Check out the new song from LA garage-rock band The Dead Ships, who have been on tour with PAPA and have played alongside bands like Yo La Tengo and She & Him. They’ll be in NYC for CMJ in a couple of weeks, as well.
Photo credit: Justin Tyler Close
Electro-pop singer-songwriter & producer extraordinaire Nanna Øland Fabricius, better known as Oh Land, today announces her fourth studio album, Earth Sick – set for release November 11th via her own independent imprint, Tusk or Tooth, in collaboration with Kobalt Label Services! Immersed in her signature soundscape of lush vocals, rich string arrangements & infectious melodies, the album is a hybrid of masterfully woven symphonic & electronic sounds, and marks a full-circle return to the artist’s bedroom production style.
Earth Sick first single “Head Up High,” featuring bouncing synth rhythms & infectious, hook-laden vocals, was written for a friend going through a tough time in her life as encouragement to, quite literally, keep her head up high. Nearly forgotten about by Nanna, the same friend reminded her a year later whilst deep in the throes of recording Earth Sick. The song was finished almost instantly & added to the album.
Frustrated by the struggle to keep her head above the waves and hold onto a sense of idealism despite the complexities of life, Oh Land grasped the struggle as the inspiration for her lyrical exploration on Earth Sick. Anchored by melancholic anthem “Machine,” which opens the album with delicate yet industrial textures, tracks “Little Things” and “Earth Sick” continue the existential lyrical journey combined with the singer’s love for orchestral arrangements.
Oh Land began her career rather unconventionally following a ten-year budding career in ballet, which was ended abruptly by an injury. Searching for a new way to incorporate music into her life, she began recording in her bedroom and discovered an early knack for production. In 2008, she released her debut album Fauna to much critical acclaim, and has spent the better part of the past four years supporting her following releases, Oh Land & Wish Bone, and supporting artists including Katy Perry & Sia on the road.
Be sure to catch her when she plays New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on October 21st during CMJ- marking her first NYC show in a year!
Earth Sick tracklist:
1. Machine
2. Favor Friends
3. Head Up High
4. Earth Sick
5. Nothing Is Over
6. Doubt My Legs
7. Half Hero
8. Daylight
9. Hot ‘n Bothered
10. Little Things
11. Flags
12. No Particular Order
13. Trailblazer
Filed under listen, Lists, new albums
Tame Impala has released Live Versions, an album of songs selected from a 2013 Chicago Tame Impala concert on Interscope Records. Chief songwriter Kevin Parker chose the 9 tracks for the record based on how different the live versions are from the album versions. Parker’s goal was to give fans something they won’t already have; something they’ve only previously experienced at a Tame Impala show. Songs from this show were recorded by and broadcast on WXRT. Live Versions was originally released on vinyl only as a limited release in celebration of 2014’s Record Store Day and was the highest selling Record Store Day 2014 release. The album will be made widely available via Amazon MP3, iTunes, and Google Play.
Listen to “Mind Mischief” off of Live Versions here
LIVE VERSIONS TRACK LISTING
01. Endors Toi (Live Version)
02. Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind (Live Version)
03. Sestri Levante (Live Version)
04. Mind Mischief (Live Version)
05. Desire Be Desire Go (Live Version)
06. Half Full Glass Of Wine (Live Version)
07. Be Above It (Live Version)
08. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (Live Version)
09. Apocalypse Dreams (Live Version)
Filed under Awesome, listen, Lists, new albums, Whoa!
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.
Click to listen to the EP on Soundcloud
Tracklisting:
1. Work Around It
2. Too Fast For Love
3. Rollerskate
4. Work Around It (Ben Browning Remix)
Melbourne’s four-piece Strange Talk return to the fray with a new single, “Cast Away”, the first offering from their debut album due out in early 2013.
A laid-back cavalcade of synth washes, toms, layered vocals and organic instrumentation, “Cast Away” perfectly showcases Strange Talk’s ambitions to bring together futuristic soundscapes with hook-laden direct songs.
Key songwriters and producers, Steve Docker and Gerard Sidhu’s influences (the pomp and clout of Queen, the dream haze of M83) are as diverse as their backgrounds (Steve a classical violinist, Gerard a club DJ).
Strange Talk have already commanded airwaves and online with their previous singles “Climbing Walls”, “Eskimo Boy” and “Sexual Lifestyle”. They’ve followed this up with key performances at the likes of Falls Festival, Parklife and supports slots for the likes of Kele, Marina & The Diamonds, Foster The People, The Rapture, and Art Vs. Science.
STRANGE TALK USA DATES:
THU 10/11 – SAN FRANCISCO @ RICKSHAW STOP w/ Violens (tix Rickshaw Stop)
FRI 10/12 – LOS ANGELES @ ECHO w/ wildcat! wildcat! (tix Echo)
WED 10/17 – NEW YORK @ Mercury Lounge (CMJ) (tix Mercury Lounge)
THU 10/18 NEW YORK @ TBD (CMJ)
FRI 10/19 – NEW YORK @ Terminal 5 w/ The Presets (CMJ) (tix Terminal 5)
SAT 10/20 NEW YORK @ TBD (CMJ)
Filed under Awesome, Highly Anticipated, listen, Shows, video
Ghost Wave are one of those rare new bands that already knows exactly what they want. The last time we heard this much rookie talent from Auckland, New Zealand, it came in the form of The Naked & Famous, and we all know how that turned out (well. Very well.). On debut single “Sunsetter,” The Wave set their sights high and aim straight for anthem status, constructing two and half minutes of sunkissed 70’s bliss around a massive Dandy Warhols Lick that hides in the crosshairs of Deerhunter and Tame Impala.
– Neon Gold Records
Ghost Wave is a rock ‘n roll band from Auckland, New Zealand. Inspired by skate vids, persian rugs and the music of Little Richard. 2012 will see the release of new Ghost Wave material including the release of an eponymous EP on August 21st, via +1 Records. A debut full-length is slated for release in 2013.
Stream and/or download: Ghost Wave – “Hippy”
Stream and/or download: Ghost Wave – “Sunsetter”
Ghost Wave will be coming to the United States for their first ever US shows at this year’s CMJ festival.
Oct. 19 || Flowerbooking Showcase – CMJ || New York, NY
Oct. 20 || FUZZ Showcase – CMJ || New York, NY
Ghost Wave EP Track Listing:
1. Sounds
2. On A Breeze
3. Gold
4. Sunsetter
5. Mood Ring
6. Shade
7. Hippy
Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, Newest Love
Click image to listen/download "Silly Fathers"
On June 7th, Rubblebucket will release their latest full-length, Omega La La. The album was recorded at Plantain/DFA Studios and finds the band collaborating for the first time with legendary producer/mixer Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair) for the Brooklyn eight piece’s most adventurous record yet. In honor of the band’s new album, Rubblebucket has made “Silly Fathers” available for free download HERE. The band is also heading out on an extensive North American spring tour, including performances at the Joshua Tree Music Festival and Floyd Fest.
On Omega La La, Rubblebucket takes a dramatic step forward with their sound, grafting their afrobeat rhythms with a creative take on dancey indie pop. Listening to the crystal-clear, minimalist production of the album, DFA veteran Eric Broucek’s influence is apparent. The album opens with “Down in the Yards,” a track that builds off the ebb and flow of a droning, two-note guitar riff, only to explode into a triumphant chorus anchored by the band’s horn section. That track is followed up by the bouncy, Afro-Cuban-inspired rhythms of “L’homme,” a buoyant psych-pop gem. “Silly Fathers” and a reworked version of “Came Out of a Lady” show off the band’s penchant for creating pop songs that stick in your head. “Raining” is a tender ballad built around the subtle interplay between Kalmia’s plaintive saxophone and Ian Hersey’s cascading guitars.
For Rubblebucket, it’s been a long journey to make Omega La La. Led by the musical couple of bandleader/trumpeter Alex Toth and frontwoman/saxophonist Kalmia Traver, Rubblebucket has spent the last four years building a reputation as a band that blurs the lines between psychedelic indie rock, upbeat dance, and Afro-Cuban-influenced jazz.
The band released their debut album, Rose’s Dream, in 2008. The following year proved to be an important one for the band, with Rubblebucket releasing their self-titled sophomore album. SPIN hailed the band as a “must-hear artist from the CMJ Festival” in 2009 and the band won that year’s Boston Music Award for Live Act of the Year. The band then relocated to Brooklyn and released the Triangular Daises EP in 2010. A stylistic precursor to Omega La La, the Triangular Daises EP was hailed by The Wall Street Journal, NYLON, Paste, and a host of others.
Rubblebucket Spring/Summer Tour Dates:
03/23: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland
03/24: Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre *
03/25: Chicago, IL @ Martyr’s *
03/26: Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co. *
03/27: Bloomington, IL @ Bluebird Nightclub *
03/28: Iowa City, IA @ Mission Creek Music Fest: Gabes
03/29: Kalamazoo, MI @ The Strutt
04/03: Kerhonkson, NY @ Rock and Roll Resort
04/07: Boone, NC @ Legends *
04/08: Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm & Brews *
04/09: Athens, GA @ New Earth Music Hall *
04/10: Asheville, NC @ Emerald Lounge
04/14: Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall **
04/15: Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater **
04/16: Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Ballroom **
04/20: New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge **
04/21: Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall **
04/22: Ithaca, NY @ Castaways **
04/23: Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theater
04/27: Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
04/28: Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live **
04/29: Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom **
05/01: Phoenix, AZ @ McDowell Mountain Music Festival #
05/04: Boise, ID @ Reef
05/05: Bend, OR @ Cinco De Mayo Street Fair ##
05/06: Seattle, WA @ Nectar
05/07: Portland, OR @ Mt. Tabor
05/10: Eureka, CA @ Red Fox Tavern
05/11: Sebastopol, CA @ Hopmunk Tavern
05/13: San Francisco, CA @ Boom Boom Room
05/14: Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
05/15: Joshua Tree, CA @ Joshua Tree Music Festival
05/19: Denver, CO @ Cervantes
05/21: Chicago, IL @ Martyrs
06/18: Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Fest ###
06/30 – 07/03: Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest Festival %
07/09: Schuylkill, PA @ Midsummer Meltdown
07/16: Greenfield, MA @ Green River Fest
07/29: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Fest %%
07/30: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Fest %%
* = w/ Toubab Krewe
** = Million Young opens
# = w/ Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, Black Joe Lewis & more
## = w/ Ozomatli
### = w/ Galactic
% = w/ String Cheese, Tiësto, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Edward Sharpe & more
%% = w/ Grace Potter, Robert Randolph, Old Crow Medicine Show & more
Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, Newest Love, Shows
Musically Amusing 