In a recent interview with Pitchfork, Jennifer Herrema of Royal Trux and RTX (now Black Bananas) fame teased some new details about the long-delayed Avalanches release. Not only did Herrema team up with the Australian band to write lyrics for a new song titled “The Stepkids”, but Herrema also told Pitchfork, “They said the album is definitely going to come out this year. And I heard Danny Brown is going to guest on the record, too.” Wow. If the new record does indeed come out this year, it will be the group’s first studio album since 2000’s critically-acclaimed Since I Left You. Not much else is known, but current working titles for the album include On A Saturday and Friday Night Fever.
Herrema’s new album as Black Bananas, Rad Times Xpress IV, is out tomorrow.
According to a recent print edition of NME, electronic duo Crystal Castles will be recording their new album in Warsaw and plan to release it sometime this summer. The new album will be a followup to their great sophomore release, Crystal Castles (II), and like all their other albums, it will be self-produced by Ethan Kath.
Regarding the bands sound, Kath states: “every song we write feels bleak to me. I don’t get it when people think it’s beautiful. I think it [bleakness] is the only emotion we do. We don’t want to do anything else.”
Sam Ray under the moniker of Ricky Eat Acid produces breathtaking ambient experimental tunes. His most recent release called “so i will not fall deep into the earth” is part of a genre titled “space punk.”
In his own words he describes the genre as “there is no point to spacepunk. it’s anti-trendy. there are no driving electronic rhythms – it lacks any post-rave, post-internet, future-pop beats. there’s nothing really. that’s it. there’s nothing. it’s music that evokes the feeling of floating endlessly and eternally through darkness. it’s inspired as much by the romanticized and unscientific idea of space as it is by sleep, heavy opiate use, and the feeling of being alone in bed, half awake on a rainy day. it’s a very sad feeling. it’s not nostalgic, but it still makes me miss everything. it’s nothing, really. you could characterize it as drone, sometimes, or ambient. i’m not really sure. it’s fun, but it’s not. it’s not post-internet, it’s post-life.”
The nine minute track gives you the feeling of floating endlessly in time and space. If you are a fan of ambient, drone or experimental music, pick up the track for free on his Bandcamp.
Echotape, a band that came together under a shared disillusionment that the vast majority of artists that presented themselves as “alternative” were, in fact, devoid of any discernible purpose or ambition beyond commercial or egotistic self-nourishment, have a four track EP scheduled for release later this year. Their first released track is called “Came Into My Blood” and it combines dream-like melodies, an upbeat rhythm similar to the Horrors, and passionate vocals. For their debut album, they have worked with legendary producer Youth (of Killing Joke fame) who has previously worked with the likes of The Verve, The Orb, and The Futureheads. They believe passionately in a more considered and coherent aesthetic mission, and so the band isolated themselves and wrote songs that reflected their convictions. I definitely recommend you check out Echotape, as they are on track to producing awe-inspiring music.
Check out Sleigh Bell‘s new video for their recently released song “Comeback Kid” below. The video features noise pop duo Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller and their signature shades, leather, and letterman jackets with an 80s overtone and a fitting Judd Nelson-esque fist bump ending. The song and video are in support of the band’s new album, Reign of Terror, which is set to be released February 21st. Sleigh Bells will also be touring to support their sophomore outing, and you can check out the dates below.
Sleigh Bells 2012 Tour
02-03 Gainesville, FL – Florida Theater *#
02-04 Tampa, FL – The Ritz *#
02-06 Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall *#
02-07 Tallahassee, FL – The Moon *#
02-09 Jacksonville, FL – Freebird Live *#
02-10 Orlando, FL – Firestone *#
02-11 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution *#
02-14 Miami, FL – Grand Central *#
02-16 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^
02-17 New York, NY – Terminal 5 ^
02-18 Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix ^
02-21 Los Angeles, CA – The Mayan ^
02-23 San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom ^
02-24 Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market ^
Check out the a new single from Sleigh Bells titled “Comeback Kid” (which was also the title of the most recent episode of Parks and Recreation). The band, who released their critically acclaimed debut album, Treats, in 2010, will also be touring in February to support their new album. Reign of Terror is set to be released February 21st, and you can preorder the album on iTunes to receive an immediate download of “Comeback Kid”. Click read more to check out the dates.
As previously reported, this year’s Sundance Film Festival will contain a documentary revolving around dance punk band LCD Soundsystem called Shut Up and Play the Hits (taken from a line shouted by Arcade Fire‘s Win Butler during the band’s final concert). The documentary, which is directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, details the band’s last few days before the final show last year in April, and will premiere January 22nd at the festival. Check out the trailer below:
This February, noise pop duo Sleigh Bells will be embarking on a fourteen date tour with the likes of Liturgy and Diplo to support them. The tour, which is in support of the band’s new album, Reign of Terror, will mostly be held in the band’s native state of Florida, but also contains shows in New York, Toronto, Seattle, Washington, and California. Check out a teaser trailer for their new album here, and view the dates after the break.
It’s always interesting to see someone else’s playlist, even more so when that person is actually involved in the music industry themselves. To take a look into the New York electronic scene, we’ve partnered with DJ Cameron K. to present to you The Steady Seventeen Set, seventeen minutes of smooth electronic tunes that Cameron has been enjoying recently. For more on Cameron, you can check out his full Soundcloud page here.
Tracklist:
El Lobo Loco (Koen Groeneveld Remix)
Half Naked (Art Department’s Shades Of Gothica Remix)
Is This Something (Jones Fly Edit)
Rose Of Jericho (Original Mix)
Forward Motion (Feat. Ali Love)
Equilibrium (Original Mix)
SBTRKT and Sampha took some time recently to visit BBC Radio 1‘s Annie Mac, recording his Live Lounge Session. After finishing a live version of “Hold On”, a track from his self-titled debut LP, the pair also graced our ears with a fantastic cover of Friendly Fires‘ “Blue Cassette”. The mysterious UK producer is currently in the studio working on his next LP, which will contain a track featuring Friendly Fires’ vocalist Ed Macfarlane. You can listen to the Live Lounge Session in full below, courtesy of Young Turks.
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