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News:
of Montreal NYC live spectacular: Susan Sarandon spanks pig + Solange duets
of Montreal’s US Winter tour is well underway with their New York show featuring appearances from none other than Susan Sarandon and Solange. The technicolour psychedelic pop five piece headlined at New York’s Highline Ballroom on Tuesday night (26th Jan), where as well as duetting with Beyonce’s little sister Solange on a cover of Jackson 5’s ‘I Want You Back’, Susan Sarandon also made a very surreal guest appearance.
Sarandon took part in one of the band’s performance art pieces, which culminated in throwing one of the pig men over her knee and spanking him on the bottom with a ruler! The Hollywood actress then continued to throw streamers into the audience later in the concert and dance around the stage.
Watch Sarandon’s pig spanking here
Watch Solange and of Montreal singing ‘I Want You Back’
Also in other news previously reported by Pitchfork, of Montreal debuted a new song off of forthcoming new album ‘False Priest’ (working title, to be confirmed).
Listen to an excerpt of ‘Enemy Gene’ here
of Montreal are renowned for having an incredible live show and also being able to pull a weird and wonderful spectacle out of the bag. Perhaps the celebrity porcine punishing trounces the sight of frontman Kevin Barnes singing atop of a white horse last year in New York, or appearing dressed as a satyr in LA. Not to mention the joyous moment when they opened their 2008 London Koko show to a dance routine flanked by golden Buddhas
Sparrow and The Workshop Announce New Single, Debut Album + Idlewild Tour
‘Sparrow And The Workshop might do for folk what The Strokes did for rock ‘n’ roll at the start of the decade’ Drowned in Sound
Glaswegian dark folk trio Sparrow and The Workshop have announced details about a new single, their debut album and a support tour with Idlewild. ‘I Will Break You’ will be the lead single taken from their debut album ‘Crystal Falls’; the single will be released 5th April with the album following on the 12th April, both through Distiller Records. Details of live dates with British Sea Power at an NME Awards Show and the Idlewild tour dates are below.
‘Crystal Falls’ will include tracks from their previous EPs plus two brand new songs. All tracks have been reworked and remixed by Chemikal Underground producer Paul Savage, except ‘Medal Around Your Neck’, which was produced by Tim Rowkins. The album will be released on CD, gatefold vinyl and download.
Live dates:
February
8th Aldershot- West End Centre w/ British Sea Power
9th London- The Scala w/ British Sea Power - NME Awards show
March
3rd Bristol- The Thelka w/ Idlewild
4th Gloucester- Guildhall w/ Idlewild
5th London- Watershed w/ Idlewild
6th Plymouth- Hippo w/ Idlewild
8th Reading- Sub 89 w/ Idlewild
9th Brighton- Concorde 2 w/ Idlewild
11th Liverpool- Masque w/ Idlewild
12th Preston- 53 Degrees w/ Idlewild
Download full PR
Still Flyin’ announce Feb UK tour, new single ‘Runaway Train II’ out 8th Feb
“Giddy Californian sunshine indie-pop…Lovely” – NME
“Brian Wilson-fronted Specials.. it’s party time in America”– The Fly
After releasing their debut ‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ last year, San Franciscan eight-piece, Still Flyin’ will be returning for a UK tour in February to supply some much needed West Coast sunshine and good times. Their new single, 'Runaway Train II', will be released on 8th February through Moshi Moshi to coincide with the UK tour.
Listen to ‘Runaway Train II’ on SoundCloud http://soundcloud.com/createspark/sets/still-flyin-runaway-train-ii
Still Flyin’ will also be showcasing new material on the tour with another new EP, scheduled for release later this year in May. The live show is not to be missed, a memorable energetic spectacle that lead both NME and Village Voice to hail Still Flyin as one of their top 5 bands to watch at last years SXSW. In addition, Okkervil River's Will Sheff recently proclaimed on Pitchfork that Still Flyin' was his new favourite band after watching their live show. "The most fun I've had at a show in quite a while,” he says “It's just about the least pretentious music you could ever imagine...very fun to watch”.
Upcoming UK dates:
3rd February – Canterbury Farmhouse, Canterbury
4th February – Smash & Grab @ Proud Galleries, London
5th February – Cockpit, Leeds
6th February – Captain’s Rest, Glasgow
7th February – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
8th February – London, TBC
9th February – Mad Ferret, Preston
10th February – Hamptons, Southampton
Still Flyin’s debut album ‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ is out now on Moshi Moshi. The album was mixed in Melbourne by Haima Marriott, with help from Gus Franklin (Architecture in Helsinki) and Isobel Knowles (ex-Architecture in Helsinki).
The Hidden Cameras confirm March UK tour, new single ‘Underage / Origin: Orphan’
“The Cameras’ fifth is their crowning moment… Virtually every tune bursts with exuberance, invention and inspiration” 5/5 The Guardian
“Buoyed by pop nous and joyfulness… Truly there’s no one else like them” 4/5 Q
“The Hidden Cameras are potentially a global pop phenomenon” GT Magazine
The Hidden Cameras bring their revered live show over from Toronto for a full UK headline tour in March, playing a very special show at St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch on the 18th of March. To accompany the tour, new single ‘Underage / Origin: Orphan’ will be released on the 22nd March following on from a re-release of their latest album ‘Origin: Orphan’ on the 15th March through Arts and Crafts. Full tour dates are below.
The Hidden Cameras fourth album proper was somewhat of a sleeper hit at the end of 2009, slowly but surely gaining critical acclaim around its original release in November, with The Guardian even giving it a perfect score of 5/5. ‘Origin: Orphan’ is the sound of a band coming of age, displaying sophisticated and intelligent pop songwriting paired with their trademark playfulness and risqué lyrical content. A band who revel in their wonderful contradictions, the new single reflects this unique trait with a double A side single ‘Underage / Origin: Orphan’; two tracks that couldn’t be more different.
‘Underage’ is a joyful synth pop romp that teeters on the controversial with lyrics like “Lets do it like we’re underage… you’ll pretend you’re seven I’ll pretend I’m eight”. In fact, it’s about the rediscovery of innocence, unlike it’s disturbing title suggests. On the flip side, title track ‘Origin: Orphan’ is perhaps the climax of the album, a very dramatic and introspective number backed by grand orchestration and epic chamber pop. Next to ‘Underage’, its magnitude is even more awesome and provides a glimpse into the inner workings of Joel Gibb’s mind.
The Hidden Cameras UK Dates:
Wed 17th March Brighton Audio
Thu 18th March London St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch £15 www.wegottickets.com
Fri 19th March Nottingham Bodega
Sat 20th March Glasgow Stereo
Sun 21st March Manchester Deaf Institute www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk
Mon 22nd March Cardiff The Gate
Tue 23rd March Leeds Brudenell Club
Thu 24th March London ICA www.ica.org.uk
Download full PR
Maps new single ‘Die Happy, Die Smiling’ out 25th January
“Full-on, altered state electronic stomper” – Guardian
“Bordering on genius” – Clash
“A palatial winter wonderland of a song” – The Word
“A delirious mind-melting musical journey” – Daily Mirror
“A record you want to keep coming back to” – Independent on Sunday
Maps have announced details of the release of a new single, ‘Die Happy, Die Smiling’, which will be released on 25th January 2010 on Mute.
The single, taken from his recently released second album, 'Turning The Mind', features mixes from A Place To Bury Strangers, Maxime Dangles and Subscape.
‘Die Happy, Die Smiling’ was recorded during the album sessions with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas) at the Contino Rooms in London.
"I’m really happy with the remixes,” commented James Chapman, aka Maps. “Maxime Dangles has done an amazing disco-killer of a mix, and also A Place To Bury Strangers have produced something truly special. Everything about the new record and Die Happy, Die Smiling is much harder, purely electronic, the way things should be.”
Maps, who was short-listed for the 2007 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for his debut album 'We Can Create', also have a remix on the current A Place To Bury Strangers single, ‘Keep Slipping Away’.
The Yummy Fur play reunion shows, release ‘Piggy Wings’ compilation + free mp3
“YF had trebly and angular guitar lines (more Spaghetti Western than post-punk), unabashed accents, pulp and pop references, perverted leanings and most definitely dance hooks…. don't miss the opportunity to see this band.” Carrie Brownstein for NPR
Seminal Glaswegian indie band The Yummy Fur have reunited for the first time in eleven years and are set to play a series of one-off shows in the UK and their first ever tour of the United States. To further commemorate the anniversary of their demise, the band are releasing ‘Piggy Wings’, a collection of The Yummy Fur highlights assembled by leader John McKeown on What’s Your Rupture. This is the first time these songs have been available in over ten years and the first time ever in America. The UK shows also mark the fifteenth anniversary of their old label Guided Missile.
The compilation release date is still to be confirmed but you can hear a taster of it here in the form of free download ‘Policeman’ http://www.whatsyourrupture.com/audio/Policeman.mp3
The big influence The Yummy Fur would have on music history was unfathomable back in 1999. Little did they know that their skinny post punk hooks would provide the training ground for Franz Ferdinand and the 1990s as well as inspire the likes of The Gossip.
UK and US live dates in January
9th London, Buffalo Bar with support from Veronica Falls SOLD OUT
10th London, The Lexington with support from Shrag SOLD OUT
14th Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Neck Tie
15th Brooklyn, NY - Lombardy
17th Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (Part Time Punks)18th San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
20th Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios plus Gossip DJ set
Mirrors announce more details of Delphic tour plus remix EP
"if Depeche Mode ever had this many synths in their arsenal, they certainly did not manage, at least this early in their career, to sound as strikingly lush and dense" Pitchfork
"‘Look At Me’ is special in an unassuming, stealthy sort of way, beckoning you into Mirrors’ sun-bleached, but melody-rich world with a knowing nod, and I am glad to follow. Really, really good. " Drowned in Sound
Mirrors have announced more details of a support slot on the Delphic tour in January and the release of a remix EP in March 2010. The tour starts tonight with an NME Radar show in London, full list of dates is below.
Having released two singles, ‘Look At Me’ through Pure Groove and ‘Into The Heart’ through Moshi Moshi in the second half of 2009, the Brighton based band subsequently signed to Skint Records.
Their first release for the label will be an EP featuring remixes of their tracks ‘Look At Me’, ‘Somewhere Strange’, ‘Into The Heart’ and ‘Lights and Offerings’. So far confirmed is up and coming Detroit prodigy Kyle Hall, often compared to the likes of Carl Craig and Moodyman, who will remix ‘Somewhere Strange’.
The band is also set to begin work on the debut album, which will be out via Skint later on in 2010.
The full list of live dates for the Delphic tour is as follows:
JANUARY
7th London NME Radar show @ Upstairs at The Garage (supporting Delphic) stage time 9pm
9th London Be @ Proud Galleries, Camden (headline show)
14th Norwich Arts Centre (supporting Delphic)
15th Oxford Zodiac
16th Sheffield Leadmill
17th Bristol Thekla
19th Brighton Audio
20th Wolverhampton Little Civic
21st Liverpool Kazimier
22nd Glasgow King Tuts
23rd Leeds Cockpit 2
Tickets for the shows are priced at £7 and available via www.seetickets.com.
Mirrors are: James (synthesizer / voices), Ally (synthesizer / voices), Tate (synthesizer) & Josef (electronic drums).
of Montreal collaborate with Solange, unveil new album details + audio teaser
of Montreal have unveiled details of their forthcoming album, including a collaboration with Solange Knowles. Glamourous frontman Kevin Barnes revealed several details about the new record in a recent interview with Stereogum; the album will be potentially called either ‘False Priest’ or ‘The Controller Sphere’ and is set for release in late Summer/early Autumn. R n b star Janelle Monae will also feature on the album, more details of other potential collaborations are yet to be confirmed, as is electronic wiz Jon Brion’s involvement on production duties pending an experimental recording session this Spring.
Read the full interview and hear an audio teaser from the new recording sessions here: http://stereogum.com/archives/progress_report/progress_report_of_montreal_107231.html
The Solange cameo comes as less of a surprise following on from last month's widely-reported news that big sister Beyoncé was keen on exploring a more alternative indie direction a la of Montreal after receiving a tip from Solange: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/nov/29/beyonce-artist-of-the-decade
Commenting on that episode, Barnes says:
"Maybe it will happen. I'd love to do it, it would be a fun experience. It's just something she dropped and hasn't really developed. I wonder about it, too, because I don't know how good I am at writing songs for other people. When I heard that she said that, I thought, 'Oh, I should try to get something going.' I started writing this song, and then next thing I know, it's so weird that she would never in a million years listen to it, let alone record it! It's a challenge for me."
The new record is set to develop on the funkier, George Clinton-inspired moments on 2008’s critically lauded album ‘Skeletal Lamping’. Barnes also expresses ambitions to expand on the current five-member set up of of Montreal to incorporate up to ten members in their live show. This is an attempt to create a fuller sound and not have to use pre-recorded backing tracks and also further boost the element of spectacle in their vibrant live shows. "We're going to try to do something closer to the kind of bands that Curtis Mayfield or Stevie Wonder had in the '70s," Barnes says.
Broadcast and The Focus Group release new video + a distinctly unseasonal story
“It really is quite fabulous… (Broadcast) crowned themselves dark monarchs of hauntology’s expanding kingdom” ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Wire
"It’s difficult to shake the impression that you’ve been subjected to some brand of home magic...trust us, ‘…Witch Cults..’ is something special." - The Quietus (top 40 album of the year)
"Like a strange mirage glimpsed in the depths of the English countryside…" BBC Music
Broadcast have released a new video ‘Broadcast And the Focus Group #2: I See, So I See So' as well as a distinctly unseasonal story by Johnny Trunk as an accompaniment to their current release ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age’.
This is the second spectral video in a series of collaborative works between Broadcast and Julian House (aka The Focus Group), soundtracked by ‘I See, So I See So’ from their critically-acclaimed mini album.
To take their multi-media collaborations one step further, Broadcast and The Focus Group also recently commissioned cult soundtrack impresario and Trunk Records founder, Johnny Trunk to write a literary companion to ‘… Witch Cults…’ Do prepare to temporarily abandon all festive thoughts in order to immerse yourself in the foreboding dalliances of…
‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age’
Tunng Announce New Album 'And Then We Saw Land’ 1st March 2010, tour + free mp3
Twisted pop wonders Tunng have announced details of a new album, a tour and free download. The London-based band are set to release their fourth album 'And Then We Saw Land’ on the 1st of March 2010, and it promises to be their best yet. Full dates for the accompanying tour in March 2010 are listed below.
A sneak peak of the album is available in the form of free download ‘Don’t Look Down Or Back’ HERE
Since last we saw them, the band have been on adventures both personal (Mike went to India, Ashley moved to Somerset) and shared – such as their ten-day voyage of discovery with Malian desert bluesmen Tinariwen, a unique collaboration that aimed to fuse the sounds of the two bands together.
In the spirit of all that travel and experimentation, they’ve decided to call their new album 'And Then We Saw Land’ – and it is full of adventurous spirit. The first Tunng album to take more than a year to write and produce, it’s packed with big choruses and joyful tunes. “We wanted to make a record that would be a great live set,” says Mike. “My friend described it as ‘Epic Folk Disco Brass Magnificent,’ and I’m not sure you could call any other Tunng record that.”
23rd March, Manchester, Band On The Wall
25th March, London, Relentless Garage
26th March, Bristol, Arnolfini
28th March, Brighton, Concorde 2
School Of Seven Bells Alternate ‘Alpinisms’ out 23rd Nov + ICA show 4th Dec
School Of Seven Bells release an alternate version of the acclaimed album ‘Alpinisms’ on 23rd November and have announced a headline show at London’s ICA on the 4th December.
The reworked ‘Alpinisms’ is available on download only and comprised of early demos, live performances and alternative versions of eight album tracks. It’s an intriguing listen as the process of the band’s songwriting and production is unraveled. This edition also has a bonus track, the mysterious ‘Caldo’ sung in both English and Spanish (Claudia and Alejandra hail from both Central and South America). Previously a b-side to single ‘Half Asleep’, this song places more emphasis on the vocals than usual, revealing a cosmic medieval hymn backed by futuristic yet somehow ancient synths and harpsichord.
The band play a one off London show at the ICA on 4th December, where they will showcase new material from the forthcoming album (due in early Spring 2010) before heading off to appear at the My Bloody Valentine curated ATP.
‘Alpinisms’ Special Edition Track List:
1. Wired For Light (Live Drum Version)
2. Half Asleep (Alternate Version)
3. White Elephant Coat (Early Demo Version)
4. Caldo (Live on Stereogum’s Decomposed)
5. Sempiternal (Alternate Version)
6. Iamundernodisguise (Vocal Mix I)
7. My Cabal (Early Mix 07)
8. Connjur (Alternate Version)
9. For Kalaja Mari (Drum Outtake Mix)
UK live dates
Friday 4th December The ICA headline show with support from Esben and The Witch
Tickets £11
www.ica.og.uk
Sunday 6th December MBV ATP Nightmare Before Christmas, Minehead
http://atpfestival.com
Slow Club Christmas single: ‘Christmas, Thanks For Nothing’ EP out 14th Dec
Slow Club have announced details of a Christmas single plus a new London headline date. Dropping down our musical chimneys on 14th December, ‘Christmas, Thanks For Nothing’ is released on Moshi Moshi Records. A couple of days later, Slow Club will headline the Union Chapel on the 17th December.
Rebecca and Charles take turns recreating two Darlene Love Christmas classics. Charles delivering a stripped down take on ‘All Alone On Christmas’ – the E Street Band assisted number from Home Alone 2 – while Rebecca unleashes a full throated rendition of the Phil Spector penned ‘Christmas (Please Come Home)’.
Last year’s free download single ‘Christmas TV’ proved an unlikely live favourite this summer, and is included here as an added stocking filler, alongside brand new tunes ‘Christmas, Thanks For Nothing’ and ‘It’s Christmas and You Are Boring Me’. All are quintessential Slow Club: bittersweet, humorous and intensely lovable.
Slow Club’s show at the Union Chapel on 17th December, will be the second time the duo have celebrated the festive season in such fashion - having sold out the venue in December last year. They’ve just returned from a lengthy UK tour during which they packed out London’s Scala and thrilled fans by taking to the floor for un-plugged versions of their opening and closing numbers.
Tickets for the Union Chapel are priced £11.50, on sale now and available from http://www.livenation.co.uk/event/8106/slow-club-tickets
Their debut album 'Yeah So' was recorded almost entirely within the bosom of their hometown Sheffield and garnered outstanding reviews on it’s release this summer – on its way to becoming one of Moshi Moshi’s most successful releases to date.
Sparrow and The Workshop to support Idlewild in November + new London date
Sparrow and the Workshop are proud to announce they will be supporting Idlewild as of next week, plus a new London date has been confirmed. The Idlewild tour starts this Sunday 1st November taking in a run of dates in Scotland, full details of this and the London show on the 24th November are below.
The Glaswegian alt folk trio are set to release a new single entitled ‘A Horse’s Grin’ on the 23rd November through Distiller Records. The track is taken from their second short player ‘Into The Wild’, which will be released on the 30th of November. The single will be available on download and the seven track short player will be available on 12” vinyl and CD.
Live dates:
1st Nov Victoria Hall, Selkirk supporting Idlewild
2nd Nov Fat Sams, Dundee
4th Nov HMV Picture House, Edinburgh
5th Nov Ironworks, Inverness
6th Nov Moshulu, Aberdeen
7th Nov BA Club, Fort William
24th Nov The Slaughtered Lamb, London (own show)
Meet The Superfantastics: EP out 16th Nov + debut London shows
Introducing The Superfantastics, a thrilling boy-girl indie duo from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with a knack for making infectious 90s-inflected pop songs. Matthew and Stephanie are set to play their debut run of London shows in November, plus self-release a five-track EP ‘Choose Your Destination’ on the 16th November. Full details of the London shows are below.
Watch the band’s energetic video for lead track ‘Turn On Me here:
‘Choose Your Destination’ is a hook-laden collection of melodically-charged tracks. On the EP, The Superfantastics have pushed pop music to its borders with each track, delivering hook after hook through a mesh of synths, fuzz soaked guitars and pounding beats. From the Chet Atkins inspired riff in “Lullaby Punches” to the Superchunk snarl of “The Astronomer,” the band has moved past the obvious to produce a unique set of songs that matches simple ideas with a maintained chaos.
Live dates in November
13 Nov The Hope and Anchor, London
15 Nov Tasty Fanzine night @ The Legion, London
17 Nov Club Fandango @ Buffalo Bar, London
18 Nov The Flower Pot, London
19 Nov eARmusic @ Monkey Chews, London
20 Nov The Windmill, Brixton
An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump: new ‘Buy A Life’ EP out 7th Dec
An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump are set to release a new single on their own, fledgling Buy A Life Records label on the 7th December 2009.
The ‘Buy A Life EP’, released on limited seven inch and available to download, was recorded during the Summer and produced by Tim Burgess of The Charlatans. The new EP is the follow up to their debut single ‘These Sins’ on Trouble Records and features three tracks ‘Silent Hour’, ‘Smear’ and ‘Only In Death.
Formed in London last year, C-Bird, D-Bird and X-Bird are three women creating music in their own unique way. With a line up that features two bass guitars and minimal drums played standing up, they constantly swap instruments to create a sound that’s influenced by everything from Soul music to Grunge.
The Birds have recently returned from Chicago after recording new tracks with Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Stooges, The Pixies, The Manics) and haring a penchant for the subversive, are intent at making the underground consumable to the masses.
An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump will play a handful of live shows to coincide with the single release in November and December. The dates include a spot at the Trans Musicale Festival in France and a single launch in East London on the 10th December.
3RD DEC TRANS MUSICALE FESTIVAL, RENNES, FRANCE
10TH DEC THE VICTORIA, LONDON
Malcolm Middleton announces Winter tour + free download
Malcolm Middleton has announced a string of new solo acoustic UK dates for this Winter, entitled the ‘Long, Dark Night’ tour. Recent shows at Field Day and End of The Road have witnessed the Scottish Lord of the Darkness on peak musical form, expect to hear material from Malcolm’s seminal run of five albums, from this summer’s critically-lauded ‘Waxing Gibbous’ to 2005’s ‘Into The Woods’.
Mr Middleton will also be giving away a free download alongside the tour, but only to people attending the shows. Malcolm fans will receive an exclusive free download of new unreleased track ‘Ten Green Bottles’ on sign up at the merch stall.
Here are those "Long, Dark Night" Winter tour dates in full:
November
Tue 24 UK, London, Bush Hall
Wed 25 UK, Brighton, Hanbury Club
Thu 26 UK, Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre
Sat 28 UK, Exeter, Phoenix - Voodoo Lounge
Sun 29 UK, Oxford, Jericho
Mon 30 UK, Cardiff, Barfly
December
Tue 1 UK, Cambridge, Junction 2
Wed 2 UK, Bristol, Thekla
Mon 7 UK, Newcastle, Cluny 2
Tue 8 UK, York, The Basement
Wed 9 UK, Wakefield, The Hop
Thu 10 UK, Glasgow, Oran Mor
Praise for ‘Waxing Gibbous’
“A reflective, charming, bleak and funny album.” BBC Music
“a miner of nuggets of beauty from the dark rock walls of despair” NME
“Waxing Gibbous is a good, if occasionally overdone, album that proves that his musical imagination is still a fertile one.” Pitchfork
“The joyous C86-on-steroids jangle of Red Travellin’ Socks and the cod-African backing vocals on Kiss at the Station are a better pointer to where his head is at, while the country hip-hop of Don’t Want to Sleep Tonight recalls prime-Beta Band. A career high.” Times Online
Broadcast Announce First UK Tour Since 2005
“The extra-dimensional electronic duo collaborate with Ghost Box spiritualists The Focus Group on a richly disturbing transmission from analogue Albion” Mojo
Following from the release of their new collaborative mini-album ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’, Broadcast have announced select live headline dates in December, on return from their one month US tour with co-headliner, Atlas Sound.
On this forthcoming UK tour Broadcast are to perform as a duo and the set will include the soundtrack to Ghost Box film Winer Sun Wavelengths, selections from 'Witch Cults...' plus new songs from their forthcoming album.
There will also be a new tour only EP 'Mother is the Milky Way' plus limited copies of ‘Microtronics vol 1& 2’
Live dates as follows:
Dec 5th / Warp20 London/ Coronet/ London
http://bleep.com/index.php?page=stock_details&releaseid=217
Dec 6th /The Cube / Bristol
http://microplex.cubecinema.com/cubewebsite/ Tickets: £9adv / £10 door
Dec 7th / Chapter Arts Centre / Cardiff
Tickets: £9 / £8 concessions / £6 Chapter members. http://www.wegottickets.com
Dec 8th / Deaf Institute / Manchester
http://www.ticketline.co.uk 0161 832 1111 / Tickets - £9
Dec 9th / Stereo / Glasgow
Tickets - £10 [subject to booking fee] http://www.synergyconcerts.com / 08444 771000
Tickets Scotland/ Monorail/ ABC Box office/ Edinburgh – Ripping Records/ Tickets Scotland
Broadcast And The Focus Group Present: ’Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’ is now available on iTunes & bleep and will be available on CD and vinyl on Oct 26th (available for pre-order on bleep now).
Bibio Announces New Tracks + Remixes Album ‘The Apple & The Tooth’ out 9th Nov
“It's the kind of seamless variety, heady but visceral, that few
electronic musicians who aren't Four Tet have achieved.” - Pitchfork,
8.3/10
“Throughout it all, Ambivalence Avenue feels like a hazy flash back to
an unspecified albeit magical summer of your youth.” - FACT 8.5/10
Following the acclaimed success of his debut album on Warp ‘Ambivalence Avenue’, Bibio returns with an album of new work and remixes which, as well as being a fulsome body of work, compliments the original long player. ‘The Apple and the Tooth’ is released 9th November on Warp and shows Bibio once again playing to his strengths by showcasing a whole variety of songs, from lush introspective music collages to beats that could be like some long forgotten dusted-off disco treasure. It would be hard to believe this was the work of one producer if it were not for the inimitable vintage imprint on his music.
As well as including 4 tracks of original new material, Bibio drafts in a whole host of pals and admirers to create this diverse collection of work. In this selection there are 8 remixes and no track is covered twice. Clark’s remix doesn’t fail to delight with his gleefully menacing rework of ‘S’vive’. Alongside it is a reinterpretation of ‘Sugarette’ by pal Rob Lee, usually affiliated with Friendly Fires, who as electronic alter-ego Wax Stag puts a warm over coat of computer love on this track. Eskmo, a name that has recently been circulating on the dub step scene with his heavy west-coast beats, places in ‘Dwrcan’ a new level of gravitas and the oft acclaimed electronic producer Lone opens a psychedelic window into ‘All the Flowers’, a track which in its lo-fi simplicity takes from the 60’s folk aesthetic. Bibio himself steps up to the remix desk by presenting a fairy tale waltz version of ‘Palm of Your Wave’.
As well as on CD and digital, ‘The Apple and the Tooth’ also comes in a super luxe, high end strictly limited 12” in a gold foil embellished sleeve, limited to 1000 worldwide & 150 in the UK.
Bibio will be doing a whole host of DJ dates in Europe in October. Please see his Myspace for more details
The Miserable Rich announce new ‘Covers’ EP out 16th November + October tour
" ...their lush orchestro-folk is so heartbreakingly beautiful, it reduces anyone who hears it to a weeping mess." NME
Brighton’s dashing electro-acoustic quintet The Miserable Rich have announced details of a new EP and some accompanying live dates. The ‘Covers’ EP is set for release on Humble Soul on the 16th November. To support the release, The Miserable Rich are heading out on a brief tour of the British Isles from the 15th October. Full details are below.
Following on from 2008’s acclaimed debut album ’Twelve Ways To Count’, the ‘Covers’ EP includes reworkings of alternative classics such as ‘Gigantic’ by The Pixies and ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Eurythmics. There are four tracks in total, all given a lulling rerub replete with strings and frontman James de Malplaquet’s dulcet vocals.
The Miserable Rich seem to attract a wealth of fantastical experiences and the inspiration for the ‘Covers’ EP is no exception. James cites his dalliance with a pop career as the dark past lurking behind this collection of covers, which was the precursor to forming The Miserable Rich. It seems that James nearly got fully subsumed into the big star-making pop machine, even getting to the stage where videos were shot and celebrity names recorded solos… Until disaster struck – as James recounts:
“In the end, I was rescued from certain credibility death by a polyp on my vocal chords. Too much singing and smoking. Now I couldn’t sing (not that that stops many) and couldn’t work. An operation, two months silence, two months whispering and a year off singing – it was all over.
“I learnt a lot though. Oh, we argued – how could we not? – but the value of a classic pop song itself was never in dispute. Along the way, we butchered at least three of my favourite examples – one of which we have attempted a more sympathetic version of on this record.
“I think that’s why the band did these songs. As for me – I did it to put the record straight. Pun intended.”
The Miserable Rich are set to release a second album of brand new material in early 2010, more details of which are to follow shortly.
Live dates
Thursday 15th October @ The Glee Club, Birmingham with support from Babel and The Random Family
http://www.glee.co.uk/index.php?id_page=334&id_language=1&id_club=4&id_gig=6869
Friday 16th October 2009 @ The Library, Leeds with The Random Family and Ian Williams
http://www.jumborecords.co.uk/tickets.asp?sort=&event_id=8761
Saturday 17th October @ St Brides Church, Liverpool with The Random Family http://www.wegottickets.com/event/59510
Sunday 18th October @ Sacred Trinity Church, Manchester with Table and The Random Family
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/54945
Friday 23rd October @ The Croft, Bristol with Babel and The Random Family
www.bristolticketshop.co.uk
Tuesday 3rd November Electroacoustic club @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London http://www.wegottickets.com/event/60391
Sparrow and The Workshop: on UK tour with Kill It Kid + new release details
‘Etheral and Electric’- The Guardian
‘Imagine a fading photograph of Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, or an eerie echo of pedal steel played through the centuries, and you’ll get a sense of this records’s glimmering power’ - Word magazine
Sparrow and the Workshop, who are currently on a co-headline uk tour with Kill It Kid, have announced new single and album details. Full tour details are below, and includes a headline a show at London’s The Lexington on the 13th October.
The Glaswegian alt folk trio are set to release a new single entitled ‘A Horse’s Grin’ on the 16th November through Distiller Records. The track is taken from their second short player ‘Into The Wild’, which will be released on the 23rd of November. The single will be available on download and the seven track short player will be available on 12” vinyl and CD.
Sparrow and The Workshop made a remarkable first burst into the music world with their debut single ‘Devil Song’ earlier this year, receiving huge exposure on Radio 2 and NME Radio as well as being featured as Steve Lamacq’s favourite new band on 6music.
The current tour follows on from supporting Edinburgh's Broken Records on a full UK tour this year, plus coveted support slots with British Sea Power at London’s Regent Park's Open Air Theatre and The Lemonheads at Glasgow's ABC. The band also played the BBC Introducing tent at Glastonbury Festival and, most recently, played in the Tipi tent at the End of the Road festival in Dorset.
Live dates:
6th Oct 2009 - Fibbers - York
7th Oct 2009 - Cabaret Voltaire - Edinburgh
8th Oct 2009 - Captain's Rest - Glasgow
9th Oct 2009 - Rockhouse - Derby
10th Oct 2009 - Jericho Tavern - Oxford
11th Oct 2009 - Hare & Hound - Birmingham
12th Oct 2009 - Boiler Room - Guilford
13th Oct 2009 - The Lexington - London
14th Oct 2009 - Hamptons – Southampton
Mirrors release new single ‘Into The Heart’ out 2nd November
Mirrors return with their second single, ‘Into The Heart’ another brilliant slice of pop-noir, released 2nd November through Moshi Moshi’s Singles Club. Both on record and live, Mirrors have created their own sonic world. Live their backdrop of graphics and images, coupled with their art installation aesthetic makes for one of the most engrossing and cinematic live shows around.
With ‘Into The Heart’ Echo And The Bunnymen swoop over Kraftwerk foundations, all the while gazing into the future and the potential for world domination. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill band. Rich synth textures wash all over the record whilst an innate pop sensibility drives the track forward. This is a special band with the ambition and outlook to match any of their heroes.
Since the release of debut single ‘Look At Me’, Mirrors have remixed the White Lies single ‘A Place To Hide’, as well as supporting the brilliant Fever Ray in their home town of Brighton. At Latitude they played one of the most exciting shows of the weekend in the forest. Added to their Lamacq session on Radio 1, Mirrors are quickly carving out a space for themselves and will be one of the most exciting bands to watch over the next 12 months.
Mirrors’ debut album is set for release early 2010.
Live dates:
15 Oct Levi’s Ones To Watch @ Camden Barfly, London
21 Oct Un Autre Monde @ New Hero, Brighton
30 Oct Cargo, London
20 Nov London Calling @ Paradiso, Amsterdam
‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age'
- A collaborative mini-album available digitally now (iTunes/Bleep)
- Available on CD and vinyl on Oct 26th (Vinyl also available on US tour dates with Atlas Sound)
- CD and LP available to pre-order from Bleep.
Broadcast are back with a new collaborative mini-album 'Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age' and a month long US tour with Atlas Sound... it is with great excitement that we announce this new release is...available now!
Watch a clip of ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’
Broadcast is made up of Trish Keenan and James Cargill. Originally from Birmingham, they have been active as Broadcast since 1995. Broadcast over the years have consisted of other members including drummers, keyboardists and guitarists (and at one point they were even a six-man outfit) but at the heart of the group Trish and James have always existed. Their aesthetic has remained a combination of their love for film, library music and electronics with psych-pop colour.
Broadcast have always had fans among other musicians, including Flying Lotus, Tim Gane from Stereolab, Grizzly Bear, Atlas Sound and Dangermouse, who used a Broadcast sample taken from "Poem of Dead Song" on the DM & Gemini album "Ghetto Pop Life". Broadcast's music is also a popular choice for film and TV, featuring on the soundtracks of “Ma Femme est une Actrice", "21" and "Morvern Callar", as well as TV shows such as "The L-Word", "Skins" and "CSI". It can be said with confidence that Broadcast's return is greeted with much anticipation.
The Focus Group is Julian House, long time friend of the band and renowned artwork designer. House is co-founder of the Ghost Box label, which in the last few years has birthed a cult of its own with releases reflecting its creators’ obsessions with library music, English folklore and the eerie feel of vintage programmes for schools and colleges. His music as the Focus Group offers some of the most enchanting distillations of all the above, instantly complementing Broadcast’s own long-standing aesthetic.
'Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age' is their first collaborative release, a mini-album available digitally now, and on CD and vinyl from Oct 26th. A limited quantity of vinyl albums will also be available on the band’s US tour dates with Atlas Sound (full details of dates are on the Broadcast Myspace).
The Leisure Society: new UK dates, album ‘The Sleeper’ re-released 5th October
London symphonic pop band The Leisure Society have announced details of new UK live dates and are set to re-release their debut album ‘The Sleeper’ on the 5th October. The re-release on Full Time Hobby comes lovingly packaged with an 8-track bonus EP, ‘A Product Of The Ego Drain’, which features a number of b-sides, demos and an un-released cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’. Full details of all the UK dates are below, including an appearance at Huw Stephen’s SWN festival and a headline show at St Giles Church in London.
To further celebrate the re-release of ‘The Sleeper’, The Leisure Society are giving away a track from the album. Please click the following link to download ‘We Were Wasted’
http://www.mediafilesccc.com/FullTimeHobby/WeWereWasted.mp3
‘The Sleeper’ was originally released by the Wilkommen Collective label in March this year to much critical applause and also features includes the Ivor Novello-nominated track ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’.
New live dates:
5 Oct Resident Records In Store Acoustic Performance, Brighton
24 Oct SWN Festival, Wales
25 Oct Canterbury Festival @ Orange Street Music Club, Canterbury
22 Nov Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
23 Nov The Glee Club, Birmingham
25 Nov St Giles In The Fields Church, London
The Wave Pictures announce new UK tour + single ‘Strawberry Cables’ out 26th Oct
After a summer spent criss-crossing the continent playing a host of festivals, The Wave Pictures get ready for a run of UK autumn dates and the release of a new single. ‘Strawberry Cables’ is out on the 26th October on 7” and download through Moshi Moshi. Full details of the headline UK tour, including a show at London’s The Garage, are below.
The band will be supported on the tour by long time collaborator Stanley Brinks (aka Andre Herman Dune) plus Freschard. Stanley’s horn playing also features ‘Strawberry Cables’ – a song which The Wave Pictures frontman David Tattersal describes “as very sad” and the horn sections of which were influenced by a Lou Reed’s ‘New York City Man’.
OCTOBER
16th NEWCASTLE, Star and Shadow Cinema
17th ABERDEEN, Café Drummond
18th EDINBURGH. Cabaret Voltaire
19th GLASGOW, Mono
20th CARDIFF, Clwb Ifor Bach
21st SOUTHAMPTON, The Joiners
22nd NOTTINGHAM, Bodega Social Club
23rd COVENTRY, Taylor John’s House
24th BRISTOL. Thekla
25th LIVERPOOL, Korova
26th LEEDS, Nation of Shopkeepers
27th HULL, Adelphi
29th BRIGHTON, The Freebutt
30th LONDON, Garage
Maps Autumn UK tour announced + new album 'Turning The Mind' out 28th Sept
“Full-on, altered state electronic stomper” – Guardian
“Bordering on genius” – Clash
“…kaleidoscopic, vivid, sensual and spangled up to the eyeballs” – The Word
Following recent festival performances at Bestival and Latitude, Maps - aka James Chapman – has announced details of a UK tour, which begins at the end of October.
He releases his second album, ‘Turning The Mind’, through Mute on 28th September 2009. The album is preceded by a single, ‘I Dream Of Crystal’ on 14th September.
‘Turning The Mind’, recorded with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas) at the Contino Rooms in London, is the follow-up to the Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlisted debut 'We Can Create' (2007).
OCTOBER
17th – Oxford – Jericho Tavern, all day Shelter fundraiser
22nd – Edinburgh – Electric Circus – £8.00 -
23rd – Manchester – Eat Your Own Ears Warehouse Project
24th – Southampton – Joiners
25th – Birmingham - Hare & Hounds
26th – London – Cargo
28th – Bristol - Start The Bus
29th – Cambridge – Portland
30th – Brighton – Digital
31st – Nottingham - Bodega Social
NOVEMBER
1st – Norwich - Arts Centre
4th – Sheffield - Fusion at the University
5th – Newcastle - Other Rooms
6th – Glasgow - Nice & Sleazy’s
7th – Liverpool - Music Week at Masque (free show)
Maps will also be announcing details of a new single release shortly.
Slow Club release new single ‘Trophy Room’ 12th October + announce UK tour
“Gorgeously melodic debut… Britain’s answer to Bright Eyes.” – Q ****
“Uplifting, catchy, interesting, joyous, heartbreaking and – obviously – very good.” – NME 8/10
Slow Club are set to release a new single ‘Trophy Room’ on 12th October through Moshi Moshi, plus head out on a headline UK tour in September. Support comes courtesy of Sweden’s First Aid Kit and this latest run of dates features a show at The Scala on the 24th Sept.
‘Trophy Room’ is a tall story of stashed loot and fanciful adventure played out in perfect harmony, Inspired by Charles’ encounter with a compulsive liar, ‘Trophy Room’’s escapist romp is typical Slow Club; opening up with a deft English Folk approximation and then building to yelping beat group frenzy.
Their debut album ‘Yeah So’ has been a fixture on the iTunes Alternative Chart since its release at the beginning of July. Critically acclaimed and an Album of the Day on 6Music, it has an inherent sense of fun and dynamic arrangement groomed on countless live performances; delivering sweet harmonious hooks, rockabilly beats and exuberant yelps and yips, that spill out across the album.
SLOW CLUB UK TOUR:
SEPTEMBER
15th, EXETER, Cavern Club
16th SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners
17th CARDIFF, Barfly
18th MAIDSTONE, The Loft
19th GLOUCESTER, Guildhall
22nd NORTHAMPTON, Roadmender
23rd SHEFFIELD, Plug
24th LONDON, Scala
25th TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Forum
26th GLASGOW, The Classic Grand
27th ABDERDEEN, Moshulu
29th LEEDS, Brudenell
30h YORK, City Screen
OCTOBER
1st DERBY, Rockhouse
2nd MILTON KEYNES, Crauford Arms
3rd READING, South Street
6th MANCHESTER, Moholive
7th WREXHAM, Central Station
8th KINGSTON, McClusky’s
9th CREWE, The Box
10th BATH, Moles
Download 'Trophy Room' artwork
Introducing Strike The Colours: new album ‘Seven Roads’ out 28th Sept + UK tour
“..folk along the lines of Pentangle and Espers, weaving stories through finger-picked guitar, Jenny’s voice gliding along the long violin notes. Everyone watching is mesmerized and completely silent.” BBC Music
“..a captivating saunter in a world of soul-pondering organic song writing. Impossible not to be knocked out by it.” The Skinny
Introducing Strike The Colours, the solo project from Malcolm Middleton’s long-term collaborator Jenny Reeve, plus members of Idlewild, Alistair Roberts’ and Emma Pollock’s bands. ‘Seven Roads’ is the much-anticipated second album from Strike The Colours and is set for release on September 28th on Deadlight Records. The band is set to go on a UK tour late September, alongside co-headliners Zoey Van Goey. Full details of live dates are below.
The follow-up to 2007’s highly praised ‘The Face That Sunk a Thousand Ships’, ‘Seven Roads’ was recorded last year in Chem 19 by Paul Savage. Latest single ‘Breathing Exercise’ is the first release from the album, and is out now.
Live Dates
22nd Sep with Zoey Van Goey @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London
24th Sep with Zoey Van Goey @Ashton Theatre, Shrewsbury
27th Sep with Zoey Van Goey @ The Electric Circus, Edinburgh
30th Sep live session for Marc Riley on BBC6 music, Manchester
2nd Oct Seven Roads album launch with Zoey Van Goey @ Stereo, Glasgow
3rd Oct with Zoey Van Goey @ Snafu, Aberdeen
4th Oct with Zoey Van Goey @ Hootenanny’s, Inverness
21st Oct RADIO 1 Session In Scotland, Glasgow
Introducing Jeremy Jay: new single ‘Breaking The Ice’ out on K Records + UK tour
LA songsmith Jeremy Jay releases a new single today (7th September) and is about to go out on a UK tour this week. ‘Breaking The Ice’ is the new single from Jeremy’s acclaimed long player ‘Slow Dance’, released through K Records earlier this year. Full details of his UK tour are below; all kicks off on the 11th September at Brighton Freebutt.
‘Breaking The Ice’ fuses floating synths, tight funk bass and Jay’s deadpan, Grant McLennan-esque vocals to devastating effect, mapping out a moody, romantic landscape of ice skaters, glittering disco balls and lonely walks home.
The B-side includes an alternate synth version of ‘Winter Wonder’, reworked from ‘Slow Dance’, and a cover of Buddy Holly’s 1957 masterpiece ‘Words of Love’.
Hear ‘Breaking The Ice’ streamed in full over on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/createspark/sets/jeremy-jay-breaking-the-ice-ep
Jeremy Jay was born in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista in southern California. His family later moved north to Los Angeles, and then north again, to Monterey.
When Jeremy was 14, he began playing in high school bands with schoolmates, performing to packed venues in the area. Seeing her son’s devotion to music, Jeremy’s mother bought him an eight-track reel-to-reel recorder, which he used to make recordings in a studio that he built in the family garage.
When Jeremy was 18 he moved to Portland, Oregon, where he met Calvin Johnson, Beat Happening singer and founder of K Records, which later released Jeremy’s records. To date these are: Airwalker (EP, 2007), A Place Where we Could Go (LP, 2008) and Slow Dance (LP, 2009).
Praise for ‘Slow Dance’:
“7.7…mesmerising” Pitchfork
“Glossy on the outside but vulnerable on the inside: it just might be the perfect metaphor for Jay’s brand of rock’n’roll synth-pop” Dazed & Confused
“Jeremy can treat us to a little 50s-style crooning, a smatter of harmonising, infused with the absolute charm of beautiful dreaming” Plan B
“If Jay had been making music in 1984…he would have fronted the house band at every high-school dance Molly Ringwald ever attended” Stool Pigeon
“For those in search of some stylish nuance in their pop” The Quietus
UK live dates:
11th Sep THE FREEBUT w Deathcrush / Sexbeat DJs, BRIGHTON
12th Sep OLD BLUE LAST w/Tune Yards & Deathcrush / Sexbeat DJs, LONDON
13th Sep THE LIBRARY w Deathcrush / Sexbeat DJs, LEEDS
14th Sep THE BOWERY w Deathcrush / Sexbeat DJs, EDINBURGH
15th Sep CAPTAINS REST w Deathcrush / Sexbeat DJs, GLASGOW
16th Sep UPSTAIRS AT THE GARAGE headline show w Deathcrush / Sexbeat DJs, LONDON
Meet An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump + new live dates
‘In times when everything seems sewn up, we need someone to tear it apart. In an age of smoothly sellable corporate indie, we need someone to take a knife to the façade. At the start of 2009, the band stepping up to that challenge is An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.’ The Independent on Sunday
“These luscious ladies simmer on stage with blunt fringes, wanton curves, red lips and a hard as nails attitude.’ i-D Magazine
‘Bad Seeds meets The Shangri-Las nightmare. A No-Wave Ronettes…Bewitching.’ NME
Visceral no wave trio An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump are set to play a series of live dates this Autumn, kicking off with an appearance at Offset this Saturday and including a couple of dates for the Artrocker/Schuh New Blood tour. Heralded by The Guardian as ‘the most thrilling band’ at this year’s Camden Crawl, The Birds have also recently returned from Chicago after recording new tracks with Steve Albini.
An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump are three women creating music in their own unique way. Two bass guitars? Why not. Minimal drums played standing up? OK. Instrument swapping? A core essence. These women are influenced by film, art, and everything from soul music to grunge.
Having released their debut EP ‘These Sins’ in December 2008 to rave reviews and with live shows performed with a raw intensity they have been the talk of London’s music scene since their first live performance in April 2008 leading them to be touted as ones to watch by NME, The Independent, The Guardian and Artrocker to name but a few.
Sharing a penchant for the subversive, An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump are intent at making the underground consumable to the masses. They are C-Bird, D-Bird and X-Bird.
Upcoming Dates:
5 Sep 2009, OFFSET FESTIVAL MAIN STAGE w/THE SLITS, HAINAULT
7 Sept 2009, HOXTON BAR AND KITCHEN w/THE RAVEONETTES, LONDON
9 Sep 2009, ARTROCKER/SCHUH NEW BLOOD TOUR, 229, LONDON
10 Sep 2009, ARTROCKER/SCHUH NEW BLOOD TOUR, BRISTOL
12 Sep 2009, WEEKENDER CLUB, INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA
13 Sep 2009, WEEKENDER CLUB, INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA
14 Sep 2009, WEEKENDER CLUB, INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA
27 Oct 2009, XFM JOHN KENNEDY SESSION, EVERYWHERE!
3 Dec 2009, TRANS MUSICALE FESTIVAL w/JAY REATARD
Micah P. Hinson: new album out 21st Sept + new London date
Texan-born Anglophile Micah P Hinson is set to return with two albums of covers, ‘All Dressed Up And Smelling Of Strangers Vol 1 and 2’, which will be simultaneously released as separate discs on 21st September 2009. Micah is also set to play his first London headline show since 2008 at Cargo on the 15th September. Tickets are available from www.atpfestival.com
“I view the album as two independent projects,” says Hinson. “Volume one is the quieter, calmer songs, Volume two is much louder and loaded with many more instruments. They’re for different moods, different times; the ups and the downs.” ‘All Dressed Up’ follows on from 2008’s critically acclaimed album ‘…And The Red Empire Orchestra’.
The two volumes were recorded in Texas in bursts from November 2008 to March 2009 with regular collaborator T. Nicholas Phelps and cellist Kris Yoemans. Originally toying with numerous concepts and themes (songs from Texas, songs from the States and more), Hinson found that “the thing just wouldn’t fit into a confined space,” and so decided to keep the song choices simple. “The theme is that they all mean something to me; whether that be in the past or present. I feel very moved by songs and music of other men and women, it's gotten me through many a hard time, so it made sense to find those songs and attempt to pull them off. “
As such, there’s a mixture of familiar and unknown, old and new, happy and sad. The album features covers from artists as diverse as Roy Orbison and Leadbelly to Pedro The Lion and Emmy The Great. The treatment in each case is not reverential, but loving, and unique to Micah and his distinct Texan burr.
Theoretical Girl: debut album out ‘Divided’ 17th August
Indie pop starlet Theoretical Girl has announced details of the release of her long-awaited debut album and a new single. Album ‘Divided’ will hit the shops on the 17th August, preceded by new single ‘Red Mist’ on the 10th August, both released through Memphis Industries.
Conjured
into existence 3 years ago by Southend-on-Sea siren Amy Turnnidge,
Theoretical Girl has been busy making waves and leaving a trail of
swooning hearts in her wake. Recorded last autumn in North London with
Grammy nominated remixer, producer and general sound-fiend Andy
Chatterley, ‘Divided’s 12 tales of unrequited love, mistakes and
regrets are juxtaposed against twisting melodies and grooves.
Take
recent single, ‘Rivals’, a song that is both heartbreaking and
danceable in equal measure, where swooping strings and delicate vocals,
offset a tale of friendship disappointed, the regret and calamity of
binds unbound. Or the title track itself, where sweet chamber pop is
overlaid with the mantra “Our love is unrequited, We’ll always be
divided”, repeated to the point of psychosis. Other standouts include
live favourite ‘Red Mist’ all ESG groove and feminine aggression, and
‘I Should Have Loved You More’ where self-recrimination is set to
perfect sunshine-pop.
Amy professes to take inspiration from
such diverse sources as 60s girl groups, Tom Waits, Billy Joel, Purcell
and even the classic twee pop of Sarah Records, and her 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. As further evidence to her song writing talent,
the tracks sound equally as special when stripped down to just her
sweet voice and acoustic guitar, as they do when performed live with
her full backing band The Equations.
With the album out in
August, plus her stunning debut Glastonbury performance now under her
belt, Amy’s come a long way from her DIY roots back in Southend. And
she wants to keep pushing it further: “I want to keep writing, keep
playing, keep adding to the live band and end up fronting a full
orchestra”. Which at the rate she’s going won’t be too long. Listen and
swoon…
You can catch her live at these dates:
18 Jul 2009 Rooftop Party @ South Bank Centre (Acoustic Set), London
17 Aug 2009 Album Launch Party @ The Lexington with support from Jonquil and Horse & Condor, London
Bibio: new EP ‘Maybe They Appear In Graveyards’ out 31st August on Warp
New Warp signing Bibio will follow his warmly-received album ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ with a new digital EP, ‘Maybe They Appear In Graveyards’, on August 31st. The EP features new mixes from Letherette and The Gentleman Losers, as well as album track ‘Palm of Your Wave’ reimagined as a haunting waltz by Bibio himself plus ‘Lovers’ Carvings’, one of the album’s many highlights.
Tracklisting:
Palm Of Your Wave (Bibio Remix)
Lovers’ Carvings
Haikuesque (The Gentleman Losers' Whispers In The Rain Mix)
Lover's Carvings (Letherette Remix)
The EP serves to further mark Bibio out as a talented sonic craftsman, intertwining the electronic and organic with ease.
New Full Time Hobby signing: The Leisure Society + ULU show tonight
Full Time Hobby is rather happy to announce that THE LEISURE SOCIETY is the latest addition to the Full Time Hobby family. Their debut album 'The Sleeper' was released earlier in the year via Willkommen Records to much-acclaim...:
"Wistfulness, poise, and radiant beauty." ***** THE INDEPENDENT
"Beautiful pastoral debut." **** MOJO
"Wonderful." **** OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY
"Beautiful" GUY GARVEY (ELBOW)
There's been a lot of wonderful word-of-mouth spreading for the band, helped recently by the fact that the single 'The Last Of The Melting Snow' was nominated for an Ivor Novello award for 'Best Song Musically & Lyrically'; the first of it’s kind for an unpublished artist.
Full Time Hobby will be re-releasing the debut album on October 5th in brand new packaging and with an extra bonus disc of previously unreleased material (stay posted for more news on that) as well as issuing the first-ever vinyl release of the album. Be sure to keep checking the Full Time Hobby online store for an exclusive pre-order of this album with a t-shirt.
You can download the delightful album track 'We Were Wasted' for free HERE
Full Time Hobby have also arranged a very special ticket offer for people wanting to attend The Leisure Society’s London show at ULU tonight (Wednesday 22nd July). Go to the link to buy for the unbelievable total price of £6.75 HERE
The band have announced these upcoming dates:
JULY
22nd London, ULU
23rd Bristol, Thekla
AUGUST
2nd Cardiff, Big Weekend
7th Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire The Big Chill Festival
21st Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons, Green Man Festival
30th Bexhill On Sea , De Le Warr Pavillion (Willkommen Collective)
SEPTEMBER
5th Suffolk, Festinho Festival
11th Larmer Tree Gardens, End Of The Road Festival
19th Exeter, Festival
21st Brighton, Duke Of York
23rd Milton Keynes, The Stables
OCTOBER
24th Wales, SWN Festival
25th Canterbury, Canterbury Festival @ Orange Street Music Club
26th Paris, France, Café De La Danse
27th Wetzlar, Germany, Franzis
28th Hamburg, Germany, Prinzenbar
29th Frankfurt, Germany, Das Bett
30th Munster, Germany, Gleis 22
Bibio creates virtual forest to celebrate Warp debut ‘Ambivalence Avenue'
“The music feels both spontaneous and precise, winding in complex syncopation around the one-beat, with subtle filter and tempo tweaks, and careful juxtapositions of texture (see the arid, throttled voices scraping against the sopping-wet chimes of "S'vive")…It's the kind of seamless variety, heady but visceral, that few electronic musicians who aren't Four Tet have achieved.” - Pitchfork, 8.3/10
Warp’s latest luminary Bibio has planted a virtual forest to celebrate the release of his first album for the label, ‘Ambivalence Avenue’.
Bibio aka Stephen Wilkinson uses a combination of analogue and electronic equipment to make his music, incorporating his fascination with nature into his work through the numerous countryside recordings he collects from his surroundings. Bibio’s virtual forest is the perfect way to further explore the marriage of technology and nature found in Bibio’s verdant sonic landscapes, please visit the following link to design your own tree
http://warp.net/records/bibio/forest
Within the virtual forest, people can design, decorate their own trees and give them a unique soundtrack from Bibio's music and sound recordings, and even control the weather. Once created the trees are planted in the forest to be seen and enjoyed by everyone they can also be sent to friends via Facebook.
‘Ambivalence Avenue’ was released on the 22nd June to great critical acclaim and excerpts are also available to stream whilst you make your tree at Warp.net.
Maps: announces new July live dates, festivals + single ‘I Dream Of Crystal’
Maps - aka James Chapman - has announced details of new live dates in July and festival dates including Latitude and Bestival. It is also now official that the first single off second album ‘Turning The Mind’ (released 28th September) will be ‘I Dream Of Crystal’, out on the 14th September on Mute.
‘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).
Maps has recently debuted the new stripped down electronic line-up at the Great Escape and Stag & Dagger festivals and this week on a short support tour with M83. Here’s the full list of Maps appearances this summer:
8th July Leeds Cockpit (with M83) - £12
9th July Manchester The Deaf Institute - £7 (Drowned in Sound show)
17th July Liverpool Evol @ Korova - £7
18th July Southwold Latitude
24th July Sheffield Tramlines Festival
30th July London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen - £7
28th August London Cargo
http://cargo-london.com/event/free-fridaysadventures-in-the-beetroot-field/
13th Sep Isle of Wight Bestival
Malcolm Middleton: new single 'Zero' out 3rd August + UK tour + free mp3
"'Waxing gibbous' refers to a moon that's almost full, and Middleton here surely approaches full brilliance." Mojo ****
"one of Britain's most underrated and vital songwriters" Q ****
Malcolm Middleton is set to release a brand new single off critically lauded current album ‘Waxing Gibbous’. ‘Zero’ is released on the 3rd August and will round off Malcolm’s forthcoming UK tour, which starts on the 26th June with support from The Pictish Trail and call at London’s ICA on the 30th June.
To further tie-in with the tour, Malcolm’s giving away a free mp3 off ‘Waxing Gibbous’, please click to download ‘Carry Me’ HERE
As for ‘Zero’, get prepared for Casio tones, toe-tapping beats, handclaps… and rapping? Were it not for the lyrics about being buried with your partner (“Bones crossed into a tangent hug, an awkward silence and a toothy grin, I wouldn’t mind turning to powder with you,”), the distinctive Scots burr and self-deprecating comments about wordy songwriters, you could be forgiven for mistaking ‘Zero’ as the work of someone other than Malcolm Middleton.
‘Zero’ is taken from ‘Waxing Gibbous’, Malcolm’s fifth solo album and, by early consensus, his best yet. Following last year’s low-key ‘Sleight Of Heart’, this is the album Middleton was making while he took that diversion, composed from years’ worth of scribbles in notebooks, which were “chiselled and connived into being songs.”
TOUR DATES ( with support from The Pictish Trail)
June
26th Tolbooth Theatre, Stirling
27th Tunnels, Aberdeen
28th King Tuts, Glasgow
29th Night & Day, Manchester
30th I.C.A., London
July
1st Birmingham, Glee Club
2nd Bristol, Thekla
3rd Nottingham , Bodega
4th Newcastle, The Cluny
1st August - Field Day, London
22nd August – Sounds In The Grounds, Stornoway
12th September - End Of The Road
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
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
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
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.
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
Clients:
'Hilarious Consequences'
Bibio
Broadcast
Distiller Records
Fujiya & Miyagi
Hidden Cameras
Jeremy Jay
Love Is All
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
Signals
Slow Club
Sparrow and The Workshop
Still Flyin
Strike The Colours
The Leisure Society
The Mae Shi
The Miserable Rich
The Superfantastics
The Wave Pictures
Theoretical Girl
Tilly and The Wall
www.tillyandthewall.com / www.myspace.com/officialtillyandthewall