Cut Copy have finally announced news on their latest album. Free Your Mind will be released November 5th via Loma Vista/Modular. Cut Copy’s Dan Whitford says, “The concept of freedom is one that’s universally positive and timeless, and whatever each person’s version of that freedom is, it’s a good thing to be reminding people or even just ourselves to be ‘free.’”
Have an eargasm and enjoy listening to another new song, “Let Me Show You Love”.
Free Your Mind tracklist:
(Intro)
Free Your Mind
We Are Explorers
Let Me Show You Love
(into the desert)
Footsteps
In Memory Capsule
(above the city)
Dark Corners & Mountain Tops
Meet Me in a House of Love
Take Me Higher
(the waves)
Walking in the Sky
Mantra
Tour Dates:
10-30 Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
10-31 Reno, NV – The Knitting Factory
11-01 Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom
11-02 Oakland, CA – The Fox Theater
11-03 Los Angeles, CA – HARD Day of the Dead
11-06 Tempe, AZ – Marquee
11-07 El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
11-08 Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest
11-09 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
11-10 Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
11-11 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
11-13 Madison, WI – The Majestic
11-14 Chicago, IL – The Riviera
11-15 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall
11-16 Boston, MA – House of Blues
11-23 Santiago, Chile – Primavera Festival
11-26 London, UK – Oval Space
11-28 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Atelier
11-29 Brussels, Belgium – Beursschowburg
11-30 Paris, France – Trabendo
“Blending 80′s art-rock, synth-pop, and a straight up indie rock chug, the band pours these genres together into a giant boiling cauldron of influences and come away with something that takes the best of each and leaves the rest to die by the wayside…” – Beats Per Minute
Click to check out the EP
Tracklist:
1. The Runner
2. Gone
3. Can’t Stop Shaking
4. House On Fire [Bonus Track]
5. House On Fire (SoundSAM Remix)
6. Can’t Stop Shaking (Soul Puncherz Remix)
Cold War Kids announce the release of ‘Tuxedos’, a digital EP available September 17th throughDowntown Records and MapleMusic Recordings. The six-song collection includes two previously unreleased tracks, “Romance Languages #2” and “Pine St.”, as well as covers “Aeon” (Antony and the Johnsons) and “You Don’t Come Through” (The Band). ‘Tuxedos’ also features the self-titled original album track and an alternative version of “Bottled Affection” from their April 2nd release, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts.
“Fits and starts of brilliance on the first three records, Cold War Kids have hit their stride and locked into a very intense groove for the fourth,” saysEsquire Magazine. NME adds, “(Dear Miss Lonelyhearts) has gone back to the sort of idiosyncratic weirdness that made us fall for them in the first place.” Relix states, “There’s a natural flow to the songs on this disc … a complexly drawn collection. And that blues sensibility you always liked best about them is happily still there.”
Tuxedos:
Tuxedos
Aeon
Bottled Affected (Cathedral Version)
Romance Languages #2
Pine St.
You Don’t Come Through
Cold War Kids Tour Dates
August 15 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues *
August 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas *
August 17 – Denver, CO – Cultivate Festival
August 18 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre *
August 19 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre *
August 21 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Cain’s Ballroom *
August 22 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Amphitheater *
August 23 – Dallas, TX – South Side Music Hall *
August 24 – Columbus, OH – CD 102.5 Summerfest
August 31 – Edmonton, AB – Sonic Boom
September 1 – Calgary, AB – X-Fest
September 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern *
September 21 – Flagstaff, AZ – The Orpheum Theatre *
September 22 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre *
September 26 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue *
September 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall *
September 28 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall*
September 29 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue *
October 18 – Boston, MA – House of Blues *
October 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer *
October 21 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
October 22 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 *
October 24 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *
October 26 – Richmond, VA – The National *
October 29 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theatre
October 30 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt
October 31 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
November 1 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
The Fratellis are back! After a 5-year release hiatus, the band is thrilled to announce their third full-length album We Need Medicine, slated for release on October 8 through BMG. An 11-track record of bluesy rock anthems, it was recorded in Glasgow’s West End and produced by Jon Fratelli and Stuart McCredie, who also mixed the record.
Lead by driving percussion, “This Old Ghost Town” is an upbeat summer-perfect track, while the darker “Rock n Roll Will Break Your Heart“ tells a tale of regret and love lost. “Seven Nights Seven Days” is a rousing jam with a deliriously catchy guitar hook, pounding keys and classic Fratellis snarling vocals. Check out “Seven Nights Seven Days” now!
Renowned for their electrifying live show, The Fratellis are planning to take the US by storm this fall. Stay tuned for more news & tour details coming soon!
We Need Medicine Track List
1. Halloween Blues
2. This Old Ghost Town
3. She’s Not Gone Yet But She’s Leaving
4. Seven Nights Seven Days
5. Shotgun Shoes
6. Whisky Saga
7. This Is Not The End Of The World
8. Jeannie Nitro
9. We Need Medicine
10. Rock n Roll Will Break Your Heart
11. Until She Saves My Soul
When Morcheeba last toured Brazil, they stayed in a Sao Paolo hotel with a swimming pool bar called the Skye Bar on its roof. One day, singer Skye Edwards was swimming in the pool when the manager came up and told her, “You do realize this pool is named after you, Skye?”
This gives some measure of how far and how deeply Morcheeba’s influence has spread since they first sketched out the blueprint for trip-hop with their debut album Who Can You Trust? It’s a journey that has taken the brothers from their native Kent and Skye from East London to performing for tens of thousands of ecstatic fans in South America and China, along the way releasing seven successful albums of modern music that reflects the most positive aspects of contemporary culture.
With a career spanning over 18 years and with millions of album sold worldwide, Morcheeba now return with their eighth studio album. Head Up High is due for release on October 15th 2013 via [PIAS] America. This follow up to 2010’s Blood Like Lemonadesees the band enlist Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), James Petralli (White Denim), Rizzle Kicks, Ana Tijoux and Nature Boy, highlighting the magnitude of their career and influence on a wide variety of artists old and new.
The biggest changes in the band’s sound, though, are provided by the retrained post-dub step elements coming through in some songs such as the wobbly synth bass underpinning the urgent dancehall throb of “Make Believer”, and the jerky rhythm of the bittersweet “To The Grave”, a song about guilty secrets. In the elastic, buzzy synths of “Hypnotized”, which in typical Morcheeba manner, blends Paul’s turntable scratches and Ross’s bluesy guitar and harmonica into a piece that defies simple genre description – all the more so for the fiery Spanish rap by Ana Tijoux, whom Paul first encountered watching an episode of Breaking Bad.
“I thought she was incredible,” he recalls. “While she was recording her vocal for ‘Hypnotized’, she was heavily pregnant and we didn’t know if she was going to be able to do it; I think she went into labor about a day later.”
Ana Tijoux isn’t the only guest featured on Head Up High. Rappers Nature Boy, Jim Kelly and Jurassic 5’s Chali 2Na appear on the sinister “Release Me Now” and the infectious, loping strider “Face Of Danger” respectively, the latter song a celebration of shame-free liberation and self-determination.
But it’s not just rappers that guest on Head Up High: three tracks also feature the smoky vocals of White Denim guitarist James Petralli, who brings a soulful blues tone to “Call It Love” and blends beautifully with Skye’s voice on the brief “I’ll Fall Apart” and album closer “Finally Found You”. All three songs also feature Petralli’s lyrics, while Ross gets to display the full gamut of his guitar prowess, with a delicate break on the latter and an all-out, Hendrix-style blitz on “Call It Love”.
For the other tracks, Paul wrote lyrics using the cut-up method devised by William Burroughs and most famously employed by David Bowie. “I took phrases I admired from a load of my favorite books – writers like Philip K. Dick – put them in a bag and drew them out, putting relevant ones together, and the mood and feeling of a song would come together from that,” he explains. “It was just a nice, fresh way of approaching it. With the English language, it’s so difficult to reinvent the wheel, despite its flexibility.”
It’s an attitude typical of the band’s approach to their art overall: Morcheeba have never been a band ready to rest on their laurels. “I always need to feel we’re moving on and making progress,” says Paul. “When we make new records, all we want to do is blow our fans away, and hopefully make some new ones.” With Head Up High, Morcheeba more than fulfill those ambitions.
TRACKLIST 1. Gimme Your Love 2. Face Of Danger 3. Call It Love 4. Under The Ice 5. I’ll Fall Apart 6. Make Believer 7. Release Me Now 8. To Be 9. Hypnotized 10. To The Grave 11. Do You Good 12. Finally Found You
Warp Records are pleased to announce the release of Kwes’ debut album ilp following last year’s critically acclaimed EP meantime.
The new track “36” off the album is inspired by the enduring love Kwes witnessed between his grandparents. His music displays an unabashed honesty that highlights his ability to craft heart-on-the-sleeve songs about relationships. The foundation for which is his experimental take on pop which he refers to as Freepop, forged by his dual love of “mad” sounds and personal songwriting. But for Kwes, it is more of a creative process than a sound, marked by his desire to keep learning and trying out new things.
Last year, he made his first appearance at SXSW, and was heralded by New York Magazine’s Nitsuh Abebe as one of the festival’s standout discoveries. Other live performances were as part of Bobby Womack’s “super group” which also included another Kwes collaborator, Damon Albarn. The group made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which can be viewed HERE.
“open-hearted… mixes a homemade aesthetic with swirling electronics” – Pitchfork
“the right combination of ego and insecurity to lure listeners into his lush, sentimental world”– Village Voice
“velveteen blend of handcrafted, ultra-earnest electronica” – SPIN
Brooklyn trio Raccoon Fighterhas announced the release of their debut LP, ZIL, out October 1st via Papercup Music. The band, comprised of three guys from Southern New Jersey, has spent the past two years quietly infiltrating Brooklyn’s music scene with their not-so-quiet brand of bluesy rock ‘n’ roll. For a taste of their infectious sound and a sneak peek at ZIL, you can listen to track “Santa Tereza” below.
Packing a mean punch with the gritty, raw vocal stylings of lead singer Sean Gavigan, the hypnotic basslines of Gabe Wilhelm, and a steady, driving foundation set by Zac Ciancaglini, Raccoon Fighter’s sound is as much razor-sharp as it is in-your-face . All hailing from the same small Jersey town, it wasn’t until close friends Sean and Zac, who had played together in previous bands, met Gabe (who contributed bass parts to Ryan Adams’ Easy Tiger, among other albums) through a mutual friend that everything fell into place. While the three tend to be soft-spoken off stage, their raucous live shows burst with passion and raw energy.
NYC’s Lucius is a triple threat quintet with tight vocal harmonies, stomping percussion and an irresistibly charming and sincere live show. The band has announced the North American release of their debut full-length album Wildewoman on October 15 with NYC indie label Mom+Pop. Produced by Dan Molad & Lucius, Wildewoman is a lush recording that preserves a modern edge while stylishly showcasing 60s classic pop influences.
As introduced on the band’s 2012 self-titled EP, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe’s intertwining vocals reverberate amidst rhythmic instrumentation performed by bandmates Dan Molad, Peter Lalish and Andrew Burri on this full-length, eleven song debut. “Hey, Doreen,”a new album track from Wildewomanrecently premiered and guess what? You can hear it!
Solidifying its reputation as a must-see live band, Lucius has already left its mark on this year’s SXSW, Bonnaroo and Solid Sound festivals. The band takes to the road once again for headlining shows in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more, and to share stages with Tegan & Sara and The Head and the Heart.
Wildewoman Track list:
01. Wildewoman
02. Turn It Around
03. Go Home
04. Hey, Doreen
05. Tempest
06. Nothing Ordinary
07. Two Of Us On The Run
08. Until We Get There
09. Don’t Just Sit There
10. Monsters
11. How Loud Your Heart Gets
Lucius Tour Dates
7/31: Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
8/1: Rochester, NY @ Party In The Park #
8/2: North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA (FREE with museum admission)
8/7: New Haven, CT @ Bar (FREE)
8/8: Montreal, QC @ ARTV Studio, Inside Place Des Arts (FREE)
8/9: Newmarket, NH @ Stone Church
8/10: Bangor, ME @ Kahbang Fest
8/14: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
8/16: Lyons, CO @ Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
8/22: Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Brewery (FREE)
8/23: Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
8/25: Chicago, IL @ The Vic^
8/28: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
8/29: San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
9/7: Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
9/21: Utopia, TX @ Utopiafest
10/25: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
+ supporting Tegan & Sara # supporting The Head and the Heart ^ supporting Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
“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.
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.
Musically Amusing 