Reigning Sound at Daptone Records in March (via)

Memphis, TN's Reigning Sound began to track their Merge Records debut at the famed Daptone Records studio last month. Details on the album are sparse, but it's nice to know that it will arrive sometime in the near future. I was able to catch them at the Sled Island Festival in Calgary, AB last summer, and they've definitely still got it.

Reigning Sound have just a few U.S. tour dates lined up for this summer. One of those dates is a performance at Beat Kitchen on July 27. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Saturday (4/27) at 10AM CST. The date of that performances makes them a strong candidate for Wicker Park Fest 2013, which is set to take place on July 27 + 28. (Ted Leo & the Pharmacists will also be in town.)

All known Reigning Sound tour dates and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Reigning Sound playing Beat Kitchen in July, working on new LP"

Lambchop // Silver Jews guitarist William Tyler welcomed his new solo album, Impossible Truth, last week via Merge Records. It's a calming instrumental LP that features Americana-leaning, guitar-based compositions, as well as a number of great guest musicians. You can stream the album in its entirety at the bottom of this post.

William will be embarking on a spring North American tour in support of Impossible Truth. That tour includes a performance at the Hideout on April 26 with Brokeback and Rebecca Gates. Advance tickets for the Chicago show are on sale now.

All William Tyler tour dates and a stream of Impossible Truth are below...

Continue reading "William Tyler released a new LP (stream it), playing the Hideout with Brokeback & Rebecca Gates"

Telekinesis @ ACL 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

Telekinesis (aka the project of Michael Benjamin Lerner) is set to welcome his third full-length album, Dormarion, on April 2 via Merge Records. Lerner recorded the album with Spoon drummer/producer Jim Eno at his Public Hi-Fi Studios in Austin, TX. You can take a listen to Dormarion's lead single "Ghosts And Creatures" at the bottom of this post. Dormarion's cover art is also below.

Telekinesis will head out on a spring North American tour in support of Dormarion. That tour begins in Portland, Oregon in late-April and will reach Chicago on May 15 for a performance at Lincoln Hall. Tickets go on sale this Friday (1/11) at noon CST. All dates are listed below.

All Telekinesis tour dates, Dormarion's cover art, and a stream of "Ghosts And Creatures" are below...

Continue reading "Telekinesis releasing 'Dormarion,' touring, playing Lincoln Hall"

Mount Moriah are gearing up for the release of Miracle Temple, their second LP for Merge Records, which is due to hit stores on February 26. You can stream Miracle Temple's lead single "Younger Days" at the bottom of this post. Preorder the LP via Merge's webstore.

In support of Miracle Temple, Mount Moriah will be going on a spring North American tour with Blessed Feathers. That tour kicks off in Chicago with a performance at Schubas on March 18. Tickets go on sale this Friday (12/14) at noon CST.

All Mount Moriah tour dates and a stream of "Younger Days" are below...

Continue reading "Mount Moriah releasing new LP, touring, playing Schubas"

Swedish group Shout Out Louds are gearing up for the release of their fourth full-length album, Optica, due out on February 26 via Merge Records. Take a listen to Optica's lead single "Blue Ice" at the bottom of this post. The LP is up for preorder via Merge's webstore.

In support of Optica, the Shout Out Louds will embark on a spring North American tour. That tour includes a performance at Metro on May 16. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Saturday (12/8) at noon CST.

All Shout Out Louds tour dates and a stream of "Blue Ice" are below...

Continue reading "Shout Out Louds releasing new LP, touring, playing Metro"

Richard Bucker @ the Bell House in June (BKLYN) (more by Tracy Allison)

As he stated in a post on his website, Richard Bucker is currently "writing songs for the next record," which he's looking to release sometime next year. The singer-songwriter will also be playing a couple of shows this month. One of those shows is a performance at Schubas on October 27 with support from Eiren Caffall. Advance tickets are on sale.

Bucker's most recent record and first after a five-year gap, titled Our Blood, hit stores in August of 2011 via Merge. Our Blood is a nice middle ground between the more full-band sound of 2006's The Meadows and the stripped-down nature of 2002's Impasse. If you haven't given it a spin yet, you can take a listen to the LP in its entirety at the bottom of this post.

All known Richard Buckner tour dates and a stream of Our Blood are below...

Continue reading "Richard Buckner working on new material, playing Schubas"

Bob Mould is set to release his new album, The Silver Age, on September 4 via new home Merge Records. Mould record the LP with his new band, which consists of Superchunk/Mountain Goats drummer John Wurster and Telekinesis/ex-Verbow bassist Jason Narducy.

As mentioned, Mould is currently on tour performing Sugar's Copper Blue in its entirety and DJing with his electronic electronic project Blowoff. Blowoff visited Metro last month for a show, and the rock trio will hit the venue on September 13 to play Copper Blue and The Silver Age. Ticketing info is forthcoming. All dates are listed below.

In related news, Merge are reissuing the entire Sugar catalog in CD and vinyl format on July 24. There's a Copper Blue/Beaster deluxe edition, which inclues all b-sides and a live recording from the band's full set at Metro on their 1992 summer tour. There's also a File Under: Easy Listening deluxe edition with b-sides and a full 1994 tour live set.

All 2012 tour dates are listed below, along with some videos.

Continue reading "Bob Mould releasing new LP, playing Metro on tour this fall"

Redd Kross' Researching the Blues

Redd Kross have inked a deal with Merge Records, who will release the band's first album in over 15-years, Researching the Blues, on August 7 in the US. The LP is up for preorder in CD/LP via Merge's webstore. As mentioned many times, Redd Kross are one of the headliners of the 2012 HoZac Blackout Fest, which takes place next weekend (May 18-20) at the Empty Bottle. As a warm-up gig for the Chicago festival, the band are also playing the Tripple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on May 18 (Mannequin Men open).

Watch Redd Kross play Born Innocent in its entirety in Sydney, below...

Continue reading "Redd Kross announce new LP, playing Blackout next weekend"

Eleanor Friedberger @ a BV Holiday Party at MHoW (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As seen on BrooklynVegan, Eleanor Friedberger is heading out on tour this spring with label mates Hospitality, who have upcoming dates with Archers of Loaf, Tennis, The Love Language, and Wild Flag.

Eleanor's tour has just expanded to include not one, but two Chicago-area shows. She'll play Schubas on May 1 and SPACE in Evanston on May 2, both with Hospitality. Tickets for Schubas go on sale this Friday (2/24), at noon CST. Tickets for SPACE also go on sale this Friday, just at 5PM CST. The Fiery Furnaces member recently released a video for her track "Heaven," which you can view at the bottom of this post.

As mentioned, Hospitality are also opening for Wild Flag at Metro on April 5, which is now sold out. If you weren't able to grab tickets, stay tuned for a possible last-minute block to be released.

All 2012 dates and Eleanor's new video, below..

Continue reading "Eleanor Friedberger to play Schubas & SPACE w/ Hospitality"

Hospitality @ Glasslands in January (BKLYN) (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Brooklyn's Hospitality released their debut self-titled LP on January 31st via Merge Records. A few weeks before the record came out the band toured through Chicago, playing both an Epitonic Saki Session and Lincoln Hall as part of Tomorrow Never Knows 2012.

They've recently added a bunch of dates to their 2012 tour schedule, supporting the likes of Tennis, The Love Language, and Wild Flag. One of the four shows Hospitality will play with the ladies of Wild Flag will be the previously announced, April 5th performance at Metro. Tickets are still available.

All 2012 tour dates and their recently released video for "Friends of Friends," below..

Continue reading "Hospitality announce more dates, some w/ Wild Flag (Metro)"

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - "Friends of Friends" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - "Betty Wang" (MP3)

Hospitality

As mentioned, Brooklyn, NY's Hospitality are set to release their debut self-titled LP via Merge Records on January 31st. The album's two lead singles "Friends of Friends" and "Betty Wang" give a taste of full-length's overall sound, exhibiting a lighthearted, fun quality. Download both tracks at the top of this post and/or stream them below.

Though their Tomorrow Never Knows show with Grouplove, 123, and Kid Color at Lincoln Hall is sold out (you can still get in if you have a 5-day pass), they'll also be playing an Epitonic Saki Session one day earlier (Friday, 1/13) at 6PM. As always, ESS's are FREE.

Check out the album's tracklisting and cover art HERE.

All 2012 tour dates and song streams, below..

Continue reading "Hospitality coming to town for Tomorrow Never Knows 2012, playing an Epitonic Saki Session"

Stephen Merritt's Magnetic Fields are set to release a new album titled Love at the Bottom of the Sea, on March 6th via Merge Records. The band's 10th LP will be celebrated this spring, with a long string of dates. They'll begin in Hudson, NY on its release date, and make their way to Chicago's the Vic for a two-night run on March 26th & 27th. Tickets have not been posted as of yet, though a fan presale IS active.

Love at the Bottom of the Sea marks a return to the Fields' earlier work..

After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, The Magnetic Fields are returning to the signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds they established in the 90s with Merge releases such as The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost. Stephin Merritt has come back to synths with a fresh approach: "Most of the synthesizers on the record didn't exist when we were last using synthesizers," he notes. The songs -- none over three minutes long -- were recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York with Merritt's usual cast of collaborators: Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johny Blood and Daniel Handler.

All 2012 tour dates, and the albums tracklisting, below..

Continue reading "Magnetic Fields to play 2 nights @ the Vic, announce new LP"

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - "Friends of Friends" (MP3)

Hospitality @ 'Sound Bites' Fulton Stall Market (more by Chris La Putt)

Brooklyn, NY-based band Hospitality announced their signing with Merge Records recently. The label will release their debut self titled LP on January 31st. For a taste of what's to come, download the album's first single "Friends of Friends" at the top of this post. You can also pre-order a CD or LP via Merge's webstore.

As we anxiously await the release of the LP, there are a few chances to catch the group play it live. Our fair city's will be tonight (10/15), when they open up for label mates The Rosebuds at Schubas. Tickets are still available.

Head below for all 2011 tour dates, plus the tracklisting and cover art for their album.

Continue reading "Hospitality (now on Merge) playing Schubas tonight w/ The Rosebuds (and other dates)"

Eric Bachmann with Archers of Loaf @ AV Fest in September (more by Zach Pollack)

Crooked Fingers (aka Eric Bachmann of Archers of Loaf's other project) are set to release a new LP titled Breaks in the Armor tomorrow (10/11) via Merge Records. Up for special pre-order in the label's webstore (CD/LP), each will come with acoustic demo versions of the entire album, available for download from midnight on. Stream Breaks in the Armor in full via SPIN.

Crooked Fingers will hit the road shortly in support of the album, first making their way through the East Coast before they stop at Schubas for a November 11th performance. Tickets are still available.

Head below to view all 2011 tour dates, an album trailer, plus its tracklisting and art.

Continue reading "Crooked Fingers releasing new LP (stream it), playing Schubas"

As mentioned, Richard Bucker's new LP Our Blood hits stores on August 2nd via Merge Records. You can stream Our Blood in its entirety right now via NPR.

He'll play an album release show at Schubas this Friday, with support from Cameron McGill. Tickets are still available.

All announced tour dates can be found here.

To her already growing list of 2011 tour dates, surrounding her July 20th performance at Hideout; Eleanor Friedberger will play a free in-store the following day at Saki Records.

If you purchase her debut solo LP Last Summer (out July 12th via Merge Records) at Saki, you will receive a free ticket to the Hideout show (21+).

Head to NPR to stream Last Summer up until its July 12th release date.

Other 2011 tour dates, and more info on Last Summer can be found here.

Merge Records has just announced that Richard Bucker, and label mate; David Kilgour will embark on a co-headling tour. The tour will kick off on August 16th in Los Angeles; you can find all dates below.

Before heading out to California, Richard Buckner will venture to Chicago for a July 29th performance at Schubas. Tickets are still available.

You can pre-order his forthcoming LP Our Blood via Merge Records. All pre-orders will come with a poster, and Richard Bucker bumpersticker (pictured above) while supplies last.

All co-headlining tour dates with David Kilgour lie below..

Continue reading "Richard Buckner expands tour, co-headlining dates w/ David Kilgour +++ pre-order 'Our Blood' now"

DOWNLOAD: Wild Flag - "Romance" (MP3)

Wild Flag @ Radio City Music Hall in March (more by Tracy Allison)

The all-girl, superstar group; Wild Flag are set to release their debut self-titled LP on September 13th via Merge Records.

Above, you can stream/download their first single titled "Romance."

Before kicking off a North American tour this fall, the band have a few summer dates including a weekend stint in Chicago. They'll play Subterranean on July 22nd, and Wicker Park Fest on July 23rd.

Their fall tour will kick off on October 3rd in Minneapolis, MN, and the band will hit Chicago once again to play Empty Bottle on October 9th. Tickets are on sale now.

You can view all 2011 tour dates below..

Continue reading "Wild Flag announce debut LP & tour dates"

DOWNLOAD: Richard Buckner - "Escape" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Richard Buckner - "Traitor" (MP3)

Richard Buckner

Richard Buckner is set to release his newest LP, titled Our Blood on August 2nd via Merge Records. This will serve as the highly anticipated follow-up to 2006's Meadow.

Richard states:

"There were about 4 or 5 years of confusions-of-matter and musterless moments, breakdowns/regroutings, and suddenly-empty spaces of amassed time that I'll try to pointlessly audit."

Richard played most of the instruments on the record, and then was able to collaborate with the likes of Steve Shelley, and Buddy Cage to expand Our Blood's overall sound.

At the top of this post you can download the album tracks "Traitor", and "Escape."

Richard Buckner will play a record release show at Schubas on July 29th. Tickets are still available.

Head below to view all 2011 tour dates, more TBA.

Continue reading "Richard Buckner to release 'Our Blood', playing Schubas, & other 2011 dates"

DOWNLOAD: Eleanor Friedberger - "My Mistakes" (MP3)

As previously announced, Eleanor Friedberger (of The Fiery Furnaces) will release her debut solo effort Last Summer, on July 12th via Merge Records.

She has just premiered the video for the album's single "My Mistakes", which you can view below, and download above respectively.

Eleanor will head out on tour starting this weekend, playing dates as part of the Northside Festival. She'll hit Chicago on July 20th to play The Hideout; tickets are on sale now.

Head below to view all 2011 tour dates, and the brand new video for "My Mistakes."

Continue reading "Eleanor Friedberger premieres video for "My Mistakes", announces 2011 solo tour +++ 'Last Summer' in stores soon"

DOWNLOAD: Archers of Loaf - "What Did You Expect" (MP3)

Archers of Loaf @ the Troubadour in LA on 6/4 (more by Andrew Youssef)

Since playing a secret reunion show in January; support for the return of indie rock legends Archers of Loaf has been massive. They've been slowly announcing dates all over the country, including a performance at the stacked 2011 MusicfestNW in Portland, OR.

Merge Records has recently announced that they plan to...

"...reissue all four Archers of Loaf studio albums, starting with their acclaimed 1993 debut album Icky Mettle on August 2nd."

At the top of this post you can download the track, "What Did You Expect" from an out-of-print Merge 7" included on the reissue.

Archers will be in Chicago on July 8th & 9th to play the Bottom Lounge. Tickets are still available for night one, while night two (featuring an opening set from IfIHadAHiFi) is sold out.

All 2011 tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Archers of Loaf see reissues, playing two nights @ Bottom Lounge +++ other 2011 dates"

Arcade Fire @ UIC Pavilion (more by Josh Darr)

Arcade Fire return with a deluxe CD/DVD version of their GRAMMY Award-winning album; The Suburbs.

Dubbed Scenes from the Suburbs, it includes three previously unreleased tracks packaged with Spike Lee's thirty-minute short film, and more!

Merge Records Offered:

The expanded CD version of The Suburbs sees the original album augmented by a longer version of the track "Wasted Hours (A Life That We Can Live)," as well as the previously unreleased "Culture War" and "Speaking In Tongues," the latter of which features David Byrne on additional vocals.

Highlights of the DVD portion include: The complete half-hour short film Scenes from the Suburbs, directed by Spike Jonze, the companion documentary Behind the Scenes from the Suburbs, and the music video for the track "The Suburbs."

Did you get that all?

The package is rounded out by an exclusive booklet featuring lyrics and 80 pages of photos taken during the Scenes from the Suburbs film shoot. Pre-order the CD/DVD Scenes from the Suburbs now in the Merge store; Its street-release date has been slated for August 2nd.

Arcade Fire, and The National recently played three nights at Chicago's UIC Pavilion.
BV Chicago's Josh Darr was there to shoot their 4/24 performance.

Connor Oberst of Bright Eyes w/ Jenny Lewis @ Battery Park (more by Chris La Putt)

Bright Eyes' The People's Key comes out today via Saddle Creek Records. They play the Riv on Tuesday, March 15th with the Mynabirds. Tickets are now sold out.

Mogwai's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will comes out today via Sub Pop. Mogwai is playing at Metro on Friday, April 29th with Errors. Tickets are still available.

Josh Ritter's Animal Years is being re-released today.

The Animal Years has been drastically improved. The updated version of the VINYL now include a BONUS disc, featuring Josh performing the ENTIRE ALBUM soloacoustic, plus four studio b-sides, and two videos. The acoustic album was recorded for this re-issue in 2008, and these recordings have not been previously released.The LP version of The Animal Years includes the bonus CD in a full-color sleeve, inside the LP. [Blue Collar Distribution]

More releases from Drive-By Truckers, Twilight Singers, and Telekinesis below...

Continue reading "New releases from Bright Eyes, Mogwai, Josh Ritter & more!"