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Maps announces new album details: ‘Turning The Mind’ out 28th September
“If We Can Create was the birth of Maps this second album, entitled Turning The Mind, is the fully formed manifesto.” - James Chapman 2009
Maps - aka James Chapman - has announced details of the release of a new album, ‘Turning The Mind’, released on Mute on 28th September 2009.
‘Turning The Mind’, recorded with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas) at the Contino Rooms in London, is Maps’ second album and follows the Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlisted debut ‘We Can Create’ (2007).
Talking about the album, James Chapman explains, “Turning The Mind’ is essentially an album which explores themes related to the human mind and the way certain stimuli, particularly chemical, can affect the mind in different ways.
“A recurring theme throughout the album is that of the 'journey of extremes'. An example of this could be from 'depression' to 'euphoria' (or 'abyss' to 'bliss', if you like).
“The title comes from the cognitive therapy practice of 'Mindfulness', which I came across a few years ago, taught by Professor Marsha M. Linehan. It is a practice which, in simple terms, takes negative thoughts and turns them towards positive ones by accepting reality as it is, however bad it may be.
“The tracks for this album never seemed to stop flowing from the day I began working on them, it is a true statement of Maps' music at this precise moment.”
‘Let Go The Fear’, a one-off collaboration with renowned Berlin based producer / DJ Oliver Huntemann and Tim Holmes received a limited download only release in May and was described by The Guardian as “the kind of music that makes you want to indulge in very urgent dancing”
Watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzMegUmfVSY
Maps has recently debuted the new stripped down electronic line-up at the Great Escape and Stag & Dagger festivals and has announced a number of dates for the summer, including a support slot on the forthcoming M83 tour.
6th July Brighton Concorde 2 (with M83) - £10
7th July London Koko (with M83) - £14
8th July Leeds Cockpit (with M83) - £12
18th July Southwold Latitude
13th September Isle of Wight Bestival
Tickets for the M83 shows are available from www.seetickets.com
Download full PR
Download new photo of Maps
Mirrors: debut single 'Look At Me' out 22nd June
'Look At Me' will be available on 7" and download from www.puregroove.co.uk
You can hear 'Look At Me' streamed on the band's Myspace
Slow Club announce Jamie T support shows – starts 16th June
Slow Club are proud to announce they will be supporting Jamie T in June. These shows follow on from recent news about the release of their debut album ‘Yeah So’ on 6th July and complement their biggest London headline shows to date at the ICA and Scala. The updated live show details are as follows, which include festival appearances at Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, Latitude and Winterwell:
June
Sat 13th Isle of Wight festival
Tues 16th Stage 2, Newcastle supporting Jamie T*
Wed 17th Moshulu, Aberdeen*
Thurs 18th Studio 24*
Fri 19th Kasbah, Coventry*
Sat 20th Moshi Moshi takeover @ Winterwell festival, Gloucestershire with Metronomy, The Wave Pictures, Fan Farlo and more
Sun 21st Bristol, Thekla*
Mon 22nd Single launch @ ICA, London
Tues 23rd Moho Live, Manchester*
Fri 26th Glastonbury
July
Sun 19th Latitude festival, Southwold
Sun 26th Secret garden party, Kent
September
Thurs 24th Scala, London
* denotes Jamie T dates
Watch the new video for current single 'It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful' out 22nd June
New to Warp: Bibio album ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ 22nd June + free album sampler
"The antidote to the modern laptopia of pristine electronic music" – Marcus Eoin, Boards of Canada
“This unassuming, humble pioneer of the Midlands consistently lives his music, and has a massive appetite for continually pushing himself, which is a delight to witness. His style has evolved over the 3 years I've known him.
"I'm always on at him to make tweaked out electronic stuff, and he's pushed me into new directions too, I'd never dream of using a guitar, but hearing his work and ideas has inspired me to create mammoth sine harmonies from amps and strings, which I never thought possible. So our rivalry has bloomed into kinship. There's no other like the Bibio. You owe it to yourself to let the little bastard into your life. “ – Chris Clark
Please welcome BIBIO, new signing to Warp Records in 2009. A homegrown talent, he comes with the highest recommendation from fellow cohorts Boards of Canada and Clark; and rightly so. Bibio’s Warp debut album 'Ambivalence Avenue' is out 22nd June and you can also download an album sampler from the following link:
http://warprecords.com/bibio/Bibio-Ambivalence-Avenue-Album-Sampler.mp3
Bibio takes his name from the inconspicuous black & red fishing fly, known amongst anglers as the bait to lure in colourful rainbow trout. With a nod to happy childhood memories fishing with his father on the Welsh rivers, parallels can be drawn in name to this quietly spoken artist and purveyor of this joyous summery music, where startling melody lines unexpectedly emerge out of grainy, glorious lo-fi.
A lover of texture and colour and noise, his first outing as a recording artist started 5 years ago on Mush Records. Having completed a trilogy of albums, Bibio’s departure to Warp also reflects a difference in musical output.
Anyone listening to ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ will be immediately struck by the unusual array of music. Neither electronic nor rock, this album can not actually be classified.
A diverse collection of music, each track on this opus has a distinct identity and stands apart from the next, some vocal, some instrumental, from vintage disco beats to swirling expansive pieces to plaintive guitar songs.
The eponymous title lead track ‘Ambivalence Avenue’, showcases Bibio’s knack for melody. As with ‘All the Flowers’, quaint and contrary lyrics hark back to that quintessentially British folk tradition of the 60’s. In contrast, ‘Fire Ant’ & ‘Sugarette’ sees Bibio exercising hip hop orientated production skills, swapping Black Country for West coast. And of course there are the richly layered, kaleidoscopic pieces such as ‘Dwrcan’, but what holds these seemingly disparate tracks together is the distinctively vintage ‘Bibio’ production aesthetic that permeates throughout.
of Montreal: new single 'For Our Elegant Caste' out 6th July + new July shows
“The most debauched party imaginable” Uncut
“A seamless flow of quick change melodies, psychedelic soul and over sexed lyrics” Q
“It’s hard not to view [Barnes] as some kind of genius-in-waiting” Word
“Blisteringly exciting” Artrocker
“As wonderfully brilliant, as it is weird” Billboard
“A soulful romp through psychedelic melodies & sprawling noise scapes” Rolling Stone
“Bloody brilliant” Clash
“A kaleidoscope of indie pop craziness!” Rock Sound
of Montreal release new single ‘For Our Elegant Caste’ on 6th July through Polyvinyl plus announce more European live shows in July. Details of new festival appearances are in addition to their biggest UK headline show to date on the 14th July at Shepherd’s Bush. Please see below for more details.
The second single from hugely acclaimed album ‘Skeletal Lamping’, ‘For Our Elegant Caste’ is as musically uplifting as it is lyrically ambiguous and accentuates Kevin Barnes’ non-linear train of thought.
Barnes openly explores sex and gender roles as he attempts to bring all of his fantasies, and terrors to the surface, so as to better understand the machinery behind them. “We can do it soft core if you want, but you should know, I take it both ways” is repeated throughout the track, before giving way to the darker line “The mutual conclusion was that I’m not worth knowing, cause I’m probably dead”.
The single, which is available in a limited 7” as well as a download, comes complete with a Depressed Buttons remix (Todd & Jacob of The Faint) who turn the track into a sinister four and a half minutes dance floor filler.
Released last November to much critical applause, ‘Skeletal Lamping’ is of Montreal’s ninth album. Over the course of the record's fifteen tracks, Barnes, shines a light on the deepest, darkest corners of his psyche, sound tracked by music that is bizarre, complicated and dense, but also extremely catchy and packed with slinky grooves and pop hooks.
After of Montreal’s hugely successful UK tour in January, which saw them support Franz Ferdinand at their comeback gig and selling out venues across the country, the six-piece are returning to Europe to play the following shows:
July
Fri 10th We Love Green, Paris
Sat 11th T in the Park @ Futures Tent, Scotland
Sun 12 Oxegen @ Red Bull Tent, Ireland
Tues 14th Shepherd's Bush Empire, London http://www.seetickets.com
Wed 15th Nuits de Fourvière @ Grand Théâtre Romain de Fourvière, Lyon
Slow Club: debut album 'Yeah So' out 6th July plus new single + summer live show
Slow Club have announced details of their debut album, new single and UK summer shows. The much-loved duo are finally set to release their highly anticipated debut album ‘Yeah So’ on 6th July through Moshi Moshi. The album will be preceded by the release of new single ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful’ on the 22nd June, plus Slow Club are going to be playing their biggest London headline shows to date at the ICA and Scala. Full live show details are below, also including festival appearances at Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, Latitude and Winterwell.
From the outset there is something immediately familiar and yet vitally inventive about Slow Club; the riotous rallying calls of ‘Because We’re Dead’ and ‘Dance ‘Til The Morning Light’, the unlikely anti-folk ‘epics’ ‘Giving Up On Love’ and ‘Our Most Brilliant Friends’; songs built on skiffling ‘Crickets’ rhythms and the lost art of a good middle eight. Throughout the album the twin voices of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor conspire with an unmistakably youthful vigour, book ended by the deft ballads ‘When I Go’ and ‘Boys On Their Birthdays’, dexterous soliloquies of admission and humour.
A string of single releases on their label home Moshi Moshi, and crucial development time on the live circuit has made Slow Club an irresistible prospect. Live as on record, Charles and Rebecca enrapture audiences with the same involuntary joy and simplistic rush that they themselves imbue. Their highly developed partnership delivering sweet harmonious hooks, rockabilly beats and exuberant yelps and yips, that spill out across the album.
Summer live dates:
June
Sat 13th Isle of Wight festival
Sat 20th Moshi Moshi takeover @ Winterwell festival, Gloucestershire
Mon 22nd Single launch @ ICA, London
Fri 26th Glastonbury
July
Sun 19th Latitude festival, Southwold
Sun 26th Secret garden party, Kent
September
Thurs 24th Scala, London
White Denim announce June/July UK headline tour, new album ‘Fits’ out 22nd June
“(their) gonzoid set is remarkable in terms of both performance and sheer energy to the point where it would be simple to describe them as possibly the most exciting live band in the world today” Mojo March 2009
US psych rockers White Denim have announced details of their first headline tour of 2009, as well as more info about forthcoming second album ‘Fits’ (out 22nd June). White Denim have already blazed a trail through the UK with their recent festival appearances at Stag and Dagger and The Great Escape, showcasing material from both ‘Fits‘ and 2008’s highly acclaimed debut ‘Workout Holiday’. The band’s headline shows start on the 23rd June in Birmingham, and via an appearance at The Hop Farm festival, culminate at London’s Heaven on the 8th July. Full details are below.
Watch the video to new single 'I Start To Run', out 6th July
After an incredible breakthrough year that was 2008, White Denim celebrate the first year anniversary of ‘Workout Holiday’ (Albums of the Year from Observer Music Monthly, Uncut, The Sun and Clash) by releasing the eagerly anticipated follow up ‘Fits’. 2009 promises to be as incendiary. The band’s new tour dates follow on from classic UK shows that stopped at Bloomsbury Bowling, Borderline, Cargo and culminated in the you-really-should-have-been-there Dingwalls show in November 2008 which was one of The Independent’s Gigs of the Year (“the kind of group that becomes one’s favourite band. If they carry on at this rate, they should be one of next year’s big crossover successes”)
‘Fits’- the title is both a knowingly bad pun and a reference to the odd tantrum endured in its creation- manages just that. Anyone familiar with the ferocious drive of the Texan trio’s renowned live shows, where songs merge into each other and the playing guides the direction of the performance, will recognise their approach. Recorded and produced by the band in their own infamous studio/trailer, ‘Fits’ is more coherent than debut Workout Holiday, yet sacrifices none of its imagination. Though there’s barely a pause between tracks the set ebbs and flows, ranging from the soft-hearted to the ferocious.
Headline tour dates:
June
Mon 22nd Instore @ Rough Trade East, London, 7pm
Tues 23rd Bar Academy, Birmingham
Wed 24th Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Fri 26th Academy 2, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Sat 27th Stiff Kitten, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Mon 29th Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Scotland
Tues 30th Digital, Newcastle
July
Thurs 2nd Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Fri 3rd Academy 2, Oxford
Sat 4th The Hop Farm, Kent
Sun 5th Talking Heads, Southampton
Tues 7th Thekla, Bristol
Wed 8th Heaven, London
Tiny Masters Of Today: ‘Pop Chart’ single 1st June, ‘Skeletons’ album 15th June
“Tiny Masters Of Today… meld the Shangri Las to trash-punk to brilliant effect” – The Sunday Times
Brooklyn NY’s Tiny Masters Of Today, fresh from dates in London and Europe, have announced details of a brand new single, ‘Pop Chart’ out on 1st June 2009.
‘Pop Chart’, which coolly dissects the pop chart with a bubblepunk catchy refrain, is taken from the Tiny Masters Of Today’s forthcoming album, ‘Skeletons’ out 15th June, the follow up to 2007’s Bang Bang Boom Cake. Ada explains that Pop Chart was based upon a melody they developed in the van on tour. “We sang it for the whole tour and then Ivan wrote the music on guitar “.
Pop Chart’ is available on 7” and download and comes backed with a new mix by Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones, an exclusive track – ‘Furry Pants’. Do be sure to watch the wonderfully cynical video to ‘Pop Chart’, directed by Evan Bernard (Beastie Boys, Moby, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjXP7wSD9mM
Almost overnight, siblings Ada (13) and Ivan (15) went from a few homemade recordings on a MySpace page to collaborating with Karen O and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kimya Dawson, Fred Schneider (B-52s) and Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), being remixed by CSS and Liars, and touring the world. David Bowie even lauded their first homemade single as "Genius." Not bad for a band that double as full-time students in the US school system.
With new album, ‘Skeletons’, the Tiny Masters went it totally alone, producing and writing the entire album themselves. The tracks were largely recorded at their home in Brooklyn, using the computer program Garageband. They brought the songs to Seaside Lounge studio with engineer Patrick McCarthy and drummer Jackson Pollis for additional recording and the final product was mixed by Matt Stein at U.W.M.S.C. in New York.
More experimental than 2007’s debut, ‘Skeletons’ is a frighteningly accomplished record that sees Ivan and Ada incorporating elements of, and feeding off the energy from, not just punk and grunge, garage and indie, but also electronica and hip hop, dub and disco.
Moshi Moshi announces Winterwell festival takeover Sat 20th June with Metronomy
North London label Moshi Moshi is thrilled to announce their main stage takeover at Winterwell, the Gloucestershire-based boutique festival, on Saturday 20th June. So far Metronomy, Slow Club, Fanfarlo and The Wave Pictures are all set to play with more acts to be announced soon. In true festival spirit there is a fancy dress space theme for the Saturday as well.
Winterwell runs from 19th – 21st June and is back for it’s third year on the festival circuit with an even bigger line-up of the UK’s most exciting live acts and some established old favourites. This year’s headliner Norman Jay recently declared it his pick of the small festivals, hailing it as “The most perfectly formed boutique festival of the summer – brilliant!”
Over the weekend, Norman Jay and Metronomy will be joined by over 40 solo artists, bands and djs performing across 4 unique stages, including The Nextmen, Teeth, Plugs, Moshi Moshi DJs and many more.
Rumours abound as to the exact location in Gloucestershire, with the site details only being disclosed to ticket holders to keep the event as exclusive as possible.
Other fun happenings on site include breaking a world record, 1920’s tea & cake, burlesque, handmade pies, vintage clothing stalls, yoga tents and this years intergalactic Saturday night fancy dress.
TICKETS: £85 for the weekend including camping, children under 6 go free.
LOCATION: Somewhere in Gloucestershire
WEBSITE: www.winterwell.co.uk Password: outerspace
Introducing Sad Day For Puppets: debut album ‘Unknown Colors’ out 1st June
Swedish indie-pop purists Sad Day For Puppets release their eagerly-awaited debut album ‘Unknown Colors’ on Monday, 1st of June through Sonic Cathedral. The quintet will also be over in the UK for a series of shows in May, starting off at The Great Escape on the 16th May. Full details are below.
The album includes the new single ‘Cherry Blossom’ (released on May 18) as well as the universally acclaimed ‘Marble Gods’, which was named Single Of The Week on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6Music show. It narrowly missed out on a similar accolade with Radcliffe & Maconie on BBC Radio 2 and was showered with praise by The Guardian, NME and Drowned In Sound among many others.
The 13 tracks on ‘Unknown Colors’ demonstrate the band’s full range of influences and songwriter Martin Källholm’s seemingly effortless ability to write classic indie-pop tunes. So, as well as the obvious Dinosaur Jr and Primitives influences of the singles, there is the hazy, Mazzy Star beauty of ‘All The Songs’ and ‘When The Morning Comes’ and the dusty, Mojave 3 heartbreak of ‘Withering Petals And Dust’ and ‘Lay Your Burden On Me’, both of which feature lovely, languorous pedal steel. The most important influence on the album, however, is something much more simple: melody. “Our music is not so much the result of a plan as it is a reflection of what music we were listening to when we were kids,” Martin told NME in the band’s recent Radar feature. “It’s not even that important to me, it’s the melodies that count.”
Prior to the album’s release, the band play the following UK dates:
Brighton Great Escape (May 16)
London The Windmill (May 17th)
Rough Trade East instore (May 18th) 6pm
London Bardens Boudoir (May 19)
Manchester Irish Centre (May 20)
Liverpool Sound City (May 21)
Crewe Volume Festival (May 22)
Oh my god it’s the Mae Shi May tour! New dates with Abe Vigoda + free remix
LA’s disco punks The Mae Shi return triumphantly to our shores for a full-on live blitz throughout Europe in May. Kicking off with an appearance at ATP Vs The Fans on the 10th May, the band are set to astound and amaze people from Minehead to Monterrey with their frenetically awesome live show. The tour dates are in full below, the majority are as main support to fellow Californian’s Abe Vigoda.
To get people in the mood for the band’s visit, The Mae Shi are giving away their remix of Metronomy’s ‘Radio Ladio’, click to download this HERE
The Mae Shi May live dates:
Sun 10th ATP vs The Fans Strike Back, Minehead
Tues 12th Bardens Boudoir, London*
Wed 13th Buffalo Bar, Cardiff *
Thu 14th Deaf Institute, Manchester (Drowned in Sound show)*
Fri 15th The Great Escape, Brighton
Sat 16th Klub Radar @ Tivoli-De-Helling, Utrecht, Holland*
Sun 17th Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany *
Mon 18th Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, Germany*
Tue 19th Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland*
Wed 20th AB Club, Brussells, Belgium*
Thu 21st Stag and Dagger, London*
Fri 22nd Stag and Dagger, Leeds*
Sat 23rd Stag and Dagger, Glasgow
Sun 24th The Rainbow, Birmingham*
Mon 25th Point Ephemere, Paris, France*
Tue 26th Stall 6, Zurich, Switzerland*
Wed 27th Grrrd Zero, Lyon, France*
Thu 28th B-side festival @ Cabaret Aleatoire, Marseille, France*
Fri 29th Primavera Sound, Barcelona, Spain
Sat 30th Spazio 211, Turin, Italy
Sun 31st Bad Bonn Kilbi, Dudingen-Fribourg, Switzerland
June
Sun 7th Parque Fundidora, Monterrey
* denotes support show with Abe Vigoda
The Mae Shi will be returning the studio after these dates to start work on the follow-up to last year’s much-loved album ‘HLLLYH’.
Black Moth Super Rainbow: debut UK album ‘Eating Us’ out 8th June + free mp3
Introducing the enigmatic Black Moth Super Rainbow, their debut UK psych space rock album ‘Eating Us’ is released on the 8th June through Memphis Industries. This is preceded by the single ‘Born On A Day The Sun Didn’t Rise’, which is out on the 18th May on 7” and also as a free download.
Click to download ‘Born On A Day The Sun Didn’t Rise’ here
Black Moth Super Rainbow has crept from the forests and cities to make ‘Eating Us’, their dark bubblegum freakout for 2009. The first fully hi-fi BMSR record, 'Eating Us' adds space and dimension to the band's sticky, off-kilter melodies. This isn't an album about witches and woods, and this time around the band isn't letting on to what it all might mean. Because to them, it's just better that way.
The modern musical unit known as Black Moth Super Rainbow (comprising vocoder wielding front man Tobacco backed by four mysterious musical forces known as The Seven Fields of Aphelion, Power Pill Fist, D.Kyler and Father Hummingbird) first emerged from an obscure Pennsylvania forest glen in 2003. Over the next few years, their peculiar beat laden, synth and vocoder driven sound developed, and the cult of BMSR began.
Theoretical Girl releases new single ‘Rivals’ 1st June + announces London dates
“this is a recipe for truly amazing, joyous and heavenly simplistic music.” – ARTROCKER
“disturbing yet addictive” – DROWNED IN SOUND
"there are seeds here that could become something for this country to be very proud of" - MUSIC OMH
"....the thinking man's British female of choice." - ARENA MAGAZINE
‘Rivals’ is the new single from beguiling post-punk pop princess Theoretical Girl and will be released on the 1st June through Memphis Industries. Theoretical Girl will also be playing several London shows from May onwards, and has been confirmed as appearing at Glastonbury festival (full details below).
‘Rivals’ is that rare beast, a song that as both heartbreaking and danceable in equal measure. With its ESG-a-like bass line and swooping string score topped off with Amy Turnnidge’s delicate vocals, Rivals is a tale of friendship disappointed, the regret and calamity of binds unbound. As Amy is keen to point out “Rivals is most definitely not about anything as boring as being disappointed by a boy. Again.”
Watch the video to 'Rivals'
Taking inspiration from as diverse sources as 60s girl groups, ESG, and even the classic twee pop of Sarah Records, Amy’s hands on approach is surely a testament to her DIY roots – when she’s not multi-tasking on bass, keys, guitar and vocals she’s arranging and scoring the strings. ‘Rivals’ is a follow up to previous singles ‘Another Fight’ and ‘The Hypocrite’, which both met with rave reviews and sold out on 7” vinyl within days of release.
Holed up in a studio somewhere in North London, Amy has just finished recording her eagerly anticipated debut album, which is set for release later this summer.
Live shows/Media Appearances
20th May BBC Introducing Maida Vale session for Huw Stephens 9pm, Radio 1
29th May In-store @ Pure Groove, London
17th June Memphis Industries Night at The Borderline (with The Equations), London
27th June Queen’s Head Stage @ Glastonbury Festival (with The Equations) 2pm
Terry Lynn: debut album ‘Kingstonlogic 2.0’ out 18th May + debut London shows
"Chuck D called Public Enemy 'Black CNN'... this is Jamaican CNN" The Guardian
"Lynn is the only person other than Grace Jones right now who we can imagine carrying off that immortal line 'this is my voice, my weapon of choice' " Time Out
"One of the most exciting debuts heard in ages." Sunday Times
"Terry Lynn has breathed new life into conscious roots reggae and updated it for the 21st century" IDJ Mag
Jamaican electro dancehall popstar-in-the-making Terry Lynn is set to release her provocatively stunning debut album ‘Kingstonlogic 2.0’ on the 18th May through Phree. Terry is also about to set out on a mini tour of Europe with her collaborator Phred aka dance producer Wildlife!, playing the following debut shows in the UK:
Wed 6th May @ In store Rough Trade East, London
Thurs 7th May @ YoYo, Notting Hill Arts, London
Host mp3 of Kingstonlogic (Angier Mix)
Watch the powerful video to recent single ‘System’
About ‘Kingston Logic 2.0’:
Hailing from the impoverished suburb of Waterhouse, Terry Lynn captures with words a sense of Kingston’s environment and Jamaica’s struggles the way a camera captures images with a lens.
The sound is distinctive, hard and impassioned unlike anything heard from the sunny shores of this Caribbean hotspot, matched only by the equally unrelenting imagery of photographers The Afflicted Yard.
Click here to see/hear Kingstonlogic with The Afflicted Yard’s images
Terry wrote directly about the life swirling outside her window with Phred sourcing sounds from around the world.
School Of Seven Bells: new single release date for ‘My Cabal’ on 1st June
“Top 9 bands for 2009” Mojo
“Quite otherworldly and something very special indeed” 9/10 NME
“Brooding yet beautiful electronica” Dazed & Confused
"This is a lesson in tender restraint you won't want to miss" 4/5 The Guardian
“Heavenly dream-pop” Sunday Times
“A sublime piece of work” Clash
Brooklyn dream pop trio School Of Seven Bells return with a third single ‘My Cabal’ on 1st June 2009 as well as a headline tour in May (full dates below).
After a sold out UK headline tour in February, the band returned for more dates supporting Bat for Lashes on her recent tour followed by another coveted support slot with White Lies in May. As well as appearances confirmed for All Tomorrow’s Parties and The Great Escape, there will be another headline London show at ULU in May, the band’s biggest gig to date. Things also look bright in the US with huge amounts of radio play, even scoring record of the week at the discerning KCRW, as well as a string of key shows at SXSW next week including the Pitchfork Party and the KCRW showcase.
‘My Cabal’, originally released as a limited 7” by cult label Sonic Cathedral, is a cluster of sonic beauty. Opening with glitchy, electronic bleeps and launching straight into the heart-warming and uplifting chorus chant “My cabal, won't you come inside, Forget the darkness, if just for one night”. Alejandra and Claudia’s spine-tingling harmonies intertwine with Benjamin’s hypnotic guitar lines, the layered synths and rolling, ambient beats to create a breathtaking and thoroughly affecting song.
Watch the video for 'My Cabal' here
The New York Times proclaimed School Of Seven Bells’ live shows as “revelatory” with “sheets of guitar that can be menacingly distorted or pierced through with points of luminescent beauty”. See for yourself in May and make sure you come along to one of the headline shows.
UK Tour Dates
White Lies support dates
Sat 3 May Leeds Metropolitan University SOLD OUT
Mon 4 May Glasgow Queen Margaret Union £12.50 www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Tue 5 May Manchester Academy 1 SOLD OUT
Thu 7 May London Heaven SOLD OUT
Fri 8 May London Heaven SOLD OUT
SVIIB main UK shows:
Sun 10 May Minehead All Tomorrow’s Parties, The Fans Strike Back www.seetickets.com
Tue 12 May Norwich Arts Centre, £7 www.norwichartscentre.co.uk 01603 660352
Wed 13 May Sheffield Harley (Drowned In Sound show) £4 www.wegottickets.com
Thu 14 May London ULU £9.50 www.seetickets.com 0870 264 3333
Fri 15 May Birmingham The Rainbow £6.50 www.seetickets.com 0870 264 3333
Sat 16 May Brighton Pavilion Theatre, The Great Escape Uncut show £45 www.seetickets.com
Malcolm Middleton new album, single + UK tour: ‘Waxing Gibbous’ out 1st June
Scotland’s musical treasure Malcolm Middleton has announced details of a new album and UK tour. His fifth self-produced album ‘Waxing Gibbous’ is out on the 1st June through Full Time Hobby, preceded by new single ‘Red Travelling Socks’ on the 18th May. Towards the end of June, Malcolm will embark on a UK tour, please see below for full details including festival appearances at Field Day.
Track listing is as follows:
Red Travellin’ Socks
Kiss At The Station
Carry Me
Zero
Stop Doing Be Good
Don’t Want To Sleep Tonight
Shadows
Ballad Of Fuck All
Box & Knife
Made Up Your Mind
Live dates:
June
26th Tolbooth Theatre, Stirling, Scotland
27th Outsider Festival, Cairngorms, National Park, Scotland
28th King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
29th Night & Day, Manchester
30th ICA, London
July
1st Glee Club, Birmingham
2nd Thekla, Bristol
3rd Bodega, Nottingham
4th The Cluny, Newcastle
August
1st Field Day Festival, London
7th Kilkenny Arts Festival, Kilkenny, Ireland
22nd Sounds In The Grounds, Stornoway, Scotland
Poppy and The Jezebels: new single ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ out 4th May
Birmingham’s Poppy and The Jezebels are set to release a new single on the Mute Irregulars label on the 4th May 2009.
‘Rhubarb and Custard’, the band’s third single, is the follow up to last year’s ‘UFO’ single, and is released on 7” vinyl and download. Recorded in their hometown at the Woodbine Street Studios with John Rivers of The Specials ‘Ghost Town’ fame, ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ comes backed with live favourite ‘Write Her Name In Lights’.
The band line up of Miss Mollie Kingsley (Vocals, Percussion), Miss Amber Bradbury (Guitar), Miss Poppy Twist (Drums / Theremin) and Miss Dom Vine (Keyboards / Vocals) released the critically acclaimed ‘Follow Me Down’ mini album on Reveal in 2007 while they were all still at school. The girls sensed that their place in the shimmering parade of pure pop was confirmed when Blondie producer Mike Chapman asked to contribute a remix. His take on ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ song will be available on the forthcoming Mute Irregulars ‘Underage’ compilation which is released in the summer.
Poppy and The Jezebels will play a handful of London shows in April including a Mute Irregulars Night at The Lexington featuring Tiny Masters Of Today, Pull In Emergency and DJing from Barry 7. Tickets will be £7 and are on sale now from www.ticketweb.co.uk. More dates will be announced in the very near future.
LIVE DATES:
13th APRIL - MUTE IRREGULARS NIGHT - THE LEXINGTON, LONDON - 18th APRIL - UNDERAGE SHOW – FORUM, TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Download Poppy and The Jezebels photo
Click for free Mute Irregulars EP inc tracks by Pull In Emergency and Tiny Masters Of Today
The Wave Pictures: new album ‘If You Leave It Alone’ out 4th May
Acclaimed indie pop trio The Wave Pictures release their latest album ‘If You Leave It Alone’ on the 4th May through Moshi Moshi, preceded by title track single ‘If You Leave It Alone’, on the 13th April.
“I’m not sure that there is a single instance in the whole of my life where I can say that I benefited from hard work” proffers Dave Tattersall of The Wave Pictures, by way of explaining the unassuming, almost naturally occurring guitar pop of their sophomore album ‘If You Leave it Alone’.
Recorded in Berlin by Clemence Freschord, with the horns of Stanley Brinks, ‘If You Leave It Alone’ embraces a “very proper, very old fashioned way of recording”, cutting back on the electric arrangements of their debut, favouring horns and finger picking and placing a renewed focus on story telling. A carefree approach indicative of the bands prolific creativity:
“We recorded all twelve songs live in one big session, over a period of maybe twelve hours,” explains front man Dave, “There was a lot of drinking and we just wanted to keep playing songs… The next day we did a few overdubs. Then we left Berlin, and left the recordings in the hands of Clemence and Stanley. One day I woke up and Stanley had mailed me the finished album.”
“One of the reasons I like this album so much is that it wasn’t hard work at all. I’m not sure that there is a single instance in the whole of my life where I can say that I benefited from hard work. But I can think of lots of examples where taking it easy was the right way to go, and this album would be one of those.”
Bravely mining the lost essence of British Indie, The Wave Pictures were critically lauded last year for their debut album ‘Instant Coffee Baby’. Short listed for The Guardian ‘New Album Award’ and included in Plan B’s ‘Albums of 2008’, their seductively shabby love songs evoking the grubby romance of youth won them fans amongst public and critics alike.
The Wave Pictures: new single ‘If You Leave It Alone’ 13th April + UK tour
Indie pop trio The Wave Pictures have announced details of a new single and an accompanying UK tour in April. ‘If You Leave It Alone’ will be released via Moshi Moshi Records on the 13th April, and is the lead track from the forthcoming new album of the same title out on the 4th May. Full details of the tour are below and feature a headline show at the ICA on the 15th April.
‘If You Leave It Alone’ is described by frontman and lyricist Dave Tattersall as “ a good, long sad song in which, amongst other things, I describe the contents of my fridge”. The single is backed by a new song, ‘Polar Bear’.
UK TOUR:
April
Fri 3rd South Street Arts Centre, Reading
Mon 6th City Screen Basement, York
Tues 7th The Soul Tree, Cambridge
Wed 8th The Tin Angel, Coventry
Thurs 9th The Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Fri 10th The Roundhouse, Manchester
Sat 11th Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Sun 12th Buffalo Bar, Cardiff
Mon 13th Thekla, Bristol
Tues 14th The Freebutt, Brighton
Wed 15th ICA with An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump + Planet Earth, London
Still Flyin’ debut album out 6th April on Moshi Moshi + announce SXSW shows
“Giddy Californian sunshine indie-pop” – NME
“Brian Wilson-fronted Specials.. it’s party time in America”– The Fly
San Francisco’s 15 piece supergroup Still Flyin’ release their debut album ‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ on the 6th April through Moshi Moshi Records. In addition, Still Flyin’ are set to play a series of shows at SXSW. Do be sure to catch the band if you’re out in Austin this year, their performances are very infectious and essential to bringing the band’s joyous indie pop to full life (full details of all performances are below).
‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ was recorded in San Francisco and mixed by members of Architecture In Helsinki. Showcasing rousing brass, hammond organ and layered west coast harmonies, ‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ sounds like the album Talking Heads might have recorded under the tutelage of Lee “Scratch” Perry.
Still Flyin’ have no detailed master plan other than making life-affirming music to party to and inject listeners with a shot in arm of unabashed West Coast sunshine. Think The Lovin’ Spoonful and The Flaming Lips joining forces for the afternoon slot at your favourite festival.
Already a San Francisco phenomenon, the band’s joyfully chaotic and infectious live shows are more like huge parties: 15 people in the band playing trombones, saxophones, singing, clapping and dancing like their lives depend on it. Having been joined on stage in the past by the likes of Jens Lekman and various members of Architecture In Helsinki - and as proved by their recent London shows - a gig with Still Flyin’ is very special indeed.
Fujiya & Miyagi announce new single ‘Sore Thumb’ out 6th April + UK Tour
“A perfect union of man and machine” Mojo
Fujiya & Miyagi are going to release new single ‘Sore Thumb’, out 6th April on Full Time Hobby. Brighton’s finest electronic four-piece have also announced an April UK tour to coincide, with full details below. ‘Sore Thumb’ is the third single to be taken from their outstanding and acclaimed third album ‘Lightbulbs’.
Another slice of smart, edgy, slo-mo funk, ‘Sore Thumb’’s lyric was inspired by Bonzo Dog Band member Vivian Stanshall, and particularly his album ‘Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead’. “It almost sounds like an English Beefheart,” says F&M’s David of the album. “He’s always seen as an eccentric but there’s a real sense of melancholy on that record.”
The track comes accompanied by an incredible video, directed by Wade Shotter and inspired by the vector graphics computer games of the early ‘80s. The clip makes that retro digital world into a reality, placing the band squarely in the middle of an old-school tank attack game. Everything in the video is real, and the props, costumes and backgrounds took the team of talented prop designers six days to build.
Watch the video here
April Tour:
Wed 8th London, Cargo
Thu 9th Leeds, The Faversham
Fri 10th Manchester, Deaf Institute
Sat 11th Glasgow, The Playroom
Sun 12th Wolverhampton, Little Civic
Fri 17th Bristol, Start the Bus
Fujiya & Miyagi are currently on tour in the States with School of Seven Bells, please check www.myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi for more details.
Clients:
Bibio
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Fujiya & Miyagi
Hot Club de Paris
Malcolm Middleton
www.myspace.com/malcolmmiddleton / www.malcolmmiddleton.co.uk
Micah P Hinson
of Montreal
Poppy & The Jezebels
Sad Day For Puppets
School Of Seven Bells
Slow Club
Still Flyin
The Mae Shi
The Wave Pictures
Theoretical Girl
Tilly and The Wall
www.tillyandthewall.com / www.myspace.com/officialtillyandthewall