LA Fest FYF Fest is celebrating 10 years this year, and will take over Los Angeles State Historic Park on August 24 & 25. Check out the massive lineup in the poster above, and in alphabetical order below...

Continue reading "FYF Fest 2013 Lineup (My Bloody Valentine included)"

by Andrew Sacher

Vampire Weekend at Roseland Ballroom last month (more by Robert Altman)

The new Vampire Weekend album, Modern Vampires of the City, comes out on May 14 via XL, but you can now listen to the whole thing ahead of its release date on iTunes. Similarly to Contra's relationship to their debut, Modern Vampires of the City doesn't drastically different from its predecessor, but it works new subtleties into their sound which make the new record as essential as the first two. There's huge hooks here, great production, and as always, a few eccentricities thrown in too.

Vampire Weekend just played Roseland Ballroom, and their tour has them playing a much larger hometown show on September 20 at Barclays Center (tickets). In the midst of all that they made videos with Steve Buscemi, played Coachella, were just announced for ACL Music Fest, and will be on SNL this week. Streams of three tracks from the new album are below.

Survival / Classixx

You can also stream the psychedelic alt-metal self titled debut LP from Liturgy's Hunter Hunt-Hendrix's new project, Survival, over at Pitchfork. Their release party for the album happens this Thursday (5/9) at Acheron (tickets).

You can stream the dance-y new Classixx record, Hanging Gardens, over at NPR. Their tour has them opening for The Presets at Terminal 5 on Wednesday (5/8) (tickets), and they'll play their own NYC show in June.

John Grant, who recently played NYC, and returns on tour in July, is giving his new synth-filled album, Pale Green Ghosts, a US release on May 14 via Partisan and you can listen to it now over at Paste.

Talib Kweli's new guest-filled LP, Prisoner of Conscious, came out today (5/7) and it can be streamed in full at Billboard.

Vampire Weekend song streams below...

Continue reading "Vampire Weekend streaming new album (Survival, Classixx, John Grant & Talib Kweli too)"

DOWNLOAD: Tiger & Woods - "A Golden Bear mix" (MP3)

Tiger & Woods at Movement 2012 (via Sidewalk Hustle)

Production duo Tiger & Woods will be in NYC TONIGHT (4/26) at Highline Ballroom for a FIXED + Let's Play House party with The Dead Rose Music Company, Canyons, and FIXED regulars JDH & Dave P. Tickets for tonight's show are still available. You can download the duo's brand new mix, "A Golden Bear mix," at the top of this post, or stream it below.

FIXED is also throwing a party at Highline Ballroom on May 31 with Verboten which features sets from Azari & III and Jozif. Tickets for that one are on sale now.

They've also got one happening on June 28 at Glasslands with a live set by Dutonic and Mighty Mouse. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

French house DJ Fred Falke, who released the funky Part IV back in 2011, will come to Williamsburg dance club Output on May 2 for an 'Input' party with Foals (DJ), Chrome Sparks and Jorge Bonjour. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Trus'me at Mutek 2009 (more by Zach Dilgard)

Neon Indian will also be DJing an 'Input' party at Output (5/9) the following week. The rest of that lineup includes UK producer Trus'me (whose new album, Treat Me Right, can be streamed at XLR8R), Optimo, and Tanner Caldwell. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Actress, whose very good R.I.P. LP came out last year, was supposed to play Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn a few months after its release, but never made it here. Now he's planning on returning to the venue on June 6 for a show with Gobby and Solar Year. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Show flyer below.

Dave Harrington (of Nicolas Jaar's live band and their collaborative project, Darkside) will also be playing a Cameo show on May 25. Benoit and Sergio are on the bill too. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Classix

As mentioned, The Presets and Dragonette are going on a tour this year which hits NYC on May 8 at Terminal 5. Since we last spoke, LA dance duo Classixx have been added to that tour. Tickets for the Terminal 5 show are still available.

After that tour ends, Classixx will play their own show in NYC on June 15 at Le Poisson Rouge with Headband and Hooligan. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Classixx's new album, Hanging Gardens, will be out on May 14 via Innovative Leisure, and the duo have recently revealed one of its tracks, "All You're Waiting For," which features vocals from DFA's Nancy Whang (who they've played with before). You can stream that, along with two other album tracks, "Borderline" (ft. Jesse Kivel of Kisses) and "Holding On," below.

French producer Onra, who released the Deep in the Night EP on Fool's Gold last year, will be coming to NYC for a show on May 21 at Le Poisson Rouge before heading to Montreal for Mutek. Tickets for the LPR show are on sale now.

Brooklyn disco collective Midnight Magic will play a hometown show on May 18 at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Slow Knights and Spank DJs Sean B and Will Automagic. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Germany's Ellen Allien, who put a new album out this year, will return to NYC for a show on May 24 at a TBA location. The bill also includes Camea, Thomas Muller, and Safety Scissors. Tickets are on sale now and you can find out the location by RSVPing to resolute.bpitch@gmail.com.

Another secret dance show is happening in NYC on July 26 with Tiga, Martyn, and Bordello. This one's a Blkmarket show, and tickets are on sale now. Stay tuned for info on the location.

Wedidit collective member Groundislava is playing Glasslands on May 30 with Fur and Time Wharp. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, Soulja Man, J-Cush, Durban, and TCJ are playing 285 Kent on May 24, the day after Rashad & Spinn play a Red Bull show. Tickets for the 285 Kent show are on sale now.

Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter's Brooklyn dance party Mister Sunday Night will be returning to Gowanus Grove this summer for weekly parties beginning May 12. More details and ticket info at their website.

Of course these are only a few of the upcoming dance shows in NYC. We've also recently mentioned shows by Nina Kraviz, Emika, Disclosure & TNGHT, and The Field. Plus, the Mad Decent Block Party is coming up, and there's going to be tons of dance music during the Red Bull Music Academy NYC onslaught, which happens from April 28 to May 31. What else?

Classixx song streams, the Tiger & Woods mix, and Actress show flyer below...

Continue reading "upcoming dance shows in NYC: Classixx, Actress, DJ Rashad, Tiger & Woods, Fred Falke, Trus'me, Ellen Allien, Martyn, more"

by Andrew Sacher

MS MR

NYC duo MS MR recently dropped the pop-leaning track, "Hurricane," which you can watch the video for below and download the MP3 in exchange for your email at their website.

They've got a number of NYC shows coming up including one TONIGHT (5/17) at Bowery Ballroom opening for VHS or Beta. Tickets for that show are still available.

They'll also support Marina and the Diamonds at a few of their upcoming US shows including their NYC shows on August 16 and 18 at Webster Hall. The first of those shows is sold out but tickets for the 8/18 show go on sale Friday (5/18) at noon. MS MR are also on board to open for Xylos at Glasslands on June 1 with Ninifabi. Tickets for that show are available. All MS MR dates are listed below.

Speaking of tonight's VHS or Beta show, there's a Vibrations afterparty at Hudson Terrace Roof Deck (5/17) starting at 10 PM. In addition to a VHS or Beta DJ set, the party will also include Classixx, Sean Glass, and Electric Youth (DJ). Admission is free til midnight with RSVP.

Electric Youth

Speaking of Electric Youth, you can also catch them play a live show at Brooklyn Bowl on Friday (5/18) with Italians Do It Better co-founder Mike Simonetti (who recently remixed Lemonade). Tickets for that show are available. Electric Youth were featured on the excellent Drive soundtrack teaming up with College for "A Real Hero." That soundtrack also includes two Johnny Jewel (the other Italians Do It Better co-founder) groups, Desire and Chromatics. Electric Youth dropped the "Right Back to You" single last year, and like Drive's aesthetics and soundtrack, it's soaked in '80s nostalgia. Though few modern songs scream '80s quite like this one does -- from the Like a Virgin-era Madonna drums, exercise video synths, and even a squealy guitar solo. Stream it below.

Video, streams, and a list of all MS MR and Electric Youth dates below...

Continue reading "MS MR playing shows, opening for VHS or Beta tonight; Electric Youth DJ the afterparty, play live tomorrow"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Friends of Friends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - Valentine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - Ace (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Moonmen on the Moon, Man - Hey Look, a Sweat Baloon Artist (MP3)

Hospitality (photo by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Happy Groundhog Day folks. As you may have heard, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so we're getting six more weeks of winter. If that means the kind of winter we've had so far, I'm okay with that. I'm much more likely to head out and go see shows when not faced with the dreaded wintry mix. And there's lots of good shows this weekend, so let's get out there.

First up, the Hospitality record release party at Glasslands this Friday (2/3) (tickets still available). Their album came out this week on Merge, and I think makes a great case for not rushing things. Hospitality started playing about three years ago and released a CDR EP in the spring of 2009 that got them some notice. Most bands would've had an album out by the end of the year, but Hospitality took their time, honed their craft and became a really great live band. And the album is terrific, not a bad song in the bunch; winsome but there's some muscle in there too. You can stream the whole shebang at Merge's website or with Spotify.

The record release party also Glass Ghost and Dustin Wong on the bill. The band are also heading out on a quick tour of both coasts and will be in Austin for SXSW. All scheduled tour dates are below.

The Darkness

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are The Darkness who are back for their first US tour in six years, playing Irving Plaza on Saturday (2/4, sold out) and Monday (2/6, still available). As stated before, I'm a huge fan of the Darkness' first album, 2003's near-perfect Permission to Land, which I picked as one of the best of the '00s. As a pop album. Justin Hawkins knows his way around a giant hook. After the overblown excesses of One Way Ticket to Hell (And Back) and Justin Hawkins' ill-advised Sunset Strip spandex group Hot Leg, the band seem to be back on track with new single "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us" which is a little more in the "Growing on Me" vein.

The Darkness' show at Bowery Ballroom back in 2003 was one of the most fun shows I've been to in the last ten years, and from YouTube footage of recent shows it looks like they've still got it. They are a kick-ass live band -- it takes skill to play "I Believe in a Thing Called Love's" solo whilst riding on your roadie's shoulders through the audience. (I hope they're still doing that.) Tickets are still available for Monday's show.

The Big Sleep

Hospitality aren't the only ones with a record release party this week. The Big Sleep released The Nature Experiments this week, their first album in four years and their record release show is tonight (2/2) at Knitting Factory. It might be their most melodic record to date, with more songs that have caught my ear on first listen than I remember them doing before. You can download two of the album's best tracks at the top of this post and the listen to the entire album at Spotify. The Big Sleep are touring as well, and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Moonmen on the Moon, Man

Still more record release party fun: Tomorrow night (2/3) at Cake Shop is a dual record release party for Moonmen on the Moon, Man and Glass Anchors who both have record coming out on the venue's subsidary Cape Shok label which finally seems to be in gear after a lot of promise but inactivity. MMotMM, which might feature members who work or even own Cake Shop, rock in an late-'80s/early-90s college radio kind of way. Their endearingly sloppy pop -- with a little punk and twang -- woulda been right at home on, say, Frontier Records, nestled in amongst Flop and Thin White Rope and Redd Kross. You can download a track from the EP at the top of this post.

Glass Anchors is the musical project of songwriter Annie Sicherman who I admit to not knowing much about but her Cape Shok EP is lovely, dusty folk pop. Says the press release:

Honing her songs in various bands over various years, soaring songstress Annie Sicherman brings us GLASS ANCHORS. The songs on her fledgling EP are plaintive, reflective, honest, and good. GLASS ANCHORS sounds best tearing up road (preferably dirt), the one to oblivion - right after you ended the longest relationship you ever had, the one you thought would last, the one with the proposal. That road can be in your head, but certainly GLASS ANCHORS has the ability to take you there every time... with Glass Anchors, we have the real Annie 3000%, no matter what road you're on.

That's the big stuff this week. A few more picks, day-by-day, are below of things not already covered here.

Classixx

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

LA's Classixx play the Popshop party at Santos with Workout and The French Horn Rebellion. You may know Classix from their remixes, like the excelent one they did for Phoenix's "Lisztomania." The group's new single is out this summer on a new label that's a joint venture from the Kitsune Maison folks and, I'm not kidding, the Cobrasnake.

Spacecamp, Mon Khmer, Romans and Skaters are at Bowery Electric. Spacecamp's new EP is pretty good, especially if you like a little Police in your pop rocks.

The Death Set, who I haven't seen play since maybe SXSW 2008, are at the Delancey. Always fun live.

continued below...

Continue reading "Hospitality, The Darkness, The Big Sleep, Moonmen on the Moon Man, Glass Anchors & more in This Week in Indie"

YACHT at Coachella 2011 (more)

The previously discussed YACHT tour continues until middle May, and the crew is poised to tear down Webster Hall with Light Asylum and Bobby Birdman in NYC tonight (4/27). Tickets are still available, or you can try your luck at winning one of three pairs of tickets we're giving away! Details on how are at the bottom of this post.

YACHT recently made a remix of the Classixx track "Into The Valley" (featuring Karl Dixon) for Green Label Sound (download/stream it below), and the LA production and DJ duo will be in NYC this week and at Webster Hall too. Just two days from today (on 4/29), Classixx will play as part of the Girls & Boys party with Nancy Whang (of Holy Ghost!, the Juan Maclean, and the now defunct LCD Soundsystem) and guests. Tickets are still available and doors open at 10PM.

All tour dates, contest details and that Yacht remix is below.

Continue reading "YACHT is here (WIN TIX), remixed Classixx who are on tour & playing Webster Hall too (MP3 & tour dates)"

MALUCA

Last week in dance was not my favorite. I enjoyed Losoul's set at Sunday Best, and the urban landscape "Afterparty" at Warm Up at PS1 (though not the music so much) . More about both of those in Part 2 of the Week In Dance. For now, here's what's happening Thursday & Friday:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1) (MALUCA)"

The new space at Webster Hall is hosting free shows all week long during CMJ 2008. More details below...

Continue reading "free CMJ shows @ The Studio, VICE & Stereogum included"

by Finger on the Pulse

DOWNLOAD: Classixx ~ BV Exclusive Mixtape (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Classixx - Cold Act Ill (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms) (Young Americans Remix) (MP3)

Today we have an exclusive new mixtape from LA duo Classixx. We first saw these guys dj last summer in LA when they were known as Young Americans. We aren't sure of the legal reasoning, but they had to switch it up and become their latest moniker (which we feel is a million times better anyway).

Since then they have released a slew of originals and remixes. Our favorites are their remix of group Hellogoodbye and their own banger Cold Act Ill. You may have also heard the remixes they've done for TV On the Radio, Regina Spektor, and Imogen Heap. We are happy to be bringing them out for their NYC debut this Friday (April 4) at Hugs with Alan Astor. The show is free so you have no reason to blow it of... unless your excuse is just that you're catching them the next night because they're playing again at Hugs on Saturday too.

Grab the tracks above. Check out more tour dates below...

Continue reading "Classixx - an exclusive mixtape, MP3s, this weekend in NYC"