by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Bear in Heaven - Sinful Nature (Anika With BestMate Remix) (MP3)

Bear in Heaven at Hotel Vegan party, Austin (more by Tim Griffin)

Just a reminder that Bear in Heaven wrap up their North American tour this week with two hometown shows: tonight (5/8) at Bowery Ballroom and tomorrow (5/9) at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Both shows are $15 with two solid openers: synthy Portlanders Blouse and Montreal's Doldrums. After these two shows, Bear in Heaven head to Europe for most of the summer -- all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Bear in Heaven last played NYC back in early March at Union Pool where they were billed as "Adventure Hippies":

...watching them play last night with waves of roto-toms and giant synth pads washing over us, it struck me what that is: the Miami Vice soundtrack (Jan Hammer, Phil Collins, Yello, Glen Frey, etc) condensed into one band, albeit one that also loves Yes and late '80s/early '90s techno. Which is a really strange combination, but Bear in Heaven make it work, due in part to excellent musicianship and that they clearly love playing. All three members (singer Philpot, bassist/guitarist Adam Wills and drummer Joe Stickney) let the O Face slip when they're in the moment, which, in their case, is endearing.

Openers Doldrums will tour with Grimes in Europe after their stint with Bear in Heaven wraps up and then head back this way for a string of dates with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, including June 7 at Mercury Lounge and June 8 at Glasslands. Those dates are at the bottom of this post as well.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven wrapping up tour with Blouse and Doldrums"

DOWNLOAD: Crocodiles - Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crocodiles - Endless Flowers (MP3)

As we reported earlier this year, Crocodiles will release their third album, Endless Flowers, on June 5. The band, who played Mercury Lounge a couple weeks ago, are gearing up for a summer tour that will include a stop at Maxwell's on June 27 and an appearance at the Village Voice 4Knots Festival on July 14. This is the first lineup confirmation we've seen for the free South Street Seaport concert. All Crocodiles tour dates are below.

You can download Endless Flowers' title track at the top of this post, along with the previously-released "Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)." In addition to the tour dates, also below is a promotional video and artwork for the album...

Continue reading "Crocodiles playing 4Knots & other shows (dates & new MP3)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Nikki Lane - Sleep for You (MP3)

If you're heading to see Spiritualized on their current North American tour (like tonight's show at Terminal 5) you might want to get there early to check out Nashville's Nikki Lane. Her album Walk of Shame came out last fall on IAMSOUND records and is indebted to '60s classic country. (Wanda Jackson is a common comparison.) You can download "Sleep for You" from it at the top of this post and watch the video for it (and "Gone Gone Gone") below, or stream the whole album on Spotify.

Check out photos from the Nikki Lane and Spirtualized show in Chicago here. All Nikki Lane / Spiritualized tour dates and some videos are below.

Continue reading "Nikki Lane opening for Spiritualized on tour (dates & MP3)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Gospel Music - This Town Doesn't Have Enough Bars for Both of Us (MP3)

Florida indie pop group Gospel Music are visiting this weekend, playing the Rock Shop tonight (5/4) with Kleenex Girl Wonder, The Randy Bandits, and Parade Grounds, and Cake Shop on Saturday (5/5). It's the start of a pretty extensive U.S. tour, and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Gospel Music, who was last around in December, is the new group from Owen Holmes who used to be in Black Kids, if your memory goes back five years, and now makes music on his own that's reminiscent of Magnetic Fields or Jens Lekman. Last year's How to Get to Heaven from Jacksonville, FL is worth checking out if you haven't heard it. You can download "This Town Doesn't Have Enough Bars for Both of Us" at the top of this post and watch the video for it below, or stream the album on Spotify.

Continue reading "Gospel Music (the band, not the style) on tour, playing Rock Shop and Cake Shop this weekend (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Drake feat. The Weeknd "Crew Love" (Star Slinger's Jersey Refix) (MP3)

UK electronic guru Star Slinger is currently finishing up some dates in Australia and is about to kick off a tour of North America with co-headliners The Hood Internet and their Chicago neighbor Chrissy Murderbot. That tour, dubbed the "Hood Slung" tour, will be in NYC next week for a May 9 show at Irving Plaza and tickets are still available. All dates on tare below.

Star Slinger has yet to release a full LP but stays busy if his Soundcloud page is any indication. Most recently, the UK producer remixed Darque E. Freeker's new single "Blueberry" that features ostentatious Detroit rapper Danny Brown. You can stream that below, along with a just-posted reworking of Drake/Weeknd colaboration "Crew Love" which you can also download at the top of this post.

After the Hood Slung wraps up, Star Slinger will continue touring around North America, concluding with an appearance at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 4. All Star Slinger tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Star Slinger remixes Drake & Danny Brown, touring with the Hood Internet (dates & MP3)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Trypes - (From the) Morning Glories (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Trypes - Belmont Girl is Mad at Me (MP3)

The Feelies at Prospect Park 2011 (more by Tamara Porras)

The Feelies, who recently played The Bell House, have announced more dates including plans to take over Maxwell's on Fourth of July weekend again. Well, technically, the Fourth is on a Wednesday this year, so the shows are Friday, June 29, Saturday, June 30 and Sunday, July 1. Click the dates for links to buy tickets ($25), and you can also get a $60 three-day pass for you Feelies obsessives out there.

In other news, Acute Records just released Music for Neighbors, a compilation of Feelies offshoot The Trypes and you can download a couple tracks from that at the top of this post. (Read more about it here.) The Feelies are in Boston next weekend and all their tour dates are below, along with a clip of their appearance (doing Bowie's "Fame") in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild....

Continue reading "The Feelies announce more dates, three nights at Maxwell's; reissued Trypes side project"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Eternal Summers - Millions (MP3)

Eternal Summers at SXSW 2012 (more)

Roanoke Virginia's Eternal Summers will release their second full-length LP, Correct Behavior, on July 24 via Kanine Records. The band have just released "Millions" from the album which, deservedly, got Best New Track on Pitchfork. With barely a hint of reverb, "Millions" is the shiniest, poppiest thing we've heard yet from the band, a major step forward for them.

Eternal Summers, who recently reissued previous EPs and 7"s on one record, are also lining up summer dates, which include visits to Toronto's NXNE Festival (June 13) and Northside Festival (June 14 at Knitting Factory). Click through for all tour dates, plus Correct Behavior artwork and tracklisting.

Continue reading "Eternal Summers releasing 'Correct Behavior' (MP3), playing Northside Festival & other dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Lower Dens - "Brains"

Lower Dens' terrific second album, Nootropics, is out today on Domino subsidiary Ribbon Music, and they just announced a tour with No Joy that wraps up at Bowery Ballroom on July 19. Tickets go on sale for the Bowery show on Friday (May 4) at Noon and the Amex pre-sale starts tomorrow (May 2) at noon. Meanwhile, Lower Dens played the Insound offices last night for people who pre-bought Nootropics and play sold out shows tonight (5/1) at Mercury Lounge and Wednesday (5/2) at Glasslands.

Nootropics is new musical territory for Jana Hunter and crew, with a much spacier sound than their debut, Twin Hand Movment, and is a little closer in sound to their Baltimore neighbors Beach House. (I might argue that Nootropics out-Beach Houses the new Beach House album, Bloom, but that's just me.) Pitchfork gave it a 8.2 today, but not Best New Music. You can download the motorik-driven first single "Brains" at the top of this post and stream the album on Spotify. They also just released a video for new single "Propogation" full of spooky, glowing beekeepers. Spooky beekeeper music actually isn't a bad description of Nootropics, either.

Click through for the "Propogation" video and all Lower Dens tour dates...

Continue reading "Lower Dens release Nootropics, announce more dates & video"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Immaculates - Popcorn House (MP3)

Brooklyn's The Immaculates are a soul band stripped to the bare minimum, SST style -- a rhythm section (drummer Cyrus Lubin and bassist Matt Conboy) and voice (wailer Jay Heiselman). It's pretty much all you need. That and nice suits, which The Immaculates also have. The band, who were "Honorable Metions" in The L Mag's "8 Bands You Need to Hear" issue this week, will release Vol. II this week on Death Class records and we've got the premiere of track "Popcorn House." Living in a popcorn house may sound like fun (especially with nutritional yeast) in theory, but The Immaculates see it as a situation that's about to explode.

You can catch The Immaculates live on Thursday, May 3 at Brooklyn Bowl with James Chance and Evi Antonio. Click through for a stream of "Popcorn House" as well as Immaculates Vol II cover art.

Continue reading "The Immaculates releasing 'Vol. II,' opening for James Chance (MP3 premiere)"

by Bill Pearis

As you may remember from last week, neo-retro R&B man Nick Waterhouse is releasing his debut album, Time's All Gone, this coming Tuesday (May 1) on the Innovative Leisure label. We've got a live version of the album, recorded last month in Berlin, that you can stream or download. If you like this, you'd do well to go see him on tour which rolls into NYC on May 19 at Mercury Lounge.

Click through to stream Nick Waterhouse and his Tarots Live in Berlin and see all upcoming tour dates.

Continue reading "stream or download Nick Waterhouse live album"