by jill ettinger

Brooklyn’s Coasting Wrap Up East Coast Dates

Before heading to New Zealand to tour and gaze at sheep, Brooklyn’s Coasting has just wrapped up some U.S. tour dates that started December 15^th in Washington DC with Reading Rainbow.

The indie-poppy-dreamy sounds of Coasting can also be enjoyed on the release of two singles on 7″ vinyl that came out December 8th. French label, Atelier Ciseaux (Best Coast, Jeans Wilder, Young Prisms, Lucky Dragons) paired Coasting with tour mates, Reading Rainbow for a release and M’Ladys Records (Tyvek, Tamaryn, Finally Punk, Explode into Colors) scored some glowing vinyl from Jack White’s The Dead Weather’s stash and will be releasing a Coasting 7″ on that.

12.22.10

by mcirigliano2

Smith Westerns Premiere New Video, Announce 2011 Tour Dates

Chicago’s Smith Westerns will release their sophomore LP, Dye It Blonde, on January 18 via Fat Possum Records. As hype surrounding the band continues to grow, thanks to their self-titled, self-released 2009 debut album, the trio are premiering Dye It Blonde‘s lead single, “Weekend” [#51 on Pitchfork’s Best Songs of 2010 List], as well as an accompanying video. Directed by Focus Creeps, the video gives you an idea of what a typical weekend is like for the band in their native Chicago. [Hint: cheese fries, Slurpees, and lumber-jacking all play pivotal roles. How diverse!]

The band is currently on a European tour supporting MGMT, and have announced a slew of early 2011 dates, including two NYC dates in January, as well as later dates with the UK band [and Fat Possum labelmates], Yuck.

Be sure to check out the complete list of 2011 dates, after the video:

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=17777581&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0

Smith Westerns – Weekend from Fat Possum Records on Vimeo.

Tue-Jan 18: Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands
Wed-Jan 19: New York, NY – Pianos
Fri-Jan 28: Nashville, TN – The End*
Sat-Jan 29: Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light*
Sun-Jan 30: Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506*
Mon-Jan 31: Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club*
Tue-Feb 1: Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn*
Thu-Feb 3: Orlando, FL – Backbooth*
Fri-Feb 4: Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder*
Sun-Feb 6: Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds*
Mon-Feb 7: Austin, TX – Emos*
Tue-Feb 8: Dallas, TX – The Loft*
Thu-Feb 10: Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room*
Fri-Feb 11: Los Angeles, CA – Echo*
Sat-Feb 12: Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar*
Sun-Feb 13: San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill*
Tue-Feb 15: Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Wed-Feb 16: Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret
Thu-Feb 17: Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe
Fri-Feb 18: Boise, ID – Neurolux
Sat-Feb 19: Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
Mon-Feb 21: Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
Tue-Feb 22: Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar
Wed-Feb 23: Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
Thu-Feb 24: Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
Fri-Feb 25: Madison, WI – The Frequency
Sat-Feb 26: Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Mon-Feb 28: Toronto, ON – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
Tue-Mar 1: Montreal, PQ – La Sala Rossa
Wed-Mar 2: Boston, MA – Great Scott

Fri-Mar 4: Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel

^ = w/ MGMT* = w/ Yuck

12.22.10

by Sedera Ranaivoarinosy

Cloud Nothings Present New Track From New Album, “Should Have”

January 25th, 2011, the release date for Cloud Nothings’ self-titled album on Carpark, is getting closer and closer and after giving us a first teaser of what it sounds like with the premiere of the the song “Understand At All,” we’re given a second excerpt. This song is called “Should Have” and will be out as a 7″ picture disc single on January 28th, 2011. It sounds like those rock songs you love as a teen, except with a little more whimsy both in the vocals and the arrangements but without that pretend-roughness we took for rebel attitude.

Take a listen below:

Cloud Nothings also have a few dates lined up for the end of the month and January so check out below if they’ll be stopping anywhere near you!

Here are their upcoming tour dates:

12/17 – Akron, OH – Musica (with Herzog)
12/18 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland (with Herzog)
01/12 – Grantham, PA – Messiah College (with Oberhofer)
01/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox (with Oberhofer)
01/14 – Columbus, OH – The Basement (with Oberhofer)
01/15 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall (with Handsome Furs & Oberhofer)
01/17 – Toronto, ON – The Drake Hotel (with Oberhofer)
01/18 – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo (with Oberhofer)
01/19 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge (with Toro Y Moi)

12.21.10

by summer826

Jane Lui Captivates With Latest Track From ‘Goodnight Company’

Listening to Jane Lui’s music is like taking a journey through a magical and whimsical land. Her voice is light and airy, real, and she is a mastered musician playing up to 14 instruments including piano, guitar, xylophone and IKEA wine glasses. Critics have already likened her to fellow female vocalists Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Norah Jones.

Jane’s third album, Goodnight Company, was released digitally on October 5^th, 2010 but will have a physical release on January 11, 2011. Building upon the success of her debut release Teargirl and the 2008 follow-up Barkentine, which was nominated for a San Diego Awards Best Recording, Lui says that for her latest endeavor she let loose and really just let her words do the speaking. She credits having more confidence in herself, being in a happier place and trusting her co-producer Aaron Bowen to just help bring out the real “Jane”.

“Illusionist Boy” is the next single to be released from the album. An acoustic masterpiece, featuring Lui’s naked and emotional voice, “Illusionist Boy” is a bit of a contrast compared to the album’s first single, “Jailcard”. With so many different types of music influencing Jane, the album is certainly one that will be at the top of many must-have lists.

12.17.10

by aitorzabalegui

Delicate Steve Fail at Attempting to Take a Detour From Near Perfection

Don’t let the title of this post fool you, even though it doesn’t give any hint as to what the post is about. Delicate Steve just seem to invite this sort of diction – whether it be their unwaveringly funny PR email with quotes including, “We are as delicate as the wings of butterfly with AIDS. Anything could crush us. And until we all decide that art is the only thing that makes life livable, we’ll just be another instrumental five-piece from New Jersey.” and “I’ll fight anyone, for any reason. I’ll fight a dog for no reason. I’ve seen the inside of juvenile hall. I’ve tasted blood in my mouth. I’ve stepped on throats and I’ve thrown bottles at strangers. But that was all in the past. It’s still part of me, but – now – I use that intensity for good. I want to attack people with music the same way I used to attack them with my fists.” or the reminder they give us that life is more palatable when (metaphorically) take a la mode. Whatever that may mean to you, Delicate Steve fittingly leave almost everything up to interpretation. Being an instrumental band, in a way, you choose your own adventure. Take the video for single, “Wondervisions” featuring Dirty Projectors’ Nat Baldwin as an example.

Delicate Steve take you back to the days when basketball players wore shoes made vintage upon conception that offered no support whatsoever. And with that alone, a non-point has been made: if anything, Delicate Steve wanted to disassociate themselves from an effortlessly applicable “beach vibe” that gets slapped onto this kind of music (see Ducktails) and pit their music against an irrelevant backdrop. The result is you wonder why you’re watching two men play one-on-one while you dig on a fun little jam. And thanks to the power of editing, nobody misses a shot, and you don’t have to either because it’s streaming below. Look for Wondervisions out February 1st on Luaka Bop.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/17367289

12.16.10

by cristobalsaez

U.S. Royalty to release “Mirrors”

usroyalty
Washington DC-based band US Royalty are finally ready to release their debut record after spending a year recording and writing the music as a band. The folk pop band has been compared to the likes of Local Natives and the Black Keys, but in reality, their inspiration is drawn from Kubrick and Ennio Morricone soundtracks.