LA based trio Bravesoul has a new EP, The Infinite Hourglass that will be released on 2/18.
The band recently won a Whole Foods Music contest and will be featured on VH1’s first ever “You Oughta Know” compilation that will be sold in WF stores. The track “If The Morning Ever Comes” is featured on the compilation and the band just released a new music video:
Bravesoul blends gritty soulful vocals with anthemic, adventurous rock sounds. They have been compared to Imagine Dragons, Kings of Leon, Muse and Young The Giant. Their single “Keyhole” from early 2012 tallied over 300K plays on Youtube in over 3 months.
Architecture In Helsinki is one of Australia’s most infectious and beloved pop bands. Following their internationally acclaimed 2011 album Moment Bends, the band will release their highly anticipated new album NOW + 4EVA this April via the band’s own Casual Workout.
The bands highly polished and unique pop sound reaches an even brighter level on NOW + 4EVA; as the album’s first single “Dream A Little Crazy” vibrantly attests. “Dream A Little Crazy” is a song about letting go and enjoying it thoroughly. Featuring a big sing-along chorus, Architecture in Helsinki debuted the single live at Splendour in the Grass earlier in the year and it had the crowd singing along in harmony.
Today, AIH reveal the “Dream A Little Crazy” official video, which stars frontman Cameron Bird as a mad scientist of sorts working in a bio-tech lab called “The Biological Bakery.”
“Dream A Little Crazy” and NOW + 4EVA were mixed in Los Angeles and Montreal by Francois Tetaz and Damian Taylor. Long time collaborator Tetaz is most notably known for his efforts with Gotye’s full-length album Making Mirrors as the engineer/mixer, as well as working with Kimbra. Taylor has a successful past working with Bjork, Gotye, The Killers and Arcade Fire.
Tracklist for NOW + 4EVA:
01 In The Future
02 When You Walk In The Room
03 I Might Survive
04 Dream A Little Crazy
05 (Boom) 4EVA
06 U Tell Me
07 Echo
08 Born To Convince You
09 2 Time
10 April
11 Before Tomorrow
Black Lips have dropped the first video from their new one Underneath the Rainbow (out 3/18). The ATL Twins/Matt Swinsky co-directed clip for “Boys In The Wood” is a parade of NSFW visuals set in the backwoods: drinking, drugging, fighting, murder, face-pissing, fire dancing, sponge bathing in a coffin – all somehow beautifully rendered.
With the release of their new video “It Can’t Be Simple“, Secret Colours continue to build momentum toward their two releases due out this year in the form of Positive Distractions Part I and Positive Distractions Part II. Directed by Secret Colours’ bassist Eric Hehr, SPIN’s Kyle McGovern writes “the clip [“It Can’t Be Simple”] functions as a three-and-a-half-minute throwback to the days of vintage technology, when listening to vinyl was more than a simple affectation.”
Positive Distraction Part I will be released digitally on February 4, 2014 with Positive Distractions Part II being released digitally on April 29, 2014 to mark Secret Colours return to Texas for 2014’s Austin Psych Fest. Positive Distractions Part I & Part II’s combined physical incarnation will be released on vinyl and cassette on April 29, 2014.
In an era of digitized, recycled beats, Brooklyn-based quintet Jeremy and The Harlequins are a welcome breath of fresh air. A modern, energizing take on the best of classic American rock & roll, the band’s sound conjures inspiration from the likes of Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley. Jeremy and The Harlequins recently released their self-titled debut EP!
Having previously unveiled EP cut “Trip Into The Light,” an up-tempo, unadulterated rock joint with raw vocals & foot-stomping drumbeats, the band now reveals the Ellen Francis-directedaccompanying video- a dark, sultry oeuvre complete with motorcycles, rocking guitars & enigmatic symbolism.
Jeremy and The Harlequins consists of brothers Jeremy & Stevie Fury (We Are The Fury), Craig Bonich (Head Automatica), Nathan Cogan & Patrick Meyer. The band came together somewhat serendipitously, spending less than week in a whirlwind of rehearsals & recorded their debut self-titled EP at Detroit’s famous Tempermill Studios (The White Stripes, Loretta Lynn).
“Big and hopeful and reminds us that life can be hard, but hard can be good” – USA TODAY
“The Dallas-based folk band Fox & The Bird sound like The Decemberists and The Avett Brothers jamming on an ocean voyage. If you like nice harmonies and acoustic instruments, you will likely fall in love with their song “Wreck of the Fallible.” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER
“Local beloveds Fox and the Bird take their straightforward folk sensibility and throw it in a blender on high with beautiful melodies and sing-along, foot-stomping tunes.” – DALLAS OBSERVER”Beautiful folk with a dark side.” – PEGASUS NEWS
A folk-pop band with gang vocals and layered harmonies, Fox and the Bird is a choral collective of rotating songwriters and singers. The band’s characteristically rich, up-beat orchestration is hitched to banjos, accordions, ukuleles & fiddles to form the foundation of a sound reminiscent of hard times and high hopes.
Fox & The Bird’s latest album, Darkest Hours, is a sorrowfully appropriate title for an unapologetically bare-bones, brutally honest folk album. From lyrics chronicling the confusion of lost love in “Ashes” and “Bend” to commentary on the darkly violent tendencies seen in human nature as presented in “Habit” and “Valley,” the album laments hardship, poverty, death, loss… those moments in life when the darkness seems most impenetrable.But while Darkest Hours is a heavy follow-up to the band’s debut Floating Feather, lyrically, their characteristic rich, up-beat orchestration carries us through the darkness with an innate sort of joy and hints at the light that inevitably follows even our darkest of hours.
Fox and the Bird continues to produce and self-release its albums, touring and always committed to music that is made on back porches, in living rooms and on the streets. Darkest Hours is set for release January 14th, and will be available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.
FOX & THE BIRD TOUR DATES
2/26 – Lucky’s Everyday, Wichita, KS
2/27 – Replay Lounge, Lawrence, KS
3/7 – Hi-Tone, Memphis, TN
3/8 – Maxine’s, Hot Springs, AR
“…it’s been a long freaking time since Télépopmusik dropped their last full-length, and we can finally rejoice in their comeback.” – Death and Taxes
“…a calming, warm wash of water that seduces with its surprising showcase of New York-based singer, Betty Black.”– Baeble Music
Télépopmusik posted a video for their new track “Fever”, featuring New York vocalist Betty Black from their upcoming full-length, due in early 2014.
The first “official” video, directed by Lou Chaussalet, captures a near death experience on a beach in the Southwest of France.
On the remix front, Télépopmusik is also releasing a new remix of “Fever” by Tulip. Formerly known as Play Paul and Ryskee, releasing tracks on labels such as Roulé, Kitsune and Gigolo Records, Tulip’s “cold wave” vibe works nicely with the original moody, deep and hypnotic flavor of the original track, adding a bit more tension and dance floor beats.
It’s been over a decade since Télépopmusik’s first release, Genetic World, and more specifically the slinky, Grammy-nominated track “Breathe” featuring Scottish vocalist Angela McCluskey, which nearly defined an era of sophisticated, down-tempo French music (along with compatriots Air, Les Rythmes Digitales and Dimitri from Paris) in the mid 2000s.
Comprised of 2Square and Antipop, French electronic act Télépopmusik revealed the first 2 tracks from their third studio album (due in 2014) this past summer: a 2-song EP remix bundle, Fever/Try Me Anyway, featuring NY-based vocalist Betty Black and remixes from Dirty Channels, Zombie Disco Squad, Populette, Pit Spector & Pino Rastovitch. Télépopmusik’s new album will continue a long-standing collaborative tradition, featuring the vocal talents of New York’s own Betty Black (aka Sylvia Gordon of KUDU) & Swedish singer Johanna Wedin, as well as the return of the now US-based (and ever iconic) Angela McCluskey and some other surprise guests.
Musically Amusing 