This past week, Plants and Animals released a single for their upcoming album, The End of That, out on February 28th. One thing that makes me become obsessed with this band time and time again is the wide variety of songs they have. Throughout both of their albums La La Land and Parc Avenue, there is just such a variety in content. They can create such intensity through the most delicate melodies like in their song “Game Shows” or they can bring a spirit of rock revival like on “Jeans Jeans Jeans”. They produce such smooth and fluid music.
Their new single “Lightshow” reminded me a bit of Robin Pecknold from Fleet Foxes but with a more electric feel. You can listen or download below.
Evidence‘s Cats & Dogs was perhaps one of the most criminally underlooked records of 2011, alongside personal favorite Phonte‘s Charity Starts At Home. I guess I’m not incredibly surprised as the steadfast Rhymesayer’s rapper is usually fairly reserved in terms of getting his music out there to his loyal and extremely tightly-knit fanbase. The hip-hop purist/producer/MC recently unleashed a new set of respectfully dark, brooding visuals for “Falling Down” directed by Todd Angkasuwan. You can check it out below.
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 ^
“Eyeoneye” is our very first look at the extremely talented whistler/singer-songwriter Andrew Bird‘s upcoming new album, Break It Yourself. Although the album won’t make its official release until March 6, the new song will be available for immediate download with a pre-order of the limited edition box set of the album from his website here. In terms of style, “Eyeoneye” has a sound that reminds me of “Masterfade” or “Fake Palindromes” from The Mysterious Production of Eggs so perhaps Bird is taking a pre-Noble Beast type direction to the album. Either way, I’m incredibly excited.
Break It Yourself Tracklisting:
01. Desperation Breeds…
02. Polynation
03. Danse Caribe
04. Give it Away
05. Eyeoneye
06. Lazy Projector
07. Near Death Experience Experience
08. Behind the Barn
09. Lusitania
10. Orpheo Looks Back
11. Sifters
12. Fatal Shore
13. Hole in the Ocean Floor
14. Belles
Head over to NPR to stream Leonard Cohen‘s new album Old Ideas. The album, which is Cohen’s first in about eight years, will be the legendary singer songwriter’s twelfth studio album and is set to be released January 31st through Columbia Records. Cohen is known for influential albums like Songs of Leonard Cohen and Songs of Love and Hate, and for penning “Hallelujah”. You can also check out an interview pertaining to Old Ideas that Cohen did with the Guardian over here.
Old Ideas Tracklisting:
01. Going Home
02. Amen
03. “Show Me the Place
04. Darkness
05. Anyhow
06. Crazy to Love You
07. Come Healing
08. Banjo
09. Lullaby
10. Different Sides
J. Tillman, the drummer for Fleet Foxes, has left the band and posted his farewell on Tumblr. His last show with the band was in Tokyo on January 20. Sub Pop has also signed the band Poor Moon, which includes Fleet Foxes members Casey Wescott and Christian Wargo. You can listen and download the song “People in her Mind” here, which will be on the band’s Illusion EP that is planned for release on March 27. Click here for last night’s episode of Austin City Limits that features live performances by Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom.
Bruce Springsteen is set to release his seventeenth studio album at the beginning of March, a record called Wrecking Ball. A single off the album was released online today at 7 a.m. ET entitled “We Take Care Of Our Own”. The lyrics tackle the concept of American citizens changed morals, while an upbeat rhythm keeps the song moving. The song has all the credentials heard in previous songs by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band through the medley of keyboard, drums and guitars. However though, due to the death of saxophonist Clarence Clemons, the E Street Band’s signature saxophone sound is missing. Wrecking Ball will be Springsteen’s newest release since his 2009 album, Working On A Dream. I have high hopes for this album as it will hopefully combine elements from all of the previous releases.
Wrecking Ball Tracklisting:
01 We Take Care of Our Own
02 Easy Money
03 Shackled and Down
04 Jack of All Trades
05 Death to My Hometown
06 This Depression
07 Wrecking Ball
08 You’ve Got It
09 Rocky Ground
10 Land of Hope and Dreams
11 We Are Alive
12 Swallowed Up (Bonus Track)
13 American Land (Bonus Track)
2011 was a fantastic year for Los Angeles based hip-hop/skateboard collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All with releases from Tyler the Creator, Mellowhype, Frank Ocean, The Internetand Mike G, and yet after all that it looks like the group still won’t be slowing down in 2012. Following last year’s Goblin, Tyler the Creator is set to release Wolf sometime in the spring, which was described by him as a deviation from his previous releases. Duo Hodgy beats and Leftbrain are also releasing a followup Mellowhype album titled Numbers sometime in the summer.
The collective has also announced OF Tape Vol. 2, which features new music from Tyler, the Creator, Hodgy Beats, Frank Ocean, Leftbrain, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Syd the Kyd and The Internet. The tape is a followup to the crew’s 2008 debut outing The Odd Future Mixtape, which you can download for free over here. On top of it all, Tyler and gang will also be premiering their own “Jackass”-like sketch show, Loiter Squad, March 25h on Adult Swim.
Head over here to check out a limited edition t-shirt designed by Tyler the Creator that will be released through Qubic Store. The shirt was made in response to the collective being kicked out of the lineup for Big Day Out 2012 Auckland, and they are set to have their own show at the Auckland Powerstation January 19th instead.
All future releases will be released through the crew’s own Odd Future Records.
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