Category Archives: listen

June 18, 2013 · 3:24 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Ewert and The Two Dragons

Deemed by critics as “the crown jewel of Estonian music,” Ewert and The Two Dragons are excited to announce they will be returning to the U.S. for a nationwide headline tour this Fall. Kicking off September 4 in Portland, OR, the 6-week stint includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, San Francisco and more. The 4-piece indie folk rockers are touring in support of the long-awaited U.S. release of their acclaimed second album Good Man Down, which is set for a digital release on June 25 and a physical release on August 13, via Sire/ADA.

Led by Ewert Sundja, Ewert and The Two Dragons is rounded out by Erki Pärnoja, Pärnoja (guitar) and Kristjan Kallas (drums), and Ivo Etti (bass, guitar). Good Man Down has received overwhelming praise since its 2011 European release, quickly becoming one of Estonia’s best-selling albums and earning them five Estonian Music Awards, including “Album of the Year,” “Song of the Year” and “Band of the Year.” Their biggest accolade, however, came this past January when the band won the European Border Breakers Awards honoring the best new acts in Europe for achieving success outside their home country with their first international release.

The band discusses their music and life on the road in:

“A Portrait of Ewert and The Two Dragons“

Ewert and The Two Dragons have been steadily on the rise since the release of their 2009 debut The Hills Behind The Hills. The 4-piece has toured all over the world and are fixtures throughout the European festival circuit, performing at Iceland Airwaves, Eurosonic, The Great Escape, Germany’s Popkomm, Waves Vienna, and more. Finnish music magazine Rumbacaught them during the early stages of their career at the renowned Baltic music festival Positivus, declaring them “the best band at the entire festival” where they were on the line-up alongside Muse, The Scissor Sisters, and others. The buzz garnered by the band at these festivals got the attention of legendary A&R man Seymour Stein, who immediately signed them to Sire Records after seeing them perform live in the U.S.

EWERT AND THE TWO DRAGONS TOUR DATES

Sept 4 – Portland, OR @ MusicFestNW

Sept 6 – Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club

Sept 7 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Sept 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill

Sept 10- Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite

Sept 11- San Diego, CA @ The Casbah

Sept 12- Scottsdale, CA @ The Rhythm Room

Sept 13 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad

Sept 14- Denver, CO @ Moon Room

Sept 17 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory

Sept 19- Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs

Sept 20 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s BBQ

Sept 21- Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar

Sept 23 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt

Sept 24- St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird

Sept 25- Madison, WI @ The Frequency

Sept 27- Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry

Sept 28 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen

Sept 30- Columbus, OH @ The Basement

Oct 1 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig

Oct 2 – Toronto, ONT @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern

Oct 3 – Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar

Oct 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose

Oct 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s

Oct 7 – Washington, DC @ DC9

Oct 9 – Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bear’s Place

Oct 10 – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge

Oct 12 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground

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Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, Newest Love, Shows, video

Tagged as album release, Estonia, European Border Breakers Award, Ewert & The Two Dragons, Good Man Down, tour dates, video

· 11:34 am

Download: Kyle Andrews – “Crystal Ball”

Kyle Andrews has released several deliriously catchy albums built to make you smile. Best known for his 2010 hit “You Always Make Me Smile,” which was featured in a worldwide ad campaign and had a video that was shot during an attempt to make the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest water balloon fight, he returns with a new full-length Brighter Than The Sun, out July 23 via Elephant Lady Records!

kyle

Album track “Crystal Ball” glistens with shimmering synth and an infectious, dance-worthy beat that’s sure to lift your spirits.

Listen/download: Kyle Andrews – “Crystal Ball”

Brighter Than The Sun is a pulsating, fun-inducing pop album. “Looking Up” is so funky you can’t help but bounce to the feel-good bass line. “The Way To Wonder” begins with light acoustic-guitar strumming and handclaps, quickly building up to an epic climax. Drawing inspiration from society’s inclination towards the technological, Kyle is no stranger to the innovative – he uses everything from built-in laptop mics to top-of-the line studio set ups to compose and record his tunes.

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Tagged as Brighter Than The Sun, Crystal Ball, Elephant Lady Records, free download, Guinness Book of World Records, Kyle Andrews, video, Water balloon, You Always Make Me Smile

June 14, 2013 · 3:13 pm

New Music From Editors

CDP_Wallet.indd

The Weight Of Your Love, Editors’ fourth studio album, is, according to lead singer and songwriter Tom Smith, “a band record, a musical record, a rock record… with a foot in that alt-rock / Americana world.”

The Weight Of Your Love is the first Editors album to feature new members Justin Lockey and Elliott Williams, following the departure of founding member Chris Urbanowicz in 2012. Inspired by Scott Litt’s work with REM amongst others, and built around a live performance approach to recording, the album was recorded in Nashville at Blackbird Studio by producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Of Monsters And Men, Kings Of Leon) and mixed by Craig Silvey (Arctic Monkeys, The Horrors, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver). It also features extra production from Clint Mansell (Grammy award winning ‘Black Swan’ soundtrack) on “Nothing”, rescored from the original to become what Tom and Ed Lay both describe as the “centerpiece” of the album.

Lyrically focused on “love songs that don’t adhere to the traditional love song type” according to lead singer Tom Smith, The Weight Of Your Love features lots of firsts for the band, not the least of which is Tom’s falsetto on “What Is This Thing Called Love”. Horns make an appearance for the first time on an Editors record, and Elliott’s amazing new vocal contributions serve as a beautifully melodic counterpoint to Tom’s, as best displayed on “Formaldehyde”. “The Phone Book”, meanwhile, seemed to need nothing more than an acoustic guitar. “I have a deep love of those big rock records that are straightforward,” notes Tom, “and we really embraced that throughout this album.”

The Weight Of Your Love is the follow up to Editors two consecutive Number One UK Albums: An End Has A Start (2007) and In This Light And On This Evening (2009). Their debut album, The Back Room (2005) has sold over half a million copies in the UK.
The Weight Of Your Love will be released by Play It Again Sam / [PIAS] America on July 2^nd digitally, and July 9^th on CD, double CD (with bonus tracks), & double 180g vinyl.

The first single, “A Ton of Love”, will be released digitally on June 18^th – watch the video for “A Ton of Love” below.

And here’s my forever FAVE song from Editors (from their 2005 debut album, The Back Room):

Editors are back – A List of what we know so far…! (transatlanticdiablog.wordpress.com)
Editors release video for their new track The Weight (hangout.altsounds.com)

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Filed under Band Change-ups, Highly Anticipated, listen, new albums, video

Tagged as A Ton of Love, An End Has a Start, Editors, In This Light and On This Evening, Munich, new band members, The Back Room, The Weight, The Weight of Your Love, Tom Smith, videos

June 13, 2013 · 3:19 pm

Smallpools Tour Dates

Photo credit: Dan Monick

Smallpools is a four-piece outfit founded in Los Angeles with ties to New York, New Jersey and Oregon. Today they’re announcing their first ever live shows, a tour with Australia’s San Cisco that will take them from the East Coast to Canada, through the Mid West and San Francisco and ends in Los Angeles. The brand new band consists of Sean (vocals/keys), Mike (guitar), Joe (bass) and Beau (drums).

Their first single “Dreaming” was produced by Captain Cuts. The song instantly shot to #1 of Hype Machine within the first 3 days of revealing. The band explains the song: “In contrast to the upbeat vibe of the music, the song talks about a moment where everything goes wrong in a situation where you thought you had it all figured out. A moment we’ve all experienced to some degree, but most often if we’re lucky, in a dream where we get to wake up in a sweat and say, “Phewf, ok, that wasn’t real.” “

Listen/download: Smallpools – “Dreaming”

Smallpools live dates:
* / w San Cisco
7/15 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
7/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
7/18 – Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel *
7/19 – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall *
7/20 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall *
7/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
7/23 – Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall *
7/24 – Toronto, Ontario @ The Garrison *
7/26 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement *
7/27 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar *
7/28 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In *
7/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway *
7/31 – Minneapolis, MN @Triple Rock Social Club *
8/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene
8/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s *
8/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex *

“”Dreaming” is alt radio gold with extreme crossover potential, the kind of song that only comes along a few times a year, and rarely on a debut single.” – Neon Gold

“Ladies and gentleman, your summer anthem has arrived.” – Pigeons & Planes

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Tagged as captain cuts, Dreaming, Hype Machine, Neon Gold, Pigeons & Planes, San Cisco, Smallpools, tour dates

June 12, 2013 · 1:49 pm

Mom + Pop’s Boombox: Vol. 1

NYC’s Lucius will release their debut full-length album in North America with NYC tastemaker label Mom+Pop. Today, the label unveiled Mom+Pop’s Boombox: Vol 1, a compilation featuring tracks from its roster of acts including Lucius’ “Until We Get There demo” which earned great deal of praise after recently airing on FOX’s New Girl.With emotionally charged, upbeat, 60s inspired songs and a sincere crowd connection, the quintet has solidified its reputation as a must-see live band. Their summer tour includes stops at several festivals including Bonnaroo, Solid Sound Festival, Boston Calling + support dates with Tegan and Sara, The Head and the Heart and more.

Earlier this spring, the label launched Boombox, a monthly subscription service via Drip.fm, offering both digital downloads and deliveries of limited-edition 7”s. The 13-track sampler features Mom+Pop mainstays such as Andrew Bird and Polica as well as Hunters, Flume and the also recently signed Jagwar Ma.

The compilation is streaming in full now on Mom+Pop’s SoundCloud

Tracklist:

01 Jagwar Ma – The Throw
02 Polica – Tiff
03 Flume – Holdin On
04 Neon Indian – Hex Girlfriend (Twin Shadow Remix)
05 Hunters – Brat Mouth
06 FIDLAR – Max Can’t Surf
07 Wavves – Demon To Lean On
08 Kid Astray – The Mess
09 Mikhael Paskalev – Jive Babe
10 Beat Club – Something Better
11 Animal Kingdom – Get Away With It
12 Smith Westerns – Varsity
13 Andrew Bird – The Crown Salesman
14 Lucius – Until We Get There

Lucius Tour Dates

6/13: Pittsburgh, PA @ Three Rivers Arts Festival (FREE)
6/14: New Albany, IN @ Bicentennial Park (FREE)
6/15: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (New Music Lounge / 5.20 – 6.10pm)
6/16: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (Sonic Stage / 1:45-2:15pm)
6/17: Charlotte, NC @ Stage Door Theater at Blumenthal PAC
6/19: Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery
6/20: Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater %
6/22: North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
6/26: Lewiston, NY @ Artpark *
7/10: Haddon Heights, NJ @ Sundown Music Series
7/26: Boston, MA @ The Wang Theatre +
7/27: Portland, ME @ State Theatre +
7/31: Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
8/1: Rochester, NY @ Party In The Park #
8/7: New Haven, CT @ Bar (FREE)
8/9: Newmarket, NH @ Stone Church
8/10: Bangor, ME @ Kahbang Fest
8/16: Lyons, CO @ Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
8/22: Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Brewery (FREE)
8/23: Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
8/28: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo ^
8/29: San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
9/7: Boston, MA @ Boston Calling

+ supporting Tegan and Sara
% co-headlining with Hey Marseilles
* supporting Dispatch
# supporting The Head and the Heart
^ Touché supports

Check ‘Em Out: Lucius – “Until We Get There” (The song from New Girl!) (musicallyamusing.com)

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Tagged as Andrew Bird, Animal Kingdom, Beat Club, Boombox Vol. 1, Dispatch, FIDLAR, Flume, Hey Marseilles, Hunters, Jagwar Ma, Kid Astray, Lucius, Mikhael Paskalev, Mom + Pop, Neon Indian, New Girl, Polica, Smith Westerns, Tegan and Sara, The Head and the Heart, Touche, tour dates, tracklist, Wavves

June 4, 2013 · 1:26 pm

Video: Cold War Kids – “Loner Phase”

On the heels of a successful spring tour, Cold War Kids have extended their headlining North American tour by adding summer dates kicking off today at Plush in St. Louis, MO. Fall tickets will be available via http://www.coldwarkids.com. Pre-sale tickets will be available tomorrow, with the public on-sale beginning June 7th. See below for itinerary.

Cold War Kids have also released a video to accompany “Loner Phase,” an infectious song from their fourth studio album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, released April 2nd on Downtown Records and MapleMusic Recordings. Consequence of Sound says, “Loner Phase, is chock-full of classic CWK. While bobbing basslines and snappy drums line the track up nicely with the band’s earlier work, there are distinct signs of the aforementioned growth.”

“Fits and starts of brilliance on the first three records, Cold War Kids have hit their stride and locked into a very intense groove for the fourth, ” says Esquire Magazine. NME adds, “(Dear Miss Lonelyhearts) has gone back to the sort of idiosyncratic weirdness that made us fall for them in the first place.” Relix states, “There’s a natural flow to the songs on this disc … a complexly drawn collection. And that blues sensibility you always liked best about them is happily still there.”

Cold War Kids tour dates *Canadian dates are bolded

June 3 St. Louis, MO Plush
June 8 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
June 9 New York, NY Governors Ball Music Festival
June 11 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
August 15 San Diego, CA House of Blues
August 16 Las Vegas, NV Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
August 17 Denver, CO Cultivate Festival
August 18 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
August 19 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
August 21 Tulsa, Oklahoma Cain’s Ballroom
August 22 Austin, TX Stubb’s Amphitheater
August 23 Dallas, TX South Side Music Hall
August 31 Edmonton, Canada Sonic Boom Festival
September 1 Calgary, Canada Sonic Boom Festival
September 19 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
September 21 Flagstaff, AZ The Orpheum Theatre
September 22 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre
September 26 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
September 29 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
October 18 Boston, MA House of Blues
October 19 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
October 24 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
October 26 Norfolk, VA The National
October 29 Charlottesville, VA The Jefferson Theatre
October 30 Athens, GA 40 Watt
October 31 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
November 1 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall

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Tagged as Cold War Kids, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, Downtown Records, Loner Phase, MapleMusic Recordings, new album, tour dates, video

May 31, 2013 · 10:18 am

Listen: Escort – “Barbarians”

Click image to listen to “Barbarians”

NYC’s Escort, founded by Eugene Cho and Dan Balis and fronted by the enormous vocals of lead singer Adeline Michèle, delivers a danceable blend of disco, funk & soul that pays homage to the classics while remaining fresh and modern. Hot off the heels of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, the ensemble will release a new package for their single Barbarians, complete with remixes from CSS, Rance Muhammitz and an Extended Dub.

Brimming with disco-infused riffs and tribal beats, the irresistibly catchy chorus effortlessly commands you to “stand up” and move.

Dubbed one of the “Best Albums of 2012” by both SPIN and Rolling Stone, Escort will kick off an international tour with a hometown throw-down at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, making stops in Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles & more.

Escort On Tour

5/24: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/14: Chicago, IL @ Taste of Randolph Street
6/15: Chicago, IL @ The Hideout, Chicago (DJ Set)
7/19: Linz, Austria @ Castle Clam
7/20: Vienna, Austria @ Nova Jazz & Blues Night
7/21: Oeiras Portugal @ Cool Jazz Fest
7/26: Toronto, CA, Toronto’s Festival of Beer w/De La Soul
8/9: Claverlack, NY @ The Big Up Festival
8/20: Los Angeles, CA @ Check Yo Ponytail, The Echoplex

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Tagged as Barbarians, dance, disco, Escort, listen, Rolling Stone, Spin, stream, tour dates

May 30, 2013 · 2:45 pm

Haerts Release New Song “All The Days”

New York band Haerts have revealed their brand new track “All The Days” exclusively via Elle.com.

Click here to have a listen!

“Ripe for a top-down cruise to, well, anywhere. Your summer playlist just got a headliner,” Elle commented about the track.

HAERTS is a band from New York hailing from Germany, England, and the United States. The group consists of Nini Fabi, Ben Gebert, Garrett Ienner, Derek McWilliams, and Jonathan Schmidt. The band’s first single, “Wings,” was produced in collaboration with Jean-Philip Grobler (aka St. Lucia). HAERTS’ debut album is due in 2013.

Late last year, the band revealed their first song “Wings” and an unofficial video for the song HERE, before going to SXSW where they played the Columbia/Filter, Laneways, IndieShuffle, Portals/Hype Machine and Neon Gold Records showcases. The band is playing their upcoming album live first on their first American tour with Shout Out Louds and will continue touring with Atlas Genius through June.

HAERTS live:
* = w/ Shout Out Louds
# = w/ Atlas Genius
& = w/ Fitz and The Tantrums

Thu 5/23: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey *
Fri 5/24: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey *
Wed 5/29: Salt Lake City, UK @ Kilby Court #
Fri 5/31: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre #
Sat 6/1: Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep #
Tue 6/4: Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music #
Thu 6/6: Indianapolis, IN @ Delux @ Old Nation #
Fri 6/7: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall #
Sun 6/9: Nashville, TN @ 3^rd and Lindsey #
Tue 6/11: Norfolk, VA @ The Norva #
Wed 6/12: Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club #
Fri 6/14: Albany, NY @ Bayou Café #
Sat 6/15: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair #
Mon 6/17: Pawtucket, RI @ The Met Café #
Tue 6/18: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
Wed 6/19: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
Mon 6/24: Detroit, MI @ The Shelter #
Fri 6/28: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club &
Sun 6/30: New York, NY @ Irving Plaza &
Sat 9/14: Rochester, MI @ Laneway Festival Detroit

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Tagged as All The Days, Atlas Genius, Elle, Fitz and the Tantrums, HAERTS, Shout Out Louds, SXSW, tour dates, Wings

· 2:12 pm

New Remix From The Chainsmokers + Free Download

Check out The Chainsmokers remix of Say Lou Lou’s “Julian”.

Listen/download: Say Lou Lou – Julian (The Chainsmokers Remix)

The duo says, “We first heard the song “Julian” from Say Lou Lou and immediately fell in love with their haunting vocals and cool vibes, like Nervo meets Tegan and Sara, but we felt, underneath the grungy yet sexy vocals there was room for a really beautiful uptempo Indie Progressive song. We always preach about trying to make music that is a beautiful blend of pop, indie and progressive, which isn’t always possible, but we feel like this time, we did. Each of those genre to us represent some of music’s most important provisions, emotion, energy, dance and the ability to appeal to many.”