Polvo premieres "Total Immersion" & talks UNC basketball with Grantland

Press Release from Merge Records:


Polvo shared "Total Immersion" from Siberia today at Grantland along with a spirited chat about UNC Basketball with superfan & Polvo co-leader Dave Brylawski. Siberia will be in stores October 1 in the US and October 14 in Europe.

Read Dave Brylawski's take on the state of UNC Basketball at Grantland

Listen & share Polvo's "Total Immersion" via Merge SoundCloud

During their initial run from 1990–1998, Polvo crafted a sound so fantastically obstinate and so perfectly cockeyed that its DNA is essentially resistant to mediocrity or repetition. On Siberia, that sound feels more limber and more aerodynamic than ever. Its songs glide and bob like UFOs, both serene and unsettling. Some of that is owed to a looser approach. “Preparing for In Prism, we labored over that material pretty intensively,” explains founding guitarist Ash Bowie. “A lot of the songs on this album were not rehearsed much at all. I’d like to think this album has a few more adventurous moments.”

from the Saddle Creek Records newsletter:

The Thermals - The Sunset
from the album Desperate Ground

For their latest video, "The Sunset", Thermals bassist Kathy Foster took lessons from professional boxer Molly McConnell to prepare for her role as "The Boxer". You can also the band live at a handful of shows later this summer, a full rundown is below.

The Thermals tour dates
Sat-Aug-17, Omaha, NE, MAHA Music Festival
Fri-Aug-23, Eugene, OR, Kaleidoscope Music Festival
Sat-Aug-31, Grand Rapids, MI, The Pyramid Scheme
Sat-Sep-07, Portland, OR, Mississippi Studios
Thu-Sep-26, Cincinnati, OH, The Taft Theatre

Shugo Tokumaru - video for Katachi

Polyvinyl Records press release:



Watch the amazing video for "Katachi": http://youtu.be/Q-WM-x__BOk

"...a giddy celebration of pop music's potential for mayhem...it all comes together in a beautifully sharp series of technicolor audio bursts." -Pitchfork

"This is a whimsical Flaming Lips-meets-Sufjan Stevens trip through the mind of one of the finest producers of psych pop working today." - Under the Radar


For the first half of 2012, Shugo Tokumaru locked himself inside his home studio while working on In Focus?, often forgetting to eat and sleep for long stretches of time while crafting the record's 15 songs -- each of which contains an average of 20 instruments and hundreds of recorded parts that are meticulously mixed together to create a single, cohesive track.

As a result of this extreme care and attention to detail, In Focus? -- despite its title -- represents the clearest manifestation of Tokumaru's multifaceted musical vision to date.

From slow building album opener "Circle"'s perfect transition into standout track "Katachi," to lead single "Decorate" and the beautifully delicate acoustic ballad "Tightrope," it's clear that Tokumaru has again succeeded in writing universal melodies while singing in his native Japanese.

After Tokumaru completed recording and mixing, In Focus? was mastered at Abbey Road Studios -- a fitting location for an artist who grew up listening to the Beatles and Japanese pop music and whose music builds on the best elements of both to produce a unique sound irresistible to listeners regardless of their generation or the language they speak.

Watch The Love Language's new video for "Calm Down" now!

Merge Records press release:


The Love Language's Ruby Red is in stores now on CD, LP and digital! Celebrate by watching their super-fun new video featuring a cameo by Superchunk's Laura Ballance! And the ever-increasing list of the Love Language full band tour dates is below!

Watch & share The Love Language's new video for "Calm Down" now at Pitchfork.TV & Merge's YouTube channel


Ruby Red produces new standards for the Carolina pop songbook, finding The Love Language as an extroverted community art project made by responsible citizens of a loosely packed scene who know that Stuart McLamb will match whatever they contribute. As the Independent Weekly proclaimed, “This isn’t The Love Language we’ve come to expect. It’s something bolder.”

Keep up with The Love Language at their newly relaunched website and on Twitter and Facebook.

The Love Language on tour:
Jul 26 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle # Album Release show!
Jul 27 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel #
Jul 28 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s #
Jul 30 Allston, MA – Great Scott #
Jul 31 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge #
Aug 01 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands Gallery #
Aug 02 Richmond, VA – Strange Matter #
Aug 03 Charlottesville, VA – Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar #
Aug 27 Nashville, TN – Stone Fox
Aug 28 St. Louis, MO – Firebird
Aug 29 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s
Aug 30 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Aug 31 Kansas City, MO — Czar Bar w/ Schwervon
Sep 01 Omaha, NE — O'Leaver's
Sep 02 Denver, CO – Hi Dive
Sep 03 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Sep 04 Boise, ID Neurolux ^
Sep 05 Portland, OR – MusicFest NW
Sep 06 Eugene, OR – Cozmic Pizza %
Sep 08 Seattle, WA – Neumos %
Sep 10 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw w/ Bleeding Rainbow
Sep 11 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Bar
Sep 12 San Diego, CA — Soda Bar ^
Sep 13 Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock w/ Soft Metals
Sep 14 Tucson, AZ — Club Congress
Sep 16 Austin, TX – Mohawk – Inside ^
Sep 17 Dallas, TX – Club Dada
Sep 18 Houston, TX – Mango’s
Sep 19 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
Sep 20 Atlanta, GA — Masquerade w/ Man Man
# w/ Eternal Summers
* w/ The Critters
% w/ The Dodos
^ w/ On An On

Lights & Motion video for Home from Deep Elm Records

From Deep Elm Records

One word: Epic. That's the most succinct way to describe the stunning instrumental debut by cinematic post-rock powerhouse LIGHTS & MOTION.



See the video for Home from Lights & Motion here.


The band's braintrust, 24 year old self-taught multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, engineer, mixer and all around musical savant Christoffer Franzen, created and composed every song in real-time during late night insomnia sessions through pure accident, improvisation and inspiration. And the result? More than you could have ever hoped for. Reanimation is pure, sweeping, musically-animated emotion: modern yet classic, bold yet restrained, grandiose yet humble, storming yet tranquil, swerving yet linear...and you are completely surrounded in the sincerity, the ecstasy, the illumination of it all. Every song is so deeply intimate yet so massively majestic, culminating in a timeless album that is seemingly created from the same stuff dreams are made of. "Reanimation will be acknowledged as one of the most important post-rock albums ever to be made...and if this was the last album we ever released on Deep Elm Records, I would consider our 18 year mission an overwhelming success" says label founder John Szuch.

"Melodies and harmonies, movies and images, loneliness and melancholy are my influences" says Franzen. "There is just this urge, this need to create and it takes on different shapes. Sometimes it's rough and loud and sometimes it's very quiet. I consider myself to be more and more of a painter of sound. It always starts out with something easy and timid, like a simple brush stroke. Depending on the mood, I change the color and intensity of my next stroke and suddenly the whole impression of what that piece was drastically changes. I compose with layers and depth, and it's often the slightest thing that makes the whole song turn into a new direction, often one I didn't see coming myself. That is part of the journey, at least for the way I write music. I never know what I wiIl end up with, and it's often very different from what I started out with. Sometimes I tell people that this album consists of my dreams...only I wasn't sleeping with they came to me, I just did my best to get them down on tape."

Franzen continues, "At the beginning, I really had nothing except for a vision of something vast, heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. I didn't think in terms of music, but in terms of other things that inspired me, things that painted a picture in my head that I could see so clearly. This was in the Fall of 2011. Without any education in sound engineering or music production, I spent countless nights learning how to get the sounds that I could hear in my head to come out through the speakers. I did this by trial and error, reading endless forums about music production, watching tutorials and experimenting. By doing this I learned the capabilities and limitations of the studio and the gear that I could use, as well as my own as a producer. In order to achieve the sound that I had in mind, I had to pick up all these different instruments and learn how to play them. If somebody had told me one year ago that I would record an entire album by myself, I wouldn't have believed them. I am very proud of it and I can't believe it's done. This album was about gathering the courage to launch an endeavor that was purely my own. It was a reawakening, a rebirth, a resurrection of sorts, and a passageway into a dreamlike world that I created myself...a world to get lost in...a world that gives us hope."

"An album for which my immediate feeling is astonishment. I am in awe. Thank you Christoffer." - Troublezine

"Amazingly beautiful, intimate, relaxed melodies and soundscapes. Very impressive...a success." - 520 Music

"Cinematic soundtrack-mash-ups that bring a fresh breeze into a otherwise linear and narrow genre." - Melodic

Dear Blanca Performs New Song, "Noma", Live from Dead Tree Festival

Post-Echo press release:



With new band members, Dayne Lee and Conner Mills, in tow, Dear Blanca recently performed at this year's Dead Tree Festival unveiling a collection of new tunes- including "Noma", a song blending the raw angst of Talker with a gentler, melodic direction.

Given life in 2011 and named after the late grandmother of Dylan Dickerson, Dear Blanca consists of Dickerson himself and long-time bandmate Marc Coty on drums. Offering an eclectic range of sounds inspired by diverse acts such as 80′s punk group Minutemen as well as Townes Van Zandt, Dear Blanca promises energetic rock music coupled with folk-songwriting aesthetics both mild-mannered and rambunctious.

Dear Blanca’s debut LP, Talker, was released on February 12, 2013 via Post-Echo.

Check out "Noma" here.

Watch Dear Blanca performing "Havana Tonight" at this year's SXSW.

Stream Dear Blanca's debut LP Talker- available as a CD and digital download.

Listen to "Bright Light" from Mount Moriah's new album, Miracle Temple

Merge Records press release:

Mount Moriah shared "Bright Light" from their forthcoming new album Miracle Temple via SPIN today. In their premiere, SPIN described the track as a "luminous Southern-rock shuffler."

Listen & share "Bright Light" now at the Merge SoundCloud page

Where 2011's Mount Moriah tended towards the simpler, Miracle Temple boasts fuller arrangements, replete with forceful vocals and lyrics that read like prize-winning poetry. The instrumentation's more soulful, the choruses more rambunctious, and the band's vision of the South is even more intricate -- and conflicted -- than it was before. No stone goes unturned: whether it's meditations on gender or reminisces of ex-lovers, Miracle Temple supplies both eloquence & rock 'n' roll in abundance.

Shout Out Louds release video for "Illusions" & US tour dates

Merge Records press release:


Shout Out Louds premiered the new video for "Illusions" via RollingStone.com. The band will kick off their US tour in support of their new album Optica on May 7 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC.

Directed by Hugo Stenson, the video follows a woman on a speed dating adventure ending in a dance party. Frontman Adam Olenius told RollingStone.com, "In Sweden, to get 25 people to dance and act or even show up for a video shoot or anything in that area you have to buy them copious amounts of booze and lure them with money. In L.A., the city of dreams, they show up for nothing and shimmer!"

Watch & share "Illusions" now


Shout Out Louds took their time with these songs, recording for about one-and-a-half years in a small Stockholm studio and producing themselves for the first time with help from Johannes Berglund. A theme emerged and Optica was born, an album celebrating color and light from a band confident in its sound, filled with real strings, trombones, trumpets and flutes.

NPR’s Stephen Thompson writes, “Listening to ["Illusions] in 2013, it’s as if a young band is tapping into our shared nostalgia by rehashing a hit that’s somehow been lodged in our memory banks all along. ‘Illusions’ may be brand-new, but it already feels eternal.”

Shout Out Louds on tour:
May 7 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 8 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
May 10 New York, NY Webster Hall
May 11 Boston, MA Paradise
May 13 Montreal, QC La Sala Rosa
May 14 Toronto, ONT The Opera House
May 15 Detroit, MI The Magic Bag
May 16 Chicago, IL Metro
May 17 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
May 20 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
May 21 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
May 22 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
May 23 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
May 24 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
May 25 George, WA Sasquatch Festival

She & Him share "I Could've Been Your Girl" from Volume 3

Merge Records press release:


She & Him have shared a new song from their forthcoming album Volume 3. Written by Zooey with string arrangements by M. Ward, “I Could’ve Been Your Girl” is 60’s pop perfection, and one of the album’s most impressive tracks.

In their premiere, the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog wrote, "Deschanel lets her voice ring over a rich blend of strings and guitars before Ward takes over with a trebly guitar break during the bridge."

Listen & share "I Could've Been Your Girl" now via SoundCloud

Volume 3 is another exciting chapter in singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel and guitarist/producer M. Ward’s unique collaboration. Of course, She & Him is not just about the time that Deschanel and Ward manage to spend in a studio together; theirs is a remarkable, year-round dialogue that began serendipitously on a film project in 2007 and has flourished ever since. Deschanel and Ward are like 21st century pen pals, emailing music files back and forth from whatever recording studio, sound stage or dressing room they happen to be in. We get to periodically share in this exuberant exchange as they display their passion for, and knowledge of, a wide range of music – from classic country to vintage pop, no frills rock and roll to grandly overdubbed Wall Of Sound drama.

Volume 3 is available for pre-order on CD, LP and now cassette in the Merge store. The first 500 LP preorders will receive Volume 3 on limited edition robin’s egg blue colored vinyl! Photos & bio can be found here, and full album streams are available for review. For more information, contact christina@mergerecords.com or jen@pressherepublicity.com.

She & Him on tour:
June 13 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium +
June 15 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theater at Grand Prairie +
June 16 Austin, TX ACL Live at the Moody Theatre +
June 18 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theater +
June 19 Las Vegas, NV The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas &
June 21 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre &
June 22 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre * &
June 23 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl *
June 25 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Gardens &
June 27 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah’s Stir Cove &
June 28 Kansas City, MO Kanrocksas Music Festival
June 29 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom #
July 1 Ann Arbor, MI Hill Auditorium #
July 3 Montreal, QUE Montreal Jazz Festival #
July 4 Toronto, ON Toronto Urban Roots Festival #
July 5 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Blues Fest
July 6 New York, NY SummerStage, Central Park #
July 9 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center for Performing Arts #
July 10 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion #
July 11 Vienna, VA Filene Center at Wolf Trap #
+ with Secret Sisters
* with Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
# with Camera Obscura
& with Tilly and the Wall

Eleanor Friedberger Touring Now, watch the video for "Stare at the Sun" from her new album, Personal Record

Merge Records press release:

Eleanor Friedberger premiered her new video for "Stare at the Sun" from Personal Record today at Pitchfork. Directed by Scott Jacobson, the video features sign language, cuddly sheepdogs, and lots of air guitar!

Watch the video for "Stare at the Sun" now at YouTube

Personal Record is Eleanor Friedberger at her finest – recorded in late 2012 in New York and Los Angeles, and written with musician/novelist Wesley Stace, Personal Record is full of love songs – hellos and goodbyes, infatuation, pre-occupation, loss – but not simply about romantic love. Eleanor explains, “They’re also love songs to music: how you feel on stage when you do something spontaneous and it works, how you feel when you hear someone sing a song for the first time, what it’s like to watch a friend perform, how you can feel close to someone you barely know because you both happen to love the same record, or playing the same song forty times in a row, not being able to rest until you own every song recorded by your favorite singer, or every version of your favorite song.”

Watch Eleanor’s album trailer set in beautiful Jamaica, too!


Eleanor Friedberger on tour:
April 10 New York, NY Town Hall w/ Rodriguez
April 12 Northampton, MA Parlor Room w/ John Wesley Harding
Jun 04 Buffalo, NY @ Babeville *
Jun 05 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
Jun 06 Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room *
Jun 07 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle *
Jun 08 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock *
Jun 11 Vancouver, BC @ Media Club *
Jun 12 Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
Jun 13 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir *
Jun 15 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent % *
Jun 18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo % *
Jun 19 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Jun 21 Austin, TX @ The Parish *
Jun 22 Dallas, TX @ The Loft *
Jun 24 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo *
Jun 25 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio *
Jun 26 Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox *
Jun 27 Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall *
Jun 28 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg + *
*w/ TEEN
% w/ Icewater performing 1st of 3
+ w/ Cassandra Jenkins performing 1st of 3

New ACCENTS Video

Deep Elm Press Release:

Indie-folk outfit ACCENTS have released a stunning HD music video for "Alright With Me" off their Deep Elm Records debut Growth And Squalor.

See the video here.

Filmed on location in Albany, New York on February 16-17, 2013, the cast and crew of 30+ people included Justin Stewart (Writer, Producer, Director), Gary Flugge (Director of Photography) and George Lookshire (Editor, Digital Image Transfer). Accents was formed by duo TJ Foster and Benjamin Hemingway, but has since expanded to a quintet including Lauren Alexander on Vocals / Keyboards, Jordan Stewart on Guitar and Matt Bent on Bass / Vocals.
"I wanted to embrace the theme of the song by showing a relationship that is struggling from financial concerns and how it can corrupt love. It blossomed into a theme that represents society's dependency on technology and the mindlessness that often ensues. With an experienced crew, an idea that encompasses prevalent issues, and a song that has all the right elements, I knew we were creating something special. I can't imagine how many times I spent listening to this song pausing and rewinding trying to figure out the sequencing and timing of each scene. Not once did I get tired of hearing it" says director Justin Stewart.

"The video itself is a narrative about society and its relationship with technology, the overall message being that nowadays we're so 'plugged in' all the time, we forget to experience the beautiful world around us. It focuses around an average young couple just trying to get by while coping with the added stresses that go along with getting older. It's a constant balancing act between one's obligations and the things that provide him / her happiness. It's a strikingly honest, albeit unique, coming-of-age tale" says band member TJ Foster.

Matt Bent adds "I think the video does a great job showing the hardships that we all seem to face every day. It can make us hard and emotionless. We stop caring about what makes us happy and focus more on just getting through our 12-hour shift. Relationships suffer. Dreams become all too impossible to achieve and actually are mocked or devalued by the reality, and pressure of our jobs. But there is a always a bright light. When all seems lost, the girl in the video is the anchor that everyone needs. She is the personification of love, inspiration and hope. She is a constant reminder that there is no substitute for the human heart. We may all be drones, attached to our computers, and as anti-social as ever, but she is the symbol that no matter how much technology exists, our humanity is all that matters."

Video Link / Credits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYn_HDwfetE
Album Link: http://deepelmdigital.com/album/growth-and-squalor

"A gorgeous, atmospheric slice of indie-folk music. One of the best albums of the year [9.5/10]." - Absolute Punk
"Top 5 Albums of 2012. A folk-rock session that is both refreshingly upbeat and reinvigorating." - Muzik Dizkovery
"It's brilliant...an overall indie-folk musical masterpiece..." - Heavy Petal

The Thermals' on tour now, new track from new Album Desperate Ground available now

Saddle Creek press release:


Check out the new Thermals song here.

The Thermals - Desperate Ground CD/LP/Digital - April 16, 2013
The Thermals’ sixth LP and debut for Saddle Creek, Desperate Ground, was produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth) at Water Music in Hoboken, NJ. Agnello and The Thermals completed the record and evacuated the studio just hours before Hurricane Sandy ravaged New Jersey, a fate quite fitting when you consider the product: a true scrappy and scratchy return-to-form for The Thermals, with all the raw power and unhinged adolescent energy that made their early LP’s so insanely enjoyable. Lyrically, the album is a brash and irresponsible ode to human violence, a black celebration of the inevitability of war and death. A dark and yet joyous affair, Desperate Ground tells the (murky) tale of a lone rogue in the night. One man, one path, one sword. An unceasing urge to destroy. A never-ending battle against the forces of nature. A destiny impossible to avoid.



Desperate Ground, the brand new studio record from The Thermals, will be in stores on April 16. The record is now available for pre-order now, featuring an exclusive marbled red and black vinyl version.

The first track from the new album, "Born to Kill," recently premiered at Spin.com. Check out the article for the free download of the song, or a peak at the lyric video. The track also made the list of 100 songs by artists to discover at SXSW 2013 at NPR Music.

Baeble Music recently ran a couple great articles with the band. Check out an interview and Hutch Harris' 10 favorite Saddle Creek songs.


The Thermals are already playing shows in support of the new record.

The Thermals - Spring 2013 Tour Dates

Thu-Mar-14, Austin, TX, Spin Party @ Easy Tiger Patio, 2pm
Thu-Mar-14, Austin, TX, Filter Party @ Bar 96, 5pm
Fri-Mar-15, Austin, TX, Brooklyn Vegan Party @ The Main (Old Emo's), 4pm
Sat-Mar-16, Austin, TX, The Onion/A.V. Club Party @ Mohawk, 3pm
Sat-Mar-16, Austin, TX, Baeble Music Showcase @ Peckerheads, 6pm
Mon-Mar-18, Los Angeles, CA, Origami Vinyl (Album listening party and band hang sesh)
Mon-Mar-18, Los Angeles, CA, Echoplex (Check Yo Ponytail)
Fri-Mar-22, Boise, ID, Treefort Music Fest
Fri-Apr-20, Portland, OR, Branx
Thu-Apr-25, Seattle, WA, Neumos
Fri-Apr-26, Vancouver, BC, Fortune Sound Club
Sat-Apr-27, Bellingham, WA, The Wild Buffalo
Fri-Jul-12, Hannover, DE, Bootboohook Festival
Sat-Jul-13, Ruesselsheim, DE, Phono Pop Festival

AGAIN FOR THE WIN RELEASES VIDEO FOR "MERKABAH" FROM NEW ALBUM "WE'VE BEEN HERE FOREVER"

Deep Elm Records press release;

Texas rockers AGAIN FOR THE WIN have released a video for their popular song "Merkabah" off their Deep Elm debut "We've Been Here Forever" released in August 2012. Between the killer guitars and tightly locked rhythm section, you'll hear something different nestled away with every listen of this album opener. By breaking convention and not pulling any punches, the band displays an unabashed sense of individualism...almost uncategorizing themselves in the best way possible. Filmed on location at The Mohawk in Austin, Texas in February 2013. Cinematography, production and editing by Zac Witte.

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

"As the swirling echoes of twin guitars and the dreamy sounds of a keyboard spin and whirl inside my ears I feel as though I have been here forever. I am drifting through the cosmos in a time before time. Then a monstrous percussive boom and an explosion of echo-laden guitars interrupt my dream state suddenly and unexpectedly. The world has just been created. This whole story is told in the magnificent opening track Merkabah..." - Surviving The Golden Age

"Yes, this is emo and unashamedly so in the driving rock from a broken heart / bloody knuckled stance of the lonely pack with nothing to prove and even less to lose 'Amen, Brother!' way that only Texan men with earnest beards can play..." - Pinpoint Music

"AFTW's music falls into that nearly visceral space where heavy is shared by post-rock, radio-rock and art-rock..." - Independent Clauses

"Big on hooks, bigger on atmosphere, and an all-around heady experience. An impressive record..." - Big Takeover

Genre(s): Anthemic Rock. Post-Hardcore
Recommended If You Like: Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, Desoto Jones, Dangerous Summer, Taking Back Sunday

BIG HARP stream new album

Saddle Creek press release:

The sophomore album from Big Harp, Chain Letters, is now in stores. The album is also streaming in full at The Onion AV Club. Check it out and then head over to the Online Store to pick up a copy of your own.

Chris Senseney and Stefanie Drootin-Senseney (The Good Life, Bright Eyes, She & Him) formed Big Harp in December 2010, after a three-year whirlwind that saw the two meet, have a baby, move halfway across the country, get married, move halfway across the country again, and have another baby. When the dust settled, they holed up in Stefanie's parents' spare bedroom, practiced for a week, and recorded their debut album White Hat, a collection of dusty, low-key folk-rock laced with subtle irony and dark humor.

Understandably for a band that had only existed for a week before recording their first album, and had never played a show, their sound began to change almost immediately. They packed up the kids and hit the road, earning high praise for their surprisingly energetic live shows, where the intimate acoustic-based arrangements they'd recorded gave way to something increasingly complex, ragged and dirty.

In March, 2012, only six months after the release of their debut, Big Harp began working on their follow-up, Chain Letters, bringing in old friend John Voris to play drums. The album finds them moving away from the rustic, pastoral sound of their first album and towards a truer union of their L.A.-meets-isolated-cow-town backgrounds. Built on a foundation of crackling fuzz bass and angular electric guitars and keyboards, the songs on Chain Letters play like a series of character sketches with characters caught between escape and surrender, or poised at that edge where the two become indistinguishable.


TOUR
Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room Mar 04

For More information on Big Harp check out their Web site.

The Hives Unleash New Music Video For Single "Wait A Minute"‏ - ON TOUR NOW

THE HIVES PREMIERE MUSIC VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE "WAIT A MINUTE"



The Hives are ready for their close up with the release of their new video for "Wait A Minute," which recently premiered on MTV. MTV's own Buzzworthy Blog remarked "with squirmy close-ups on Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's cartoon eyes and mesmerizing jaw, 'Wait A Minute' is anything but zen; it's a taught, nervy, post-punk track that stays true to the Swedish group's garage origins."

Directed by Travis Schneider, the video was filmed in a Chicago hotel room using only some leather, an iron, a floor lamp, frozen yogurt, and the sweltering Chicago sun. "Wait A Minute" is the second single from The Hives lauded new album Lex Hives, which was released earlier this summer on the band's own Disques Hives.


See the new "Wait A Minute" video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vz8raXtWlg&hd=1



The Hives newest album Lex Hives is receiving worldwide praise, with NME declaring "Let it be said that Lex Hives is amazing," and Q Magazine's 4-star review asserting "Lex Hives fizzes with the energy of a debut album, the quintet emphatically back to what they do best." Likewise, The Independent states, "If Lex Hives has one fault, it's that it makes you want to switch it off, go straight out and see the Hives live," and Entertainment Weekly proclaims "The Hives have returned to remind us the Swedes do it better."



The Hives are Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Vigilante Carlstroem.


Upcoming Tour Dates:
20 February 2013 - Austin, TX
Emo's East
21 February 2013 - Houston, TX
Toyota Center
22 February 2013 - Dallas, TX
American Airlines Center
24 February 2013 - Orlando, FL
Amway Center
25 February 2013 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
BB&T Center
27 February 2013 - Tampa, FL
Tampa Bay Times Forum
Click here for more info & to buy tickets

MARCH 2013

01 March 2013 - Atlanta, GA
Philips Arena
02 March 2013 - Nashville, TN
Bridgestone Arena
04 March 2013 - Indianapolis, IN
The Vogue Theatre
05 March 2013 - Detroit, MI
The Palace of Auburn Hills
06 March 2013 - Columbus, OH
Schottenstein Center
08 March 2013 - Louisville, KY
KFC Yum! Center
09 March 2013 - Chicago, IL
United Center
10 March 2013 - Cleveland, OH
House of Blues
11 March 2013 - Toronto, ON
Air Canada Centre
12 March 2013 - Montreal, QC
Bell Centre
14 March 2013 - Washington DC
Verizon Center
22 March 2013 - New York, NY
Madison Square Garden
23 March 2013 - East Rutherford, NJ
Izod Center
24 March 2013 - New York, New York
Irving Plaza
25 March 2013 - Uniondale, NY
Nassau Coliseum
27 March 2013 - Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Arena
28 March 2013 - Boston, MA
TD Garden
31 March 2013 - Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
Lollapalooza Brazil
Click here for more info & to buy tickets


For More Information check out The Hives Web site

HEAR SONGS FROM Cold Fur (ex-Rye Coalition and The Want) NOW - Debut Album "Altamont Every Night" Out In March

Solid PR Press Release:


COLD FUR (ex-Rye Coalition and The Want) Announces Debut Album "Altamont Every Night" Out Digitally March 5th on Cold Fur Records
Physical LP Available Spring 2013!

Stream new songs "Pigs on Holiday" and "Habitual Line Stepper" exclusively @ Brooklynvegan.com!

Don't be fooled by the burning smell. It's not fur, cold as ice and dry as a bone, warming the back of man since before he found a friend in fire. Don't be fooled by the conflagrant redolence. For, it's nothing other than eyebrows, singed and raining from foreheads of those with faces too close to speaker cones.

Cold Fur, a no-shit band of East Coast heavyweights, born from two of Jersey's finest, The Want (Southern Lord Records) and Rye Coalition (Dreamworks, Gern Blandsten), are intent on providing a platinum encrusted sonic pillow filled with cotton candy for the battered cranium of rock and roll to rest itself upon.

The long and short of it is thus, Cold Fur have come to melt faces and swallow hearts. So drink from the chalice my dear rock and roll children. Count your sheep and secure your goats because once it's on, it's on, ad infinitum. And you can rest assured that Cold Fur will save a piece for you.

Cold Fur is:
Jeff Mackey - bass
Adam Valk - guitar
Ralph Cuseglio - vocals
Dave Leto - drums



* Recorded by Steve Albini, additional recording & mixing by Alap Momin & Cold Fur
Executive producer Jean Lebleu, mastered by Jesse Cannon

"Altamont Every Night" Track List:
1. Altamont Every Night
2. Cut Of My Jib
3. Habitual Line Stepper
4. Bro'ed To Death
5. Just Like Brian Jones
6. Pigs On Holiday
7. Interspecies Dating
8. The Shittiest Story Ever Told
9. Hammer Toss
10. Wrists Of Fury
11. Fat Vampires From Planet Wolf

For more information, visit:
facebook.com/coldfur
coldfur.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/coldfur
Killing Horse Records

Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite talk Get Up! on Music Radar

Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite talk Get Up!
Collaboration is "like real blues should be"
check it out HERE

Ben Harper and blues harmonica legend Charlie Mussewhite have teamed up for a new album of soulful blues, Get Up!

Watch the pair discuss their association with the blues and the album in the preview above.

Get Up! is out on 4 February. For more information, visit the official Ben Harper website, or connect with him on Facebook.

Dan The Automator and Emily Wells' Pillowfight stream LP‏

Press RFelease from: Life or Death PR & Management


Stream: Pillowfight LP - https://soundcloud.com/bulk-recordings/sets/pillowfight


Pillowfight is Dan The Automator and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells along with a little help from Kid Koala and Lateef The Truthspeaker. Today, they are proud to share a stream of their entire forthcoming self-titled LP. The LP is due digitally and on CD on 1/22/13 and Vinyl is due on 2/26/13 via Bulk Recordings. You can listen to Pillowfight via CBC or Huffington Post.


"Ever had a sure thing that managed to exceed all expectations? Dan The Automator's new passion project Pillowfight surpassed all anticipatory hopes and then some" when they debuted the new project at SXSW, in Austin (mxdwn.com).



Dan The Automator (Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Gorillaz), has a new brainchild. He has teamed up with Emily Wells in a new collaborative project called Pillowfight.



The delivery is a deft combo of down tempo sexy cool, brimming with the Automator's pristine multi-layered production. Wells sings with effortless sultry appeal, while the band drops the beat like no one ever started suing over sample use. Amazingly so, the band also includes none other than Kid Koala nimbly shredding on the 1's and 2's (and sometimes 3's), and Lateef the Truthspeaker on backing vocals and some well placed verses that only this particular Bay Area resident could deliver.



Dan The Automator might be best known for his contributions towards the Gorillaz' first album, though he has been consistently putting out fresh music for over 20 years. Emily Wells is a respected solo artist with s a long-standing musical career as a songwriter and violinist, with her own solo recordings. Though all musical contributions came from Dan The Automator and Emily Wells, the group has generated quite a bit of attention due to David Choe's involvement in the project. All artwork and two music videos are contributed by Choe, who is a respected American painter and muralist.



Pillowfight came about after Kid Koala was paired with Emily on an artist workshop at a Canadian music festival. Knowing that Dan was looking for a female vocalist for a new project, Koala was sure that Emily was that vocalist. Wells went to San Francisco to meet up with Dan The Automator in the studio and worked on tracks that were a part of Dan's new "passion project". After Wells wrote and recorded vocals for three days in San Francisco, the two decided to expand the project into a full length album scheduled for release on Bulk Recordings / EMI in January 2013.


wearepillowfight.com

BUILT TO SPILL ANNOUNCE 2013 TOUR DATES STARTING THIS MONTH

Warner Brothers Press Release:

(Burbank, CA) - Built To Spill, one of the most endearing and enduring bands of our generation, has announced its first live shows of 2013 - a run that hits the Pacific Northwest (including two shows at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge), British Columbia, and two hometown shows in Boise, Idaho in February.

Vocalist/guitarist Doug Martsch, and guitarists Brett Netson and Jim Roth, will be joined on the road by new band members Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass) who replace departing drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson.The shift in line up is completely amicable. Scott and Brett remain our dear friends and we wish them well on their future ventures.

Built to Spill released its most recent album There Is No Enemy in October 2009. It was the band's first album since 2006's You In Reverse. Previous studio albums include 2001's Ancient Melodies of the Future, 1999's Keep It Like A Secret, and their major-label debut, 1997's Perfect From Now On. In 2012 Built to Spill remain an influential force in compositionally intelligent, lyrically thoughtful, melodic, guitar-centric rock music

Built to Spill's upcoming tour dates are as follows:
Jan 31 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Feb 1 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Feb 2 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo
Feb 5 Victoria, BC Sugar Nightclub
Feb 6 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
Feb 8 Pullman, WA Bell Tower
Feb 9 Spokane, WA Bing Crosby Theater
Feb 10 La Grande, OR Big Green Barn
Feb 11 Boise, ID Neurolux
Feb 12 Boise, ID The Crux

Hayden Announces North American Tour Dates In Support Of Upcoming Release Us Alone Shares New Album Track “Rainy Saturday”

Press Release from Girlie Action media:


Arts & Crafts to release internationally-celebrated Toronto artist’s seventh full-length album on February 5. Listen to Hayden's new song Rainy Saturday on the Paste Magazine site HERE.

Four years is a long time to be away, so to help celebrate his exit from hibernation, Hayden will be embarking on a tour of small, very unique venues around Ontario in February before heading out on a North American tour in March. As part of Hayden’s Ontario dates he will perform a series of intimate shows in three Toronto neighbourhood venues, chosen by Hayden for reasons only he knows. All tour dates and ticket purchase links are listed below.

Since his emergence from Toronto’s burgeoning alternative scene with 1995’s now iconic Everything I Long For, Hayden has intrigued, both for his highly introspective personality and musical independence - performing most instruments on his records and almost always engineering, mixing, and producing as well as self-releasing on his own label, Hardwood Records.

Those skills and tendencies are again showcased on Us Alone, a sonically rich, beautifully textured return to form. Lyrically, Hayden also continues his strength in crafting stories that will range from the highly autobiographical (“Almost Everything”) to strangely unsettling (“Just Give Me A Name”), and goes as far as leaving specific direction of what to do with his body when he dies (“Instructions”).

Us Alone is a subtle, emotional and sonically warm journey written and performed by one of Canada's most consistent artists. A welcome addition to a brilliant career.

Watch “Old Dreams” Vignette Here
Watch “Motel” Vignette Here


Hayden Us Alone Tour Dates:
2/6: Kingston, ON @ The Grad Club | Tickets
2/7: Guelph, ON @ Cooperators Hall | Tickets
2/8: Dundas, ON @ The Dundas Valley Montessori School | Tickets
2/9: Creemore, ON @ Avening Community Centre | Tickets
2/13: New York City, NY @ Mercury Lounge*
2/20: Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern | Tickets
2/21: Toronto, ON @ The Cameron House | Tickets
2/22: Toronto, ON @ Rivoli* | Tickets
3/7 Wakefield, QC @ Blacksheep Inn* | Tickets
3/8: Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa*
3/15-17: Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/20: Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern*
3/21: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
3/23: Vancouver, BC @ The Rio Theatre* | Tickets
3/24: Nelson, BC @ The Royal on Baker* | Tickets
3/26: Edmonton, AB @ The Royal Alberta Museum* | Tickets
3/27: Calgary, AB @ Festival Hall* | Tickets
3/28: Saskatoon, SK @ The Bassment* | Tickets
3/30: Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre* | Tickets

*with Special Guest Lou Canon

http://wasteyourdaysaway.com
http://arts-crafts.ca/

The Jealous Sound Sign with Rise Records tour and post new song - hear it here

The Jealous Sound Sign with Rise Records
Seminal LA Band’s Latest LP A Gentle Reminder to Be Re-Released as Deluxe Digipak, with 4 Bonus Tracks on February 5
Vinyl Version Features 2 Additional Bonus Tracks, Including Remix by Jimmy Tamborello (The Postal Service)
Band’s First Two LP’s (‘s/t EP’ and ‘Kill Them with Kindness’) To Be Reissued As Combined Deluxe Version in Summer 2013
New Studio LP Out in Early 2014
On Tour with Balance & Composure and Daylight this Winter

For Immediate Release
From Earshot Media


Rise Records is honored to announce the signing of Los Angeles based THE JEALOUS SOUND. This new partnership will commence February 5th, 2013 with the re-release of their latest full length album entitled, A Gentle Reminder. The new deluxe digipak version will include 4 bonus tracks including a brand new song and the 2008 Got Friends EP. The double vinyl LP version will include those as well as 2 remixes of the song “Got Friends” including one by Jimmy Tamborello of the Postal Service. A Gentle Reminder was recorded by John “Lou” Lousteau in the Foo Fighter’s 606 Studios and features Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters/Sunny Day Real Estate) on bass. Listen to a new lyric video for the song “This is Where it Starts” here: http://youtu.be/K1PSN_mxWSc.

In addition, Rise will be re-releasing their first 2 albums as one deluxe version. The” s/t EP” and “Kill Them with Kindness” albums will be re-released in the summer of 2013. Expect a new album in early 2014.

The Jealous Sound will embark on a nationwide tour this February with new favorites Balance and Composure.

Jan 31 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
Feb 01 Magic Stick Detroit, MI
Feb 02 Subterranean Chicago, IL
Feb 04 Marquis Theatre Denver, CO
Feb 06 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA
Feb 07 The Echo Los Angeles, CA
Feb 08 Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA
Feb 09 The Nile Mesa, AZ
Feb 11 Red 7 Austin, TX
Feb 12 Cambridge Room Dallas, TX
Feb 14 BACKBOOTH Orlando, FL
Feb 15 The Talent Farm Pembroke Pines, FL
Feb 16 Phoenix Taproom Jacksonville, FL
Feb 18 The End Nashville, TN
Feb 19 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 20 DC9 Washington, DC
Feb 21 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
Feb 22 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA
Feb 23 The Space Hamden, CT
Feb 24 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY

www.facebook.com/thejealoussound
www.riserecords.com