Tag Archives: Spin

Noel Gallagher’s Gone Solo

Photo: Foxtrot Films

Noel Gallagher is back as a solo artist, with his album Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds having a US release date of November 8. The album will have those tinges of Oasis that we all love and miss along with something totally new…experimental ragtime brass. Noel’s also at work on a second solo release for next year, while working with British electronic duo Amorphous Androgynous.

The following is from Spin’s interview with Mr. Gallagher:

Most Oasis fans wouldn’t expect Noel Gallagher to experiment with ragtime horns or dance music.
“In their essence these songs don’t sound like a weird departure. People will still get them. The songs haven’t suffered because of the style. When a lot of musicians change styles their songwriting suffers because they want to be different. I don’t want to be different. I still write great songs, and if I stumble across a different avenue then I’ll go with it. Other than that, I’m not looking to be stylistically different.”

What about your album with British electronic and psych-rock duo Amorphous Androgynous?
“It sounds a bit like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The sound is similar to High Flying Birds, but more psychedelic and tripped out. It’s not an electronic project. People are jumping to that conclusion because Amorphous Androgynous used to be an electronic outfit. I’m not even sure what the album’s title is going to be yet. I’m just fucking about with the mixes now. When will it be out? In my head, next summer. But if High Flying Birds is a success, then not until next winter.”

After Oasis’ split in August 2009 you weren’t sprinting out of the gate to release an album…
“I don’t live to work; I work to live. Being in Oasis was great, and I enjoyed every single last second of it. Well, maybe not the last five minutes [laughs]. It was nice to get off tour, go home and sit in a chair and wait for the kids to come home from school. I did that for two years. What’s not to fucking like about that? There’s enough music in the world. There are enough rock stars. I would never want to chase fame or success, like, ‘I’ve got to do something or people will forget about me.’ I was hoping people would forget about me.”

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Newest Love: Rubblebucket

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

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Congratulations, CAKE!

CAKE is back on top! The band’s new album, Showroom Of Compassion, has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, marking their first number one album in their nearly two decades of existence. Showroom Of Compassion, CAKE’s first record of new material since the release of Pressure Chief seven years ago, comes via the band’s own label, Upbeat Records. Not only is this a first for CAKE, who have always made it a point to stay true to their independent roots, but also the first Number One release for Warner’s Independent Label Group.

“Sick Of You” remains a Top 5 hit at both Alternative and Triple A radio, and the video continues in heavy rotation at both MTV2 and MTVu. Rolling Stone did a Q&A with lead singer John McCrea and premiered the video for the Showroom opener “Federal Funding.”

The buzz continues with “Long Time” set to be the second single from the album, featuring an animated music video. Look for the video to debut next week.

“We heard this hip little fuzzed-out tune on the radio, and we were, like, who’s this cool new band? Maybe something called Bear Antler? Then we realized it was CAKE.” – Rolling Stone

“[‘Sick Of You’] is vintage CAKE, with frontman John McCrea’s jaded, semi-spoken vocals, crunchy guitar riffs, a skippy beat, and blasts of trumpet.” Spin.com

Oh, and how funny is this? From CAKE’s road journal:

Monday, December 6, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA

We were in Pittsburgh on a Monday, so The Warhol museum was closed, which was especially unfortunate because a Marilyn Monroe exhibit is there now.

Do you know Pittsburghers have a dialect all their own?!

 

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Miniature Tigers “Bullfighter Jacket” Video

Click image to watch the video for "Bullfighter Jacket"

 
“A zeitgeisty comination of vocal-indie-world-pop (a la Grizzly Bear and Local Natives), old-school indie pop, casual experimentation, and the druggy-haze of dream-pop.” – Metromix
 
Named one of SPIN Magazine‘s 5 Best New Artists for October, Miniature Tigers have a new “Where’s Waldo” themed video for their single “Bullfighter Jacket”. It’s honestly one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen!

After wrapping up a month with Neon Indian, The Tigers are hitting the road again for a string of dates with The Walkmen and Japandroids followed by a full US tour with Freelance Whales.

Miniature Tigers Tour Dates:

w/ THE WALKMEN & JAPANDROIDS
Oct 13 – Metro – Chicago, IL
Oct 14 – Barrymore Theater – Madison, WI
Oct 15 – Cabooze on the West Bank – Minneapolis, MN
CMJ
Oct 19 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY   
CMJ Show w/ Kevin Devine, the Goddamn Band
w/ FREELANCE WHALES
Nov 5 – Maxwell’s – Hoboken, NJ
Nov 6 – Black Cat – Washington, DC   
Nov 7 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC   
Nov 8 – Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA   
Nov 10 – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs – Houston, TX 
Nov 11 – The ND at 501 Studios – Austin, TX
Nov 12 – Loft – Dallas, TX
Nov 14 – Clubhouse Music Venue – Tempe, AZ   
Nov 16 – Detroit Bar – Costa Mesa, CA 
Nov 18 – Troubadour – LA, CA
Nov 19 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA
Nov 21 – Doug Fir – Portland, OR
Nov 23 – Crocodile Cafe – Seattle, WA
Nov 26 – Neurolux Lounge – Boise, ID   
Nov 27 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT   
Nov 29 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO   
Dec 3 – The Basement – Columbus, OH   
Dec 4 – Brillobox, – Pittsburgh, PA   
Dec 5 – Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY   
Dec 7 – The Monkey House – Burlington, VT   
Dec 8 – Castaways – Ithaca, NY   
Dec 9 – Middle East – Boston, MA   
Dec 10 – Iron Horse Music Hall – Northampton, MA   
Dec 14 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA

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Highly Anticipated: New Digitalism

Out November 9, 2010 (US) on Kitsune

Digitalism has debuted a teaser for their first new track in THREE years! Click here for a taste of “Blitz” which SPIN calls “…fresh Daft Punk-like beats and moody rhythms similar to Interpol.”

Discovering a galaxy of new sounds and rhythmic activity, all reports indicate that the duo are almost ready to bring their collective movements back to earth when they release their long awaited second album next year. Their 2007 debut LP Idealism stood out among a sea of similar-minded acts, attributed to their ability to so deftly walk the line of rock and electronic, and prompting Pitchfork to iterate that among their peers “Digitalism turn out to be the artists probably most dedicated of all to the idea of merging rock and electronic dance music.”

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Now Available: New Pete Yorn self-titled album

Purchase at Amazon or iTunes

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OMD is Back

Click to watch the video for new track "If You Want It"

We’ve all swooned over OMD’s hit “If You Leave” (at least, if you’re normal you have); well now Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphrey are back for the first time in 15 years with new album History of Modern.

In these electro-friendly times, OMD’s influence has become ubiquitous. The XX, Brandon Flowers of The Killers, and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy have cited OMD as an inspiration, while the likes of La Roux, Cold Cave and The Horrors show traces of OMD’s DNA. Andy notes that today OMD is perceived to have its place in the “pantheon of relevant popular music history”, something which seemed unthinkable during the Britpop era.

Upbeat and bristling with ideas, History of Modern was mixed by Arctic Monkeys/Foals engineer Mike Crossey, and offers a slightly rawer kind of pleasure to the serene melancholy of OMD’s early-’80s moments. In a nice touch, the record’s sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, who was responsible for the iconic artwork of those first OMD albums. Saville was the in-house designer at Factory Records, the label that released OMD’s debut single “Electricity in 1979. For many, History of Modern will be their first experience of OMD, and one hopes their curiosity will lead them to other oldie but goodies.

“I suppose the nice thing is that, just like in the early days, we made this record simply because we fancied making a record,” says McCluskey. “There was no pressure to make a record in order to sell records and sustain a career. It was like making a first album again.”

US Tracklisting:

  1. New Babies: New Toys
  2. If You Want It
  3. History of Modern (Part I)
  4. History of Modern (Part II)
  5. Sometimes
  6. RFWK
  7. New Holy Ground
  8. The Future, The Past, And Forever After
  9. Sister Marie Says
  10. Pulse
  11. Green
  12. Bondage of Fate
  13. The Right Side
  14. Save Me (featuring Aretha Franklin)

Spin has released a great article and you can check out another new OMD song, “New Babies: New Toys,” by clicking here.

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Highly Anticipated: Hot Hot Heat

The new Hot Hot Heat album Future Breeds will be out June 8 through Dangerbird Records. 

The band’s fourth album is a call to action. After leaving their previous label, the foursome stripped away all the unnecessary elements in their lives, built their own studio in Vancouver, and emerged renewed and recharged. The resulting record is at once propulsive and volcanic, and fueled, as ever, by candy-coated melodies that hurl you through Bays’ lyrical world.

Over the years, the Canadian band has delivered their kinetic brand of rock and roll live to thousands, toured the world with bands such as Modest Mouse, Kings Of Leon, The Walkmen and Queens of the Stone Age, and released several albums, garnering praise from everyone from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone and Spin who described their sound as “aggressively exuberant funk-punk.”

Here’s the tracklist for all to see:

1. YVR
2. 21@12
3. Times A Thousand
4. Implosionatic
5. Goddess On The Prairie
6. Zero Results
7. Future Breeds
8. JFK’s LSD
9. Jedidiah
10. Buzinezz Az Uzual
11. What Is Rational?
12. Nobody’s Accusing You (Of Having A Good Time)

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