Fanfarlo playing "Luna" live, download the new album for $1

One new album that I haven't been able to put down over the past month is Fanfarlo's, Reservoir. If you haven't heard the LP yet, now is your chance to check it out for little risk, as the band is offering up the album for only $1 over on their website, www.fanfarlo.com. The offer is good up until July 4th.
The sweeping folky sounds of the Simon Balthazar led group have been drawing comparisons to groups like Arcade Fire, Beirut, and Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah. You can check out a live performance of the track, "Luna" from a garden, that the band posted below.

This Weeks New Releases (WK 6/16)

A very small list this week, but here's a sampling of what came out. You can find new releases from Spinnerette, Pete Yorn, and a live disc from William Fitzsimmons among the group.

This Weeks New Releases (WK 6/16):

Alela Diane- Take Us Back EP
Among the Oak & Ash- self titled
Coldplay- Limited Edition Tour Pack
Depeche Mode- Peace
Gossip- Heavy Cross
Hank Williams Jr.- 127 Rose Avenue
Incubus- Monuments and Melodies
Jay Brannan- The Freshmen (single)
Major Lazer- Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do
Pete Yorn- Back & Fourth
Royksopp- The Girl and the Robot
Sarah Jarosz- Song Up in Her Head
Sally Shapiro- Miracle
Spinnerette- self titled
Still Life Still- Pastel EP
Street Sweeper Social Club- self titled
The Wallflowers- Collected 1996-2005
William Fitzsimmons- Live From the Downtown Studios

'Song of the Week': Great Bloomers-"This Ain't You"

The Toronto band, Great Bloomers burst onto the scene in their native Canada after the release of their 2007 self-titled EP. The homemade recording which was recorded in singer Lowell Sostomi's basement, featured the track ‘Catching Up’ which found steady airplay on Canadian radio's CBC 3.
I first discovered the band from another favorite from up north's myspace page, The Wooden Sky. So when I heard that frontman from The Wooden Sky Gavin Gardiner helped produce the Great Bloomers new disc, Speak Of Trouble, I was anxious to hear the influence on the bands sound. The new LP shows a definite growth in sound from the band, expanding on their alt-country vibes from the EP. It was said in the press releases that the band intended to successfully revive the art of 'the album' on this latest effort, and they deliver on their promise. The disc has great depth, and sees the group experimenting with a more far ranging array of instrumentation and harmonies. Songs not to miss include, "Fever Days", "Lobbyist", title track "Speak of Trouble", "Honey Blanket" and this weeks 'song of the week' "This Ain't You."

This Aint You - Great Bloomers

also check out the track, "The Lobbyist"

Lobbyist - Great Bloomers

Great Bloomers on myspace.

Sonic Youth live on Letterman

Sonic Youth's latest album, The Eternal hit stores just last week, and the band stopped by The Late Show w/ David Letterman to play "Sacred Trickster."

stream the new Wye Oak album, 'The Knot'

With still a little over a month to go 'till the albums official release, on July 21st, Wye Oak is now streaming their upcoming disc, The Knot over on the Merge Records website here. The sneak peek is up for a limited time so check it out while you can. The new sophomore LP shows a slightly more restrained sound from the two piece, who are known for their beautifully layered indie rock, with less feedback this time around and more simple melodies.
'The Knot' comes out Aug 28 in Europe, and Aug 31 in the UK.

upcoming Wye Oak tour schedule:
Jul 21 CD Release Show @ Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
Jul 26 MERGE FEST - Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Sep 7 Maroquinerie w/ the Dodos Paris
Sep 8 Botanique Rotunda w/ the Dodos Brussels
Sep 10 Molotow w/ the Dodos Hamburg
Sep 11 Magnet w/ the Dodos Berlin
Sep 12 Melkweg w/ the Dodos Amsterdam
Sep 13 End of the Road Festival North Dorset, UK

Wye Oak on myspace.

Blitzen Trapper: new Ep out this Summer

Anyone not lucky enough to catch the slow acoustic jams of a Blitzen Trapper live show, will now finally be able to get their hands on the six unreleased tracks that the band have been selling exclusively on their tour dates. The band have announced they will be putting out the Black River Killer EP on August 24, via Sub Pop Records, which will feature six songs of unreleased material, plus the title track, which is taken from 2008's stellar disc, Furr.
The band also recently announced another round of new tour dates in the US and overseas, that sees them going at it into the fall.

Black River Killer track listing:
01 Black River Killer
02 Silver Moon
03 Going Down
04 Shoulder Full of You
05 Preacher's Sister's Boy
06 Black Rock
07 Big Black Bird

Black River Killer - Blitzen Trapper

July
09 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow's
10 - Visalia, CA - Cellar Door
11 - Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones
12 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Bowl
13 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
15 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
16 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
18 I- owa City, IA - Picador
19 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
20 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
21 - Fargo, ND - Aquarium (Dempsey’s Upstairs)
23 - Bozeman, MT - Filling Station
24 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
25 - Kennewick, WA - Red Room
30 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
August:
01 - Mt. Scott, OR - Pickathon 2009
02 - Mt. Scott, OR - Pickathon 2009
11 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia Club
12 - Oslo, Norway - Oya Natt Festival
13 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
15 - Rees-Haldern, Germany - Haldern Festival
16 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Ekko
17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
18 - Liege, Belgium - L'Escalier
19 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Bar Mondial
20 - The Hague, Netherlands - Paard van Troje
23 - Erfurt, Germany - Highfield Festival
25 - London, England - Troxy
27 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
28 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
31 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Auntie Annie's
September:
02 - Corkn Ireland - Cyprus Avenue
03 - Galway, Ireland - Roisin Dubh
06 - Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic
08 - Glasgow, Scotland - O2 Academy
09 - Newcastle, England - Academy 2
11 - Manchester, England - Apollo Manchester
12 - North Dorset, England - End of the Road Festival
13 - Cardiff, Wales - Clwb Ifor Bach
14 - London, England - Barfly
15 - Luxembourg - Den Atelier
16 - Paris, France - Grand Rex
October:
02 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits

Blitzen Trapper on myspace.

An Horse: touring the U.S. (shows in NYC this weeknd)

The power-pop duo of Kate Cooper & Damon Cox, An Horse recently unleashed their debut full length, Rearrange Beds. The Australian pair started out working together in a record store, put out an Ep, and before they knew it they were being asked after one of their shows to be the opening slot on Tegan and Sara's 2008 'Out Of Hibernation' tour. Shortly thereafter the duo nabbed down a record deal and Sara even gave a helping hand in making Rearrange Beds.
The band can currently be seen out on tour w/ Telekinesis, including two shows in the NYC area this weekend, and later on in the month they will joining Silversun Pickups for some dates across the UK.

Postcards - An Horse

An Horse tour dates:
Jun 10 The Horseshoe w/ Telekinesis Toronto, Ontario
Jun 11 Club Lambi w/ Telekinesis Montreal, Quebec
Jun 12 Iron Horse Music Hall w/Telekinesis Northampton, Mass
Jun 13 Union Hall w/ Telekinesis Brooklyn, NY
Jun 14 Mercury Lounge w/ Telekinesis NYC, NY
Jun 16 Kung Fu Necktie w/Telekinesis Philadelphia, Penn
Jun 17 Black Cat Backstage w/Telekinesis Washington DC
Jun 18 Local 506 w/Telekinesis Chapel Hill, NC
Jun 19 The Earl w/Telekinesis Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 20 The End w/Telekinesis Nashville, Tenn
Jun 21 Off Broadway w/Telekinesis St Louis, Missou
Jun 22 Slowdown w/Telekinesis Omaha, Nebraska
Jun 23 Hi Dive w/Telekinesis Denver, Colorado
Jun 27 Rescue Rooms w/Silversun Pickups Nottingham
Jun 28 Thekla w/Silversun Pickups Bristol
Jun 30 02 Academy w/Silversun Pickups Birmingham
Jul 1 Stereo w/Silversun Pickups Glasgow
Jul 2 Academy 2 w/ Silversun Pickups Manchester
Jul 3 Digital w/Silversun Pickups Brighton
Jul 5 The Windmill Brixton
Jul 6 02 Academy w/ Silversun Pickups Oxford
Jul 7 Heaven w/ Silversun Pickups London
Jul 8 Camden Barfly London
Jul 10 White Light @ The Lexington London
Jul 11 Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred
Jul 17 Slottsfjell Festival Tonsberg

An Horse on myspace.

New Video: We Were Promised Jetpacks- "Roll Up Your Sleeves"

Scotland's We Were Promised Jetpacks just released their second single (and video), "Roll Up Your Sleeves" from their forthcoming debut, These Four Walls, which is out in the UK, Europe, & the rest on June 15, and in the US & Canada July 7 on Fat Cat Records. The album saw the band working with Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, Cocteau Twins, David Bowie) and Peter Katis (Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, The National), with most of the recording taking place live.
The group started to get some widespread acclaim after appearing as the main support act for fellow Scot's Frightened Rabbit in 2008, which later led them to also sign on to FR's label, Fat Cat.

The video was directed by Mark Charlton, Bluestar Animation.



We Were Promised Jetpacks on myspace.

Anna Ternheim: Sophomore LP out soon

Swedish songstress Anna Ternheim will be releasing her 2nd album, titled Leaving on a Mayday this summer. The disc which was produced by Bjorn Yttling (of Peter, Bjorn, and John), will be in US stores this August 11th, led by the single, "What Have I Done." In the meanwhile Ternheim has released an EP on iTunes for the single, which features a version of the song with El Perro Del Mar.
Ternheim's mix of folk and pop has drawn comparisons to early Beth Orton, and she has earned Swedish Grammy's this year for 'Best Female Artist' and 'Album of the Year'. Check out a video below of Anna from a performance on Swedish television.



Anna Ternheim on myspace.

Deer Tick covers Mellancamp

With a new album on the way in a few short weeks, Born on Flag Day, which drops this June 23rd, Deer Tick have been in full on promotional mode lately. The John McCauley III led group recently stopped by NBC news anchor Brian Williams surprising new endeavor BriTunes to chat about the new disc, and now we see McCauley III dropping in the Fader, where he takes a go at the fitting Americana sounds of one of the genre's elder statesman's John Mellancamp, with a cover of the track, "Authority Song."
The band is currently out on tour w/ Jenny Lewis, and later in the month with Dawes thru July.

Open Bar With Deer Tick
by thefader

Easy - Deer Tick

Upcoming tour schedule:
Jun 11 9:30 Club w/ Jenny Lewis Washington DC
Jun 12 Cat’s Cradle w/ Jenny Lewis Carrboro, NC
Jun 13 Hi-Tone Memphis, Tennessee
Jun 14 The Pageant w/ Jenny Lewis St. Louis, Missou
Jun 15 Granada w/ Jenny Lewis Lawrence, Kansas
Jun 16 The Mill Iowa City, Iowa
Jun 17 Slowdown w/ Jenny Lewis Omaha, Nebraska
Jun 18 Box Awesome Lincoln, Nebraska
Jun 20 Neurolux w/ Dawes Boise, Idaho
Jun 21 The Red Room w/ Dawes Kennewick, Wa
Jun 22 Wild Buffalo w/ Dawes Bellingham, Wa
Jun 23 Media Club w/ Dawes Vancouver, BC
Jun 25 Tractor Tavern w/ Dawes Seattle, Wa
Jun 26 Mission Theater w/ Dawes Portland, Oregon
Jun 27 Gundlach Bundschu Winery w/ Dawes Sonoma, Ca
Jun 30 Marilyn’s on K w/ Dawes Sacramento, Ca
Jul 1 The Independent w/ Dawes San Francisco, Ca
Jul 2 The Crepe Place w/ Dawes Santa Cruz, Ca
Jul 3 The Cellar Door w/ Dawes Visalia, Ca
Jul 4 Spaceland w/ Dawes LA, California
Jul 5 Beauty Bar w/ Dawes Las Vegas, Nev
Jul 6 Modified Arts w/ Dawes Phoenix, Arizona
Jul 8 Bash Riprocks w/ Dawes Lubbock, Texas
Jul 9 Emo’s w/ Dawes Austin, Texas
Jul 10 Hailey’s w/ Dawes Denton, Tx
Jul 11 Sticky Fingerz w/ Dawes Little Rock, Ark
Jul 12 The Basement w/ Dawes Nashville, Tenn
Jul 13 Al’s Bar w/ Dawes Lexington, Ky
Jul 14 Locals Only w/ Dawes Indianapolis, Indiana
Jul 15 Empty Bottle w/ Dawes Chicago, Illinois
Jul 16 Beachland Tavern w/ Dawes Cleveland, Oh
Jul 17 Horseshoe Tavern w/ Dawes Toronto, Ontario
Jul 19 Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, Ontario
Jul 20 Le Divan Orange w/ Dawes Montreal, Quebec
Jul 21 Space Gallery w/ Dawes Portland, Maine
Jul 22 Iron Horse w/ Dawes Northampton, Mass
Jul 23 The Space w/ Dawes Hamden, Connecticut
Jul 24 Bowery Ballroom w/ Dawes & These United States, NYC
Aug 2 George Wein’s Folk Festival @ Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI
Aug 7 Prospect Park Bandshell Brooklyn, New York
Sep 13 Monolith Festival Morrison, Colorado
Oct 3 Austin City Limits Festival Austin, Texas
Oct 10 Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival Joshua Tree, California
Oct 11 Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival Joshua Tree, California

Deer Tick on myspace.

Ra Ra Riot live performance- "Each Year"

Ra Ra Riot continues to ride the wave of good vibes and press that have come their way, since the release of 2008's The Rhumb Line. The latest appearance from the band sees them visiting the studios of Paste Magazine, where the group give a live performance of the track, "Each Year."
The band still have select dates scheduled for this Summer, including shows with Death Cab For Cutie and Andrew Bird.



Scheduled tour dates:
07.08.09: Interlochen, MI // Interlochen Center For The Arts
07.10.09: Los Angeles, CA // Greek Theatre %
07.11.09: Berkeley, CA // Greek Theatre - UC Berkeley * %
07.12.09: Reno, NV // Street Scene
07.13.09: Salt Lake City, UT // Red Butte Garden * %
07.14.09: Morrison, CO // Red Rocks Amphitheatre * %
07.16.09: Vancouver, BC // Pacific Coliseum # *
07.17.09: Troutdale, OR // Edgefield Amphitheatre # *
07.18.09: Redmond, WA // Marymoor Amphitheatre # *
07.19.09: Redmond, WA // Marymoor Ampitheatre # *
07.25.09: Tulsa, OK // Dfest
07.31.09: Jersey City, NJ // All Points West
08.09.09: Chicago, IL // Lollapalooza
08.29.09: San Diego, CA
# with The New Pornographers
* with Death Cab For Cutie
% with Andrew Bird

visit Ra Ra Riot.com

This weeks new releases (WK 6/09)

This weeks list features the latest disc from the legendary Sonic Youth, as well as new work from artists like, Dirty Projectors, Elizabeth & The Catapult, and The Portland Cello Project.

This Weeks New Releases Wk (6/09):

Amazing Baby- Rewild
British Sea Power- Man of Aran
Datarock- Red
Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP
Dept. of Eagles- No One Does it Like You (single)
Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
Elizabeth & the Catapult- Taller Children
Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl- Two
Liechtenstein- Survival Strategies in a Modern World
Little Boots- Illuminations EP
The Low Anthem- Oh My God Charlie Darwin
Mos Def- The Ecstatic
Other Girls- Perfect Cities
Placebo- Battle For the Sun
Plastiscines- About Love
Portland Cello Project- The Thao and Justin Power Sessions
Rhett Miller- Self titled
Slim Twig- Contempt
So Many Dynamos- The Loud Wars
Sonic Youth- The Eternal
Starlight Mints- Change Remains

new release from A.A. Bondy this Sept.

A.A. Bondy will be releasing his sophomore album, When The Devil's Loose, this September 1st on Fat Possum records. The disc was recorded primarily in Water Valley, Mississippi in April and May of this year, and sees the normally stripped down, acoustic sounds of Bondy working with a full band on most tracks. The new disc follows up 2007's, American Hearts.
You can preview the title track streaming over on his myspace, or take a listen to one of the new songs, "Oh The Vampyre" from a recent Daytrotter live session below.

When The Devil's Loose track listing:
1. When The Devil's Loose
2. Mightiest Of Guns
3. A Slow Parade
4. To The Morning
5. Oh The Vampyre
6. I Can See The Pines Are Dancing
7. False River
8. On The Moon
9. The Mercy Wheel
10. The Coal Hits The Fire

Oh The Vampyre - A.A. Bondy

listen to AA Bondy on myspace.

'Song of the Week': Sera Cahoone-"Baker Lake"

Singer/songwriter, Sera Cahoone's path originally began as a drummer, which even included a stint as the drummer for Sub Pop label-mates, Band of Horses (she plays on their acclaimed 2006 album, Everything All the Time). But in '06 Cahoone stepped out from the kit and decided to focus on singing, songwriting, and guitar playing, the result of which was her debut self titled album.
Cahoone is now out with her sophomore effort, Only as the Day Is Long, which was released last year, and features among the many great tracks, "Baker Lake", which she just came out with a new video for.



Sera Cahoone on myspace.

the Afghan Whigs: tribute disc on the way

One of my favorite bands from the 90's, the The Afghan Whigs will be getting a tribute album this June 23rd. The album will see tracks tackled by Whigs collaborators and friends like, Joseph Arthur, Jeff Klein (My Jerusalem), Gutter Twins mate, Mark Lanegan and Matthew Ryan among others. You can get the full tracklisting and previews over at summerskissrecords.com.
The underlooked group's catalogue included the brilliant 1996 disc, Black Love, Gentlemen in '93, and their last album that came out in '98 titled, 1965. Frontman Greg Dulli later went on to form, The Twilight Singers and his latest project, The Gutter Twins with Mark Lanegan.

Debonair (LP Version) - The Afghan Whigs

Yo La Tango prepping new album

Long standing indie-rock trio, Yo La Tango are returning on Sept. 8 with a brand new disc, Popular Songs via Matador Records. The forthcoming effort follows up 2006's 'I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass' and also the alter ego side release, The Condo Fucks, 'Fuckbook'.
Here's part of the press release from Matador ..."The new Yo La Tengo album ‘Popular Songs” could be the bravest musical statement to date in a career full of ‘em. Recorded in Hoboken and Nashville in early 2009 with longtime associate Roger Mountenot, ‘Popular Songs’ finds the trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew at the height of their creative powers, fashioning an epic work that’s cooly confident as it is wildly adventurous.

You can listen to the new track, 'Periodically Double or Triple" over on the Matador site here.

From 2003's Summer Sun:

Little Eyes - Yo La Tengo