by aitorzabalegui

Woods Preview ‘Sun and Shade’ with “Pushing Onlys”

The prolific Woods are ready to release their sixth album, Sun and Shade, on none other than Woodsist, singer Jeremy Earl’s label, and they have a track to share. “Pushing Onlys” is typical Woods fare — haunting production cloaks Earl’s warbly, quivering falsetto, with the band expanding their vast repertoire of warm jams. It’s as if the onset of Spring made it just warm enough to inspire the band’s essential mood. If you’re near LA, be sure to check for Woods at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts on April 22nd.

04.05.11

by wesleyambrecht

Crystal Stilts Fall In Love With Oblivion

On April 12th, Crystal Stilts will release their sophomore album, In Love With Oblivion. The album, described as a beguiling mix of pop music and experimental garage rock, was recorded mostly in Southern Florida. Shortly after the album hits stores, the band will hit the road. A full list of dates can be found below, as can the band’s energetic first single “Through The Floor.”

Crystal Stilts – Through The Floor by Slumberland Records

Spring Tour Dates

Sat-Apr-16 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge #
Sun-Apr-17 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Sat-Apr-23 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
Mon-Apr-25 Birmingham, AL Bottletree
Tue-Apr-26 New Orleans, LA Circle Bar
Thu-Apr-28 Houston, TX Fitzgeralds (upstairs)
Fri-Apr-29 Austin, TX Austin Psych Fest 4 at Seaholm Powerplant
Sat-Apr-30 Dallas, TX Club Dada
Tue-May-03 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room
Wed-May-04 San Diego, CA Casbah
Thu-May-05 Santa Barbara, CA TBD
Fri-May-06 Los Angeles, CA Natural History Museum
Sat-May-07 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
Sun-May-08 Sacramento, CA The Hub
Tue-May-10 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Wed-May-11 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
Thu-May-12 Vancouver, BC Biltmore
Fri-May-13 Kennwick, WA Red Room
Sat-May-14 Boise, ID Colorcube
Sun-May-15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
Mon-May-16 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
Wed-May-18 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Thu-May-19 Madison, WI High Noon
Fri-May-20 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Sat-May-21 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
Sun-May-22 Toronto, ON Sneaky Dees

# = w/ Spectrum

04.04.11

by aitorzabalegui

Artists pull together tracks for ‘Benefit for the Recovery in Japan” Comp

This should have just been a post about an honest humanitarian effort pulled together by some fantastic independent artists to raise money in response to the devastation in Japan. Instead, artist Sadek Bazaraa missed the fact that the cover of the Benefit for the Recovery in Japan (above) looks unmistakably akin to a Pokéball.

Fortunately, the seriousness of the tragic event and this compilation’s good intentions merit a pardon of the artwork’s inadvertent mockery, so focus more on the music. That should be easy, considering contributions from Grouper, Akron/Family, School of Seven Bells, Bradford Cox, Bear In Heaven, Nat Baldwin, and Fennesz — and especially when considering comparison to this abortion of a compilation. “Shelter from the Storm”? Really?

100% of the proceeds from album sales will go to Civic Force, a Japanese non-profit, on-the-ground relief organization founded after the Niigata Earthquake in 2004. The album clocks in at nearly 5 HOURS of music, so take a read over the tracklist below and download the album for a helpful $15 toward the relief effort.

Part One:

1. Fennesz: “Fearless”
2. Helado Negro: “Cabeza Bella”
3. Stephan Mathieu: “(Excerpt from) The Floating World”
4. School of Seven Bells: “Midnight Sun”
5. Lawrence English: “Hotaru”
6. Noveller: “Darkheart”
7. Zeena Parkins: “The Letter”
8. Tom Carter (of Charalambides): “Mended”
9. Akron/Family: “Deep Kazoo”
10. The Ex: “Cold Weather Is Back”
11. Shinji Masuko (of Boredoms/DMBQ): “Botsuon”
12. Oneohtrix Point Never: “The Inside World”
13. Tokimonsta: “Sound Caves”
14. Joshua Abrams: “Jackdaws”
15. Keith Fullerton Whitman: “Anzac #3”
16. Ben Frost: “Snæugla”
17. David Daniell: “Shiho-hiru-tama”
18. Grouper: “Cassiopeia”
19. Tape: “Mirrors”
20. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: “Moon in a Dewdrop”
21. D. Charles Speer: “Steel Infant”
22. Evan Caminiti (of Barn Owl): “Blue Veil”
23. Blackshaw, Wood, Wood & Tomlinson (James Blackshaw & Hush Arbors): “Are You Alright? (Chump Change)”
24. Nat Baldwin (of Dirty Projectors): “In the Hollows”
25. Chris Forsyth & Shawn Edward Hansen: “Dirty Pool Blues”
26. Zelienople: “Stone Faced About It”
27. Elm (Jon Porras of Barn Owl): “Diamond Dust”
28. Lobisomem: “Kusha”
29. Stabbing Eastwood (Tunde Adebimpe & Ryan Sawyer): “Thundersnow Mountain”
30. Alan Licht & Greg Malcolm: “Natasha Utting Reporting”
31. Scott Tuma: “To: Hasty”
32. Rhys Chatham: “Prayer for the People of Fukushima”

Part Two:

33. Prefuse 73: “The Only Climactic Dissonant Hums”
34. Growing: “Untitled”
35. James Plotkin (of Khanate): “Broken ’96”
36. Totem Test: “Pulse Prayer for Japan”
37. Marcus Schmickler (of Pluramon): “2.71828 Up”
38. Tim Hecker: “Hatred of Music (Double Gate Mix)”
39. Sylvain Chauveau: “Colours in Darkness”
40. Bear In Heaven: “The Days We Have”
41. Spires That In The Sunset Rise with Michael Zerang: “Collision Theory”
42. C. Spencer Yeh: “Solo Violin March 13th 2011”
43. Lau Nau: “Oi Kuolema”
44. Oren Ambarchi: “Merely A Portmanteau”
45. Warm Ghost: “Uncut Diamond (Dripping Pollen Mix)”
46. Bradley & Geofrey (Atlas Sound + White Rainbow): “Mr. Stephen’s Private Service”
47. Peter’s House Music: “Half Step”
48. Leb Laze: “Da Plane Da Plane”
49. Matthewdavid: “Stop Laughing / Be Honest”
50. Sam Prekop: “Lakes River”
51. Simon Scott: “Of You (Before 2082)”
52. Tetuzi Akiyama/Jon Mueller/Jim Schoenecker: “Untitled”
53. Shelley Burgon: “Let It Be New”
54. Giant Sand: “Recovery Mission”
55. William Tyler: “Tears and Saints”
56. Mountains: “Still Life”
57. Ben Vida: “Quadsweep +2 (snkglazz iii)”
58. Maria Chavez: “Natural Disaster #2_2011”
59. Cleared: “Nova”
60. Neptune: “FIG IV”
61. Water Fai: “Tokitomori”
62. Parts & Labor: “Dokonimonai”
63. Jackie-O Motherfucker: “Blood of Life”
64. Greg Davis: “Sho Sai Myo Kichijo Dharani”

04.01.11

by wesleyambrecht

Manchester Orchestra And Red Bull Team For Event

@IAmWesley favorite Manchester Orchestra is slowly marching to the release of their new album, Simple Math on May 10th. Last month, the five-piece released the album’s beautiful first single “Simple Math.” And, yesterday, they followed it up with the slightly more upbeat “April Fool.”

Red Bull, who debuted the track on their website, will unveil a unique live performance and interview with the band today at 5pm EST/2pm PST. Tune in to RedBullUSA.com/livesessions for the broadcast and join in conversation by replying to @redbullstudioLA. Include the hashtag #RBstudio.

03.30.11

by libbyh9190

Datarock Releases EP In Advance of Full Album

Datarock has suddenly released an EP, California, in anticipation of their opus, Datarock – The Musical. All tracks on the California EP will be on the full-length album, due out later this year. You can hear the entire EP streaming right here: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/spinner#/1. Enjoy!

03.30.11

by wesleyambrecht

Javelin Create Some Canyon Candy

Cousins George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk have been recording together under the name Javelin since 2004. But, it wasn’t until 2010, when they toured extensively with Yeasayer, Girl Talk, Matt & Kim, Major Lazer, that things really started to take off for Javelin.

And now, 2011 looks to be an exciting year for the duo, due in large part to the release of their country western songbook Canyon Candy. The album will see release in two unique formats, 10’’ and PlayButton. The former of will see the light of day as a handmade collectors piece on Record Store Day (April 16), with the former following close behind.

Then, in late May, Javelin will launch a headlining tour that will take them across the continental U.S. Peep those dates down below.

Tour Dates

TUE 5/24 WASHINGTON, DC DC 9 w/ Big Freedia
WED 5/25 BALTIMORE, MD Sonar w/ Big Freedia
THU 5/26 NEW YORK, NY Mercury Lounge w/ Big Freedia
MON 5/30 BOSTON, MA Brighton Music Hall w/ Big Freedia
TUE 5/31 MONTREAL, QC Belmont w/ Big Freedia
WED 6/1 TORONTO, ON TBC w/ Big Freedia
THU 6/2 PITTSBURGH, PA Shadow Lounge w/ Big Freedia
FRI 6/3 CINCINNATI, OH Midpoint Indie Summer Series @ Fountain Square
w/ You You’re Awesome
SUN 6/5 CHICAGO, IL Empty Bottle w/ Big Freedia