DOWNLOAD: Lambchop - "Gone Tomorrow" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lambchop - "If Not I'll Just Die" (MP3)

Kurt Wagner's Nashville-based alt-country band Lambchop are set to release their first album since 2008's OH (Ohio); Mr. M, on February 21 via Merge. The album is dedicated to Vic Chestnutt, who passed away in 2009, and whose 1998 album The Salesman and Bernadette was recorded with Lambchop as his backing band. It includes the tracks "If Not I'll Just Die" and "Gone Tomorrow," which you can download above and stream below, along with a trailer video and the artwork and tracklist. You can pre-order the album at the Merge webstore as a CD or double LP, the latter of which includes 4 vinyl-only bonus tracks, one of which is a cover of Glen Campbell's "Guess I'm Dumb," co-written and produced by Brian Wilson. According to Merge, "While supplies last, preorders will include a poster (the first 150 of which will be signed!) featuring Kurt Wagner's original paintings used in Mr. M's liner notes and a Lambchop Mr. M coin purse."

Lambchop have a number of European dates scheduled in support of the release from February to April and are beginning to announce North American dates, including a NYC show happening on April 19 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets for the LPR show are on sale now.

All currently known dates, video, streams, and album info below...

Continue reading "Lambchop releasing new LP, scheduing shows (dates & MP3)"

Archers of Loaf at Webster Hall (more by Chris Gersbeck)

Archers of Loaf, still reunited, have a handful of dates scheduled in 2012 so far. The seminal 90s band has a pair of West Coast dates: LA and San Francisco (as part of Noise Pop), and two East Coast dates: Bowery Ballroom on April 26th and Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 29th that same week (date TBA shortly). Tickets for the NYC shows go on sale at noon on 2/3. The last time that Archers of Loaf played NYC it was over two nights at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Archers will also be at Primavera fest in Spain in May. More dates will be announced soon, as Merge is getting ready to release more remasters...

On February 21, Merge will re-issue Archers of Loaf's sophomore release Vee Vee on dbl-CD, limited edition mossy-green LP and digital download.

Re-mastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Magnet Magazine editor Eric Miller, Vee Vee will include sixteen bonus tracks and new cover art re-imagined by graphic artist Jay Ryan. Reissues of All the Nation's Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow later in 2012.

All known tour dates and a couple of videos below...

Continue reading "Archers of Loaf schedule 2 NYC shows, 2 in CA & Primavera"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Friends of Friends (MP3)

Hospitality's long-in-the-works debut album is out next week (1/31) on Merge and the band have just released a video for the horn-filled "Friends of Friends." In addition to the band playing in someone's well-equipped kitchen, the video tells the story of a relationship stretched between coasts, as played by Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat and Videogum's Gabe Delahaye (who was also recently in Real Estate's video for "Easy"). You can download the MP3 of "Friends of Friends" at the top of this post. The whole album's terrific, one of my early favorites of the year, and Spotify users can get an early listen to the whole thing here.

You can pick up the album at Hospitality's record release show at Glasslands next Friday (2/3) which also has 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.

In other Hospitality news, the band play WFMU's Seven Second Delay at UCB this Wednesday (1/25, 6PM) and have just released a Daytrotter session. Below is the "Friends of Friends" video and those upcoming tour dates.

Continue reading "Hospitality's new video stars Maeby of 'Arrested Development; album streaming on Spotify, tour announced (dates)"

Yo La Tengo Hanukkah @ Maxwell's 12/21/2011 (via TheRealYLT)

Looks like Mac McCaughan (of Superchunk, Portastatic and Merge Records) had more than one reason (so far) for spending Hanukkah in Hoboken with Yo La Tengo again this year. His old friends Spent, who reunited in 2009 for Merge's 20th Anniversary, were the openers for Yo La Tengo on Wednesday (the second night of Hanukkah), along with comedians Bobcat Goldthwait (!) and Neil Innes (!). Smokey Hormel is guest YLT guitarist.

The Sea and Cake opened the first night. A picture of Spent on stage at Maxwell's below...

Continue reading "Spent reunited for night 2 of Yo La Tengo's Hanukkah party"

Stephin Merritt has a new The Magnetic Fields LP on the way due via Merge Records on March 6th. Love at the Bottom of the Sea is the band's 10th LP, and they'll celebrate its release with a string of dates this spring that will include SXSW and two shows in NYC at the Beacon Theater on April 3rd and 4th. A fan presale has started, while Beacon Theater tickets go on AMEX presale Wednesday (12/14) at 11AM and regular sale Friday.

The new tour dates also list a NYC appearance at Barnes & Noble on March 8th. Stay tuned for more info on that. All dates are listed below.

The release marks a bit of a departure from Merritt's recent 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.

Continue reading "Magnetic Fields announce new album & tour (dates & presale)"

DOWNLOAD: Merge Records Winter Sampler 2011 (ZIP)

Hospitality at Bowery Ballroom in October (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Hospitality recently finished up a bunch of shows in NYC during and after CMJ. They'll take a short break until they release their debut LP on Merge on January 31. The band will celebrate the release of the album at Glasslands on February 3 with fellow Brooklynites Glass Ghost. Tickets are on sale now.

Hospitality's "Betty Wang" appears on the Merge Records Winter Sampler, alongside tracks by The Mountain Goats, Archers of Loaf, Lambchop, Imperial Teen, Wild Flag, Eleanor Friedberger, and others. You can download the entire sampler above. If you hear something you like, check out the Merge Store where they're running a holiday sale.

Meanwhile, you can catch Glass Ghost even sooner at Cameo Gallery on December 8 with Little Horns.

The Merge-signed Ladybug Transistor plays Mercury Lounge with Citay and Ill Fits one day before that.

Continue reading "Hospitality on free Merge Sampler, schedule release show"

photos by Tamara Porras

Wild Flag @ Bowery Ballroom

"On Tuesday night, that act vacuuming up all the attention was Wild Flag, a new band comprised of members of old bands that sounds like the mean of those old bands, and also like many recent bands who have looked to those old bands for inspiration. (Got all that?)

The self-titled Wild Flag debut album was released last month on Merge and, in places, it's blistering. But only some of that tension came through during the band's set Tuesday night at the Bowery Ballroom. The singer Carrie Brownstein is still poignant, and still wry, and still handles her guitar authoritatively. While Janet Weiss, the drummer, was firm, she wasn't at her firmest. And sometimes the keyboard lines from Rebecca Cole appeared to have parachuted in from another concert up the block." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Wild Flag played Maxwell's, the Bell House & Bowery Ballroom w/ Eleanor Friedberger (pics)"

photos by Tamara Porras

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

Hopefully you got to Bowery Ballroom early enough last night to catch Hospitality open for Eleanor Friedberger and Wild Flag at the Merge Records CMJ showcase. Here are some pics from their opening set.

If you missed 'em don't worry, they'll be back soon. After two days on the road they'e back in NYC to play two CMJ day parties starting with the free BrooklynVegan day party at Public Assembly on Friday. All dates, the cover and tracklist of their debut album for Merge (out 1/31), and more pictures, below...

Continue reading "Hospitality played Bowery Ballroom (pics), playing more CMJ shows (BV party included)"

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Friends of Friends (MP3)

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

Speaking of Wild Flag, if you hadn't guessed it yet, the band who are opening for them and their Merge labelmate Eleanor Friedberger at Bowery Ballroom during CMJ, is in fact signed to Merge too. Congrats to Hospitality! The North Carolina label will release the Brooklyn band's debut full-length in "early 2012". Download a track above, or stream it, with all dates below...

Continue reading "Hospitality announce Merge signing (MP3 & dates)"

DOWNLOAD: RIchard Buckner - "Traitor" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: David Kilgour - "Chord" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: David Kilgour - "Son of God" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: David Kilgour - "Sept 98" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: David Kilgour - "BBC World" (MP3)

Richard Buckner

RIchard Buckner is releasing his new LP Our Blood on August 2 via Merge. You can pre-order the album at the Merge webstore now and check out the lead track, "Traitor," above.

He'll go on an August tour in support of the album with his Merge labelmate David Kilgour of The Clean. That tour hits NYC on August 27 at The Bell House. Tickets are on sale now. Richard Buckner will also play Truck America in the Catskills in September. All dates are listed below.

David Kilgour offers some free song downloads on his website of songs not available elsewhere. Grab a few of those tracks above. David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights' new CD Left by Soft is out now on Merge where you can also stream it.

All tour dates and a video of David performing the title track on his new album, below...

Continue reading "Richard Buckner & David Kilgour going on tour, have new albums on Merge (MP3 & dates)"

As mentioned Merge labelmates Jonny and Apex Manor were forced to cancel their tour which would have hit Le Poisson Rouge tonight (6/9). All is not lost though. Apex Manor have scheduled a show instead tomorrow (6/10) at The Rock Shop with Chris Bathgate and The Long Eye. Tickets are on sale for what is now Apex Manner's only upcoming show

In other Merge news, The Rosebuds (as mentioned) and The Ladybug Transistor both released albums this week. "Clutching Stems" can be streamed at Merge's site (where you can also buy it).

The Ladybug Transistor's previously announced tour hits NYC on July 6 at Knitting Factory with The Beets and James Ausfahrt of Love Is All. Tickets are still on sale. Ladybug also recently announced a few west coast dates in September including MusicfestNW. Updated dates below...

Continue reading "Jonny still not coming, Apex Manor add a show, The Ladybug Transistor released an album (it's streaming)"

DOWNLOAD: Eleanor Friedberger - My Mistakes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - Keep Me In The Dark (Eleanor cover version) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - The End Is Near (MP3)

"Eleanor Friedberger is not just the enigmatic mouthpiece of The Fiery Furnaces, one of music's most interesting, dynamic and constantly exciting bands. In fact, Eleanor Friedberger is an exceptional songwriter herself, playing a variety of instruments and crafting the very sorts of choruses that made you fall in love with The Fiery Furnaces in the first place. She's a lover of Led Zeppelin and Jorge Ben; she's a fearless performer, as comfortable fronting a band as she is playing alone on a stage with an acoustic guitar; she's one of the sweetest alto voices in music. Nowhere is all of this more apparent than on her very first solo album, Last Summer, out on Merge Records on July 12th, 2011.

Last Summer, which was recorded, well, last summer, was born out of Take Me Round Again, a collection of cover songs from the previous Fiery Furnaces album. Both Eleanor and Matthew did their own inspired versions of songs they'd written together for their last LP I'm Going Away. Matt's were otherworldly affairs, while Eleanor's were lo-fi and lovely, all recorded in her home, the sound of an artist kicking off her shoes, settling into a big comfy chair with an acoustic guitar, a glass of scotch, and a four-track. She enjoyed the experience so much she decided to move forward with recording songs she had written in her spare time, songs that hadn't been included on any of The Fiery Furnaces' nine incredible albums." [Merge Records]

Go see the Fiery Furnaces on tour now. The tour kicks off with two NYC shows, tonight (5/4) and Thursday (5/5), at Rockwood Music Hall. Tickets are still available for both. According to someone who works at Thrill Jockey Records (home of the Furnaces), "It'll just be Matt playing the piano and Eleanor singing but they plan on doing simple renditions of as many Fiery Furnaces songs as time will allow! Like most Fiery Furnaces shows, it should be a completely new and unique experience."

The two "Fiery Furnaces" MP3s above are both from 2009 albums that were released via Thrill Jockey. "Keep Me In The Dark", from Take Me Round Again, is Eleanor's cover version of the FF song that first appeared on I'm Going Away. "The End Is Near" is an original track off I'm Going Away.

Eleanor will also be announcing a solo show today via BrooklynVegan.com. Stay tuned for that news coming soon (UPDATE: HERE IT IS. Meanwhile, you can see a list of all FF tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Eleanor Friedberger signed to Merge (MP3), Fiery Furnaces kicking off tour (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Ladybug Transistor - "Clutching Stems" (MP3)

Give a warm welcome for Clutching Stems, the new LP from The Ladybug Transistor which is due via Merge Records on June 7th. Check out the title track from the LP above and preorder the record at Merge if you wish. In late Ju ne, you can welcome the new songs a bit more personally, as the band will hit the road for a string of dates that naturally includes a stop in their hometown of NYC, at Knitting Factory on 7/6. Tickets for that one are on sale.

All tour dates and a couple of videos, below...

Continue reading "The Ladybug Transistor releasing 'Clutching Stems', touring (MP3 & dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Damon & Naomi - "Walking Backwards" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Damon & Naomi - "Shadow Boxing" (M4A)
DOWNLOAD: Amor de Dias - "Bunhill Fields" (MP3)

Damon & Naomi

Damon & Naomi will add to the embarassment of Record Store Day riches by playing a free show at Sound Fix in Brooklyn on 4/16 at 7PM, AND releasing a limited 7" featuring "Walking Backwards" with a cover of Scott Walker's "The World's Strongest Man" on the flip. Look for that limited 7" wherever new vinyl is sold.

The former Galaxie 500 pair are also headining out on a US campaign with Amor de Dias in May, adding Ghost/Boris axeslinger and frequent collaborator Michio Kurihara (Boris, Ghost) on some dates and saxophonist/arranger Bhob Rainey of nmperign on others. Look for Kurihara at their Brooklyn show on May 22nd at Knitting Factory. Tickets are on sale.

Damon & Naomi will be touring in support of their new album, False Beats and True Hearts, which is out 5/17. Download "Walking Backwards" and "Shadow Boxing" from that CD above. Stream the same songs, and watch their new video, below.

Amor de Dias

Amor de Dias ("Love of Days") is the duo/supergroup of Alasdair MacLean (The Clientele) and Lupe Núñez-Fernández (Pipas). Their album, Street of the Love of Days, is also due 5/17. Their label is Merge Records, and Merge says:

"Over the course of three years, they quietly put together their debut record during evenings and weekends as they called in local friends (Louis Philippe) and visiting musicians (Damon and Naomi, Gary Olson) for sessions, building up the songs' multifaceted arrangements and vocal harmonies with harps, bouzoukis, strings, recorders, and brass over the core of dual Spanish guitars and the dream imagery of their bilingual lyrics.

The result is a focused, cohesive jewel of chamber pop that reflects a little of Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso's elegant brand of bossa nova, a bit of Erik Satie's haunting night music, and a large dose of spooky psychedelic folk. But the beautiful harmony that sings throughout the record makes it all their own."

Expect a bit of collaboration between the two duos on tour. All dates below...

Continue reading "Damon & Naomi have a new LP, playing Record Store Day show @ Sound Fix, touring w/ Merge power couple Amor de Dias"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Wild Flag @ Merge Records Showcase

Lost in the Trees @ Muzzle of Bees BBQ

Catching up a bit. Here's what Dominick saw in Austin on Friday, March 18, 2011....

Continue reading "SXSW 2011 Day 3 pics"

photos by Tracy Allison, words by Erin Allison

Bright Eyes headlined Radio City Music Hall in NYC twice this week. - March 8 & 9. Conor Oberst's Merge label-mates Superchunk and Wild Flag also opened both nights. I was there on the 2nd night which is also when the pictures in this post were taken.

Wild Flag, the all-girl group from Portland, comprised of Sleater-Kinney and former Helium members took the stage at 8pm for a rocking, half-hour long, six song set. Wild Flag also played The Rock Shop twice on March 5th.

If you would have told a younger Oberst at age thirteen that Superchunk would be opening for his band he would have "kicked you in the shins." The pop-punk band, who released their 9th album this past September, were equally enthusiastic to be opening for Bright Eyes, with singer (and Merge head honcho) Mac McCaughan telling the audience that playing a venue like Radio City alongside bands like Wild Flag and Bright Eyes "makes you feel part of something bigger."

As Oberst took the stage, members of the audience could be heard shouting "Welcome back, Conor!" Bright Eyes played a perfect mix of new and old music during the twenty-song set and three-song encore. The theme for the night seemed to be sexually explicit material, with a dash of family. Two songs were dedicated "to Nancy", the Bright Eyes frontman's mother. Oberst shared the stage with only Nathaniel Wolcott for "Ladder Song," and talked about Lent, telling all of Radio City that he had given up apologizing for the next 40 days. The politically active Oberst discussed the U.S. government trying to control the whole world and encouraged people to do what they can to make a change before playing "Old Soul Song".

There was dancing, tears, squealing audience members, and screams when Oberst jumped into the audience during the encore. Fans could not have been happier to have Bright Eyes back, and as it was eloquently put, "Coberst killed it." Free Gotham said:

"The highlight of the evening? I loved "Hot Knives," "Bowl of Oranges," "Lover I Don't Have to Love" and "Ladder Song," but the epitome of Bright Eyes had to be the performance of "Shell Games." Not only is this one of the best tracks off of The People's Key, it was without a doubt the best song of the night."

Continue reading "Bright Eyes played 2 nights @ Radio City Music Hall w/ Superchunk & Wild Flag (pics, videos & setlists)"

DOWNLOAD: Times New Viking: "No Room to Live" (MP3)

TNV @ a BV Day Party (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As at least one person picked up on back in October, Times New Viking are no longer on Matador. As just officially revealed via Pitchfork, they are now labelmates with the Mountain Goats...

"Ohio shit-fi indie rock heroes Times New Viking have signed with Merge Records, who will release their new album, Dancer Equired, on April 25 in the U.S. (Wichita will release it in Europe, Pop Frenzy in Australia, and Big Nothing in Japan.) It's the follow-up to 2009's Matador LP Born Again Revisited.

The first single from the record will be "No Room to Live", which previously appeared on a tour-only 7" during the band's jaunt with Guided by Voices last year. You can take a listen to the song above, and check out its video (directed by Brandon Reichard and Pelham Johnston) below."

Continue reading "Times New Viking switch from Matador to Merge"

DOWNLOAD: The Mountain Goats - Damn These Vampires (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Mountain Goats - Tyler Lambert's Grave (MP3)

John Darnielle's The Mountain Goats will release a new album called 'All Eternals Deck' on March 29 via Merge Records (who also released John's last project "The Extra Lens" in October)...

"As with their last album, The Life of the World To Come, the [Mountain Goats] treated the [All Eternals Deck] recording sessions as commando raids on several studios with a few different producers: four songs at North Carolina's Fidelitorium with John Congleton; one at Q Division in Boston with Brandon Eggleston; four at Brooklyn's Mission Sound with Scott Solter; and four at Mana Recording Studios in Florida, with former Morbid Angel guitarist and current Hate Eternal helmsman Erik Rutan.

Describing the album, Darnielle writes, "If you have ever watched say a 70s occult-scare movie where one of the scenes involves a few people visiting a storefront fortune teller, getting their cards read, and then trying to feel super-hopeful about their predicted outcome when what they're visibly actually feeling is dread, then you have a pretty decent idea of what the album is all about." He elaborates, "Other possible points of reference include 'Burnt Offerings,' 'Go Ask Alice,' and that one scene in The Warriors where they're on the train and the sun's coming up and they're safe but you know the scars are permanent now."" - Merge Records

There are two MP3s above. "Tyler Lambert's Grave" is a new song John released for free on the Internet, but it's not on the new album. "Damn These Vampires" is though. The full tracklist, the new album's cover art, and all dates, below...

Continue reading "The Mountain Goats releasing 'All Eternals Deck' on Merge, touring (MP3s & dates)"

Versus

The once extinguished but now active Versus is scheduled to play Mercury Lounge on February 19th, their lone East Coast date as part of a handful of US dates late next month. Tickets for Mercury Lounge go on sale at noon. The band released their first LP in ten years, On the Ones and Threes, via Merge Records in 2010.

You can also catch Versus's Richard Baluyut when he appears during Jennifer O'Connor's residency at Rock Shop on February 8th. Tickets are still available, and he'll be joined by Charles Bissell of The Wrens and Kendall Meade of Mascott.

Speaking of Charles Bissell, he is also on the bill of a Project Matters Benefit at Maxwell's in Hoboken on January 23rd with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Escape Directors. Tickets are on sale.

Versus is also on board for Noise Pop 2011 in San Francisco, CA. To be exact, they play Cafe Du Nord with their touring labelmates Telekinesis & The Love Language on February 23rd. The whole festival will take place at multiple venues from February 22-27 and will also feature appearances from Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service), Ted Leo (solo), The Concretes (who are touring), Waaves & Best Coast (who are touring together), How to Dress Well (who plays Brooklyn soon), No Age, Yo La Tengo, and many other favorites. The full slate of initially-announced bands is below, and you can get your badges now.

Full list of Noise Pop bands, some video and all Versus dates are below.

Continue reading "Versus playing shows, Cymbals Eat Guitars playing a benefit, Noise Pop initial lineup announced (Ben Gibbard & many more)"

DOWNLOAD: a North Carolina mix by Stuart McLamb of Love Language (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Telekinesis - Car Crash (MP3)

The Love Language @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Jessica Amaya)

BJ Burton of The Love Language's Favorite Albums of 2010

Birds of Avalon - "Birds of Avalon"
Not sure if this has been released yet, but this record slays in just about every angle.

War on Drugs - "Future Weather EP"
Probably played this guy a dozen times on the drive from Austin to LA this year. Can not wait for their next one.

Wye Oak - "My Neighbor/My Creator"
So glad to meet these guys this year and be introduced to their brilliance. A couple of shredders for sure. This record gives me chills at times.

Gayngs - "Relayted"
A super group of good friends who party harder than you do, and made one smooth ass record.

Tallest Man on Earth - "The Wild Hunt"
If you can get on board with Kristian's beast of an incredible voice, he'll take you to some pretty sweet places with his music.

Sharon Van Etten - "Epic"
Dark, beautiful and intimate. I'm a sucker for harmonium as well.

Here We Go Magic - "Pigeons"
Jen Turner is one hell of an engineer, and I love these songs.

Local Natives - "Gorilla Manor"
Justin and Jordan played Sun Hands waaayy too many times in the van this year. But I'm not complaining

Telekinesis have a new LP on the way. 12 Desperate Straight Lines is due on 2/15 via Merge Records (preorder it). Download "Car Crash" from that album above. The heart of Telekinesis is singer/songwriter Michael Benjamin Lerner and his band now consists of a pair of fresh faces: Jason Narducy (of the Robert Pollard band and Verbow) on bass and Cody Votolato (from Jaguar Love and The Blood Brothers) on guitar.

The Love Language are still supporting their 2010 release, and speaking of 2010 releases, you can see which ones BJ Burton enjoyed from his list above. Also above: a mixtape by BJ's band-mate Stuart of all fellow North Carolina bands. The tracklist for that is below along with all tour dates and KEXP video sessions by both bands, and more...

Continue reading "The Love Language & Telekinesis -- 2011 Tour Dates & stuff"

DOWNLOAD: Destroyer - Chinatown (MP3)

On January 25, Destroyer will release their ninth LP, Kaputt on Merge records.

These are some of the themes alluded to or avoided in the album Kaputt - and here are 22 things you might want to know about it. Straight from Dan Bejar himself, in absolutely no linear order.

Kaputt by Malaparte, which Bejar has never read- Kara Walker, specifically the lyrics she contributed to the song "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker"- Chinatown, the neighborhood bordering on Bejar's- Baby blue eyes - 80s Miles Davis- 90s Gil Evans- Last Tango in Paris- Nic Bragg, who played lead guitar on every song, again- Fretless bass- The hopelessness of the future of music- The pointlessness of writing songs for today- V-Drums- The superiority of poetry and plays- And what's to become of film?- The Cocaine Addict- American Communism - Downtown, the neighborhood bordering on Bejar's - The LinnDrum - Avalon and, more specifically, Boys and Girls - The devastated mind of JC/DC, who recorded, produced and mixed this record from fall of 2008 to spring of 2010 - The back-up vocals of certain Roy Ayers and Long John Baldry tours - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence -

Continue reading "Destroyer releasing new album (MP3), not playing w/ New Pornographers @ T5 (but Neko is - WIN TIX)"

Ben Kweller just toured through NYC, hitting the Rock Shop in Park Slope for two performances on Saturday night (11/27). Those who chose the early show were treated to guest appearances by both Adam Green and John Shade (who has a show coming up with Mountain Man). Those who chose the late show also got Green and Shade, but won with an appearance by Conor Oberst who joined Ben for a rendition of Bright Eyes song "Another Travelin' Song." A video of that is below.

You might remember Bright Eyes as that band/project Conor led before he started calling himself by his actual name. You may remember seeing Ben Kweller and Conor Oberst play together on stage when Ben opened for Conor at Terminal 5 in 2008.

If my calculations are correct, it's been a bit over three years since "Bright Eyes" played NYC. That November 2007 show was at Radio City Music Hall with Thurston Moore and the Felice Brothers, and earlier that year Bright Eyes played seven nights in a row at Town Hall with special guests that included Britt Daniel, Ben Gibbard, and Ben Kweller.

On March 9, 2011 Bright Eyes will return to NYC and to Radio City Music Hall for a sort-of-all Merge Records bill that will include opening sets by Superchunk and Wild Flag (Conor put out a solo album on Merge and Wild Flag are signed to Merge too). Radio City tickets ranging in price from $25-$39.50 will go on general sale Saturday, December 4th, at 10am, but a presale begins somewhere on December 1st at noon for that show, and for Bright Eyes' only other scheduled gig: June 23rd at Royal Albert Hall in London. There's also an AmEx presale for the NYC show starting Wednesday at noon.

The UK and NYC shows will be in support of a brand new Bright Eyes album, that is coming out on Conor's label Saddle Creek on February 15th, 2011. It's called The People's Key...

"Since 2006 the once revolving cast of Bright Eyes players has settled around permanent members Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott, with additional musicians joining them in the studio and on tour. Fully realized and bursting with charisma, The People's Key is an assured and accomplished album, artfully arranged and filled with the engaging and mesmeric songwriting for which Oberst is renowned. Recorded in Omaha, Nebraska, at the band's own ARC Studios, The People's Key was produced by Mike Mogis and engineered by Mogis and Andy LeMaster.

Additional Bright Eyes players on The People's Key: Andy LeMaster, (Now It's Overhead), Matt Maginn (Cursive), Carla Azar (Autolux), Clark Baechle (The Faint), Shane Aspegren (The Berg Sans Nipple), Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) and Denny Brewer (Refried Ice Cream)." - Saddle Creek

The Radio City show is one day before Wild Flag (the Sleater-Kinney band) plays DC.

Ben Kweller opens for Pete Yorn at Terminal 5 on March 11th.

The Kweller/Oberst video, all dates, and the tracklist below...

Continue reading "Bright Eyes releasing an LP, playing Radio City w/ Superchunk & Wild Flag, Conor played w/ Ben Kweller @ the Rock Shop"

by Andrew Frisicano

The Music Tapes @ The Bell House in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

This November and December, The Music Tapes will be bringing a comforting, enchanting, and very special evening of Music Tapes' dreamlike songs, stories and games for sleepover parties to ordinary homes across the land (US and Canada). The Music Tapes are now accepting invitations, and plan to visit over 200 homes! As with the Music Tapes' caroling and lullaby travels of years past, they will stop at several houses a night in each city visiting also far off out of the way places most tours never get to go.

The Lullaby evenings with include songs from the Music Tapes forthcoming 2011 record, as well as from Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes, The 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad, and The Singing Saw at Christmastime, along with new Music Tapes games and stories. The entertainment, though sometimes more exciting than lulling, are all in honor of the comforting moments directly preceding and following sleep when we find ourselves happily unsure of whether we are awake or are dreaming. [Merge]

The announcement is also confirmation that the Music Tapes will have a new release in 2011 (possibly titled The 2nd Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking)

Complete dates and how to get in touch with the tour (and invite them to your house!) are below...

Continue reading "The Music Tapes announce 2010 holiday tour, plan for new LP"

DOWNLOAD: The Extra Lens - Only Existing Footage (MP3)

Comprised of John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats) and Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue, the Human Hearts) and formed in the Inland Empire during the region's brief next-Seattle shortlist period, the project began as a potential home for any song John wrote that had a) more than three chords or b) a bridge. New songs for the group only happened when John figured he"d written something that Franklin might find clever or amusing. Reasoning that permanent-bridesmaid status means you never have to actually buy the dress, the duo have approached record-making at a pace that one would call "leisurely" if it wouldn"t make the leisure class look like busy bodies: one 7", several compilation appearances, one full-length at the dawn of the aughts, and now, arriving with Paul Masson-like deliberation, Undercard.

Recorded with Brian Paulson (Slint, Beck, US Maple) at the Rubber Room in Carrboro, North Carolina, and with Mitch Rackin (Excepter, Heavy Hands) at Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn, Undercard is the first Extra Lens record to arrive as a full collaboration between songwriters. The recording method, however, persists: John plays guitar, sings, and then gets the hell out of Dodge City, leaving Franklin to provide arrangements as the songs required: here sparing, here ornate; sometimes gentle, sometimes not; once with vibraslap, mostly without. [Merge Records]

In support of that release, the boys will hit the road with John Vanderslice for four select east coast dates including the intimate Mercury Lounge on October 21st. The NYC show is part of the CMJ Music Marathon, but advanced tickets also go on sale Friday at noon (weird for a CMJ show at Mercury Lounge). All dates below...

Continue reading "The Extra Lens = John Darnielle + Franklin Bruno -- releasing album on Merge (MP3, stream & tour dates) "

"To celebrate the upcoming joint tour dates featuring Teenage Fanclub and Radar Brothers, we are having a sale! For a limited-time, get a bundle of Teenage Fanclub's Shadows and Radar Brothers' The Illustrated Garden on CD for only $21.98 with free domestic shipping!

While most bands are lucky to have one great songwriter, Teenage Fanclub are blessed with three, hence Shadows is overflowing with the kind of gorgeous, harmony-driven classics you'd expect to find on a greatest hits album.

The Illustrated Garden is the punchiest, most lyrically direct set of songs Radar Brothers' has released to date. The songs are unmistakably Radar Brothers, but the Treichel/Hussey rhythm section often pushes them in unexpected directions." [Merge Records]

Teenage Fanclub will also appear on Fallon while they're here. All dates below..

Continue reading "Teenage Fanclub & Radar Brothers add another show -- updated 2010 tour dates"