Cass McCombs Announces Summer Tour, Premieres New Video

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If you were worried Cass McCombs was only going to do those few dates in May to support his album Wit’s End  (Domino Records), rejoice! He just announced a series of dates around the country (and Canada) where he’ll be joined by Lower Dens so you now have the entire month of July to see him play live. Check out where and when at the end of the post but not before you watch the video for the song “County Line,” off of Wit’s End, which Cass directed himself. The slow motion images of the American South blend really well with the mellow sound of the track.

Here are his upcoming tour dates:

Mon. July 18 — Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bears (with Lower Dens)

Tue. July 19 — Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse (with Lower Dens)

Thu. July 21 — Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (with Lower Dens)

Fri. July 22 — Montreal, QC @ Il Motore (with Lower Dens)

Sat. July 23 — Toronto, ON @ Rivoli (with Lower Dens)

Mon. July 25 — Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s (with Lower Dens)

Wed. July 27 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry (with Lower Dens)

Fri. July 29 — Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

NASH Premieres Arty “Sad Robot Harmonies”


It has been a long time in the making, but the moment that you have been waiting for is here. NASH’s video for “Sad Robot Harmonies,” dropped today on Baeble Music in all of its glory.

Directed by Christopher Mills (Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, Interpol, Blue Rodeo), with Illustrations by Gaelle Legrand, and Executive Producer Geoff McLean, the trio create a visual masterpiece to the upbeat and catchy track.

An animated NASH will take you on a comic book ride that gets more interesting with every view. This is one video you will have to watch more than once, because you aren’t going to want to miss a thing.

“The song is a large thank you to some really good people in my life which points out the contrasts between good-intentioned people and people with agendas, and my ability to deal with or be able to cope with the latter,” says NASH. “I figured I’d be ironic about it and tell it from the perspective of a robot with artificial intelligence who’s so frustrated with humans and the terrible things that they do that he decides he can’t take it anymore and resorts to building himself a tree house so that he can be removed from his human counterparts. The song ends with the moral of: ‘No matter how shitty things get, there’s always good, and love prevails despite the sadness of things around you.'”
Though the suburban Montreal native is only just in his thirties, he’s already gone through more experiences, turmoil and hardships than a person twice his age.

NASH embraced music in his teens and it has continued to be the driving force in his life through his ups and downs and stints as a music journalist, record company employee, concert promoter, drug dealer and addict, aquatics instructor, semi-professional athlete, artist manager, studio owner, construction worker, university student, non-profit organization founder, frequent hospital patient, repeated robbery victim, singer, songwriter, composer, musician and producer. Much of his professional music career has been split between Montreal and roach-infested abodes in Los Angeles, with significant periods also spent in New York City, Toronto, Vancouver, and touring across North America.

NASH’s musical influences range from the alterno-indie-cynism of Beck to Phoenix, the quirkiness of Cake to Spoon, the rhythms of reggae and the haunting vocal touches of Failure and Depeche Mode. He takes elements from these artists and infuses them with unique arrangements, unusual instrumentation, danceable beats and memorable hooks to create a sound that’s truly his own.

The Kooks Debut New Single, “The Saboteur”

If there are still people in this world who believe that the Internet and social networks aren’t completely changing how we access and consume music, this little story should change their mind.

British four-piece The Kooks will only be releasing their new album Junk Of The Heart on September 12th via Astralwerks but the first single off the album, “The Saboteur,” was made available for all to listen to and download at the beginning of the week on www.junkoftheheart.com, but not without Kooks fan doing a little bit of work. In order to unlock the track, all those who wanted to hear had to send out a tweet containing the hashtag #junkoftheheart in order to reveal .01 seconds of the song. You’d think the reveal would have dragged on, but within a few hours, the whole track was out!

“The Saboteur” reflects a growth in the band’s sound. It’s all undeniably British but the songs goes through a series of different moods, from harder-hitting rhythms and guitars to soft piano-based bridges with swift bass lines. The Kooks are taking some risks so it’ll be interesting to hear the rest of the album once it drops!

CSS Reveal Cover, Tracklist, and Title for Upcoming Third LP

Now that CSS have finished making the rounds on their co-headlining tour with Sleigh Bells, it’s back to the business that got them there.  The Brazilian dance rock outfit will release La Liberación (cover art above) on August 22nd, at the peak of the Summer season — as if they weren;t the cause for enough perspiration already.  The album will feature cuts like “I Love You” and “Fuck Everything,” so don’t think you know what to expect.  La Liberación also features collaborations from Ratatat, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, and Mike Garson (the guy who played piano on David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane”).  Check back for the eventual preview track.

La Liberación Tracklisting:

I Love You
Hits me like A Rock
City Grrrl
Echo of love
You Could Have It All
La Liberación
Partners In Crime
Ruby Eyes
Rhythm To The Rebels
Red Alert
Fuck Everything

The Strokes Release “Taken For a Fool” Video


In perhaps their coolest video yet, Modern Mystery favorites just launched a new one for “Taken For a Fool.” It’s so cool we’re just going to let it speak for itself. There are more Strokes in here then you’ll be able to handle. That’s not a bad thing.

STRFKR Adds New Tour Dates


Having already racked up 28 sold-out shows in 2011 (and counting) while touring in support of their latest album, Reptilians, Portland’s own STRFKR have just announced a slew of new North American tour dates with appearances at several summer festivals.

Amidst their numerous tour dates, STRFKR also found time to film a new video for “Julius” with director Jason Miller. Check out the video and a full list of dates down below.

 

STRFKR Tour Dates

Aug 10, 2011 – Soho Restaurant & Music Club, Santa Barbara, CA
Aug 11, 2011 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Aug 12, 2011 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
Aug 13, 2011 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
Aug 14, 2011 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
Sep 2, 2011 – Electric Owl, Vancouver, Canada
Sep 3, 2011 – Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle, WA
Sep 5, 2011 – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 6, 2011 – Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 7, 2011 – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
Sep 9, 2011 – 12th & Porter, Nashville, TN
Sep 10, 2011 – The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
Sep 11, 2011 – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Sep 12, 2011 – Black Cat, Washington, DC
Sep 13, 2011 – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
Sep 16, 2011 – Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
Sep 17, 2011 – Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
Sep 18, 2011 – Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
Sep 19, 2011 – Il Motore, Montreal, QC
Sep 20, 2011 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Canada
Sep 21, 2011 – Majestic Theater, Detroit, MI
Sep 23, 2011 – MidPoint Music Festival, Cincinnati, OH
Sep 24, 2011 – Highdive (Pygmalion Music Festival), Champaign, IL
Sep 26, 2011 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
Sep 27, 2011 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
Sep 28, 2011 – Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Sep 29, 2011 – The Cave, Northfield, MN
Sep 30, 2011 – The Vault, Sioux Falls, SD