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!
Free Energy are on a roll. Their debut album, Stuck On Nothing, which came out in March on Astralwerks/DFA Records, was produced by Mr. James Murphy, Rolling Stone’s words to describe it are, very simply, “It totally fucking rules”
and Pitchfork calls them “totally rad.” Not bad for a first album.
Things are getting bigger now as they will be joining Weezer’s Memories Tour for the band’s Boston and New York dates in December! We have all the dates below! Meanwhile, they still have a good month accompanying Foxy Shazam around the country (we have those dates too) but are making a point to keep those who cannot follow them on the road entertained with the “Free Energy Power Hour.” During this express TV show, the band shows off their comedic skills with mock tape repair ad and parodies of tacky buddy sitcoms, among others. You can view the second episode right HERE!
Here are their upcoming tour dates:
11/11: Seattle, WA – Crocodile Café (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/12: Vancouver, BC – Media Club (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/14: Edmonton, AB – Pawn Shop (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/15: Calgary, AB – The Republik (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/16: Saskatoon, SK – Amigos (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/17: Winnipeg, MB – The Pyramid (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/18: Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/19: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/20: Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/21: Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/22: Albany, NY – Valentines (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/23: Boston, MA – Paradise (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/24: New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/26: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/27: Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
11/30: Lancaster, PA – The Chameleon Club (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
12/01: Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel (Foxy & Free Tour, Sponsored by SPIN Magazine)
12/07: Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theater
12/08: Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
12/09: Iowa City, IA – Blue Moose Tap
12/14: Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre (with Weezer)
12/15: Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre (with Weezer)
12/17: New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom (with Weezer)
12/18: New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom (with Weezer)
Lately I’ve been on a huge Bat for Lashes kick. I just can’t seem to get Natasha Kahn’s infectious songs out of my head. Fresh out of the vault, Bat for Lashes has released the third video from ‘Two Suns’ for ‘Sleep Alone’. Kahn is by far making the greatest videos out there today. The small stories within and the overwhelming color palette that sets the perfect tone makes each song more haunting than it already is.
Bat for Lashes was also nominiated today for an MTV Video Music Award (VMA) for the Breakthrough Video catagory up against Chairlift, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Matt and Kim, Cold War Kids, Passion Pit and more. Wow that is some list.
Modern Mystery 