Some artists shy away from what could be considered controversial content in their music videos. The Glass gleefully dive in to questionable content headfirst, showing the (very negative) effects of drug use on their video for the song “Four Four Letter” in stark black and white contrast.
The song is off of the band’s latest At Swim Two Birds, which is out via Plant Music. You can also hear the Black Van remix of the song “Four Four Letter” right here.
Minneapolis group Sleeping In The Aviary loves to chase different genres. On their first album Oh, This Old Thing? the band cranked lo-fi punk songs that drew comparisons to the Buzzcocks and the Thermals.
On their second album the band tried their hand at indie folk, with Expensive Vomit In A Cheap Hotel being compared with Bright Eyes and Baptist Generals.
The band’s third album, Great Vacation, just came out last week. This time, the group has gone the way of layers of backup vocals and pop songs, with instruments like harps and trumpets making appearances (in addition to the creepiest cover art of the year).
The band will be on a national tour starting in January to support the new album. You can catch them, in all their lo-fi punk, indie-folk and pop glory, at
Sleeping In The Aviary Winter 2011 Tour:
01.06 • Minneapolis, MN — Triple Rock
01.07 • Madison, WI — Hgh Noon Saloon
01.08 • Appleton, WI — Hunger Strike Riot
01.09 • Milwaukee, WI — Borg Ward
01.10 • Chicago, IL — Empty Bottle
01.11 • Indianapolis, IN — Radio Radio
01.12 • Bloomington, IN — Rachael’s Cafe
01.13 • Nashville, TN — Little Hamilton Collective
01.14 • Atlanta, GA — The 529
01.18 • Houston, TX — Jet Lounge
01.19 • San Antonio, TX — The Ten Eleven
01.20 • Austin, TX — Hole In The Wall
01.22 • Dallas, TX — Double Wide
01.25 • Albuquerque, NM — Winning Coffee Co
01.26 • Tucson, AZ — The Hangart
01.27 • Phoenix, AZ — Trunkspace
01.28 • San Diego, CA — Soda Bar
01.29 • San Francisco, CA — The Pink House
01.30 • Oakland, CA — First Church Of The Buzzard
02.06 • Olympia, WA — Le Voyeur
02.12 • Boulder, CO — Astroland
02.15 • Wichita, KS — Kirby’s
Diane Birch is paying tribute to some of her favorite artists on The Velveteen Age, recorded with help from the Phenomenal Handclap Band.
They will be covering songs from heavyweights like the Cure, Joy Division, and Peter Murphy, with Birch putting her own spin on each track.
“During my teenage years as a Goth these songs were amongst my nearest and dearest,” explains Birch. “I would have never imagined I would get a chance to record them one day, let alone with some of my closest friends.”
The set was released on December 7th, and was recorded between songwriting sessions for Birch’s next album of originals. You can hear the song “The Corrosion” right here.
You can find Velveteen Age on S-Curve Records. The complete song list looks like this:
This Corrosion (Sisters of Mercy)
Kiss Them For Me (Siouxsie & The Banshees)
Bring On The Dancing Horses (Echo & The Bunnymen)
Atmosphere (Joy Division)
Primary (The Cure)
Tarantula (This Mortal Coil)
A Strange Kind of Love (Peter Murphy
Asobi Seksu have announced a release for their highly anticipated fourth full-length and they’ve revealed a full North American tour in support!
The album Fluorescence will be out February 15th on Polyvinyl Records on CD, LP, and MP3. The first single for the album, “Trails” is already out and you can listen to it right here!
What else to do with new material but to take it on the road, right? Asobi Seksu have announced a full North American tour this winter, with support from Brahms, BRAIDS and Cults! You can check out their new stuff right here:
1/27/2011 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY*
2/17/2011 – Album Release Show at Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
2/25/2011 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA**
2/26/2011 – Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, QC**
2/27/2011 – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON**
2/28/2011 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL**
3/01/2011 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN**
3/03/2011 – The Badlander – Missoula, MT**
3/04/2011 – Chop Suey – Seattle, WA**
3/05/2011 – Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC**
3/06/2011 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR**
3/08/2011 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA**
3/09/2011 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA**
3/10/2011 – Detroit Bar – Costa Mesa, CA***
3/11/2011 – Casbah – San Diego, CA***
3/12/2011 – Neon Reverb Festival – Las Vegas, NV***
3/13/2011 – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ***
3/14/2011 – Corazon – Santa Fe, NM***
3/22/2011 – The End – Nashville, TN****
3/23/2011 – Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN****
3/24/2011 – Strange Matter – Richmond, VA****
3/25/2011 – Rock and Roll Hotel – Washington, D.C.****
3/26/2011 – Johnny Brendas – Philadelphia, PA****
*w/ White Lies
**w/ BRAHMS
***w/ BRAIDS
w/ Cults
Feist’s album The Reminder was so great, they had to make a movie about it. Well, Look At What The Light Did Now is more about the collaboration between sound and imagery than just a Metallica-style “making an album” documentary, but it’s still damn cool.
Feist tells Pitchfork that she “wanted what’s in the movie to be things we’ve never seen before.” Explaining that “it focuses on the people whose job isn’t necessarily to be seen. Their part of the puzzle is to make imagery that gets seen, but they themselves are a bit invisible in the process. I wanted to show the smoke and mirrors a little bit.”
In her discussion with Pitchfork, Feist also mentioned that she will be making another album sometime this winter, but refused to elaborate any further. Look At What The Light Did Now is in stores now, and stay tuned for any other news about Feist’s upcoming album. In the mean time, check out the trailer for her documentary right here.
New Collisions are enjoying a very positive, steady stream of buzz lately and with good reason. The band got picked to be on the CMJ music sampler CD (only 20 bands of the 1,000 that play get to be on it) and recorded their debut LP (The Optimist) in under ten days.
The album has gotten solid reviews and was featured as a full album premier on AOL Spinner. Now the group is releasing their first music video. The music video for the song “Dying Alone” which you can catch here:
http://player.vimeo.com/video/16352048
New Collisions – Dying Alone from Light Matter Films on Vimeo.
Now the band is ringing in the new year with style, with a quick jaunt on the road to build upon the heaps of positive buzz the band has already gotten. You can catch New Collisions at:
12/14 Westchester, NY @ TheCheapPop.com Holiday Benefit, Westchester Music Hall
12/17 New York, NY @ Crash Mansion
12/18 Dover, NH @ Dover Brick House
1/1 Allston, MA @ Great Scott w/ Plushgun
Modern Mystery 
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