Arcade Fire - "The Sprawl ll (Mountains beyond Mountains)"

     Nearly a year and a half after the release of 'The Suburbs', Arcade Fire teamed up with Vincent Morisset & friends for an interesting new project based around one of the album highlights, "The Sprawl 2 (Mountains beyond Mountains).
The idea was to create an interactive experience for the viewer. What they came up with was a "dance" activated version involving your webcam; your "dancing"(random movements, choreographed by you) will determine the speed and direction of the film. Interesting?, Yes. Unique?, Yes. Trendsetting?, unlikely but possible, as for now it simply plays out like a "Hipster" version of Xbox's 'Kinect' (in a good way).
Get your dance on via the Hipster Dance Machine

Luckily, for those who don't wish to break out in dance...they also filmed a more "traditional version. Both versions share the same footage, shot in a very 80's fashion, circa 'The Goonies' & 'Red Dawn'.

The Shins - New LP

     The Shins announced yesterday, they will release their fourth album [Port of Morrow] in March on Apothecary Records which is frontman James Mercer's own imprint, a division of Columbia Records.

It has been nearly five years since the last LP [Wincing the Night Away], needless to say this will be a HIGHLY anticipated release leading up it's still unannounced official street date. Today we find Mercer as the only member left, in which case he helms all of the songwriting duties along with most of the instrumentation.

For those of you who can't wait another month or so for the pre-order to be up and would like to start fantasizing now...Here's the tracklisting:

The Shins - Port of Morrow

1. The Rifle's Spiral
2. Simple Song
3. It's only life
4. No way down
5. September
6. Bait and Switch
7. Fall of '82
8. For a Fool
9. 40 Mark Strasse

10. Port of Morrow

Since, according to Natalie Portman, this song will or already may have changed your life - this seemed appropriate.

Is it March yet?

Grinderman is Dead

     The news made it's way around the world within minutes....But, for those of you whom have been in a coma the past two days...

Reportedly, Grinderman frontman, Nick Cave announced "That's it for Grinderman.  It's over.", following their set at Meredith Music Festival in Australia over the weekend. He quickly added, "See you all in another 10 years when we'll all be even older and uglier".

With only two full lengths under their belt ( the aptly titled 1 & 2 ), it seems a pretty short run ( even for a side project ) from an artist as prolific as Cave. We'll just take it as a sign that 'The Seeds will be back in full force soon, which is always welcome.

R.I.P.  Grinderman

The Big Pink take on "Mayonaise"

     It may seem coincidental that the duo of Robbie Furze & Milo Cordell, aka Britain's 'The Big Pink', stopped by BBC's Radio 1 and decided to cover The Smashing Pumpkins classic "Mayonaise" shortly after the  heavily hyped release of the "Pumpkins" - 'Gish' & 'Siamese Dream' reissues. However, the pair have apparently been covering the track at their shows for quite some time. While their version is slightly more stripped down (for obvious reasons), it still seems to strike a familiar chord, one that even the ever-arrogant Billy Corgan would be hard pressed not to acknowledge.

We dare you to listen to this and not immediately have the urge to dig out some of your old Grunge records, assuming you were smart enough to hang on to them through that whole "Rap-Rock" musical apocalypse of the late 90's..

The Big Pink - Mayonaise (The Smashing Pumpkins Cover) by ErnestimesBlog

Discover : Carrousel

Carrousel are a duo from Tallahassee, Florida who describe their sound as Dream-pop/Folk, which sounds pretty spot on. They've spent the last two years writing, recording and perfecting their style/sound in their home studio, leading up to the November 15th release of their debut EP, entitled 'Darling'. Since then we've had 'Darling' in regular rotation; while only three tracks, it was intended as a teaser of sorts, preparing the masses for a full length expected in February.
The band has graciously put the EP up for FREE download via their Bandcamp; Check it out below.

Also, they have put together a stunning video for the standout track, titled "14"...

Find them on Facebook - Carrousel

Planet of Sound

After a lengthy hiatus, we are back and looking forward to spreading the good word once again.

[Editor's note] - The "good word" stated above was meant to be taken in the musical sense.

 

Bon Iver

 

     It's been three years since Bon Iver's debut record, For Emma, Forever Ago, seemed to come out of nowhere and became one of the year's best albums. Shortly after, they followed up with the excellent Blood Bank ep. Since then, Bon Iver's mastermind, Justin Vernon has been involved in numerous projects, most notably, the super group of sorts, Gayngs.
Well according to Vernon, we can expect a new 10 track lp this June; while the record is still untitled, he says stylistically it is a bit of a progression. While the For Emma... sessions were very folk based, the new material features a track titled "Perth", which Vernon describes as "a Civil War-sounding Heavy Metal song" & The album closer "Beth/Rest", which he says "definitely is the point where you pick up your joint and re-light it".
Also, Vernon reportedly enlisted experimental saxophonist Colin Stetson and pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Wilco); Personally looking forward to hearing Bon Iver's interpretation of "Heavy Metal".
Since there hasn't been any of the new material leaked yet...here is a now classic track from For Emma, Forever Ago -

 
  

Motel Beds

     Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, Motel Beds have taken the Lo-Fi road of Indie-pop country and perfected it nevertheless. Having recently signed to No More Fake Labels and having recently released a new record, Sunfried Dreams, they've been busy to say the least. After the release of  last years absolutely amazing, Feelings, which like the rest of their fans, we thought would be incredibly hard to top, just last month saw the release of their most recent effort, Sunfried Dreams. An incredible venture into the depths of the gritty  dream-pop underground, which amazingly stands alongside it's predecessor.
For those of you new to the Motel Bed vibe...You NEED to head over to their Bandcamp and download for FREE Feelings & Sunfried Dreams, while you can. Trust us, you will have their infectious tunes on repeat for weeks.
Get more info on Motel Beds here.
Check out "Sunfried Dreams" and the fantastic "81 Sun" below...

The Vaccines live at SXSW

     Say what you will about The Vaccines but they are one of the fastest rising groups in the UK right now.
The band was even signed to Columbia records after only a few singles.
Thanks to AOL and Spinner, you can watch this much hyped band's full set at SXSW this week.
Check out their show below, it will help to pull you out of that fit of depression you've been stuck in since your obviously reading this because your not in Austin right now.
Also, find out more on The Vaccines, here

Jack White's "Rolling Record Store" meets SXSW

     I'm sure by now most of you have heard about Jack White's newest venture, a "Rolling Record Store".
What looks like a converted bread truck is now a mobile version of his Nashville based label, Third Man Records, equipped with limited edition vinyl, merchandise, turntables & a sound system w/ plug-ins, so musicians can perform right out of the truck, for exclusive street shows.
Jack's new "toy" pulled into Austin yesterday for SXSW and surprised everyone by performing a couple songs himself, "Not Fade Away" & the White Stripes classic "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground".
It turned out he was opening for Seaside Steve, the newest addition to Third Man Records, who churned out a hell of a performance, playing his own blues w/ his beaten up three string guitar.
Watch the clip below...make sure to stick around for Seaside Steve.



 

Burial + Four Tet + Thom Yorke

     The 'Super' collaboration of Burial, Four Tet & Thom Yorke was announced yesterday, since then the news has spread like wildfire. They've joined together for a 12", featuring two tracks, "Ego" and "Mirror".
Sounds interesting right? Well, sadly it's too late; the 12" is a very limited edition, which reportedly sold out in the pre-orders nearly instantly.
Never fear for the internet pulls through yet again, with a pair of quality radio rips from when the tracks premiered on Rinse FM.

"MIRROR"



"EGO"

The Strokes

Listen : Angles

     The Strokes have left a legion of fans waiting patiently for the last five years, well after two singles intended to tease us over the last couple months, the wait is finally over (sort of). The actual album won't get a proper physical release until next Tuesday (in the US, Monday everywhere else), however, the band has ever so graciously posted Angles to their website a full week early.
As most of you could tell from "Under cover of darkness" & "Your so right", the new material sounds as if it should have been released in between Room on Fire and First Impressions of the Earth. Obviously after such a long wait, the anticipation is very high, so it will take a few listens to get a feel for the true Angles, so we're getting started now...so far so good.
Stream Angles here  

Mother Mother

     If you aren't lucky enough to be in Austin, TX right now, well then chances are you might be suffering from a temporary bout of depression. The perfect cure for that would be the new Mother Mother record, right?
Well your in luck, because you can stream Eureka in it's entirety now, before it's release tomorrow.
Get your copy here.
EUREKA :

Mother Mother - Eureka by RS MARKETING

Generationals

     While Generationals have a pretty substantial fan base, it seems they are still for some insane reason under appreciated. Based out of New Orleans, they continually churn out near perfect indie-pop, with 1950's radio sensibilities. Although, with their most recent track, "Ten-Twenty-Ten", off of the upcoming  Actor-Caster, they surprisingly traded in their keys for some minimalist "Surf" guitar, which really works.
The video for "Ten-Twenty-Ten" looks like a homage to a Peter Gabriel video, complete with the consistent and random imagery overlays.
Check out their previous releases before Actor-Caster arrives March 29th.

Ten-Twenty-Ten by Generationals from Jubadaba on Vimeo.

 

The Kills

      Alison Mosshart & Jamie Hince of The Kills, are ready to release more of their gritty blues-punk upon the world, with a new album titled, Blood Pressures on April 5th via Domino. It has been 3 very long years since the duo's last effort; 2008's impressive, Midnight Boom. The album's first single, "Satellite", is full of all the darkly hypnotic blues that we've missed, which is only further proved by the video(check it below).
Also, the band is giving away a second album teaser, "DNA", in exchange for an email on their website.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

     Brooklyn's new wavy indie-poppers are back with a new LP, simply titled Belong. You can pick it up or download it, whatever your into, on March 29th, courtesy of Slumberland.
If you can't wait for it, the band has made it available to stream online in it's entirety.
Check it out below, enjoy...

Radiohead....back in the studio?

     After the HIGHLY talked about sudden release of The King of Limbs a few weeks ago, like most of the bands records, it took a few listens. While the new album is fantastic; understandably, since they seemingly can't do anything else; the word on the street (aka blog communities) is that alot of people were disappointed and felt like something was missing, by only having 37 minutes of new material.
Well, good news has arrived, according to guitarist Jonny Greenwood, the band is already back in the studio working on new material. Maybe we will see a 2nd release this year; unlikely but apparently possibly.

In the meantime, here's "Pyramid Song" & A interesting new cover of it by Wolf Gang below-




Wolf Gang - Pyramid Song (Radiohead Cover) by Radar Maker

Million Young & Teen Daze Cover PINK FLOYD

     This incredible video was shot by Yours Truly; showcasing a somewhat of a unique pairing, Million Young & Teen Daze joining forces for a small show that featured a wonderful cover of Pink Floyd's "Us and Them". While their version is not as "Spacey" as the original, it stands out in its own fashion.
I'm not really sure how this collaboration happened but after watching this footage, we can only hope someone or something gets these guys back together for another 'jam' session.
A MUST watch :

Yours Truly Presents: Millionyoung & Teen Daze "Us and Them" (Pink Floyd) from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Billy Comfort feat. Steffaloo

     Arguably, the greatest thing about the internet is the ease and ability to stumble upon amazing new music. This time it was "Wonder of We" by Billy Comfort feat. Steffaloo, via the always illustrious I Guess I'm Floating.
While knowing nothing of either artists previous work, "Wonder of We" and it's electro-chillwave vibe has basically been on repeat the last few days much like the effect it apparently had over at IGIF.

Try not to get addicted to this ( or at least binge on it for the rest of the weekend ) -
  

My Morning Jacket

The Festival Kings Return w/ Circuital

     It's been three years since My Morning Jacket released Evil Urges; our wait will apparently be over soon enough. The band recently announced that they've finished their new record, titled Circuital and it will be out this year; hopefully by late spring / early summer.
According to MMJ, this is their most "live" record to date; they set up shop at a local church gymnasium in their hometown of Louisville, Ky.
There aren't any tour dates available yet, except for a short string of their staple festival appearances; however seeing as these guys thrive in their live performances, don't be surprised to see a massive tour this summer.

While we patiently await someone to leak a track or two from Circuital, here's a little vintage MMJ -

The Walkmen

"While I shovel the Snow" & B-Side - "Orange Sunday"

     New York rockers, The Walkmen, released two incredible new videos yesterday. The first, "Orange Sunday", which is a previously unreleased track from the Lisbon sessions; directed by Bruno Levy, the video appears to be set in the Caribbean, following a diver through his underwater travels. On a side note, the footage seems eerily similar to Washed Out's fan made video for "Feel it all Around".
The second video, "While I shovel the Snow", was fittingly shot on location in Brooklyn during one of the cities recent snow storms. This one was directed by Jake Davis and I have to say, it is stunningly beautiful; shot entirely in monochrome, giving the already emotional song it's much needed melancholic pairing.

Check out both amazing videos below-

The Walkmen - "Orange Sunday" (Lisbon B-side) from stereogum on Vimeo.

    

Dirty Gold

"California Sunrise"

     These San Diego natives are gearing up to release an EP this April that will undoubtedly be on all of the inevitable "Summer Albums" lists. Imagine the Afro-beat of a  laid back Vampire Weekend minus the semi-annoying vocals meets Little Joy and you get Dirty Gold.
Dirty Gold's Roar EP will be out April 12th on Autumn Tone Records.

Check out the beach soaked sounds of  "California Sunrise" below.

Dirty Gold California Sunrise by Paola-Knox

Jonsi

Go Do live at The Wiltern

     This isn't the 'newest' thing out there(earlier this month), however still worth a watch or even a re-watching in some cases. It was taken from Jonsi's performance at Los Angeles's Wiltern theater, which took place last October. The concert was filmed by Dean Deblois, whom also worked with Jonsi along with the rest of Sigur Ros on Heima, both available on itunes.
Hopefully, the next thing on Jonsi's schedule will be working on a new Sigur Ros record; we can only hope.
Check out an excellent performance of "Go Do" below.

Soft Healer

     This Austin based band just released a new limited 300 copies edition 10" this week, titled "One-Sider", out on local label Monofonus Press. Soft Healer's sound could easily be described as John Coltrane sitting in with a guitar drone soaked 60's psychedelic band, ex. the standout "Grand Isle", however the four piece have many more layers, judging by their early R&B and Soul roots.
Check out their Tumblr here.

   

Beach Fossils Feat. Jack Tatum

     Next week, Brooklyn's Beach Fossils are set to release more of their jangly dream-pop upon the world with yet another ep, this one entitled What a Pleasure via Captured Tracks. This new endeavor features a collaboration with another one of our favorites, Jack Tatum, mastermind of Wild Nothing. He joins them on "Out in the Way", this may be one of the best collaborations you'll hear this year, to say the very least. The track sees Tatum and Payseur trading off vocal duties seamlessly over top of what can best be described as Beach Fossils covering Wild Nothing or maybe it's Wild Nothing covering Beach Fossils, either way it's fantastic and you need to hear it.
We can only hope they reconvene for more of this...maybe we'll see a 'Wild Fossils' album !?!    

Beach Fossils - Out In the Way (feat. Jack Tatum) by the beat farm

Arcade Fire

Acoustic @ KROQ

While in town for their performance at the Grammy's this weekend; Arcade Fire stopped by the studios at legendary L.A. radio station, KROQ for a pair of acoustic performances. The band played "Month of May" and "Ready to Start" from their most recent offering, The Suburbs. 

Also, keeping the fire burning (pun intended) is the debut of Spike Jonze Scenes from the Suburbs, his 30 min.short film featuring the band, in a continuation of their video for last summer's aptly titled "Suburbs", gets its official debut this weekend at the Berlin international film festival and a spot next month at SXSW.

Check out the footage below from the acoustic set.

Generationals

     Not aware of any news with Generationals, just a short post, incase by some chance you hadn't heard of this fantastic band. Based out of New Orleans, their sound encompasses a wide array of influences, ranging in everything from 60's motown soul of "When they fight, they fight" to the 80's new wave meets 'Beach Boys' sound of "Trust".
In short, if you aren't a fan already..expect to be one. Check out the videos below and download the Ep's HERE.

Emilie Proulx

Roller coasters, mini-tsunamis

                                           Photo credit - julie-blanche

     While trolling through the musical abyss known as 'Bandcamp', we stumbled upon Emilie Proulx, a Montreal based multi-instrumentalist. She just released an excellent new Ep entitled Roller Coasters, Mini-Tsunamis on January 1st, available for free, until the end of the month. Emilie's well crafted folk songs have, most notably, elements of Cat Power, Iron & Wine, Joseph Arthur and even a little Sigur Ros (Especially the video) all melded together into something of her own.
You can Download/Stream Roller Coasters, Mini-Tsunamis, along with previous efforts HERE

Watch this...

Demain peut-être - Émilie Proulx from Pierre-Luc Racine on Vimeo.

  Also, follow the link on the photo credit..Beautiful work.

Death From Above 1979 Reunion

 This dance-punk duo only survived for a few short years in the early 2000's, but managed to collect a rapid following. Consisting of Jesse Keeler on Bass, Synth, Vocals & Sebastian Grainger on Vocals, Drums; the pair were known for their infectious live shows. With only one full length and a hand full of Ep's under their belt, they decided to call it quits back in 2006.
According to Coachella's site, DFA reportedly have plans to reunite for the music festival, which takes place each spring over three days in the desert of  Indio, California, drawing massive crowds. Hopefully this will spark some creativeness and possibly a new album, as unlikely as that may be.

The Strokes

It's about damn time; Recently, Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture "Leaked" on his personal Facebook page that  the release date for the band's MUCH anticipated fourth record would be March 22nd, which was later confirmed to be true. It's been five years since the release of First Impressions of the Earth; in a recent interview with Zane Lowe (BBC Radio), Nikolai said that musically he felt this was the record (yet to be titled) they should have put out between Room on Fire and First Impressions... 
Full tour dates haven't been released yet; expected in the coming months.

With no single available yet, here's some vintage Strokes.

The Greenhornes

While touring for their first album in five years, "Four Stars",  The Greenhornes sat down with Nic Harcourt in LA a few weeks ago for an appearance on Live Buzz. The newly reformed trio played four tracks from the aptly titled and long awaited record, which was released by Third Man Records back in November; receiving rave reviews from nearly everyone. We can only hope, it's not another five years before we see new  material.

Here's footage of "My Sparrow" from the sessions:

Also, an excellent video documenting the band's reunion show from last August...

  

Iron & Wine

Daytrotter Session

Modern folk icon Samuel Beam aka Iron & Wine accompanied by Rosie Thomas, stopped by Daytrotter Studios yesterday for a stripped down intimate performance. The performance features three tracks from his soon to be released album 'Kiss each other Clean', which sees Beam yet again stretching the boundaries of the folk genre; with this being his second album featuring a full band breaking and simultaneously redefining the mold. The session also catches a wonderful rendition of "Naked as we Came", with Rosie's soft voice breathing some new life into one of his now classic's.

After 3 years, 'Kiss each other Clean' will finally see the light of day on January 25th; while your waiting, watch the aforementioned performance here.

The Smith Westerns

Stream the New Album 'Dye it Blonde'

If you want to hear the new Smith Westerns record 'Dye it Blonde' before it's January 18th release date; the band has made it available to stream in it's entirety over at NPR's music cafe, for a limited time.

'Dye it Blonde' ...Here

No No Knots

 

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, this synthy electro-pop band formed in December 2009 and less than a year later picked up a pair of Cincinnati Entertainment Award's nominations for 'Best New Artist' & 'Best Electronic Artist'. Primarily consisting of members whom have trained at Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. Since their formation, No No Knots has been making waves in the very diverse local scene along the likes of Buffalo Killers, Eat Sugar, Frontier Folk Nebraska & The Greenhornes, to name a few. There is definitely no shortage of Electro-pop bands out there, what sets No No Knots apart are their uniquely creative rhythms and the powerful vocals/lyrics of front woman Molly Sullivan, whom at times seems a bit reminiscent of 'Blondie'; maybe a "Heart of Glass" cover is in order.
Check out, "Leaf" & "The Window" below:

The Window by No No Knots

Leaf by No No Knots

For more info and upcoming shows - No No Knots - Myspace