Hollis Brown has another free download for ya as they continue their U.S. tour supporting their debut album, Ride On The Train.
HOLLIS BROWN SUMMER 2013 TOUR DATES
August 3 @ Midd Summer Festival – Middlebury, VT
August 22 @ Rumba Cafe – Columbus, OH
August 23 @ Tonic Room – Chicago, IL
August 24 @ Dog Dayz Afternoon Fest – Neenah, WI
August 26 @ Crunchy Frog – Greenbay, WI
August 27 @ 1st Ave & 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
August 29 @ MOTR Pub – Cincinnati, OH
August 31 @ Paper City Music Fest – Chillicothe, OH
“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.
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.
The Royal Concept released their new summer-friendly single “On Our Way” on iTunes last month, and now the band has shared the music video for “On Our Way,” which you can check out below. Following up the incendiary “World On Fire,” “On Our Way” builds from a kinetic groove into another anthemic refrain punctuated by sunny whistling, hand claps, and evocative synths. Keep an eye out for their debut album announcement, coming soon.
Classixx and Urban Outfitters have released the video for “All You’re Waiting For,” featuring Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem living the yacht life with with her own deckhands, puppies and a cameo appearance by Michael and David. The band is also playing UO’s Afterfest after Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday with Chromatics.
Them Swoops released their debut EP, Glimmers, via +1 Records (The Heavy, The Morning Benders, Caught A Ghost). Formed in 2012 in Melbourne, Australia, Them Swoops immediately captured the attention of tastemakers Triple J with the addictive first single “Work Around It,” which then quickly entered rotation on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation.
Glimmers was recorded by the band in Melbourne and mixed in Los Angeles by Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Bloc Party). The EP features 1st Single “Work Around It”, 2nd Single “Too Fast For Love”, Indie Shuffle ‘Song Of The Day’ “Rollerskate”, and a remix by Ben Browning of Cut Copy.
After winning Triple J’s Unearthed Fuse Festival Competition last year, Them Swoops have built their following in Australia with National Tours with the likes of San Cisco, Hungry Kids Of Hungry, Birds Of Tokyo, The Maccabees and The Rubens.
Them Swoops are excited to make their US live debut this Fall, with a string of performances to be announced at the annual CMJ Music Marathon in New York this October.
Detroit’s affable duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have partnered with Funny Or Die for a rare FOD music video premiere for “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor),” which launched this morning. The clip follows two cops, actors John Ennis (Mr. Show, Tenacious D) and Jay Johnston (Anchorman, Men in Black II, Arrested Development), as they attempt to hunt down Josh and Daniel of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and put a stop to their party time shenanigans at “The Dancefloor.” It was directed by pro skateboarder turned video director Laban Pheidias of Occupy Films, who has previously worked with Justin Timberlake, Blake Shelton and Alicia Keys.
“Making this video was an epic day in sunny Los Angeles” explains the band. “We wore more make up than we had cumulatively worn in our entire lives prior to filming this, and got to hang out with some of the most talented comedians we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. It was a really wonderful day, even when you factor in the food poisoning that Josh and the Director got form the craft services table. While the original intention of the video was not necessarily centered around humor, the energy of the actors we ended up being able to work with brought it to a great new place.”
Buzzing DJ/producer/vocalist AMTRAC is the latest to remix “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor), check out his vibed out treatment of the track, perfect for summer mixtapes.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. are playing a handful of summer festivals in August, then will be joining label mates Atlas Genius on the “Ones to Watch” tour through November, including back-to-back shows at NYC’s Irving Plaza.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Confirmed North American Show Dates:
08/17 Mo Pop Festival-Sterling Heights, MI
08/24 The LC Pavillion/Summerfest-Columbus, OH
08/31 WARMfest- Indianapolis, IN
09/24 Bogart’s- Cincinnati, OH*
09/25 Pabst Theater- Milwaukee, WI*
09/26 Varsity Theater- Minneapolis, MN*
10/01 House of Blues- Chicago, IL*
10/02 House of Blues- Cleveland, OH*
10/04 Danforth Music Hall- Toronto, ON*
10/08 House of Blues- Boston, MA*
10/10 Irving Plaza- New York, NY*
10/11 Irving Plaza- New York, NY*
10/12 Theatre of the Living Arts- Philadelphia, PA*
10/13 The Fillmore/Silver Spring- Silver Spring, MD*
I came really super close to not being able to make it to this sold out show here in Pittsburgh this past Monday. And oh, let me just say, I would have thrown some MAJOR fits and tantrums if I had missed this!
But, my friends over at BB Gun Press totally saved the day and helped this girl out. And I couldn’t have been any happier. If you keep up with my ramblings, you’d know that I couldn’t WAIT to see Fitz and the Tantrums perform “The Walker” live. At one point, I really thought they weren’t going to play it, either! They waited until the very end, and performed it for one of their encores! Which, surprised me because I thought I’d hear “The Walker” earlier and they would save “Out Of My League” for an encore. BUT, they played it earlier, and “Moneygrabber” was the second song in their set. Oh, and they did a pretty awesome cover of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” too.
I really wanted to upload the video of “The Walker”…BUT:
It sort of got screwed up and ended up being split into two videos.
My phone isn’t letting me upload it.
Anddddd you can hear me screaming like a maniac that just got let out of a mental institution.
So, here’s a few pics instead.
Also, I don’t wanna forget to shout out to the opening bands of the evening, too. Ivy Levan was beautiful and wonderful!
And also a shout to Saints of Valory, who were also quite awesome…and nice guys. I’m not finding any official videos to post, but if you want to check out their new EP Possibilities that just came out yesterday, you can check it out here. I like “Long Time Coming.”
“‘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
Smallpools has announced their 4-song self-titled debut EP release on July 16th via RCA Records. In honor of the news, the band decided to share a brand new “Dreaming” remix by The Chainsmokers and last week NYLON Magazinepremiered the Charli XCX vs Twin Idol Remix of “Dreaming”. The band will reveal another brand new EP track before the start of their first tour.
The four-piece outfit founded in Los Angeles with ties to New York, New Jersey and Oregon. Last week Smallpools announced 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.” “
Smallpools live dates:
* / w San Cisco
7/13 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl (Popshop)
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 *
8/03 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
8/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene
8/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s *
8/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex *
Smallpools – Smallpools EP tracklist (out 7/16 on RCA Records):
01. Dreaming
02. Mason Jar
03. Over & Over
04. No Story Time
A classically trained violinist, Janelle Best brings a distinctive mark to the intricately layered instrumentation, lush harmonies and atmospheric guitar implemented by her band Desert Stars.
Their newest track “Off the Cliff” invites you to take a plunge deep down into a reverb-soaked abyss, darkened by Janelle’s warm voice.
Along with Best and Hill, Desert Stars is comprised of guitarist Eric Altesleben, bassist Tim Edgar and drummer Gregg Giuffré, a quintet whose music has the effect we only wish Phil Spector had produced for The Jesus and Mary Chain. With twelve tracks of languid harmony and reverb, Habit Shackles (available on July 16th) is certain to resonate with fans of Nico and Cat Power.
You can see Desert Stars at their album release show on July 16th at Cameo in New York.
Musically Amusing 