz! (w/Bonus tracks)

All Points West festival announces line-up

Last year marked the first ever All Points West Music and Arts Festival in Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This summer, the festival which is set in the 80-acre historic locale with panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan, will be returning with more than 65 artists scattered across three different stages. The acts range from headliners like the Beastie Boys, Tool, and Coldplay, to The National, MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Neko Case, Artic Monkeys, Silversun Pickups, Echo and the Bunnymen, Ra Ra Riot, The Black Keys, and Fleet Foxes. The three day event takes place this year from July 31st thru Aug. 2nd. See the full line-up below.

Friday, July 31
Beastie Boys
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Vampire Weekend
The National
Fleet Foxes
MSTRKRFT
Q-Tip
The Pharcyde
Organized Konfusion
The Knux
Ra Ra Riot
Seasick Steve
Telepathe
Shearwater
Heartless Bastards
Flying Lotus
College Humor Live
Arj Barker
Eugene Mirman
Bo Burnham

Saturday, Aug. 1
Tool
My Bloody Valentine
Gogol Bordello
Arctic Monkeys
Neko Case
The Ting Tings
Yelle
Crystal Castles
St. Vincent
Tokyo Police Club
The Cool Kids
Kool Keith
Cage the Elephant
Chairlift
White Rabbits
Electric Touch
The Postelles
Black Gold
College Humor Live
Tim & Eric
Judah Friedlander
Jim Jeffries

Sunday, Aug. 2
Coldplay
Echo & The Bunnymen
MGMT
The Black Keys
Elbow
Silversun Pickups
Mogwai
We Are Scientists
Ghostland Observatory
The Gaslight Anthem
Etienne De Crecy
Lykke Li
Akron/Family Steel
Train Kitty
Daisy & Lewis
College Humor Live
Janeane Garofalo
Michael Showalter and Todd Barry

All Points West Festival.com

Matthew Ryan interview

One of the most prolific and often underlooked songwriters of his generation, Matthew Ryan, adeptly captures the heartbreak, struggles and triumphs of the everyman, like few can. With a catalogue of work that goes back to 1997, Ryan has put out 11 LP's in just under 12 years, ranging from some of his solo work, Mayday, From a Late Night Highrise, and his most current disc, Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State, to the side project, Strays Don't Sleep. In between currently recording his next solo LP, Ryan unveiled an impromptu side project he's been working on The Dead Satellites, with Rami Jaffee and Greg Richling. The trio recently threw up a myspace page, where they have two new songs streaming, one of which is the protest song, "Shook Down."
We had the opportunity recently to ask Matthew some questions about the new project and song, how his next solo album is shaping up, and his recent trip to Italy. Check it out below.

BTB- What can you tell us about your newest project, The Dead Satellites?
MR- It's hard to explain, we have no real goal other than to create outside of our own designs. It's a good thing cause it opens you up. Sometimes we create invisible borders within our own definitions of who we are and what we do. Creativity doesn't have to be gravity. The Dead Satellites are letting me explore some other characters.

BTB- The first song you guys posted, “Shook Down” is a bit of a protest song? Can you talk about it? And is the protest song a lost art form?
MR- Sadly, it seems that protest songs are viewed as passe, or even worse useless. I disagree. But I can't really guess what other people feel about them as an art form. In recent years there has been major efforts by some government interests to make artists with opinions seem goofy, misguided or sappy. But artists are citizens as well, we're humans that maybe see the world a little differently from others. I believe those of us that are for real have something important to offer the social/political dialogue. With Shook Down I wanted to imagine a growing coup. I believe the institutions that keep us educated, employed, healthy, hopeful and safe are important. They need to be re-imagined and re-designed to ensure equality of opportunity and welfare in a changed world. I suspect there is a culture of privilege for some of us, a culture where things that are complex to most, are simply available to a handful in contrast. We have to resist the development of a caste system. We already having an exploding service class that has virtually no upward mobility or rights. It's unforgivable. And selfishly, sooner or later it will head to a great ugliness. None of us want that. Corporations have got to value their employees, from the bottom up. I believe that the concept of companies to big to fail is wrong-headed because as is true in so many things, as something grows beyond reasonable management, the employees become less human in the management's eyes. It often becomes simply obsessed with the bottom line rather than what's the "right" thing to do. We have to remember and reconnect and re-intimate ourselves with the human dignity in all of us. So much of what I see right now, the things done to people's savings, retirement, future... Well, so much of it is bottom line driven crusades with no real respect for human dignity and hope.

BTB- How did you get hooked up with Greg Richling and Rami Jaffee?
MR- Greg reached out to me late last year. Originally it was gonna be kind of an "all star" cast of various artists that Greg and Rami knew and liked. Some more famous, some more underground. But I did my work on Shook Down and Greg got excited. We started to think maybe Dead Satellites could be a more streamlined collaboration.

BTB- Are there any thoughts of releasing an album at some point? or is it just posting some songs right now and seeing where it goes? How much material have you guys worked on?
MR- We're on a Kerouac trip. We don't really have a destination in mind. I don't know if we'll release an album. I don't know if we'll ever play a live show. We really have no expectations or needs from these songs. We just want to offer something to the ether that hopefully has meaning in people's lives. We just started working on our 3rd song.

BTB- I hear a lot of older people say that our generation and the younger generation of today are apathetic, that we don't take up social causes like they did? Do you think that's true after what just happened in the last election?
MR- I believe many in the younger generations are perplexed by our ability to divide and instigate trouble through personal views imposed on all. I believe that generations behind us take equality of opportunity and the beauty in diversity as understood rights. I don't think they're apathetic, I think they're confused and probably worried about what kind of mess we're gonna leave for them. That being said, I do feel a sense of entitlement from many of them that is troubling. Part of that is our own fault. These generations have been bombed like Baghdad with such thorough marketing from the time their vision sharpened. It's unprecedented, and I don't know what the repercussions of that will be. We should be ashamed of ourselves as far as I'm concerned. We should know the difference between want and need.

BTB- Switching gears a bit. You've released 11 albums in 11 years, it seems like you must always be writing? Can you take us through your song writing process? How does that work for you?
MR- I write when I need to. I don't think much about the process. I'm just glad when it happens.

BTB- What would you say is the greatest thing you've learned between the first album up until now?
MR- Only listen to your gut.

BTB- Would you have done anything differently, looking back?
MR- I would've listened to my gut sooner.

BTB- Do musicians now have it easier or much harder, with the way the industry/business is now?
MR- It's what it is. You either do it because you have to or you don't do it. You always had to have an almost delusional sense of faith to be an artist. We're dependent on invisible houses. People still value it, we're gonna be alright.

BTB- You wrapped up a tour across Italy recently, what was that like for you?
MR- It was absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to go back. Italians are wonderful people. Great lovers of music and amazing architects.

BTB- You've been known to be a bit of a movie critic on your myspace blogs, last movie you rented? And how was it?
MR- Nixon. I loved it. Much better than I expected. Really great. It's kind of like Britney Spears saved the world.

BTB- Lastly, your working on your next solo LP, what can you tell us about it so far? How far along in the process? And any tentative release date?
MR- I'm still writing. This record is the beginning of a new air for me. I can feel that kind of change coming. Like the difference between summer and autumn. The songs are pure. I've been recording at home, I'm getting better at engineering, so I may just keep doing it this way. I don't have a label right now (don't know if I need one), so, a release date is impossible to say. I don't even know how I'll release it. I may just drop it from a helicopter like candy for kids in a war zone.... In reality, I love the physical tradition of music. I don't like just being a tab on iTunes. I want to be held and considered beyond a moment of judgement. I don't know, I still want to reach people. That's the tough thing today, the flood is so massive, all the info, all the entertainment, all the "please love me" out there. You can't even see the rooftops some days. I want to be a rooftop.

Matthew Ryan on myspace.
The Dead Satellites on myspace.