It has been 30 years since Men Without Hats asked the world to dance (if they want to), and this year the Montreal New Wave group will ask the question again with the release of their highly anticipated new album Love In The Age of War (out June 5th on iTunes and everywhere June 12th on Cobraside Records).
Produced by Dave “Rave” Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson), Love In The Age of War features charismatic front man Ivan Dorschuk (voice & electronics), his brother Colin Doroschuk (vocals), as well as Lou Dawson (vocals & live keyboards), and James Love (guitars).
Love In The Age of War will mark their first album release in albums 10 years, featuring 10 original songs written by Ivan Doroschuk. In 2011, Men Without Hats soared back into the scene with their breakout performance at SXSW, followed by an extensive, well-received North American tour.
Since forming in the late 70′s, the band released six studio albums – having songs featured on hit TV series such as Glee, The Simpsons, Futurama and Family Guy. Their 1980′s hit “The Safety Dance” reached Top 10 in the US, the UK and 25 other countries around the world. In 1983, they picked up a Grammy nomination for Best group. Sure, you can still dance if you want to and Love In The Age of War will give you 10 more reasons why.
The brainchildren behind two of Sweden’s most beloved musical projects have combined to form one artistic force, the result being an infectious pop revolution. Smile is the collaboration of Björn Yttling, world-renowned writer, producer and bassist of international indie-pop powerhouse Peter Bjorn and John, and Joakim Åhlund of bear-masked electro outfit Teddybears. The duo is excited to announce the May 29th release of their debut LP, A Flash in the Night, as the first artist album from the Swedish artist collective, Ingrid. The recording is fully loaded with electro-focused pop tracks, many instrumental and constructed around addictive synth. The vocals that are offered are artfully sparse. The album features the single “Clean Gloves, Dirty Hands,” a standout instrumental track that The Fader has deemed, “excellent”, set amongst the hazy and nostalgic “Jean Michel,” complete with retro future-synth and the dream-pop gems “Crooked” and “Satellite Blues”
Ingrid made it’s official debut on Record Store Day, April 21st. with a 15-track compilation aptly titled Ingrid Volym I . The release features new original tracks from Nordic musicians and label founders Lykke Li, Joakim Ahlund of Teddybears, Miike Snow and Björn Yttling of Peter Björn and John. In addition to solo music projects by members of Peter Björn and John, Teddybears and Miike Snow, additional artists on the compilation include Andrew Wyatt, The Chinamen, Coco Morier, Electrocute, Hortlax Cobra, Little Majorette, Max Von Sydow, Peter Moren and Starlight Serenaders. The story behind the Swedish powerhouse label is anything but ordinary. Now they have all joined forces to record music as a single sonic entity highlighting Sweden’s eclectic music scene, ranging from dark, lush cosmic pop to psychedelic minimalism to melodic kraut.
Take one of music’s most exciting personalities, Philly-based, Baltimore-bred underground hip-hop impresario Spank Rock, and add the remixing work of some of the industry’s most interesting new voices and the result can be transcendent. This is certainly the case on the upcoming E.I.B.A.E.I.A.F.L (Remixes) EP out today, April 10th on Bad Blood Records. The EP features remixes of standout tracks from Everything is Boring and Everyone is a Fucking Liar, including “Car Song,” which features genre-mashing renegade Santigold, and “Nasty,” featuring NOLA bounce godmother Big Freedia.
“there was no question one of 2012′s pop queens was certainly in the building.”
– SPIN
“Santigold remade South By Southwest into an eccentric dance party” – Billboard
Santigold has announced her first US tour in support of her forthcoming album Master of My Make-Believe, due out May 1 on Atlantic Records/Downtown Records. The tour comes on the heels of her recent performances at SXSW, which exploded into dance parties and received rave reviews. Armed with her hybrid anthems, misfit band, and unstoppable dancers, the SG1s, her singular live shows are always monumental. Prepare for the gold rush of 2012!
Santigold recently released the first single from Master of My Make-Believe, “Disparate Youth,” which Rolling Stone called a “party-starting blast of a single – which combines dub wobble, post-punk skronk and pop hooks into a 100 percent hands-in-the-air jam.” The mesmerizing video finds her on a journey to find twin oracles. Earlier this year she released the animated video for her drum line stomper “Big Mouth”.
Upcoming Santigold Tour Dates
4/30 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
5/08 – Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero
5/09 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
5/11 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
5/12 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights
5/15 – Toronto, ON – Kool Haus
5/16 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
5/25 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch Festival)
5/26 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
5/28 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
5/29 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
6/04 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
6/06 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
6/07 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
6/09 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
6/10 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room
6/12 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
6/13 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
6/15 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
6/16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
6/18 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
6/19 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
6/22 – Boston, MA – House Of Blues
6/23 – New York, NY – Governors Ball Music Festival
6/29 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
6/30 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest
Not many producers get handpicked by deadmau5 to conjure a full length artist album for his prestigious mau5trap imprint; so for German specialist Moguai to get the nod twice in as many years is one hefty testament to the sheer quality, imagination and originality of his musical output.
Now, and less than two years since the critically lauded release of his first ever mau5trap album We Ar Lyve back in April 2010, Moguai returns to the fray, and on the form of his life, for the agonizingly-awaited worldwide release of his latest long-player project – Mpire.
Available to buy now, the album itself is an exquisite piece of craftsmanship; artistically inventive, masterfully honed, perfectly coordinated and not an ounce short of what we’ve come to expect from this outstanding producer, working so consistently at the top of his game. With the juggernaut first single (also titled Mpire) released earlier this month hitting #1 in the overall Beatport chart within days, Moguai now looks set to further silence competitors and wow critics with this stunning new set of fresh, forward-thinking soundscapes, skilfully and thematically tied by an innovative touch that only he can attain.
Diligently incorporating elements of house, techno and electro, this work – two careful years in the making – has Moguai’s signature sound stamped all over it. Whether it’s the luxuriously complex, driving harmonies of “Dynamo” and “Heimaterde,” the progressive artistry of “Lyme” and Tommy Trash collaboration “In ‘N’ Out,” or the relentlessly pounding tech-bedlam that is “N.E.O.,” this stunning album delivers more than it’s fair share of peak-timers to satisfy the cravings of dancefloor junkies worldwide.
But it’s the spellbinding euphoria of tracks such as “Invisible”, ”Styrum” and “Out of Nowhere” that elevate this album to that next level of innovative flair – one that so many artists struggle to achieve. Gentle, hypnotizing and evoking emotions of tranquillity throughout with their mesmerising synth progressions, these welcome moments of calm within an otherwise club-focused collection captivate the soul and carry the listener on a delicate journey through the ethereal. Just one listen and we begin to understand why the mau5 himself insisted so strongly upon another Moguai LP installment.
With some perfectly fitting collaborations and three exclusive offerings to round off proceedings (one each for Beatport, iTunes and Spotify) this album will no doubt become a mainstay in the collections of electronic music lovers young and old for years to come. In true testament to the infamous German composers that came before him, Moguai has created a masterpiece of a symphony that is as diverse as it is ingenious.
It’s been over two years since Nigerian-German songstress, Nneka, has toured the United States, and with the upcoming release of her third album, Soul Is Heavy, she’s more than ready to return.
Nneka has also just released the Coki (Digital Mystikz) remix of “My Home” (premiered on Fader) which offers listeners a lively rendition of the heartfelt lyrics and powerful vocals derived from the original track. Nneka explains the song as the realization that “there is no peace on Earth until you accept that both bad and good are part of life.”
Encompassing a combination of hip hop beats, reggae grooves, brass riffs and African-pop, Nneka’s album Soul Is Heavy is a raw and honest window into her beliefs of love, pain, politics and God. The album will be released on February 28th on Yo Mama’s Recordings/Decon.
Liverpool’s The Wombats return with their highly anticipated sophomore album, The Wombats proudly present … This Modern Glitch, will be released April 26, 2011 through Bright Antenna/ILG/Warners. Set to conquer the States, the band delivers 10 tracks that retain the immediacy and hook-filled sensibility of their stunning UK platinum-selling debut, 2007′s The Wombats proudly present … Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation, while introducing aggressive dance elements and a heavier, wryer lyrical bent to their infectious alt-pop. The Wombats have also unveiled the album art for This Modern Glitch (above) by legendary surrealist artist Storm Thorgerson, known for his iconic Pink Floyd album covers.
The band has also released a brand new video for their compelling new single, “Anti-D.” The woozy psychedelia of the video – shot in one continuous take – addresses frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy’s issues with depression and addiction to anti-depressants by contrasting the solemn, black-clad Murph to a colorful array of bizarre characters as he makes his way through a surreal, Technicolor world.
The Wombats – “Murph” (lead guitar, lead vocals, keyboards), Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals) and Tord Øverland-Knudsen (bass, backing vocals) – will be making their US television debut on March 16 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!performing their first U.S. single “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves).” The track, which reached Top 20 in the UK, was a BBC Radio 1 “Single of the Week” and has already gone gold in the UK and Australia.
This Modern Glitch Track Listing:
Our Perfect Disease
Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)
Jump Into The Fog
Anti-D
Last Night I Dreamt…
Techno Fan
1996
Walking Disasters
Girls/Fast Cars
Schumacher The Champagne
The Wombats upcoming US dates:
Tue, May 31 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Wed, Jun 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Fri, Jun 3 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw (Popscene)
You can now purchase the “Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)” single through iTunes (click here)!
This Modern Glitch will be available digitally in the U.S., UK, and worldwide on April 25, 2011. Pre-order the album here.
You can also pick up the Jump Into the Fog EP, featuring 3 additional B-sides, on iTunes here.
The Strokes announce the release date for their highly anticipated fourth album, Angles, on March 22nd via RCA records in the US, and March 21st via Rough Trade Records in the UK. The complete track-listing for the album can be found below.
Angles track listing:
1. Machu Picchu
2. Under Cover of Darkness
3. Two Kinds of Happiness
4. You’re So Right
5. Taken For A Fool
6. Games
7. Call Me Back
8. Gratisfaction
9. Metabolism
10. Life Is Simple In The Moonlight
These are the artists in America most ready to break for 2011. These artists have built a strong base for themselves in the areas of ticket sales, music sales, video views, music listens, and social media attention. In addition, the New Music Seminar music committee has recognized criteria including quality and uniqueness of songs, recordings and live show as well as the artists’ image/statement. Which ones do you already know and love?
The NMS Artist on the Verge Top 100 is compiled based on analytics both online and traditional. Factors considered include: music sales (physical and digital) ticket sales, frequency of gigs, touring history, merchandise sales, media (both online and print), social media activity, online buzz and other factors as determined by the NMS Music Committee.
Artists are further evaluated by using an arsenal of analytics from NMS Partners: BigChampagne, Next Big Sound, ReverbNation and OurStage; music industry experts and tastemakers. From this collected data, the NMS Music Committee selects The Artists on the Verge Top 100, which are listed alphabetically, regardless of genre.
The Artist on the Verge Project is a closed process and solicitations are never accepted or considered. The NMS Artist on the Verge Project is NOT an open contest for artists to submit their music to NMS like other contests, which are subjective in nature. NMS does not charge artists to enter or to be selected.
The iTunes pre-order for Zonoscope (both regular and deluxe versions) starts today and people who pre-order will receive a previously unreleased mix of “Take Me Over.”
Zonoscope Tracklisting:
1. Need You Now
2. Take Me Over
3. Where I’m Going
4. Pharaohs & Pyramids
5. Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution
6. Strange Nostalgia for the Future
7. This is All We’ve Got
8. Alisa
9. Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat
10. Corner of the Sky
11. Sun God
To celebrate, the band and Modular are giving away the blistering “Take Me Over” Three Loving Hand remix (a/k/a Tim Goldsworthy, producer of the band’s last album “In Ghost Colours”) remix MP3. As the band says, this mix was “designed for a new futuristic main room that fits over the top of the old main room.” Check it out on Pitchfork where it premiered and/or download it HERE.
