12/03/2015

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER Shares New Music Video via Stereogum

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER SHARES MUSIC VIDEO FOR "HE DIDN'T MENTION HIS MOTHER"

PRESS HERE to watch via Stereogum
 
New View Out Jan. 22nd via Frenchkiss 
(Credit: Joe DeNardo)
Praise for Eleanor Friedberger + "He Didn't Mention His Mother":
 
"Friedberger makes breezy-sounding music about adult situations. She notices life's little details...and weaves them into a cozy tapestry...What a beautiful, subtle way to describe a beautiful, subtle feeling." - Pitchfork
 
"...a beautifully lush ramble that evokes the greats of the '70s without aping any of them too closely." - Stereogum
 
"...a slowly rolling charmer streaked with fine, crisp guitar lines." - Consequence of Sound
 
"...subtle, poetic..." - Village Voice

Eleanor Friedberger will release New View on January 22nd via Frenchkiss, and today she shares the music video for the album opener and first single, "He Didn't Mention His Mother," a track driven by melodic guitar lines, Wurlitzer electric piano and Friedberger's signature, witty lyricism.  The video features Friedberger rehearsing with her backing band Icewater at her upstate New York home and recording with producer Clemens Knieper at his Sunnyland Studio in Germantown, NY. PRESS HERE to watch the video now via Stereogum.
 
Eleanor Friedberger will take New View on the road next year, starting at NYC's Bowery Ballroom in February and culminating at SXSW 2016. See below to find a show near you.
 
New View is the follow-up to 2013's critically acclaimed Personal Record and is her first album as a signee to NYC's seminal indie label Frenchkiss Records. New View signals a fresh beginning for the former Fiery Furnaces' frontwoman. After living in Brooklyn for fourteen years, Friedberger moved to upstate New York, and the album reflects that region's rustic charm. Friedberger drew inspiration for New View from many of her musical heroes - everyone from Van Morrison, Neil Young and George Harrison, to Slapp Happy, Yoko Ono and Elyse.  There are ghost notes of all of those influences on New View,but mostly you hear the singular voice of Eleanor Friedberger, whose warm, inviting alto and incredible word play continue to make herone of the foremost songwriters in the indie rock world today.
 
PRESS HERE to pre-order New View now.
 
North American Tour Dates
2/18/16                        New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
2/19/16                        Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy Philly
2/20/16                        Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater
2/22/16                        Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel
2/23/16                        Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)
2/24/16                        Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
2/26/16                        St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
2/27/16                        Omaha, NE @ Reverb
2/28/16                        Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
3/1/16                          Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
3/2/16                          Boise, ID @ Neurolux
3/4/16                          Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
3/5/16                          Seattle, WA @ Barboza
3/6/16                          Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
3/8/16                          San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
3/10/16                        Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
3/11/16                        San Diego, CA @ The Hideout
3/12/16                        Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
3/15/16-3/20/16           Austin, TX @ SXSW 2016
 

Palma Violets Announce Christmas single "Last Christmas On Planet Earth"

PALMA VIOLETS
Announce Christmas single
"Last Christmas On Planet Earth" - Available Now via Rough Trade Records
     
Palma Violets announced a Christmas single 'Last Christmas On Planet Earth,' which is out now via Rough Trade Records. The single is backed up by Palma's favorite 'All the Garden Birds' sung by the Rhythm Studio Kids Choir. The single is available on Limited 7" & digital. PRESS HERE to watch the video for 'Last Christmas On Planet Earth.'
'Last Christmas On Planet Earth' follows the snowy footprints of other Rough Trade Christmas classics, including Low, Julian Casablancas, Sufjan Stevens and Super Furry Animals.

From the 1st of December, keep an eye out on http://palmaviolets.co.uk a special Alternative Advent calendar, featuring daily reveals of covers, poems and other festive treats from some very well known indie stars as well as the boys themselves.

Behind one of the Advent doors, Palma Violets will be performing on 
Call This Number. Call This Number is the brain child of Steve Mackey (Pulp), Jeannette Lee (Rough Trade) & Douglas Hart (ex Jesus and Mary Chain). The concept involves a unique performance broadcast just once at a set time from an online link provided on the day of the show.  

12/02/2015

Speedy Ortiz debuts David Lynch-inspired video via Vanity Fair + Embarking on tour benefitting GRCF

SPEEDY ORTIZ SHARES "MY DEAD GIRL" VIDEO VIA VANITY FAIR

EMBARKING ON ALL-AGES TOUR WITH PROCEEDS BENEFITTING THE GIRLS ROCK CAMP FOUNDATION

AWARDED 'ARTIST OF THE YEAR' HONORS BY NOISEY

WATCH: "My Dead Girl" - 

Speedy Ortiz teamed up with director Elle Schneider to create the David Lynch-homaging video for "My Dead Girl". Speedy Ortiz drummer Mike Falcone explains why Lynch is their favorite neo-noir filmmaker and how he inspired the band's music video, "He's the master when it comes to emulation of dreams. Mulholland Drive might have the best two-hour dream sequence out of any movie because it feels like a vivid subconscious progression. An extreme scenario might generate a completely nonchalant reaction, or vice versa. Bizarre details can feel totally logical. This is partially why the puppets are in our video. When you're within a dream, puppets hanging out at a casino might make complete sense."

Releasing "My Dead Girl" on Vanity Fair's website exactly one week prior to their upcoming tour, the band is excited to bring more awareness to the Girls Rock Camp Foundation by headlining a series of all-ages shows from which 100% of the net proceeds will benefit the Girls Rock Camp Foundation (
http://www.girlsrockcampfoundation.org/). GRCF is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing funding for Girls Rock Camps. The purpose of the camps is to develop life skills, creative expression and collaboration through music. Since its inception in 2014, GRCF have supported over 44 camps for girls of all economic backgrounds in both cities and rural areas.

To further incentivize donations, GRCF and artist Michael DeForge have teamed up w/ Speedy Ortiz to offer exclusive prizes for various donation levels (baseline ticket prices may vary slightly in certain venues):

$10 = ticket only, no donation
$15 = ticket +$5 GRCF donation (free custom Speedy Ortiz poster by Michael DeForge for that night's show!)
$20 = ticket +$10 GRCF donation (free custom Speedy Ortiz nail art stickers!)
$40 = ticket +$30 GRCF donation (free GRC print (ex: http://www.girlsrockcampfoundation.org/fully-funded) + all other prizes included!)

Speaking further about the tour, Speedy Ortiz' Sadie Dupuis said:

"We toured non-stop in 2015 and wanted to cap it off playing a series of all ages shows (which is always our favorite kind of show). We've also wanted to do a tour with a charity fundraising component for a long while. We've done a few fundraisers this year--for the Ferguson Library and the Baltimore Food Bank--but for this tour, we wanted to do something that had a national impact while still supporting local communities.

The Girls Rock Camp Foundation was the perfect choice. GRCF provides funding and support to the the various Girls Rock organizations around the world, which in turn provide affordable music education to kids. Girls Rock helps level the music business' playing field by coaching girls to form bands, develop skills in music engineering and technical production, and build their self esteem along the way. We love the work GRCF does, and are proud to support them on this tour--and can't wait to play with a Girls Rock Boston band at our hometown show! We're also so lucky that our friend Michael DeForge, one of the best comics writers and illustrators around, has designed a narrative poster series to help benefit GRCF as well." 
See below for all upcoming tour dates and what the press is saying about Foil Deer.

 
Tour Dates:

12/8 - Providence, RI @ AS220
with Downtown Boys, Whore paint

12/9 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
with Downtown Boys, Ursula

12/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
with: Downtown Boys, Palm, Anomie
*special DJ set by Allison Crutchfield

12/11 - Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn
with: Downtown Boys, Eskimeaux, Very Fresh
*special DJ sets by Jenn & Liz Pelly

12/12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Palisades
with: Aye Nako, Dirty Dishes, Gemma

12/13 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
with: Beauty Pill, Aye Nako

12/14 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
with: Aye Nako, Atta Girl

12/15 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
with: Aye Nako, No Love
*special DJ set by Merge Records DJs

12/16 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
with: Aye Nako, Suno Deko

12/17 - Nashville, TN @ The End
with: Aye Nako, Idle Bloom, Gnarwhal

12/18 - Louisville, KY @ The New Vintage
with: Aye Nako, Didi, hoe garden

Pure Bathing Culture w/ Death Cab for Cutie + New Video "She Shakes"

PURE BATHING CULTURE ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES
SUPPORTING DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

SHARE NEW VIDEO FOR "SHE SHAKES"

PRAY FOR RAIN ONE OF GORILLA VS BEAR'S BEST ALBUMS OF 2015

 OUT NOW ON PARTISAN RECORDS US
MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES EU

WATCH: "She Shakes" on YouTube

LISTEN: "Pray For Rain" on Soundcloud
  
 
On the heels of their headlining tour supporting new release Pray For Rain (Partisan, 10/23), Pure Bathing Culture just announced two year-end shows with Death Cab For Cutie. The two bands will team up on December 16th and 17th to play Portland's KNRK December to Remember shows. Pure Bathing Culture will play KEXP's Yule Benefit concert as well on December 12th with Wolf Alice.

Today the band also debuts new video for album track "She Shakes," a striking portrait of the duo side by side that showcases the stark contrast between Sarah Versprille's "transcendental" (Stereogum) vocals and Daniel Hindman's classically trained guitar skills. Click below to watch. 

 

Pray For Rain is their second studio album and the first produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen). Since being released at the end of October, it has garnered fans at Vulture, Noisey, Interview Magazine and more. The FADER calls their music "a serving of 1980s synth-pop that is equal parts danceable and devastating." 

PRAISE FOR PURE BATHING CULTURE'S PRAY FOR RAIN

"Synth pop fun...lovely" --New York Mag (Vulture)

"chiming guitar chords that sway between speakers...a pinch of 80s radio power pop...jetpacked into the future by fuzzed up bass" --VICE Noisey

"['Pray For Rain'] adds new oomph to the duo's crystalline transcendental yacht-pop..."
--Stereogum 

"[Versprille's] voice layers with clean synths, guitars, and bass for a song that has an overarching uplifting tone, despite its relatively somber lyricism."
--Interview Magazine

  "Pray for Rain sounds very polished, with Vesprille's poetic lyrics melding with dreamy pop melodies." --Bitch Magazine   

"[Showcases] Versprille and Hindman's ability to inject heat-seeking pop missiles in their melodies, aiming them straight for listeners' hearts and making them impossible to dodge." --Portland Mercury

"a poppier, more expansive sound with stylish grace and keep just enough of the mystery intact to stay interesting." --AllMusic

"...hopelessly earwormy, so be prepared to love it instantly and carry it with you for days."
--ElevenPDX

"highly addictive dream-pop" --BrooklynVegan

   
Tour Dates
12/12/15 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos - KEXP Yule Benefit Concert w/ Wolf Alice
12/16/15 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom - December to Remember event w/Death Cab for Cutie
12/17/15 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom - December to Remember event w/Death Cab for Cutie

Nada Surf announces new album and tour dates; shares new song

NADA SURF ANNOUNCES NEW RECORD,
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE,
OUT MARCH 4, 2016
 
FIRST TRACK, "BELIEVE YOU'RE MINE," AVAILABLE TO HEAR NOW
 
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

photo credit: Bernie Dechant
 
(New York, NY) -- Nada Surf has announced the release of its new album, You Know Who You Are, out March 4, 2016. The band's eighth record and fifth for Barsuk, it was produced by long-time comrade Tom Beaujour at Nuthouse Recording n Hoboken, NJ. The album marks the band's first as an official quartet with the core unit - singer/ songwriter/guitarist Matthew Caws, bassist Daniel Lorca and drummer Ira Elliot - joined by Doug Gillard on second guitar. Album pre-orders begin today, December 2. The first song from the new collection, "Believe You're Mine," is available to hear now.
 
Earlier today, "Believe You're Mine" was spun by KEXP's John In The Morning, KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic and  WXPN.
 
 
 
ALBUM PRE-ORDER LINKS:
 
Having recorded five albums in 10 years and toured extensively in support of all of them, Nada Surf opted to follow 2012's cracking The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy with a brief but well-earned hiatus. So in January 2015, when Caws informed Nada Surf's vociferous Facebook following that a new record was just about done, the news was greeted with explosive enthusiasm. The music was in the can, he announced, and all that remained was to finish up a few lyrics and sing a few vocals; something he planned to do on off-days off during an upcoming solo acoustic tour. Caws even included a photo of the recording set-up he was bringing in the car.

"I was so eager to have an album done that I believed in it as it was," Caws recalls. "But the great thing about being 'finished' is that you can take a breath and evaluate, because the pressure to 'do it' is gone. The more I listened and thought about it, the more I realized that I might want to keep working. Also, I'd sent the tracks to my friend Josh, who runs Barsuk Records, the label we've been on since 2002, and he said 'It's great,' but followed that with a pregnant pause. I got the message. I didn't take that as a critique as much as a belief that I could do better. It was very freeing," Caws continues. "There were already a bunch of songs in the can that we all liked, so I could think more expansively about what the album could be."

Caws' instinct to heed his inner editorial voice proved to be spot on: he dropped a few songs, tweaked others, and wrote a few more that, "definitely feel different from what we've done before," he says. "Believe You're Mine" was rejiggered and sped up, while "Cold To See Clear" - originally penned for a collaboration to be named later with Michael Lerner of Telekinesis - was deemed a better fit for Nada Surf. Just before starting You Know Who You Are, Caws had gone to Los Angeles to write with Dan Wilson, who in addition to his success with Semisonic, has won two Grammy Awards for his songs with Adele and the Dixie Chicks. They weren't writing for anyone in particular, they just wanted to see what would happen. Caws felt so good about "Rushing" and "Victory's Yours," that he asked Wilson if he could include them on the new Nada Surf album. Wilson gave the green light, and even offered to contribute backing vocals. When the band returned to Hoboken, NJ for another round of sessions with producer/guitarist Tom Beaujour (Jennifer O'Connor, Amy Bezunartea), the songs were tracked.
 

And lo and behold, what would have been another really good Nada Surf album (their seventh since getting signed to a major in the go-go 90's and scoring a worldwide alterna-hit with "Popular") became what could well be the most representative collection of the group's two-decade career, all while pushing towards whatever comes next. While the band has always had a surplus of horsepower for velocity rockers and an astounding level of confidence live, they've been gaining the discipline and finesses to change gears, more so with each release. Captured in the album's 10 tracks is every beloved facet of the band, but You Know Who You Are also finds much on offer that stands apart from anything previously heard in the band's diverse catalogue.
 
"Sometimes it feels like, to our audience at least, we are two or three different bands at once," Caws concludes. "It seems some people are looking to feel better, for encouragement getting over their obstacles, for help figuring life out... not that I've done that myself, other people are looking for love songs, and then some others just want to rock."
 
Nada Surf has confirmed the first leg of a North American tour that begins in Chicago, IL, on May 12, 2016 and ends in Boston, MA, on June 4. The complete tour dates are below.
 
NADA SURF
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE


TRACKLISTING
Cold to See Clear
Believe You're Mine
Friend Hospital
New Bird
Out of the Dark
Rushing
Animal
You Know Who You Are
Gold Sounds
Victory's Yours
 
North American tour dates:
 
MAY
12 - Chicago, IL - Thalia
13 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
14 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
17 - Vancouver, BC - Venue
18 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
19 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
20 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
21 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram
22 - San Diego, CA - Irenic
24 - Denver, CO - Bluebird
27 - Austin, TX - Parish
28 - Dallas, TX Granada
 
JUNE
1 - Washington, DC - 9:30
2 - Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
3 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
4 - Boston, MA - Paradise
 

12/01/2015

M. Ward Announces New Album + Shares New Single "Girl From Conejo Valley"

M. WARD
ANNOUNCES EIGHTH SOLO ALBUM MORE RAIN
TO BE RELEASED MARCH 4, 2016 VIA MERGE RECORDS

LISTEN TO "GIRL FROM CONEJO VALLEY" - PRESS HERE TO STREAM
M. Ward returns with his eighth solo album, More Rain, which will be released on March 4, 2016 via Merge Records. PRESS HERE to stream Ward's new single "Girl From Conejo Valley," which is a nostalgic trot through people he used to know and a place he used to be. 
Having spent the last decade-and-a-half based in the perennially damp Portland, Oregon, the singer-songwriter and producer has learned how to shine through the soggy gloom by simply embracing its inevitability. With his new album More Rain, Ward has made a true gotta-stay-indoors, rainy-season record that looks upwards through the weather while reflecting on his past.
 
"I think one of the biggest mysteries of America right now is this: How are we able to process unending bad news on Page One and then go about our lives the way the Style section portrays us?" says Ward. "There must be a place in our brains that allows us to take a bird's-eye view of humanity, and I think music is good at helping people-myself included-go to that place."
 
This album finds Ward picking up the tempo and volume a bit from his previous release, 2012's A Wasteland Companion. Where that record introspectively looked in from the outside, More Rain finds Ward on the inside, gazing out. Begun four years ago and imagined initially as a DIY doo-wop album that would feature Ward experimenting with layering his own voice, it soon branched out in different directions, a move that he credits largely to his collaborators here who include R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, Neko Case, k.d. lang, The Secret Sisters, and Joey Spampinato of NRBQ. The result is a collection of upbeat, sonically ambitious yet canonically familiar songs that both propel Ward's reach and satisfy longtime fans.
  
Ward has released a string of acclaimed solo albums over the past several years, along with five LPs with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him and a 2009 collaborative album with My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis under the moniker Monsters of Folk. In addition to his celebrated work as a musician, Ward is an accomplished producer, handling those duties for such luminaries as Mavis Staples, Jenny Lewis, and Carlos Forster as well as his own musical projects.
 
MORE RAIN
  1.  More Rain
  2. Pirate Dial
  3. Time Won't Wait
  4. Confession
  5. I'm Listening (Child's Theme)
  6. Girl from Conejo Valley
  7. Slow Driving Man
  8. You're So Good To Me
  9. Temptation
  10. Phenomenon
  11. Little Baby
  12. I'm Going Higher
Pre-order More Rain on CD or LP in the Merge store. The first 750 pre-orders will received a limited edition translucent red vinyl. Pre-order the album digitally via iTunes.

Diane Coffee 2016 tour

2016 WINTER TOUR DATES ARE IN!

Tori Amos Announces New Children’s Book 'A SORTA FAIRYTALE' out April 6, 2027 with Penguin Workshop/Penguin Young Readers

Multiplatinum Artist and New York Times Bestselling Author Tori Amos  Announces Second Children’s Book: A SORTA FAIRYTALE Illustrated by De...