Category Archives: Newest Love

August 29, 2013 · 2:04 pm

Newest Love: SWF

swf1

SWF is the dream of, and moniker for, the artist, musician, and self-described mystic, Stevie Weinstein-Foner. Stevie’s messages of love and longing roll from his debut album, Let It Be Told, like mantras blasted from the radio of a brightly re-painted VW van, cruising down a metaphysical highway of endless summer with the windows down. Let It Be Told (out October 8 via Mecca Lecca) was recorded in Memphis, and the album’s soulful proclamations are backed by a chorus of fuzzy guitars, vocal harmonies, and very singable hooks. Time Out New York describes SWF’s music as “warm, mellow, scruffy rock & roll.” A few days ago marked the release of his first music video for “Black & Golden”, which you can watch below. The video was shot over the course of an entire year, beginning with the Chinese New Year in 2012 and wrapping on New Year’s Day in 2013.

After spending the summer of 2008 in the Grand Canyon rafting down the Colorado River, Stevie moved to Brooklyn, where he began to study yoga and write the songs which would become the material for Let It Be Told. Leaving Brooklyn to live and work on farms in Central America for the winter, he ended his travels in Memphis in May 2011, recording the first half of his debut album. Upon returning to Brooklyn, Stevie began performing as SWF, gathering friends from the yoga and music communities to act as band members.

After a year of determination, detox, and deep self-study, Stevie returned to Memphis in January 2013 to record the rest of the album. On “Warrior”, he sings, “I let my darkness shine, I let the darkness out, I’ve taken the warrior’s vow”, illuminating his path of sincerity and soul discovery. The songs are odes to a deeper connection to our soul and the challenges and beauty of hoping to attain enlightenment in the 21st century.

Revealed in both the spirit of light and darkness, Let It Be Told is a work of truth, love, and a heart that beats for rock & roll. 

Upcoming SWF Tour Dates
9/02 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands (w/ Vermont Joy Parade)
10/08 – New York, NY – Pianos (Record Release Show)
10/15 – Brooklyn, NY – The Rock Shop
SWF
Let It Be Told Tracklisting:
1. Black & Golden
2. Turtle Brain
3. Let It Be Told
4. Warrior
5. Automobile Blues
6. No More Secrets
7. Saturn Returns
8. Broken Glass
9. Only Child

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August 1, 2013 · 3:18 pm

Brand New: The Chain Gang of 1974 – “Miko”

1974

The dog days of summer call for a brand new song from The Chain Gang of 1974. The sun soaked vibes of “Miko,” which premiered with Neon Gold yesterday, is the first new offering TCGO1974 has released since 2011 and will be on their upcoming sophomore album.

“‘Miko,’ the barnstorming first taste of [the] next record opens innocently enough, like a waxing moonbeam of meditative pop, unfolding with relaxed candor…But then things go haywire as it slides into hyperdrive, taking off on the pestilent wings of Isom Innis’ studio magic as the Foster The People jack-of-all-tradesman turns in one of his finest production efforts yet. Buckle up and take flight.” says Neon Gold.

“Miko” is the first new track from the The Chain Gang of 1974’s sophomore LP due out in 2014 – the follow-up to the band’s 2011 debut Wayward Fire. The Chain Gang of 1974 is the moniker of genre-jumping singer/multi-instrumentalist, Kamtin Mohager. Since moving from his hometown of Denver to Los Angeles three years ago, in the midst of recording Wayward Fire, Kamtin has now become one with the elements of Southern California. His upcoming album is indicative of his free spirited lifestyle. The upcoming album was produced by Isom Innis (Foster The People) with additional help from Tony Hoffer (M83, Phoenix and Silversun Pickups, among many more).

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July 30, 2013 · 5:04 pm

Newest Love: Ski Lodge

SkiLodge_2_by_Luca_Venter_

“Mixing a dash of The Smiths’ swagger with more worldly influences”—Brooklyn Vegan

“Ski Lodge’s songs are most impressive not for their simplicity or for their general vibes, but for their striking clarity and attention to detail, as well as hooks so strong you couldn’t ignore them if you tried.”–The L Magazine

“Think, Real Estate and The Smiths. Marr writes about nostalgic memories of youth on top of his indie surf jams.” – Earmilk

“The album is preceded by first single, “Boy”, one of the catchiest ways to convey total suffocation and a perfect ode to summer heartache.” – Consequence of Sound

Twenty-plus years of stories, twenty-plus years of perfecting music’s craft, Ski Lodge’s Big Heart is exactly what a debut record should be: the culmination of a creative force’s life on this planet. Andrew Marr, the multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter behind Ski Lodge, has created a deeply personal record that overflows with lush melodies and insatiably catchy choruses. His songs occasionally deal with dark matters—infidelity, painful break-ups, loneliness, disjointed father-son dynamics—but Marr bathes them in a blissful light ripe for sing-alongs.

“I try to write songs honestly, and a lot of the things going on in my head that I struggle with might be deemed ‘dark,’ but I don’t think that means I can’t sing about them in a way that is musically upbeat or poppy,” Marr says, from his home in New York City. It’s a dichotomy that also translates to Marr’s choice for musical moniker. He explains the name Ski Lodge “evoked an image of being warm by a fire, alone or with friends, while outside exists the cold and cruel winter.”

Big Heart, Ski Lodge’s debut full-length, out this summer on Dovecote Records, is Marr’s fullest realization of this hot and cold split. Marr wrote all of the lyrics and music, and played nearly every sound that ended up on the record. However, this was the first time the 26-year-old worked in a professional studio with a producer, the indelible Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast, Fool’s Gold), over several weeks in Los Angeles. The combination of Marr’s intrinsic songwriting and Pesacov’s LA-defining production skills resulted in music with fuller breadth and scope than Ski Lodge’s previous release without losing any of the wry innocence that made 2011’s self-titled debut EP so much fun.

The one exception is the lead single “Just To Be Like You,” which was recorded with the full band in Upstate New York using producer Kevin McMahon (The Walkmen, Real Estate). Prefix Mag called the track “sugary sweet pop,” while Pitchfork warned its readers not to “be deceived by the energetic, hopscotching riff” before lauding the single’s dark depths. The song and its accompanying video of cult imagery are an exploration of contrast that fits in perfectly with both the album and Ski Lodge as a whole: deeply affecting and unmistakably danceable.

Listen: Ski Lodge – “Just To Be Like You”

Big Heart Track Listing:

1.  Anything To Hurt You
2.  Boy
3.  Looking For A Change
4.  Big heart
5.  You Can’t Just Stop Being Cruel
6.  Dragging Me To Hell
7.  I Always Thought
8.  Does It Bring You Down
9.  Just To Be Like You
10. Down On This Southern Tip
11. I Can’t Tell

Ski Lodge is having their album release party August 20th at Grasslands Gallery in Brooklyn.

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July 3, 2013 · 11:00 am

Video: Haerts – “All the Days”

 

HAERTS (1)

 

“‘All The Days,’ produced by St. Lucia, roars and surges and twinkles, with lead singer Nini Fabi’s haunting vocal floating in and out under waves of ’80s instrumentation. You just have to hear it.” – Idolator

“[‘All The Days’ is] another soaring, thoroughly rousing anthem from HAERTS. As good as their other song [‘Wings’], which officially makes them 2 for 2.” – Gorilla Vs. Bear

“‘Wings’ is about as flawless as pop tunes come.” – KEXP

At the end of May, I posted about Haerts’ new song, “All the Days”. Now, we’ve got a video to go along. Aritzia Magazine (the editorial offshoot of fashion retailer Aritzia) has released their self-produced vignette featuring HAERTS’ latest song “All The Days.” Shot in Los Angeles, the clip recreates a typical southern California salsa dancehall and explores the partnerships and shared histories of the dancing couples. The choreography by Khalia Frazier and cinematography by Todd Banhazl enrich the lush, deliberate movements and seamlessly interconnect the music to create emotional visuals.  The clip was directed byBridget Palardy and features clothing and styling by Aritzia. See the video below.

HAERTS live:
Sat 7/6: Edgartown, MA @ Stars + Stripes Festival
Sat 9/14: Rochester, MI @ Laneway Festival Detroit

 

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June 27, 2013 · 11:26 am

New Music: Typhoon – “Young Fathers”

white lighter

Last month, we introduced you to Typhoon and their song, “Dreams of Cannibalism.” Now, the band is excited to premiere the first single “Young Fathers” from their anticipated new album White Lighter.

White Lighter – out August 20th – is the follow up to the band’s EP A New Kind Of House that caught the attention of countless music critics and listeners for its inspiring hybrid of literate lyrics and wide ranging pop music.

Typhoon will head out on a North America headlining tour beginning September 5th in their hometown of Portland, OR. This six-week tour will include performances at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Pop Montreal and Music Fest NW, along with stops in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver.

What makes these songs so great is the sense of borrowed time and urgency. A series of events suffered from a bug bite – failed organs, life spared thanks to modern medicine and a kidney given to him by his father – Kyle Morton, the band’s lead singer and songwriter, channeled his emotions into songwriting to create this big-hearted sound that bursts with a raw emotion and energy. The end result is a remarkably powerful and beautiful collection of songs.

“When we started working on White Lighter, I had reason to believe that it would be the last thing I ever did,” says Kyle. “It is now six months since we finished. I’m still here and there’s still work to be done.”

Listen: Typhoon – “Young Fathers”

Typhoon Tour Dates (more to be announced) *Cdn dates are bolded:

September 5-6            Music Fest NW                                   Portland, OR

September 9         The Rickshaw Theatre         Vancouver, BC

September 10              The Crocodile Café                           Seattle, WA

September 12              El Korah Shrine                                  Boise, ID

September 13              Urban Lounge                                     Salt Lake City, UT

September 14              Hi-Dive                                                  Denver, CO

September 16              The Waiting Room                            Omaha, NE

September 17              The Old Rock House                         St. Louis, MO

September 19              Cedar Cultural Center                     Minneapolis, MN

September 20              Schubas                                                Chicago, IL

September 21              Beachland Tavern                             Cleveland, OH

September 22              Wexner Center                                  Columbus, OH

September 25       Pop! Montreal                        Montreal, QC

September 26              Higher Ground                                   South Burlington, VT

September 27              The Iron Horse                                  Northampton, MA

September 28              Littlefield                                             Brooklyn, NY

September 29              Brighton Music Hall                         Boston, MA

September 30              Le Poisson Rouge                             New York, NY

October 1                      Johnny Brenda’s                                Philadelphia, PA

October 2                      The Rock ‘n Roll Hotel                     Washington, DC

October 6 & 13            Austin City Limits Festival             Austin, TX

October 17                    The Satellite                                        Los Angeles, CA

October 18                    The Independent                              San Francisco, CA

October 19                    WOW Hall                                            Eugene, OR

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June 18, 2013 · 3:24 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Ewert and The Two Dragons

Ewert

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 Rumba caught 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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May 15, 2013 · 9:28 am

Check ‘Em Out: Typhoon

typhoon

Portland, Oregon’s Typhoon – one of the most talked about new bands – is proud to announce the August 20th release of their new album White Lighter on MapleMusic Recordings and Roll Call Records.

White Lighter is the follow up to the bands acclaimed EP A New Kind Of House that caught the attention of countless music critics and listeners for what NPR’s Bob Boilen calls “absolutely stunning” and “so beautiful, it make’s me want to follow every single thing Typhoon does.”

Recorded at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, Typhoon isolated themselves from outside distractions to arrange and record this collection of songs with an impressive emphasis on storytelling and melody.

“On the farm, we were living inside the record” says songwriter Morton. “I had one place in the woods where I would write and rewrite one song, and a different place for working another. The whole thing was laid out spatially over so many acres. I built a small fort in the wood barn where I kept my books and guitar.  Slept a couple feet away from the recording desk.  When it was cold, we built wood fires, when it was warm we went swimming down the road.  Friends came and went, sometimes recording with us.”

Produced by the band along with their in-house engineer Paul Laxer, Typhoon created a dynamic recording – full of horns, strings and group vocal crescendos – that will establish the band as an immensely creative force.

An inspiring hybrid of literate lyrics and wide ranging pop music – new songs such as first single “Young Fathers,” “Possible Deaths,” “Prosthetic Love” and “Hunger And Thirst” – take listeners on a journey through the experience of having it all, fighting to keep the dream and accepting your fate.

“There are several layers to this new record” says Morton. “It’s definitely the most autobiographical record I’ve ever done. I’m also trying to reconstitute disparate experiences into something like a meaningful sequence in the pale light of truth.”

Along with Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Alternative Press and more, Paste Magazine raves “Music critics throw around adjectives like ‘orchestral’ and ‘expansive’ all the time these days. But here’s a band that actually deserves such labels. Portland’s Typhoon is an indie rock geek’s dream: a dynamic 12-piece with a seemingly unending reservoir of energy, emotive vocals, arpeggiated guitars, horns, multiple drum kits and strings … Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new critical darlings.”

Typhoon spent most of 2011 on the road – sharing the stage with The Decemberists, The Shins and Explosions In The Sky and performing at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Osheaga and the Newport Folk Festival – winning over concertgoers with what KEXP calls an “awe inspiring” live show.

Already confirmed for this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, Typhoon will set out on a US headlining tour this fall. Stay tuned for more news!

Songwriter Kyle Morton caught up with The Wall Street Journal to talk about the new record, to have a read – click HERE.

Listen/download: Typhoon – “Dreams of Cannibalism”

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March 27, 2013 · 1:59 pm

Listen: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor)”

Dancefloor

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. are back! The Detroit duo of Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott are currently putting the finishing touches on their sophomore album, which will be out later this year. In the interim, DEJJ will offer a taste of what’s to come. Patterns, a brand new EP, will be released by Warner Bros. Records in the US on April 16th digitally and April 20th physically as a vinyl only Record Store Day piece. The physical version of the EP will include two exclusive remixes. The band just premiered their new song, “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor)” on their website. “Dancefloor” will be available on iTunes April 2nd.

Listen: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor)”

The band will be celebrating the release of Patterns with a select number of headlining shows, including a special hometown Record Store Day show in Detroit at The Majestic Theater for the second year in a row. They’ll also be performing in NYC, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. All confirmed dates are below.

PatternsEP

Patterns EP Tracklisting

1. If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t on the Dancefloor)

2. Dark Water

3. Hiding

4. Habits

Tour Dates:

4/20 – DETROIT – MAJESTIC THEATER (Record Store Day Show)

4/26 – BROOKLYN – MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG

5/11 – AUSTIN – THE PARISH

5/16 – LOS ANGELES – EL REY

5/17 – SAN FRANCISCO – THE INDEPENDENT

5/24 – CHICAGO – LINCOLN HALL

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March 27, 2013 · 1:32 pm

Dillon Francis – “Messages”

Dillon Francis, master of cats and crowned prince of Moombahton, is taking a momentary breather from hair styling to release his new track, “Messages” feat. Simon Lord. BBC’s Zane Lowe called the track “a whole step up for one of dance music’s most talented producers and greatest characters.”

Listen: Dillon Francis – “Messages”

Messages

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March 6, 2013 · 4:43 pm

Video: HAERTS – “Wings”

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 to be released this year.

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