Category Archives: Album Preview

11.15.10
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Les Savy Fav Release New Album and Video

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Les Savy Fav: their 2007 release, Let’s Stay Friends, earned them critical buzz and highly coveted spots on many year-end lists. The Brooklyn band has picked up where they left off with critics, receiving rave reviews for their latest LP, Root For Ruin, released in September on Frenchkiss Records. Unlike the roster of guest stars included on Let’s Stay Friends, Root For Ruin finds the band working as a quintet once again. Guitarist Seth Jabour described their latest recording as revelatory, explaining that “it turns out we enjoy making love to one another more than with a group of strangers.” The raw energy and jangled guitars that Les Savy Fav are known for are still there, and on Root For Ruin you can actually hear the guys getting comfortable with their own legacy as indie rock veterans.

The lead single from Root For Ruin, “Let’s Get Out Of Here” now has an amazing video to accompany the track. Check it out below, along with a handful of tour dates to close out the year:

2010 Tour Dates
November 15 – Komedia – Brighton, UK
November 17 – Gebäude 9 – Cologne, DE
November 18 – Festsaal Kreuzberg – Berlin, DE
November 19 – Trouw – Amsterdam, NL
November 20 – Nouveau – Paris, FR
November 21 – Trix – Antwerp, BE
November 22 – Electric Ballroom – London, UK
December 4 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
December 5 – Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
11.15.10
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Hear a Track From the New Tennis Album, “Cape Dory”


Amongst the plethora of lo-fi bands to surface seemingly out of nowhere this year, perhaps Tennis has remained the buzziest. No easy feat considering the fickle attention span of the indie blogosphere and their disciples.

The baby of husband and wife team Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore and based in Denver, Tennis constructs Brian Wilson-inspired pop songs and presents them in classic three minute packages. On “Take Me Somewhere”, the first track revealed from the band’s debut LP, Cape Dory, out January 18th on Fat Possum, the duo sticks with the format that brought them the buzz in the first place, even adding doo-wop background vocals that call to mind the girl groups of the sixties.

You can stream “Take Me Somewhere” here:

Tennis – Take Me Somewhere by forcefieldpr

Full Album Info:

Tennis
Cape Dory
(Fat Possum)
Street Date: Jan. 18, 2011
Formats:  CD / LP / Cassette / Digital

01 Take Me Somewhere
02 Long Boast Pass
03 Cape Dory
04 Marathon
05 Bimini Bay
06 South Carolina
07 Pigeon
08 Seafarer
09 Baltimore
10 Water Birds

And finally, if you want to catch them live:

Upcoming Tennis Tour Dates

Nov 16 Holocene – Portland, OR
Nov 17 The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
Nov 24 Bluebird – Denver, CO
Dec 01 Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
Dec 02 Terminal 5 – New York, NY *
Dec 03 9:30 Club – Washington, DC *
Dec 05 Kung Fu Neck Tie – Philadelphia, PA
Dec 06 Middle East Club – Cambridge, MA
Dec 07 Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, QC
Dec 08 The Drake Hotel – Toronto, ON
Dec 10 Schubas Tavern – Chicago, IL
Dec 11 Mojo’s – Columbia, MO

* = w/ The Walkmen
% = w/ Sonny and the Sunsets

11.12.10
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Boy Least Likely To…Record A Christmas Album?


The Boy Least Likely To, despite having one of the most incomplete sounding names ever (seriously, likely to what?), are gearing up for the holidays.

In the spirit of…a lot of musicians…the band is releasing a very festive CD this November. The album, appropriately titled Christmas Special, will be out on November 30th on iTunes for the ‘States. The release features eight new holiday songs by the band and three traditional covers.

Additionally, the Boy Most Likely To will be on a short European tour this December to spread their festive cheer. If you happen to be overseas, you can hear their Christmas album live at…

Tour Dates:
(all days December)

Tuesday 7th    Nottingham, Bodega Social
Wednesday 8th    Glasgow, King Tuts
Thursday 9th    Manchester, Ruby Lounge
Saturday 11th    Winchester, Railway Inn
Tuesday 14th    London, Hoxton Bar & Kitche

11.11.10
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Cloud Nothings Release New Single, “Understand At All”

Cloud Nothings just came out with a dreamy new song. The band started only a year ago with Dylan Baldi making lo-fi rock out of his parent’s basement outside of Cleveland. In the past year Cloud Nothings has released an EP, singles and made their way on tour coast to coast. Not bad for only a year on their own. “Understand It All” is from Cloud Nothings first self-titled full length, produced by Baltimore’s Chester Gwazda, known for his work with Dan Deacon and Future Islands.

Recorded at the home of Wham City, Baltimore’s Copycat Building, the scratchy catchy tune makes me desperately want to escape on a European holiday to see them with Les Savy Fav in Amsterdam on their upcoming tour. Dylan Baldi records all the tracks by his lonesome so let’s hope the live band keeps up the great energy. “Cloud Nothings” is released January 25th, 2011.

Cloud Nothings – ‘Understand At All’ by nmemagazine


Tour Dates

11-11-10: Sneaky Petes w/ Veronica Falls (Edinburgh)
11-13-10: ABC w/ Les Savy Fav (Glasgow)
11-14-10: Constellations Festival w/ Les Savy Fav (Leeds)
11-15-10: Komedia w/ Les Savy Fav (Brighton)
11-17-10: Werkstatt w/ Les Savy Fav (Koln)
11-18-10: Festsaal Kreuzberg w/ Les Savy Fav (Berlin)
11-19-10: Trouw w/ Les Savy Fav (Amsterdam)
11-20-10: Nouveau Casino w/ Les Savy Fav (Paris)
11-21-10: Trix w/ Les Savy Fav (Antwerp)
11-22-10: Electric Ballroom w/ Les Savy Fav (London)
11-23-10: White Heat @ Madame JoJos (London)
12-17-10: Akron, OH Musica w/ Herzog
12-18-10: Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom w/ Herzog

11.11.10
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Sigur Ros’ Jonsi Due to Release Live Album/ DVD

Sigur Ros’ frontman, Jonsi delivered the news of  his live record set to be released on November 29. Go Live includes a compilation of a 14-song album, and additionally a DVD of his 73 minute live performance in London during March of 2010. The album package contains Jonsi’s remastered versions of his solo work Go and comes with a collection of personal photographs taken by the band during the tour. Music and eye-candy wrapped up in one chewy gumball of Jonsi’s haunting vocals and delicate symphonies.

Go Live Tracklisting:

  1. stars in still water
  2. hengilás
  3. icicle sleeves
  4. kolniður
  5. tornado
  6. sinking friendships
  7. saint naive
  8. go do
  9. boy lilikoi
  10. animal arithmetic
  11. new piano song
  12. around us
  13. sticks & stones
  14. grow till tall

Go Live DVD Tracklistlisting:

  1. hengilás
  2. icicle sleeves
  3. kolniður
  4. tornado
  5. sinking friendships
  6. go do
  7. boy lilikoi
  8. new piano song
  9. around us
  10. volume pedal song
  11. grow till tall


11.10.10
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The Octopus Project Release ‘Hexadecagon’ as a Double-ish Album

Vinyl’s been back in style for a while and people have already gotten bored with it. Not bored enough to abandon the format again, thankfully, but enough to try to update the technology in a race to follow some analog subset of Moore’s Law. First there was Jack White’s Triple Decker Record, now The Octopus Project, with their preternaturally conceptualized double album, Hexadecagon, have their own innovation to share. Though on two slabs of vinyl, Hexadecagon will only occupy three sides. The fourth side will contain exclusive tracks in an arrangement described as “roulette grooves,” meaning you never know what track will play when you put the needle down.

On top of this, the band is including a DIY Zoetrope you can lay over the record while playing, and each song will produce it’s very own stop-motion animated sequence. Does this album even have to be good for you to enjoy it? Regardless, even if these features are just gimmicks, they’re pretty damn cool gimmicks. If your confounded as to the mechanics of a Zoetrope, The Octopus Project have included a wonderful instructional video so you can make your own.