Northern California’s Sleepy Sun– whose music has been described as “a shape-shifting mess of psych-garage slime” (SPIN) and “the darkly foreboding side of garage psych” (Stereogum), has announced their fourth LP, Maui Tears, to be released January 28th via Dine Alone Records. Along with seven brand new songs, the album features both tracks from Sleepy Sun’s recent 7″, “11:32” and “The Lane.” Today, the band shares their video for album opener “The Lane,” which takes us on a tripped-out journey through the clouds, the ocean, the galaxy, and beyond. Maui Tears will be available for pre-orderbeginning December 10th, and all pre-orders will come with an instant grat of album track “Galaxy Punk.”
Having formed six years ago, Sleepy Sun already has three LPs and a handful of singles & EPs under their belt. Maui Tears finds the band pushing boundaries with their experimental songwriting, exploring new territory and showcasing the diversity of their sound. A combination of catchy, psych-tinged melodies, softer, dreamier tracks, and some of the band’s heaviest material to date, the album is a dynamic collection of songs from a new, bolder version of a band that’s torn down walls and built up confidence.
Known for their incessant touring, Sleepy Sun has toured with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, the Black Angels, and most recently, City and Colour. They have a handful of live dates left on their current tour and will be announcing 2014 dates soon. Maui Tears cover art and track listing, and stay tuned for more new music coming soon!
Akon is officially back with the worldwide release of his new single “So Blue”. The multi-platinum superstar, producer, and entrepreneur debuts the music video for “So Blue” exclusively on VEVO. The track serves as a prelude to his forthcoming fourth full-length album set for release early 2014 via Republic Records.
With over 12 million albums sold worldwide, five Grammy Award nominations, and 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs under his belt, Akon is simply unstoppable. His soulful voice and addictive lyrics have propelled countless hits across genres—from pop and R&B to hip hop and dance. In addition to his own chart-dominating singles, Akon has made a staggering 300 guest appearances for icons including Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, and Eminem.
Never content to rest on his laurels, Akonhas recently turned his longtime dream of working in Hollywood into a reality. This summer, he landed his first major movie role and will appear alongside costars Adrien Brody, Hayden Christensen and Jordana Brewster in the upcoming indie action thriller “American Heist”, a remake of the 1959 Steve McQueen movie “The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery.” Akon made his acting debut in Jeta Amata’s stirring motion picture “Rise Up”; a fictionalized account of true events that tells the story of an educated Nigerian girl’s return to her rural community to become the leader of a local movement fighting against the polluting oil company. Akon joined a stellar cast including Mickey Rouke, Kim Bassinger, Anne Heche, and Vivica A. Fox. After a successful introduction on the international film festival circuit in 2012, Akon is currently in the studio scoring the soundtrack for the film’s U.S. theatrical release slated for spring 2014.
Don’t miss UK’s TOURIST, the classically trained producer when he returns to play live in New York, Miami and Los Angeles this December. You can watch a piano version of “I Have No Fear” to get in the mood…
or listen to the NPR Live in Concert session that was taped at his Mountain Oasis show here. The recent signing to the UK duo Disclosure’s label Method Records will release his brand new Patterns EP in 2014. In honor of his first American tour which brought him to CMJ to do showcases with Pigeons & Planes and Pitchfork, and visits to Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Denver and Los Angeles’ HARD Festival, he had shared the track “Together” which you can listen to below.
His new remixes for CHVRCHES, Haim and Sam Smith tracks are out now and reached #1 spots in the Hype Machine charts (listen to them all below).
You can see a live video registration of Tourist’s live show at Boiler Room TV HERE.
TOURIST Tour Dates:
11/17 – Milan (IT) @ Elita Sunday Park Teatro Parenti
11/18 – Leeds, UK @ 02 Academy (w / Disclosure)
11/19 – Newcastle, UK @ 02 Academy (w / Disclosure)
11/22 – Manchester (UK) @ Warehouse Project (w/ Disclosure)
11/23 – Barcelona, SP @ Razzmatazz (w / Ryan Hemsworth)
12/5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade (tix HERE)
12/6 – Miami, FL @ Grand Central (No sale / RSVP only)
12/7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Lyric Theatre (tix HERE)
At last!! Lily Allen has made a brand new solo track – “Hard Out Here” – and it will be available at all digital retailers on November 19. The track is the first new solo song from Lily since 2010. She continues to work on her third studio album which will be released next year. Oh, and she has a baggy p*ssy.
The Brooklyn band Lucius unveiled their thought-provoking new video for the song “Tempest” via The Wall Street Journal. “Tempest” is from the band’s recently released debut album Wildewoman, out now on Mom+Pop Records.
The new video, made by Leblanc + Cudmore, “is from the perspective of the dreamer’s desk,” co-founders and front-women Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig explain to The Wall Street Journal. “We were drawn to the theme of duality, since it plays so prominently within our own band,” they said. “But as carefully crafted as that duality seems, it was really a happy accident. It just happened ‘by chance’ and it worked . . . our band can feel dreamlike at times, and bold with intensity at others. The video lends itself to a similar path.”
The band is currently in Europe on a tour that culminates with a sold out show in London and ends 2014 with a string of shows in the Northeast, including two sold out shows at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom. Lucius begins the new year with a Winter 2014 tour making stops in Nashville, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Portland, Denver and more.
Lucius Tour Dates
FALL 2013 TOUR DATES
11/12: Toulouse, FR @ Festival Les InRocks
11/14: Enschede, NL @ Crossing Border
11/15: Den Haag, NL @ Crossing Border
11/16: Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli Spiegelbar
11/17: Antwerpen, BE @ Crossing Border
11/20: London, UK @ The Shacklewell Arms – SOLD OUT
12/3: Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Ballroom – venue change due to demand*
12/4: Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall – venue changed due to demand*
12/5: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair – SOLD OUT^
12/6: Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live*
12/7: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom – SOLD OUT*
12/8: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom – SOLD OUT%
WINTER 2014 TOUR DATES (on sale Friday 11/15)
1/21: Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern Music Hall^
1/23: Nashville, TN @ The High Watt^
1/24: Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre^
1/25: New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa^
1/26: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs^
1/28: Dallas, TX @ Club Dada^
1/29: Austin, TX @ The Parish^
1/31: Phoenix, AZ @ Pub Rock^
2/1: Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar^
2/4: Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour^
2/5: San Diego, CA @ The Casbah^
2/7: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent^
2/10: Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club^
2/12: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge^
2/13: Boise, ID @ Neurolux^
2/14: Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room^
2/15: Paonia, CO @ Paradise Theatre^
2/16: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge^
2/19: Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room^
2/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center^
2/22: Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon^
^ with You Won’t * with Kingsley Flood % with Yellowbirds
Little Ghxst has been hard at work getting his tricks and treats in order for this Halloween! There will be a special animated video tomorrow on Halloween day but he wanted to give you something in time for Mischief Night first.
Watch the hypnotic “Ghxst” video replete with vintage Halloween imagery now. Little Ghxst has had some previous releases under a different name but has chosen to stay anonymous…for now!
Last month I posted the video for “Slaver” from the band Pompeya. Now, the US full-length debut is available! Tropical is an ode to 70s disco and 80s new wave in a sound that is pop music in its finest form. The Moscow-based group has seen “Power”, “90”, and “Slaver” as the record’s first singles, each accompanied by all new music videos. The LP will be paired with a remix EP, which features contributions from Psychemagik, Fred Falke, Jimmy Edgar, and more. The official Remix EP will be included as a free download for those that purchase the 12” special edition double vinyl, and will be released officially in December 2013.
Having just completed a blistering run around Australia, DEEP SEA ARCADEblew audiences away with some killer new tracks crafted during their nine-month sojourn to the UK, a preview of next year’s sophomore album.
The band have today dropped a psychedelic visual feast for their new track “Black Cat”, drawing both on footage from their trip and on footage submitted by fans.
The band have spent the best part of the last year soaking up the UK culture and imparting some of their own while working on a slew of new tracks, quickly creating the same buzz in their temporary home of London which lead to them being one of Sydney’s most respected indie acts.
Recorded and mixed by Dan Grech-Margueray (Lana Del Rey, The Vaccines, Howling Bells, The Kooks), Black Cat has proven a worthy followup to their debut album Outlands, which had a worldwide 2012 release through Ivy League Records, with singles heavily supported in Australia by national youth network Triple J and influential community station FBI and in the UK by BBC 1, BBC 6, and XFM.
Aside from a sold out tour Australia’s major cities and a spot on Australia’s prestigious Big Day Out festival, the band have been on the road with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Charlatans, Girls, Kaiser Chiefs, Cloud Control and Modest Mouse. They have also toured the UK and Europe extensively, including appearances at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival, The Great Escape In Brighton, Liverpool Sound City, Berlin Independent Night, Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg and sold out shows in London before returning to Australia for their recent welcome home tour… a warmup to what is going to be a huge 2014.
Ha Ha Tonkarecently released their highly anticipated fourth full-length album, Lessons, via Bloodshot Records.
The album was recorded at Bright Eyes’ ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska and in NYC with producers Dan Molad (Lucius) and The Ryantist. With a sound described as “southern rock meets The Cure” by My Old Kentucky Blog,the band today unveils their captivating live video for album title track, “Lessons.” Check out the entrancing “Lessons” (Live Video)below.
Ha Ha Tonka has become renowned for its authentic, effortless brand of indie-Americana, seamlessly fusing the traditional with modern, contemporary elements. Their track, “Usual Suspects,” was featured in the latest episode of CBS hit series, Criminal Minds.
Musically Amusing 