I’ve always had an intense fascination with dreaming and sleeping and this is how the new Smoking Bells’ record was born. Throughout my younger life, I consistently experienced what is known in technical terms, as sleep paralysis. Yet, throughout history and countless cultures, it’s a phenomenon we called “the hag,” in Newfoundland, “succubus” in medieval folklore, and “Kanashibari” in Japan.
While frightening, this experience was intriguing in that it seemed to bridge some divide between the sleeping and waking worlds, the subconscious and the conscious. An apt metaphor, especially when embracing the artistic process: conjuring ideas from nothing to something.
Santigold has shared the exhilarating single “Banshee” from her forthcoming album 99¢, out on February 26th via Atlantic Records. The song deals with overcoming self-doubt, silencing detractors, and finding the strength to take risks and fearlessly pursue your aspirations. The message is underscored by one of Santigold’s most impassioned vocals and an explosive rhythm. “Banshee” was produced by Patrik Berger and John Hill with additional production by Linus “Style of Eye” Eklow of Miike Snow. Listen to “Banshee” now.
In celebration of the release of 99¢, Santigold has announced an in-store performance and signing at Rough Trade NYC on Tuesday, March 1. Beginning on the morning of March 1 when the store opens, anyone who purchases a copy of the album will get a wristband for the performance.
Santigold recently announced a North American spring tour, the “We Buy Gold Tour”. Renown for her monumental live shows, Santigold is taking it all to the next level in the brand new stage production. Tickets available here: http://smarturl.it/SantiTour
“Banshee” follows the release of “Chasing Shadows” from 99¢. Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij produced the track which features backing vocals from the West Los Angeles Children’s Choir. The mesmerizing video directed by Elliott Lester, explores the conflicted reality of an artist’s life, touching on themes of ambition and isolation. Watch it now.
Following her last album, Master of My Make Believe, Santigold wanted to explore new corners of her sound and different ways to convey her vision and political commentary. She worked with new collaborators Patrik Berger, Rostam Batmanglij, Hit-Boy, HazeBanga, Justin Raisen, Zeds Dead, ILOVEMAKONNEN, and Sam Dew and longtime cohorts John Hill, Dave Sitek, and Doc McKinney. The result is the bright and big sound of 99¢ that takes the genre-defying fearlessness Santigold has become known for to new places.
Check out this track from Justin Sawicki, whose self titled second album just came out on December 11. The record was made entirely in his home studios and Justin says this most recent effort is more hones and mature with a strong focus on traditional roots rhythms and arrangements. During the tracking and production process… he met his wife, got married, bought a house, and had his first son.
Indie rockers Foreign Tongues has premiered a new video for their song “Fools of Love” from their recently released record Fragile, As Said Before. Fans can purchase the new album now!
The band’s stunning new video for “Fools of Love” was shot and directed by Erik Rojas. “Cam and I had talked about this idea for a music video several months ago, and after getting some talented friends on board, we decided to go for it,” Rojas says. “From a narrative standpoint, I think it’s safe to say it’s a story about realizing that sometimes you’re not alone, even though that may seem like the case.”
““Fools of Love” is more a story song introducing the record,” says singer Cam Moretti. “It mainly discusses the last year of my life and the ebb and flow I went through. To me life is a series of highs and lows and understanding and grasping that is how I learn to feel content. I wanted the video to be more of a narrative piece that portrays that.”
Follow the band on Facebook for additional updates.
Produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence + the Machine), “Mountain At My Gates” builds from the leftfield grooves and angular art-rock that characterized previous Foals’ anthems such as “My Number” and “Miami”. This time, however, the quintet subverts expectations by twisting the track into a frenzied finale with a cacophony of sound.
“I’d recorded the beginning riff on my phone ages ago,” explained vocalist/guitarist Yannis Philippakis in a track-by-track interview with NME. “At the beginning it had a baggy feel, but became less so with more work. The central image – “I see a mountain at my gates” was from me getting more interested in seeing what would come out lyrically where there wasn’t a pre-conceived idea. Normally I write voraciously in books and journals, then harvest a lot of that for the record. This, though, came out instantaneously in the room.”
Foals’ thrillingly visceral return with title track ‘What Went Down’ earned a flurry of Radio 1 support (Hottest Record in the World, Tune of the Week and Track of the Day) as it accelerated past the million views mark at YouTube. The album is now available to pre-order on digital, CD, CD/DVD and vinyl formats, as well as a limited edition box set, which is available exclusively from Foals’ online store. Fans who pre-order the album will receive instant downloads of “Mountain At My Gates” and “What Went Down”.
As with the rest of the What Went Down album, Foals – completed by Jimmy Smith (guitar/keys), Walter Gervers (bass), Jack Bevan (drums) and Edwin Congreave (keys) – recorded “Mountain At My Gates” at the studio La Fabrique which is located in the same village in the south of France in which Van Gogh was hospitalised after savaging his own ear.
What Went Down is an album that grapples with questions that are a world away from the bland bleatings of homogenised pop: permanence and impermanence; life and death; solitude; vulnerability; intimacy; passion; rage; humanity – weighty issues that make demands of the people creating that music, and of all those who listen to it, too.
Sonically, it’s an album that precariously seesaws between primal aggression and naked vulnerability. It’s an approach that delivers a contrast of muscular shocks with the fiery central riff of “Snake Oil” and the menacing percussive march of “Albatross” set against some of the band’s most openly experimentally moments to date such as cocktail of afrobeat and drum machines that underpins “Night Swimmers” and the stripped-back, vocal-led “Give It All”.
The album closes on an astonishingly beautiful note with “A Knife in the Ocean”, akin to both the calm before the storm, but also the stillness and silence after it has passed.
Foals have released three top ten albums to date: Antidotes (2007, album chart no 3), Total Life Forever (2010, no 8) and Holy Fire (2013, no 2). 2013 was the year that Foals broke through (even though I’ve loved them since 2007). Appearing high up the bill at festivals around the world, Foals became festival headliners in the UK, headlining Bestival, Latitude and Parklife, drawing the biggest crowds of the weekends. By the end of 2013 Foals had won another slew of awards: Best Live Act at the Q awards, Best Live Act at The Sun Bizarre awards, Best Single (Inhaler) at the NME awards and a Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize nomination (the band’s second in a row).
With the release of At The End Of A Day coming late last week, YuTaNi continues his role with the debut of his new music video for “Mt. Minakami.” Directed by acclaimed visual artist and Montreal native Jason Voltaire (Jacques Greene Live, Skunch), the video is a perfect compliment to the ambient textures of Mt. Minakami, at once soothing and engaging all the same. Examining and tearing apart the relationship between tangible and digital, the sounds of Yutani blend into smooth symbiosis with Voltaire’s visuals as the ambience renders it impossible to tell the synthetic from the organic.
Mt. Minakami is just the first of many peaks in At The End Of A Day, which is quickly finding it’s way into the ears and hearts of discerning tastemakers the world over — don’t miss out on what’s quickly becoming a sleeper hit of the summer.
Minneapolis’ indie rock trio Bad Bad Hats released their critically acclaimed debut album Psychic Reader today. In celebration of the highly anticipated record, the band will kick off a national fall tour, making stops in Chicago, DC, NYC, Philly and more. They will join Saddle Creek’s Mynabirds as direct support for this stint of live dates.
Album opener “Midway” is an undeniably infectious track that is broken up by a danceable, energetic pop chorus that tells a story of a relationship’s impending end. Check out the video below.
Psychic Reader is comprised of experimental beats, growling guitars, and catchy pop melodies that are both dreamy and strikingly deep. Bolstered by the touches of producer Brett Bullion (Poliça), the band takes a refreshingly rebellious approach with lyrics that challenge gender conventions. Catch the band’s captivating live show in a city near you!
8/14: Minneapolis, MN @ Icehouse (11pm set)
9/10: Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern *
9/11: Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar *
9/12: Boise, ID @ Neurolux *
9/14: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
9/15: Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive *
9/17: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown *
9/18: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry *
9/19: Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
9/20: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland *
9/23: Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
9/25: Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
9/26: Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall * * = Direct Support for Mynabirds
Vancouver’s Teen Daze will release his first album for Paper Bag Records on August 7th 2015. ‘Morning World’ was recorded with John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone, his all-analog studio in San Francisco with co-producer Simon Bridgefoot. Watch the ‘Morning World‘ trailer below.
In 2010, Jamison, the person behind Teen Daze, had no idea what Four More Years would bring. That debut EP, a collection of blissful home recordings, was the work of a carefree 24 year-old. By 2012, things had changed, as they tend to do: relationships dissolved, illness affected his family, windows for outward communication were closing. The gravity of it all made for constant output; he reached for futuristic utopia with All Of Us, Together, found a devotional sanctuary inside The Inner Mansions, and embraced hibernation on Glacier. In hindsight, this was an artist coping through various forms of introverted escapism.
While proud of the material, Jamison sought to break this cycle when approaching the next record. He knew it would take a few leaps of faith, most directly: out of his bedroom… out of his comfort zone. For the first time, he gave up some control, inviting the input of others. Bearing over 30 demos, Jamison joined one of his musical heroes John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone, his all-analog studio in San Francisco. Beyond the immediate sonic advantages of recording to tape, the sessions with Vanderslice and co-producer Simon Bridgefoot encouraged a new positivity and confidence to his craft.
Track Listing:
1. Valley of Gardens
2. Pink
3. Morning World
4. It Starts At The Water
5. Post Storm
6. Life In The Sea
7. You Said
8. Garden Grove
9. Along
10. Infinity
11. Good Night
TOUR DATES:
9/12 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune
9/15 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
9/16 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
9/17 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
9/18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Rickshaw Stop
9/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
9/24 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
9/25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
9/26 – El Paso, TX @ The Lowbrow Palace
9/28 – San Antonio, TX @ 502 Bar
9/29 – Dallas, TX @ HOB Cambridge Room
9/30 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs Jr
10/1 – Houston, TX @ Rudyards
10/2 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
10/3 – Hot Spring’s, AR @ Maxine’s
10/5 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
10/6 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 Club
10/7 – Raleigh, NC @ King’s
10/8 – Washington, DC @ DC9
10/9 – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right
10/10 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
10/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
10/14 – Montreal, QC @ Newspeak
10/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake
10/16 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
10/17 – Madison, WI @ The Frequency
10/18 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/20 – Kansas City, KS @ The Riot Room
10/21 – Wichita, KS @ Rock Island
10/22 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
10/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
10/24 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
“Great drama, enhanced by their ability to create lovely passages as well as jarring odd moments” – DC Rock Live
“There are deep, medicated grooves and purposefully rough patches. It’s the sort of record that reveals something different every time—circumstantial, temperamental, and yet somehow definitive.” – NME
After the success of “The Kelpies” project with filmmaker Walid Salhab and following the release of the “TicTac Toe” single, the 3rd Iglomat album is here and ready to drop on CD and download. Iglomat III is again another quality collection of bristling post rock electronica that is as melodious as it is “effortlessly cool”. 9 slices of musical sustenance that are as much “food for the soul” as they are “post rock perfection”. And as if to celebrate progression there are even some small forays from the instrumental path, with an energetic vocal performance on “Elgato Elgato” from 7-year-old Noah Macdonald followed by profoundly heart achingly subtle performances from Rachel Sermanni and Jennifer Austin on “King Of The Sun” and “No Place Like Home”.
Perhaps Iglomat’s main technical unit David Jack describes the album best; “Years ago when we first started on this exploration, Iglomat was just an idea and a couple of guitar lines floating around in cyberspace. Now as we’ve grown musically and with communication technology progressing exponentially, we can work as remotely and as freely as we like. Which means the music that we heard in our heads is as close to what comes out of the speakers as near as dammit. A recent review described us as a little bit like Goblin which made me laugh, as we try to be a lot like Goblin. So we must be getting close.”
About Iglomat:
Iglomat thrives in the transitional realm. The cross-continental recording project operates across landlines, highways, and hard drives – chronicling tales of distance and time. Such efforts would normally lose some spontaneity and urgency in the transfers. But consider Iglomat’s pedigree: producer David Jack, a beat chemist praised by no less authority than John Peel (just check his Peel Session) long-time collaborator and another Peel session veteran Scott MacDonald ; and acclaimed photographer Sandy Carson, whose narrative focus comes through as much on record as it does in print.
“A wildly diverse set of uptempo pop tunes built on thunderous bass lines, spot-on vocal harmonies and the band’s typically sunny guitar riffs. There’s plenty here that would feel at home on a 1980s John Hughes soundtrack—and even dashes of Purple Rain-era Prince.” – SPIN
“The band’s previous releases recalled Fleet Foxes and other pastoral-minded ’70s rock, however, it’s latest offering has more in common with the likes of psychedelic contemporaries Tame Impala.” – Consequence of Sound
“Yukon Blonde have built up a catalogue of perfectly crafted pop songs, but their forthcoming album On Blonde has them expanding into a more sophisticated dance rock sound.” – Stereogum
“…dynamic landscapes of psychedelic and synth pop waves that’ll have you ready to go late into the evening.” – Paste
“Yukon Blonde have a special touch when it comes to indie pop.” – KCRW
Yukon Blonde reveal their third-full length album On Blonde, streaming exclusively with SPIN now until release on June 16 via Dine Alone Records. Produced by Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Dan Mangan, Sleepy Sun) and mixed by Tony Hoffer (M83, Beck, Foster the People, Air, Depeche Mode), On Blonde recalls the band’s trademark hard-hitting choruses, highlighted by shimmering pop production. Yukon Blonde emerges with an ambitious, fully realized psychedelic pop album.
On Blonde brings the mastery of seamlessly crafted pop songs that has become expected of Yukon Blonde while experimenting with psychedelic, digital, and synthetic sounds. It is an album gazing wistfully away towards the more shadowy elements of pop production, soft synthesizers, thin punching bass lines, and saturated psychedelic guitar effects. The result is a dynamic, visceral, sonically dense record that stays incredibly accessible to the listener.
Revered for their energetic live performance, Yukon Blonde kicks off their U.S. summer tour in July. Catch a special preview of the band live in NYC next week when they headline Piano’s Monday June 15 and Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn on 6/16 (album release day). Full dates listed below.
Tour Dates:
6/15: New York, NY @ Piano’s
6/16: Brooklyn, NY @ Cameo Gallery
7/14: San Francisco, CA @ The Rickshaw Stop
7/16: Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
7/17: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
7/18: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
7/21: San Antonio, TX @ 502 Bar
7/22: Houston, TX @ House of Blues – Bronze Peacock
7/23: Austin, TX @ Stubbs
7/27: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
7/28: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
7/29: Boise, ID @ Neurolux
8/1: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
8/2: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Musically Amusing 