[Discover] First Aid Kit - "The Lion's Roar"

     First Aid Kit is comprised of two sisters from Stockholm, Sweden who surprisingly enough play American Folk music, beautifully held together with delicate harmonies, bringing to mind our own Fleet Foxes.
Which is actually how these folksters were first noticed....with their outstanding cover of "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" via a DIY video posted to Youtube back in 2008.
Fast forward a few years and FAK are about ready to release their US debut [The Lion's Roar] January 24th on Jagadamba Records after some time spent holed up in Omaha, Nebraska with producer Mike Mogis.

Expect to see a lot more of these girls in the coming year...'The Lion's Roar' is going to put First Aid Kit in the running for MANY "Best of" year end lists... perhaps 2012 will see a collaboration with Fleet Foxes (just wishful thinking but wouldn't that be AMAZING)

Get more info, including Pre-order directions HERE

[News] Heartless Bastards - 'Arrow'

     It's been three long years since Erika Wennerstrom & Co. put out their epic career defining last album, 'The Mountain' but the Heartless Bastards are finally back with 'Arrow', out on Partisan Records on Feb. 14th. After one listen to the first single "Parted Ways", you'll once again be hooked and forgetting they were ever gone...

Check out "Parted Ways" below, then head over to their WEBSITE where they'll trade you the mp3 for your email. 

Pre-order ARROWS

[News] Alabama Shakes - 'Boys & Girls'

     Ever since their appearance at the CMJ festival back in October, the Alabama Shakes have seemingly "blown up"...nabbing a spot on nearly every critics "Ones's to Watch" list along with a certain Diamond commercial from the holiday's. The retro-soul rockers are officially set to release their debut album [Boys & Girls] on April 10th on ATO records but with that still over two months out...there will be a 7 inch from Jack White's Third Man records out at the end of January, to tide over the masses.

As of now there have only been a handful of tour dates announced (the standard cities) but expect a full fledged tour come April.

Boys & Girls
1. Hold on
2. I found you
3. Hang loose
4. Rise to the sun
5. You ain't alone
6. Goin' to the party
7. Heartbreaker
8. Boys & Girls
9. Be mine
10. I ain't the same
11. On your way

[Stream] Porcelain Raft - "Strange Weekend"

     Brooklyn's Porcelain Raft's highly anticipated debut Lp, "Strange Weekend", is now available to stream in it's entirety. Although it isn't officially released until the 24th (via Secretly Canadian) this is definitely enough to moisten your ear palate. While we are only halfway through our second listen, it's pretty solid to say the least, full of synthy layers worthy of uncovering. Go ahead and clear your schedule...

Pre-Order Strange Weekend HERE

[Discover] Atlas Genius

     Meet Australia's newest export, Atlas Genius, who recently landed on our shores with their refreshingly catchy FIRST single "Trojans". The yet to be "signed" foursome boast a familiar sound that's a little reminiscent of 'Phoenix' and even a bit of 'Two Door Cinema Club'.
Not only did they recently make MTV's 'Buzzworthy' status with their acoustic performance on Matt Pinfields revived 120 minutes but they also hit #2 on Sirius Alt-nation just last month.
We'll see how long this "unsigned" thing lasts..

Follow the bands personal Tumblr HERE

The Decemberists ~ LIVE Lp

     Last year was a pretty productive year for The Decemberists, releasing both a full length[The King is Dead] and a Ep of B-sides[Long Live the King]. Well, it looks as though 2012 is starting off the same, in March the band is set to release their first ever "Live" album, titled 'We All Raise Our Voices To The Air (Live songs 04.11 - 08.11)".
The Pre-Order is said to be available soon; in the meantime here's the tracklist...

20 Tracks on 2xCd's or what you should buy, a 3xLp set.

Disc 1
1.      The Infanta
2.      Calamity Song
3.      Rise To Me
4.      The Soldiering Life
5.      We Both Go Down Together
6.      The Bagman’s Gambit
7.      Down By The Water
8.      Leslie Ann Levine
9.      The Rake’s Song
10.    The Crane Wife 1, 2, and 3

Disc 2
1.      Oceanside
2.      Billy Liar
3.      Grace Cathedral Hill
4.      All Arise!
5.      Rox In The Box
6.      June Hymn
7.      Dracula’s Daughter > O Valencia!
8.      This Is Why We Fight
9.      The Mariner’s Revenge Song
10.    I Was Meant For The Stage

[Watch] Nerves Junior - "Swimmer's Ear"

     The Louisville based band, Nerves Junior, just revealed a new video for the track "Swimmer's Ear" off last year's excellent album [As Bright as Your Night Light]. The haunting and at times and near cryptic footage was fantastically shot and edited by music blogger Zach Hart of We Listen For You.
Definitely one of the more impressive videos we've seen as of late, especially for something put out by a still up and coming band. Looking forward to more from these guys in the near future.

Me & Mountains on Vinyl ?

     Much like many other independent bands these days, Dayton, Ohio's Me & Mountains, have turned to Kickstarter looking for a little help from their fans when it came time to financing their new release.

The band, who affectionately refer to their sound as "Smooth American Beer Rock", earned some indie cred after the success of their DIY 2010 debut Ep [Foxy Friends] landing them a show at the notable Midpoint Music Festival. Since then they've spent the past year writing and recording their highly anticipated first full length entitled 'Feral'. Now, they want to fulfill their dream of putting 'Feral" out on vinyl but need a little bit of your help. They've managed to put together quite a few rewards for your assistance such as limited edition hand made Posters & T-shirts, Stickers, Buttons, Etc. However, if your feeling extra generous, you could receive lifetime admission to future shows or even dinner with the band!

You can grab Me & Mountains Ep for free HERE
Check out the first track off of 'Feral' below.. then head over to kickstarter and lend a helping hand.
Get 'Feral' on Vinyl
 

At The Drive-in Reunite

     Word of the reunion of late nineties post-hardcore act At the Drive-in has spread about as fast as that of last years Guided by Voices. After a few years of rumors, the members have apparently ironed out their differences and agreed to reform for a couple of shows at the legendary Coachella festival in April.

We can only hope/assume at this point that there will be a full fledged tour or perhaps a new album but who knows, given all the info released as of now was a tweet from the band yesterday...

If your willing to shell out the cash for Coachella, get in line early, these guys were known for their intense performances and their first one back will likely be over the top.

[Discover] - The Bilinda Butchers

     If you aren't hip to San Francisco's latest bedroom project,  The Bilinda Butchers, prepare to meet your new favorite band. The multi-instrumental dream-pop duo of Michal & Adam construct layer upon layer of hypnotic melodies, with their aptly titled debut Ep, Regret Love Guilt Dreams. The genre is definitely not new or ground breaking but with so many bands making a half-hearted go at it, it's refreshing to hear a new band with an Ep full of such well crafted material; the most promising young band since 'Wild Nothing' landed on the scene.
Head over to their Bandcamp and grab their debut for the "name your price" deal, where your likely feel the Regret & Guilt of not discovering it sooner and quickly fall in Love with the Dream-pop.

Something to moisten your ear-palate...
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[New] Lana Del Rey - "The National Anthem"

     A new week and wouldn't you know it, Lana Del Rey released another new track from her forthcoming debut Lp (Born to Die, Jan. 31st). We are officially "still on the fence" when it comes to Lana, as are many people, she has been highly buzzed about and equally dismissed for being a so called "fake".

     Today's new track, titled "The National Anthem", is neither an ode to America nor a cover of the Radiohead classic (Thank God ?); it finds her in a musical world we have yet to see, with amped up guitars and an over all more 'Sleigh Bell's-esque" vibe. Apparently we can expect a little more variety than initially thought in the coming weeks; What other surprises does she have up her sleeve?

Give it a spin below...

Discover - Midi Matilda

     If the San Franciscan duo of Skyler Kilborn & Logan Grime know one thing, it's how to craft an insanely addictive indie pop song. The pair who perform under the moniker Midi Matilda, have recently been receiving a lot of much deserved attention, sparked by their excellent new video for "Day Dreams" off what we hope is a two track album teaser, 'Red Light District', released back in November. This release sees the band joining the likes of  Generationals, Passion Pit & 2011's Indie King M83; if MM keep churning out infectious electro tinged pop like this, you can expect to see a lot more of them in 2012.

 Do yourself a favor..head over to their Bandcamp and pick up the new teaser/Ep along with previous effort, 'By the Firelight', for FREE.

But First..Check out the fantastic stop motion video for "Day Dreams" using over 3,000 images projected over different surfaces throughout San Fransisco and Berkely, CA.