As mentioned, Kylesa will release their new LP Ultraviolet on May 28, another expansion on their already ever-changing sound. Begin their new chapter by streaming the LP in full below care of Metal Hammer.

Kylesa are currently in the midst of a US tour with Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf that will hit Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 14th (tickets). All other dates are listed, along with the album stream, below.

Continue reading "Stream Kylesa's 'Ultraviolet' in full"

Looks like we have openers for Vampire Weekend's show at Barclays Center in September. That's a double dose of Dev Hynes associated pop. Tickets are still available.

The Lemonheads @ Mohawk in Austin, 2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Lemonheads will be going on a short Northeast jaunt in July and those dates include a couple in the NY area: Knitting Factory on July 24 and The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ the day before (7/23). Tickets for the Knit show just went on sale, as did tickets for the Wonder Bar. All dates are listed below.

The Lemonheads released a split 7" with the Misfits for Record Store Day this year, which included their version of "Skulls" on one side and the Misfits original on the other. You can stream it below.

Continue reading "The Lemonheads plot Northeast tour in July (dates)"

photos by Sachyn Mital

Matthew E White @ Bowery Ballroom, 5/13/2013

Last night at the Bowery Ballroom, he was given a lot more space, but he brought a much smaller band along for the ride. Opening with the soft, aching "Will You Love Me," it was quickly apparent that this wasn't going to be a night of horn-and-string-filled chamber pop. Instead, White and his band ripped into the louder sections of the song with a gnarled guitar part and a country-tinged swagger. The group has been touring this material for a while now and like any adventurous, talented group of musicians, it's obvious they take a certain amount of glee in finding new wrinkles in them, stretching solos out into new shapes and trying out new arrangements just for the hell of it. That playful tendency grew even more apparent as the group jumped into "Steady Pace," a brisk whirling dervish of a track from the record. At one point White and bassist Cameron Ralston even did some coordinated dance moves, shuffling back in forth with shit-eating grins on their faces. - [CMJ]

Matthew's North American tour is over now and he'll head to Barcelona next weekend for Primavera Sound. He's got a few other festivals (like Bonnaroo) on the summer docket, plus an upcoming European tour. All dates are listed, along with more Bowery pics, below.

Continue reading "Matthew E. White played Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

Deradoorian @ Our Heart Ached for Syria SXSW 2013 benefit (more by Tim Griffin)

As mentioned, Nightlands tour will hit NYC at the end of the month for a show at Mercury Lounge on May 29. The night has become more enticing as Deradoorian will be opening and promises to debut a few new songs. Tickets are still available. Her only other show at the moment is opening for Animal Collective at Washington DC's 9:30 Club on June 10.

Nightlands, meanwhile, have added a few shows since we last posted about them -- including a stop at North Carolina's Hopscotch Music Festival -- and all dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Deradoorian opening for Nightlands at Mercury Lounge"

by Bill Pearis

Not content with just two bands, Vivian Girls/La Sera singer Katy Goodman has formed Books of Love with Hush Sound's Greta Morgan. Please don't confuse the duo with '80s synthpop band Book of Love. (You probably won't, though they still exist.) Of the union:

While hiking past the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, friends Katy Goodman and Greta Morgan were struck with the idea to record a song together: A song about physics and love, science and romance, space and time. Have you ever felt the lovesick pain of falling for someone from a different dimension? We have too.

The next morning, the girls recorded "Space Time" in Greta's tiny rehearsal space in Glassell Park. While "Space Time" may not be a hit in this dimension yet, the song is topping charts in many others. The girls have plans to tour the Andromeda Galaxy this summer, appear in Bode's Galaxy this Fall, and make an appearance at the Omega-Palooza Festival to break up the 2.9 million light-year long trip home.

Continue reading "Katy from Vivian Girls/La Sera forms new group, Books of Love (watch a video)"

Chairlift @ Capitale, Feb. 2013 (more by Dylan Johnson)

As mentioned, Bear in Heaven are playing short film showcase Tropfest which happens in Prospect Park's "Nethermead" on June 22. Since that post, the full line-up was announced: Chairlift, Bear in Heaven, Ghost Beach and People Get Ready will perform, and Neon Indian will DJ. Free tickets are still available.

Meanwhile, Chairlift will play DJ, strangely enough, also in Prospect Park's Nethermead this Friday for GoogaMooga. between Flaming Lips and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Chairlift's Caroline Polachek provided vocals on Ice Choir's track, "Everything is Spoilt by Use" and you can check out the recent video for that song and more tour dates below.

Continue reading "Chairlift & DJ Neon Indian also playing Tropfest (get free tix)"

by Toby Tenenbaum

MS MR @ Bowery Ballroom, 5/15/2013

From the website to your album cover art, it seems that everything you guys touch possesses a stunning and unique visual quality. Who comes up with these works of art?
While every element of the project comes directly from us, one of our initial goals for MS MR was to create a community around the project, and we've had the incredible opportunity to work with up-and-coming directors and photographers like Tyler Kohlhoff, who shot the covers of the EP and the album. These artists have helped us refine our aesthetic (and their own) and continue to contribute as we incorporate new visual ideas.

Will these visuals play a factor in your upcoming U.S. tour? Can you give some examples of what readers can expect if they come to one of your shows?
The live show has actually been a chance for us bring it all back to the music - during this first year of touring we've had the opportunity to put a face on the project and show our musicianship, so we have kept it all very minimal. We're also a new band and can't afford to yet fully realize our elaborate schemes for set design...but we're always thinking about it and are excited to start incorporating things bit by bit.

Last night at Bowery Ballroom (5/15) was a great, if short, glimpse into the freshly released MS MR album Secondhand Rapture. Energetic, bold and powerful, MS MR (who played a BVSXSW day party this year) were enjoying their hometown gig on their first headlining tour. In addition to the music, singer Lizzie Plapinger, who two nights earlier was spotted in the crowd at Foxygen, treated the audience to nuggets of band autobiography between songs, including how they formed two years ago in keyboardist Max Hershenow's bedroom.

Tourmates Magic Man played a 40 minute opening set to warm up the crowd. More pictures from last night's Bowery Ballroom show are with many more tour dates below...

Continue reading "MS MR played Bowery Ballroom (pics), on 'Letterman' tonight, touring (dates)"

California hardcore band Downpresser are currently blazing down an interstate with Take Offense, touring their way towards NYC for an appearance at the sold-out Black & Blue Bowl this weekend (some tickets at door), but soon after the band will celebrate the release of their new LP, which is out via 6131 Records. The release titled Don't Need A Reason will hit on May 28, and you can stream the opening track from the LP, "Twist of Fate" for the first time below. Order yours via the label.

All of you non-NYCers can still catch Downpresser as part of their current tour. Those dates are listed, along with that new track, and the title track from the LP, below.

Continue reading "Downpresser ready new album, touring with Take Offense (dates, stream)"

The great Destruction Unit will batter us yet again with new material, most imminently a 7" due on Suicide Squeeze. Featuring two new tracks of psychedelic punk, you can stream half of the Two Strong Hits 7" in the form of "Sonic Pearl" below. In ADDITION, look for the band to release an LP via their new label home Sacred Bones on August 20. Details are sketchy thus far beyond that.

As mentioned, DU are on the road soon, and will play TWO NYC dates: June 15 at 285 Kent with Merchandise and Milk Music (tickets) and June 16t at Shea Stadium with Nu Sensae (tickets).

Updated dates are listed, along with  that stream. below.

Continue reading "Destruction Unit announce new single for Suicide Squeeze (stream a track)"