[new music] My Morning Jacket - Circuital

That Good Ol' Familiar Feel of My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket's newest album Circuital is scheduled for a May 31 release. The title track - a 7 minute slow-building jam session - can be heard below. If the rest of the album sounds anything like this, we're in for a treat. Now I'm probably in the minority here, but I was never able to acquire a taste for Evil Urges. With the exception of "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream, Part II", I just could never seem to understand what all the hoopla was about. But "Circuital" is nice and familiar, yet a little stripped down. I love how we hear the song built up as it progresses, only to be torn back apart after the climax at the 6 minute-mark. Check it out, and pre-order a copy of the LP here.



You can download this track (here)

[new music] Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

New Handsome Furs on June 28!

Handsome Furs have just announced the details of their 3rd LP Sound Kapital! The album will drop via SupPop on June 28, and you can hear the first single "What About Us" above. According to the band's press release, Sound Kapital is the first Handsome Furs album written exclusively on keyboards and drum machine. They go on to explain this decision in rational detail:

This was a conscious decision, made for a few reasons: a) it forced Dan, whose primary instrument is guitar, to find fresh avenues of expression; b) it facilitated writing on the road. The latter concern is especially important. Even with their new analog synthesizers, Handsome Furs can still fit all their gear into a subcompact car—or the saddlebags of a camel. Alexei and Dan have joked about being “closet journalists,” but this is no laughing matter. Being able to work as they travel permits visceral editorializing about their eye-opening adventures. The jittery, electro-hardcore “Damage” incorporates samples of radio broadcasts concerning a Hong Kong hostage situation that was unfolding while the Furs were in the Philippines.

The band will be playing a series of US shows before jetting off across the Atlantic (dates are posted below). Could be interesting to hear some old jams played out on the keys...

Sound Kapital Track Listing
01 When I Get Back
02 Damage
03 Bury Me Standing
04 Memories of the Future
05 Serve the People
06 What About Us
07 Repatriated
08 Cheap Music
09 No Feelings

Handsome Furs Tour Dates
04-13 – Boston, MA – Great Scott
04-14 – Brooklyn, NY – Bell House
04-15 – Richmond, VA – Gallery 5
04-16 – Clemson, SC – Clemson University
04-17 – Raleigh, NC – King's Barcade
04-18 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
04-22 – Sofia, Bulgaria – RBF Club – with No Age
04-23 – Skopje, MK – Zdravo Mladi Festival – with No Age
04-26 – Prishtina, Albania – Club 21 *
04-27 – Podgorica, Montenegro – Soul2Soul *
04-28 – Dubrovnik, Croatia – Orlando *
04-29 – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – SLOGA
05-03 – Vienna, AT – Flex
05-04 – Bratislava, SK – Dunaj
05-05 – Krakow, PL – Laznia Nowa
05-06 – Warsaw, PL – Warsaw Music Week @ Cafe Kulturalna
05-07 – Wroclaw, PL – Puzzle
05-08 – Prague, CZ – 007
05-09 – Berlin, DE – Westgermany
05-11 – Gent, BE – De Centrale
05-12 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
05-13 – Brighton, UK – The Great Escape
05-14 – Cardiff, UK – Buffalo Bar
05-16 – London, UK – Lexington ^
05-17 – Glasgow, UK – Captains Rest
05-19 – Liverpool, UK – Sounds City Festival @ Chapel Club
05-20 – Paris, FR – Le Flèche d’or
05-21 – Bergen, NO – Landmark
05-22 – Oslo,NO – Betong

* – With support from Bernays Propaganda
^ – With support from Hundreds

[new music] Arctic Monkeys - "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"

New Song from Arctic Monkeys

Recently, the Arctic Monkeys announced the details of their upcoming album Suck It and See, which drops June 6. We first heard "Brick by Brick", where drummer Matt Helders showed off his pipes as well as his stick play in the vintage rocker. We now have our second sample of the new LP, which is streamable below. The song, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair," will be the band's first official single off Suck It. This Saturday for Record Store Day, "Don't Sit Down" will be sold as a 7" vinyl b/w of "Brick by Brick." Check it out.

[review] Lord Huron @ Tractor Tavern (4-10-2011)

Lord Huron Went Wild

One would think a rainy Sunday night in Seattle would bear a tepid crowd at the Tractor Tavern. Not the case. Those devoted fans who braved the weather were more than rewarded for their dedication. The Michigan natives (by-way-of Los Angeles) who play under the moniker Lord Huron performed to an eager crowd last night, and they did not disappoint.

Lord Huron began as a solo project for lead singer Ben Schneider, but to put this show on the road, he enlisted the help of a childhood buddy and three other Michiganders. The effect is quite nice - the live version of the band has a rougher, louder edge. Even by falling victim to the Tractor's poor sound quality, the beautiful soundscapes that appear on the Lord Huron's two EPs Into the Sun and Mighty were transformed into a frenetic romp through the band's small catalog. To date, Lord Huron have seven total songs to their name, yet fans heard every single one of them in all their gloriousness. A set list is posted below, and highlights included a beautiful performance of "The Stranger", as well as "We Went Wild", which closed the set with an energy-driven climax. All in all, these guys are making some exciting tunes, and may be coming to a city near you. Check out the dates below, and be sure to catch this act if you can.

Set List :: Lord Huron @ Tractor Tavern (4-10-2011)
Mighty
Into the Sun
The Problem With Your Daughter
Son of a Gun
The Stranger
When Will I See You Again
We Went Wild

Tour Dates :: Lord Huron
04/09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir*
04/10 - Seattle, WA - The Tractor*
04/12 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill*
04/13 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill*
04/19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room*
04/20 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive*
04/21 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown*
04/22 - St. Louis, MO - Firebird*
04/23 - Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio*
04/24 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom*
04/26 - Washington, DC - DC9
04/28 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
04/30 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
05/02 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge
05/03 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's Tavern
05/07 - Norman, OK - Opolis Coffee
05/08 - Austin, TX - Emo's
05/10 - Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
05/11 - La Jolla, CA - The Loft at UCSD
05/14 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

* w/ Rural Alberta Advantage

[new music] Resume Compilation for Japanese Earthquake Victims

A Compilation Album to Support the Victims
of the Japan Earthquake

In the wake of the horrendous earthquake and resulting tsunami that recently struck eastern Japan, 7 e.p. (a label that mainly licenses music from overseas) has arranged a compilation to help benefit the victims. With the hope of creating an iTunes-based benefit album, they called out to the overseas artists that they have had the pleasure of working with. The response was immediate and overwhelming.

The result: a 3-volume benefit compilation album titled Resume. It includes 45 tracks, most of them previously unreleased, from 43 artists hailing from America, Canada, Australia, the U.K., the Netherlands and even Japan.

The title, Resume, which implies recovering and persevering, was the idea of Sweet Dreams publisher Norio Fukuda. The cover artwork was provided by renowned Olympia, WA artist Nikki McClure. Additionally, Masaki Tada, who has worked on albums by moools and many other 7 e.p. albums, offered his mastering expertise. Of note, contributions from Wolf Parade (who toured with moools last year), Sunset Rubdown, and Johnny & The Moon have all contributed songs to Resume (list posted below). Looks like a good album, and it's definitely a good cause. Check it out - albums are available today for $7 each.

• Wolf Parade – Agents Of Love (iTunes only single)
• Wolf Parade – Semi-Precious Stone (iTunes only single)
• Sunset Rubdown – Coming To At Dawn (Digitally unreleased)
• Sunset Rubdown – Insane Love Is Awakening (Digitally unreleased)
• Johnny & The Moon – From the Rooftops of Houses (Unreleased)

[new music] Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

When in Rome...

On KEXP today, I heard a strangely familiar track featuring the vocals of Jack White. It was clever and catchy, and immediately stuck to my brain. A little investigating lead me to the discovery of its origin: yet another awesome project involving the musical mastermind Danger Mouse. I remember briefly hearing about Danger Mouse's "Rome" project, but had apparently forgotten. For those who aren't aware, Rome is supposed to be Danger Mouse's interpretation of a Spaghetti Western score. And what better way to gain inspiration than by recording the album at Ennio Moriccone’s Forum Studios in Rome (You may not know Ennio by name, but his score to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is one of the most recognized western tunes around).

Rome was composed by Italian Daniele Luppi and Danger Mouse, and it also contains vocals from both Jack White and Nora Jones. Below are two tracks "Two Against One" and "Black". If these two tracks are representative of the album, this is going to be one solid release.

Rome drops May 17.

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
"Two Against One" :: ft Jack White

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
"Black" :: ft Norah Jones

For more info, watch the trailer below ::

[reminder] Lord Huron @ The Tractor (4-10-2011)

The Return of Lord Huron

Just a friendly reminder - Lord Huron will be playing at the Tractor Tavern this Sunday (April 10) in support of The Rural Alberta Advantage and Land of Pines. Tickets are still available (here) or at your local Sonic boom for a mere $10. Doors open at 8pm. Don't miss Lord Huron. And if you don't know who these bad asses are, watch their video of "The Stranger" above. It's awesome. Also, they earned Three Colours' Best EP honors of 2010, if that means anything to you.

Who? Lord Huron (w/ The Rural Alberta Advantage & Land of Pines)
Where? The Tractor Tavern
When? April 10, 2011 (Doors at 8pm)
How? $10 (here)