Monday, December 5, 2011

[new music] Plants and Animals - The End of That

P&A Announce New Record

“Let’s make a new record,” they say. “How do we do this? Let’s do it differently—let’s write a whole pile of songs and develop them big time before we go into the studio to record—let’s not do the fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants routine for a change—too crazy, too pressed. Let’s create in a cave, off the clock, take some time. Like normal people,” they say.

Plants and Animals have just announced the news and release date for their third LP, The End of That. Set to release via Secret City on February 28, 2012, P&A are already sharing the first single, a slow-rocker called "Lightshow" (listen below). New tour dates have also been posted, most notably, the band will be hitting up the Crocodile in Seattle, as well as Shuba's in Chicago! Additionally, the band will be touring with a bass player and playing live as a four piece for the first time. Should bring some added depth to their stage sound - always a plus.



Plants and Animals tour dates:
12-7-2011 :: The Rock Shop :: New York, NY
1-6-2012 :: Rialto Theatre :: Montreal, QC
1-12-2012 :: Schuba's :: Chicago, IL (Tomorrow Never Knows Fest)
3-8-2012 :: Ritual Nightclub :: Ottawa, ON**
3-9-2012 :: Le Cercle :: Quebec, QC**
3-10-2012 :: Le Cabaret du Mile End :: Montreal, QC
3-21-2012 :: Rickshaw Theatre :: Vancouver, BC*
3-22-2012 :: The Crocodile :: Seattle, WA*
3-24-2012 :: Mississippi Studios :: Portland, Oregon*
3-27-2012 :: Starlite Room :: Edmonton, AB*
3-28-2012 :: Republik :: Calgary, AB*
3-29-2012 :: Amigos Cantina :: Saskatoon, SK*
3-30-2012 :: West End Cultural Centre :: Winnipeg, MB*
3-31-2012 :: 7th Street Entry :: Minneapolis, MN*

* w/ Little Scream
** w/ TBA

ADVANCE PRE-SALE TICKETS for all shows are available here.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

[mp3] Spoon - "Towner on the B-Side" (demo) December Bonus Track

New Bonus Track from Spoon

Spoon wasted little time between releasing bonus tracks, bringing us all some early holiday cheer in the month of December. This month's song is a demo version of the aMiniature (the "a" is silent) cover "Towner on the B-Side". During a recent move, lead singer Britt Daniel apparently stumbled upon an old cassette tape that was made in the pre-Sneaks years. Cool!

Even cooler, a long while back I did a little write-up about my thoughts on the connection between Spoon and aMiniature, and to my surprise, aMiniature's lead singer John Lee responded. Read his comments here.

December's demo version is of Telephono's "Towner on the B-Side". For the full list of Spoon bonus tracks, go here. Check out this month's bonus track below.

MP3: Spoon - "Towner on the B-Side" (demo) - aMiniature cover
(December '11 Bonus Track)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

[new music] The Black Keys - El Camino

Hear the new Black Keys album today!

Get the album, entitled El Camino (cover art above) on December 6 via Nonesuch. It'll make for a great stocking-stuffer. Below, for the mere price of your email address, you can legally sample 5 tracks off The Black Keys' latest rocker. For the virtual pirates sailing the digital seas, an advance copy is floating around amongst the flotsam for all to sample. Based on the songs streamable below, this is going to be yet another great BK LP.

BUY :: The Black Keys - El Camino

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

[video] Fleet Foxes - "The Shrine / An Argument"

Sean Pecknold's latest creation

Magical, imagination-provoking imagery drives this incredible Fleet Foxes' music video. Sean Pecknold has honed his mastery of animation and created one of his best films to date. I will say, the saxophone "solo" in this beautiful song is a bit grating when listening through Helplessness Blues, but watching the two-headed dragon scene in the video makes it much more tolerable.

Check out the video for "The Shrine / An Argument" above. And also take a gander at Fleet Foxes's live show as they continue their international tour.

Fleet Foxes tour dates:
EUROPE:
November 29, 2011 :: Heineken Music Hall / Amsterdam, Holland$
November 30, 2011 :: Forest National Club / Brussels, Belgium$
December 01, 2011 :: O2 Academy / Leeds, UK$ SOLD OUT

AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND:
December 29-31, 2011 :: Falls Festival / Lorne, Vic & Marion Bay, Taz, Australia
January 02, 2012 :: Sydney Opera House/ Sydney, Australia
January 03, 2012 :: Sydney Opera House/ Sydney, Australia
January 04, 2012 :: Sydney Opera House / Sydney, Australia
January 06, 2012 :: Palais Theatre / Melbourne, Australia SOLD OUT
January 07-08, 2012 :: Southbound Festival / Busselton, Australia
January 10, 2012 :: Tivoli/ Brisbane, Australia
January 11, 2012 :: Tivoli / Brisbane, Australia SOLD OUT
January 13, 2012 :: Hunter Lodge / Wellington, New Zealand
January 14, 2012 :: Town Hall / Auckland, New Zealand

JAPAN:
January 17, 2012 :: Big Cat / Osaka, Japan
January 18, 2012 :: Club Quatro / Nagoya, Japan
January 20, 2012 :: Studio Coast / Tokyo, Japan

$ w/ Vetiver

Friday, November 18, 2011

[video] Miracle Fortress - "Miscalculations" + Tour Dates

New video, tour dates from Miracle Fortress

My favorite, "feel-good" jam from Miracle Fortress's second LP Was I The Wave? now has a music video. During the band's 2011 summer tour for the sophomore album, Graham Van Pelt & Co. captured a lot of the road-tripping magic on 8mm, and the results are as touching as the song itself. I'm not sure what it is about this "Miscalculations" (which most resembles the dreamy-pop classics found on Five Roses), but when I hear it I'm dosed with a healthy shot of optimism.

Miracle Fortress continues to blaze across the world in support of WITW? Of note, they'll be supporting Québec's Coeur de Pirate in February. For a full list of dates, look below.

Miracle Fortress tour dates:
11/19/11 :: Montreal QC @ Metropolis (MIRACLE FORTRESS DJ set)
12/05/11 :: Berlin DE @ HBC
12/06/11 :: Hamburg DE @ Astra Stube
12/07/11 :: Utrecht NL @ Ekko
12/08/11 :: Paris FR @ L'Espace B
12/09/11 :: Brighton UK @ Sticky Mike's
12/11/11 :: London UK @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
12/13/11 :: Manchester UK @ Night & Day
12/14/11 :: Glasgow UK @ Captains Rest
12/16/11 :: Dublin IE @ Crawdaddy &
12/17/11 :: Galway IE @ Rosin Dubh
02/03/12 :: Sorel QC @ Café Les Beaux instants #
02/10/12 :: Quebec QC @ Impérial #
02/12/12 :: Brossard QC @ Étoile Banque Nationale #
02/17/12 :: Rimouski QC @ Salle Desjardins-Telus #
02/18/12 :: Rivière-du-Loup QC @ Centre culturel de RDL #
02/25/12 :: Shawinigan QC @ Salle Philippe-Filion #

& w/ Moths
# w/ Coeur de Pirate

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

[mp3] Spoon - "Reservations" (demo) November Bonus Track

New Bonus Track from Spoon

Yet again, Spoon keeps releasing a demo version of very early songs that were rediscovered during Britt Daniel's recent move. Daniel apparently stumbled upon an old cassette tape that was made in the pre-Sneaks years. Cool!

November's demo version is of A Series of Sneaks' "Reservations". For the full list of Spoon bonus tracks, go here. Check out this month's bonus track below.

MP3: Spoon - "Reservations" (demo)
(November '11 Bonus Track)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

[tour dates] White Rabbits are coming to a city near you

Tour dates now, new album soon

White Rabbits have reported that new music is on the way, and judging from their newly announced tour dates, we may be hearing said songs as early as November. White Rabbits put on one of my favorite shows in Seattle, and I think you should definitely take advantage of seeing them live if they're in a city near you. Dates posted below.

White Rabbits tour dates:
11/29/11 - Buffalo, NY @ Ninth Ward
11/30/11 - Toronto, ONT @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
12/01/11 - Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
12/02/11 - Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
12/03/11 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
12/05/11 - Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
12/06/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
12/08/11 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
12/09/11 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
12/10/11 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
12/11/11 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar