W♥M (Archive)

Luck of the Irish

Drive All Night EP ANTI- Records Read More Glen Hansard I think I just saw the best music movie recently. It's called Once and it stars Glen Hansard, from The Frames, and Markéta Irglová.…

GLEN HANSARD
glenhansardmusic.com

CBS Interactive recently featured Academy Award winning singer/songwriter Glen Hansard for their webcast concert series, "Live on Letterman."

Hansard is currently promoting his Drive All Night EP, which came out earlier this month (December 3, 2013) on ANTI- Records. The title track is a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song.

$1 from each digital sale of Drive All Night will benefit Little Kids Rock, the non-profit charity that provides music education classes to K-12 students in public schools.

The Frames at First Avenue, Minneapolis (04/17/07)

You probably know Glen Hansard as singer/songwriter for the Irish band The Frames, who I caught live at First Avenue in Minneapolis on April 17th, 2007. Since then, Hansard formed The Swell Season with Markéta Irglová. The two of them appeared in the film "Once", which pretty much document the two falling in love with each other on camera.

I believe The Swell Season are no longer a band, having only released two studio albums. Although Irglová mentioned a third Swell Season is in the works. If their debut album The Swell Season was about them falling in love and Strict Joy was about them falling out of love. Then the third album is about them maintaining a friendship?

The Weezer Cruise Poster designed by Marie Chatelot Read More Ash "We got delayed by a storm for... seven years," joked singer Tim Wheeler from Ash, as they apologized for staying away from Minnesota for so long. Ash is currently on small U.S. tour, making a rare Minneapolis…

ASH
ash-official.com

We are longtime Ash fans at W♥M so I'm happy to announce that the Irish band will be doing a US 2014 tour leading up to their appearance on The Weezer Cruise, taking place February 13-17, 2014, in Florida. If you can afford it, you'll be on a boat with these other musicians: Toro y Moi, The Cribs, The Orwells, Caveman, Ozma, Cat Power, Holy F***, Adame Devine, Palma Violets, Diiv, Doug Benson, The Relationship, and, of course, Weezer. I suspect meeting your favorite artists is a lot easier since ... I mean, where else are they going to go?

This is Christmas Infectious Records

In Ash news, lead singer Tim Wheeler and Emmy the Great (which I may have noted they were dating) did a few Christmas shows last week. They probably played some holiday songs from their 2011's This is Christmas album, like "(Don’t Call Me) Mrs. Christmas", "Jesus The Reindeer", and "Zombie Christmas."

Ash, the band, is writing new material at their Atomic Heart Studios in Manhattan, so expect some new singles (Ash said they will stop releasing albums altogether) in the coming year.

Ash's 2014 Winter tour dates:

01/27/14 @ Tractor Tavern in Seattle WA
01/28/14 @ Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR
01/30/14 @ Popscene in San Francisco, CA
01/31/14 @ The Echo in Los Angeles, CA
02/01/14 @ The Casbah in San Diego, CA
02/02/14 @ Obscura @ Rips in Phoenix, AZ
02/04/14 @ Cambridge Room in Dallas, TX
02/05/14 @ Stubbs Bar-B-Q in Austin, TX
02/06/14 @ Fitzgerald’s in Houston, TX
02/07/14 @ One Eyed Jack’s in New Orleans, LA
02/08/14 @ Juanita’s Café & Bar in Little Rock, AR
02/10/14 @ Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN
02/11/14 @ The Bottletree in Birmingham, AL
02/13/14-02/17/14 on Weezer Cruise in Florida/Bahamas

Love Like This Tour tour poster Read More Kodaline “I wanna travel the world, but I just can’t do it alone”, Kodaline vocalist Steve Garrigan sings in their song, ‘Brand New Day’. Because of the Dublin folk-based quartet’s recent success with breakout single…

KODALINE
kodaline.com

Dublin's Kodaline recently announced a North American tour dates for February 2014, taking them from Toronto, Canada, to Chicago, Illinois. Kodaline's album In A Perfect World debuted at #1 in Ireland, #3 in the UK and in the Top 10 in the Netherlands.

Kodaline at Turf Club, St Paul (10/23/13)

You may recall that we've covered the band twice when they were at First Avenue on April 23rd and at Turf Club on October 23rd. Read John's review to get an idea of what to expect when you see the band: "The evening’s strongest highlight came late in the set, when the four left the stage and walked to a mid-room platform, to serenade an older woman with an acoustic, soulful doo-wop cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘Bring It On Home’ with full audience snapping (or ‘clicking’ as the Irish say) along."

Kodaline "Love Like This" Tour Dates

02/08/14 Toronto, ON Phoenix
02/09/14 Montreal, QC Sala Rossa
02/12/14 New York, NY Webster Hall
02/13/14 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
02/14/14 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
02/15/14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
02/17/14 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
02/18/14 Nashville, TN Exit/In
02/20/14 Austin, TX The Parish
02/25/14 San Diego, CA Casbah
02/26/14 San Francisco, CA Great American Music
02/27/14 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
03/02/14 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
03/06/14 Columbus, OH A&R Music Bar
03/07/14 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge

Read More LCD Soundsystem It starts off with a piano beating that wouldn't feel out of place on a Roxy Music record from the 70's, but then steadily reveals itself as more of a sped up half relative of the piano on that Velvet …

SH** ROBOT
sh**robot.com

Sh** Robot (aka Marcus Lambkin) is an Irish electronic DJ/producer and musician who started his career with his friend James Murpher from LCD Soundsystem.

Sh** Robot recently announced his new second album called We Got A Love, which is coming out on March 18th, 2014 via DFA Records.

Apparently Lambkin was not inflicted with that difficult sophomore slump syndrome, commenting, "It wasn't as tricky as I thought it was going to be. I think my first record was pretty special because there was a lot of lucky coincidences and a lot of being in the right place at the right time, so I didn't try to repeat it. I just tricked my brain into just making stuff and not trying to follow up the first."

Upcoming DJ Shows:

12/31: Dublin, Ireland @ Sugar Club
01/18: Lisbon, Portugal @ Music Box
01/24: Freiburg, Germany @ Jackson Pollock
01/25: Munich, Germany @ Kong
01/31: Vienna, Austria @ Pratersauna
02.01: Berlin, Germany @ Panorama Bar
02.07 Brooklyn, NY @ SRB
02.08: Philadelphia, PA @ Dolphin
02/15: Denver, CO @ Vinyl
03/14: Istanbul, Turkey @ Indigo
03/15: Athens, Greece @ Plixi
03/22: Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory
03/05: Cornwall, UK @ The Masked Ball

BRIEFLY:

GIRL BAND facebook.com Irish four-piece noise rock band Girl Band announced their 7" single "Lawman", to be release on January 20th, 2014, in the U.S. on Any Other City Records. The record has a limit pressing of 300 copies and the cover will be screen printed on some nice fabric. The Irish Times called them as "a fantastic blast of punky fury and righteous energy" while Rough Trade named-dropped some bands, "musically somewhere between bleach-era Nirvana, Mclusky, Jesus Lizard and even that incendiary first Idlewild demo in their teens, long before they started sounding like REM."

IN SUNSHINE AND IN SHADOW dannyboystory.com In Sunshine and in Shadow is the new book, written by Anthony Mann, that examined the truth behind the Irish song "Danny Boy." Anthony Mann is the grandson of Fred Weatherly, who wrote some verses for "Danny Boy" in 1910, but it became a song until it was set to the music of the victory anthem song "The Londonderry Air" in 1912. There's more to this story, as written in In Sunshine and in Shadow, which is available now.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Here Comes The Sun

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

- The Beatles

Sleepy Sun: Maui Tears Dine Alone Records Read More Sleepy Sun As for Sleepy Sun, I managed to catch the band in 2009, when they were touring in support of Embrace. The San Francisco band recently released their new 7" on Dine Alone Records.…

SLEEPY SUN
sleepysun.net

Sleepy Sun will be releasing a fourth LP called Maui Tears on January 28th, 2014, via Dine Alone Records.

Psych-Out Christmas Cleopatra Records

In the meantime, check out Psych-Out Christmas from Cleopatra Records, released last November. The double disc (double vinyl) collection contain a lot of Christmas and holiday songs from your favorite artists: Iggy Pop, The Fuzztones, Sons Of Hippies, Dead Meadow, Psychic Ills, Dark Horses, Quintron & Miss Pussycat etc.

Among the artist is Sleep Sun's version of "What Child Is This?", which you can hear on Soundcloud.

Sleepy Sun at the 7th Street Entry (04/02/09)

I caught Sleepy Sun at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis in 2009, which I noted for their lengthy psychedelic songs: "Surprisingly, they had a pretty short setlist ... but they seem to stretch out each song to about 6+ minutes, especially with the drone-like guitar and experimental effects usually reserved towards the end of each song. I particularly liked how "White Dove" and "New Age" ended on their live set."

Look for Sleepy Sun to return on the road when Maui Tears is released.

Read More Setting Sun I've already listed all the parties and events at CMJ 2012, but here is one more from Young Love Records. Setting Sun, who I previously .…

SETTING SUN
settingsun.cc

Setting Sun's new album is called Be Here When You Get There, which came out last November.

The band will be doing a residency over at Pete's Candy Store in 2014 - warming up to their massive European tour in May 2014. If you'd like to have the band play in your country, contact Young Love Records at info[a]youngloverecords.com.

01/01/14 @ Pete's Candy Store, New York
01/08/14 @ Pete's Candy Store, New York
01/15/14 @ Pete's Candy Store, New York
01/22/14 @ Pete's Candy Store, New York
01/29/14 @ Pete's Candy Store, New York
05/01/14 | Germany | Available
05/02/14 | Germany | Available
05/03/14 | Benelux | Available
05/04/14 | Benelux | Available
05/05/14 | France | Available
05/06/14 | France | Available
05/07/14 |La Roche Sur Yon France | Ti'West
05/08/14 | France | Available
05/09/14 | Spain | Available
05/10/14 | Spain | Available
05/11/14 | Spain | Available
05/12/14 | Spain | Available
05/13/14 | France | Available
05/14/14 | Italy | Available
05/15/14 | Italy | Available
05/16/14 | Italy | Available
05/17/14 | Switzerland | L’entre Deux
05/18/14 | Germany | Available

Sunn O))) & Ulver : Terrestrials Southern Lord Records Read More Sunn O))) Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson formed Sunn o))) together, originally as a tribute band to Earth. Eventually, Sunn o))) started making waves with their own highly unique drone-doom sound .…

SUNN O)))
sunn.southernlord.com

In 2008, Sunn O))) announced at their 200th gig at the Øya festival that they will be working with Norwegian legends Ulver. The two bands came into the studio and did three three "live in improvisation" pieces, starting that evening and ending at dawn.

Ulver's singer Kristoffer Rygg talks about the recording process, "We were sitting in the console room, early in the morning, listening to the takes. Someone said, 'ah, sunrise over Crystal Canyon,' as if the night had been a dark one. We all laughed and Greg proposed it as a title. In that setting it sounded perfect. The boys had mentioned wanting the music to orient towards the light, like some lost pilgrim stretching before the sun. We kept that mental picture for the processing."

The Sunn O)))/Ulver collaboration record is called Terrestrials, and it is hitting stores on February 4th, 2014, via Southern Lord. Since Sunn O))) is primarily a touring band, expect them to head out on tour in 2014. Ulver, on the other hand, is doing a few dates in Europe:

02/06/14 Lido Berlin, Germany
02/10/14 Szene Wien Vienna, Austria
02/11/14 Backstage Munich, Germany
02/12/14 Die Werkstatt Cologne, Germany
02/13/14 Tilburg, Netherlands

Bipolar Sunshine: Drowning Butterflies Priority Records Read More Rudimental For most attendees, this was their first opportunity to hear new tracks by the likes of Fratellis, Mazzy Star, Janelle Monae w/ Prince, Rudimental, and Bastille..…

BIPOLAR SUNSHINE
bipolarsunshine.com

Fresh after the release of their EP Drowning Butterflies (December 10, 2013 via Priority Records), Manchester's Bipolar Sunshine, the stagename for Adio Marchan, announced a string of headlining tour dates in March/April, as well as supporting Phoenix and Rudimental in February.

02/05/14 London Brixton Academy*
02/10/14 Dublin Academy+
02/11/14 Manchester Academy*
02/12/14 London Brixton Academy*
02/13/14 London Brixton Academy +
02/14/14 London Brixton Academy +
02/15/14 London Brixton Academy +
02/21/14 Manchester 02 Academy+
02/22/14 Manchester 02 Academy+
02/24/14 Glasgow 02 Academy+
02/25/14 Wolverhampton Civic Hall +
03/27/14 Southampton Joiners
03/28/14 Sheffield Leadmill
03/29/14 Oxford Art Bar
03/30/14 Birmingham Institute
04/01/14 London XOYO
04/03/14 Newcastle Think Tanks
04/04/14 Glasgow King Tuts
04/05/14 Manchester Academy 2

* supporting Phoenix
+ supporting Rudimental

BRIEFLY:

FROM KID facebook.com Pop duo From Kid just released Variations of Sun, a remix compilation and single release from on The Fruit Records. Remixes of their song "Sun" are from Natural Animal, Freak You, Lou Teti, Ride The Universe and PWNDTIAC.

ABRAM SHOOK facebook.com Austin's Abram Shook (Shearwater, The Low Lows) has a new album called Sun Marquee. Shook is the singer of the Bowie-inspired rock band The Great Nostalgic, but with Sun Marquee, it is said that it's "new-tropical, bedroom-soul" sound. Sun Marquee will be coming out on January 21st, 2014, on on Western Vinyl.

SUNBEAM SOUND MACHINE facebook.com Melbourne's Sunbeam Sound Machine (aka Nick Sowersby) recently announced a string of dates for early 2014: 01/11/14 Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne 01/16/14 The Old Bar, Melbourne 01/25/14 The Workers Club, Melbourne 02/22/14 Shebeem, Melbourne He will likely be doing songs from his self-titled EP, out now on via Dot Dash / Remote Control.

PORTABLE SUNSETS portablesunsets.com Los Angeles' Portable Sunsets is the latest band on Mutecast (Episode #42), which I think is a podcast produced by the people at RTFKT (you may recall we've mentioned them a few times.) The description I was given is that Portable Sunsets were guests at Mutecast's Amsterdam Dance Event, where they recorded a live performance and interview/talk. You can hear the whole thing over at Soundcloud.

A MILLION BILLION DYING SUNS ambds.com San Francisco's A Million Billion Dying Suns is the project of Nate Mercereau. When he plays live, he's accompanied by Steve Wyreman (guitar), Josh Lippi (bass), Derek Taylor (drums) and Ben Schwier (keys). A Million Billion Dying Suns' debut EP is called Strawberry. You can hear the whole thing over at Soundcloud.

TIGER WAVES facebook.com Weekends is Tiger Waves' debut single, which came out this week (December 17th) on Canvasback Music (yes, the same label that signed Alt-J, Grouplove, The Joy Formidable, Frightened Rabbit and The Orwells). You can hear Tiger Waves' song "Sundressed", the b-side to Weekends over at Consequence of Sound.

SUN GLITTERS sunglitters.com Scattered Into Light is the Mush Record debut for Luxembourg based electronic act, Sun Glitters. The album comes out January 28, 2014. You can check out their first single from the album called "Closer to the Sun" on soundcloud.com.

TERRAPLANE SUN terraplanesun.com I've previously mentioned Terraplane Sun before, stating that they were a five-piece blues rock band from California. The band recently released a new song "Generation Blues" on YouTube, taken from their sophomore album. Terraplane Sun latest EP is called Ya Never Know.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Pump Up The Volume (1990)

Pump Up The Volume (1990) New Line Cinema Read More Films I’m a sucker for the sports documentary. From “the thrill of victory” to the “agony of defeat” and all nuances in-between, I find it all fascinating. However, I have a special affection for the “Field Of Broken Dreams” .…

One of the best music teen angst film is Pump Up The Volume. The film was released in 1990, written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.

If you've never seen it, it is about Mark Hunter, who just moved to Phoenix, Arizona. He's a little anti-social, and expressed himself through a personality called Happy Harry Hard-On via a small FM pirate radio station that broadcasts from the basement of his parents' house. His station is popular with his high school and, of course, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) eventually stepped in and try to stop the pirate broadcast.

As the movie's theme song, "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen plays over the opening credit, you get a glimpse of Hunter's "underground" bands on cassette tapes: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Camper Van Beethoven, Primal Scream, Soundgarden, Ice-T, Bad Brains, Concrete Blonde, Henry Rollins, and The Pixies (see image below).

Pump Up the Volume Soundtrack MCA Records

The official soundtrack, released by MCA Records on August 14, 1990, features Concrete Blonde's version of "Everybody Knows", not the Leonard Cohen original. This is possible due to costs and licensing issues. For example, the movie Trainspotting wanted to use Blondie's "Atomic", but it was so expensive to license that the movie producer spent a fraction of that cost and had Sleeper record a cover of that song (that information was given on the audio commentary of the Trainspotting laser disc.) Instead, if you watch the movie, the Concrete Blonde's version does appear on Hunter's final broadcast.

Pump Up The Volume's soundtrack still holds up, as does the film. Although, I do find it hard to believe that some of the actors that appeared in Pump Up The Volume are teenagers, despite the fact that Slater previously appeared as a teenager in Heathers.

If you enjoyed Pump Up The Volume, other films, from this era, worth checking out: Say Anything... (1989), Dazed And Confused (1993), Singles (1992), Empire Records (1995), and, of course, Trainspotting (1996).

Pump Up the Volume: Soundgarden, Camper Van Beethoven, Pixies, and Henry Rollins New Line Cinema

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy at the Cedar Cultural Center 12/16/13

photo credit: @thecedar Read More Bonnie "Prince" Billy Low-fi maestro Will Oldham, who plays under the name Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, has been crafting quietly devastating music for two decades. His recording career began in the mid 90s releasing several albums …

Enigmatic folk-singer Will Oldham held a rapt Cedar audience in the palm of his hand Monday night with a stunning performance of songs from his vast Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy catalogue. On top of being a masterful lyricist and vocalist, Oldham is also possessed with very irreverent sense of humor and delighted fans by skewering everything from Blockbuster to Christmas.

Under a blood-red spotlight, Oldham began his set with an accapella version of an old murder ballad “The Banks of Red Roses.” Oldham’s voice is startlingly beautiful and strong; hearing it unaccompanied by other instruments was almost jarring. In fact, before the show, a fan who was originally seated in the second row from the stage moved a few rows back for fear that the close proximity to Oldham’s pipes would be too intense.

Uptempo numbers “Easy Does It” and “I Am a Floozy” showcased some of Oldham’s affectionately funny lyrics: “I’ll go with anyone who smiles… when it comes to love I am a floozy.” My favorite track, the gorgeous and hummable “Beware Your Only Friend,” features more sly commentary from Oldham: “Picture us lounging/just sitting and listening/and loving what we hear/that has never happened/we both flail too much/to let the other near.”

For the memorably titled “You Have C*m in Your Hair and Your D*ck is Hanging Out,” off of 1996’s Arise Therefore, Oldham explained that he had co-written the song with a friend from Iowa and that it had gone untitled for years. With the song “Werner’s Last Blues to Blockbuster,” Oldham expressed his love of the word “blockbuster” and lamented that the now-defunct video chain had claimed it (clearly, he’s having the last laugh on this one). When an audience member yelled out “Redbox!”, Oldham joked that there might be more to the dvd kiosk’s title than is let on (communist vagina?)

Off-color humor aside, when Oldham starts to sing, you can’t help but get lost in the songs. On “You Can’t Hurt Me Now” (from 2006’s The Letting Go) Oldham’s honeyed whisper and wail filled the venue with a bittersweet longing and on “The Master and Everyone,” (2003’s album of the same name) a hushed reverence.

Oldham’s voice is startlingly beautiful and strong.

Near the end of the set, Oldham thrilled the crowd by playing not one, but two Everly Brothers’ songs; “BirdDog” and during the encore, “I’m on My Way Home Again.” There is a video of Oldham from earlier this year performing Everly Brothers songs with fellow musician and duet partner Dawn McCarthy and I have to say, I’d rather listen to them reinterpreting the Everlys than Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones. Oldham brought things to a close with “Kentucky” before stepping off stage. He returned for a four song encore that included the sober “Black Captain” and “Idea and Deed.”

With his warm, wavering voice, the meditative strum of his acoustic guitar or the intriguing tales of love and self of which he sings, Oldham truly mesmerized the huddled masses watching him from their seats in the sacred space of the Cedar.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (12/16/13)

emily () ♥ bonnieprincebilly.com

Sheryl Crow w/ Take 6 - CP Holiday Train concert- Cottage Grove, MN (12/14/13) concert review

Sheryl Crow Setlist All I Want to Do My Favorite Mistake The First Cut Is the Deepest (Cat Stevens) Run Run Rudolph (Chuck Berry) Strong Enough Please Come Home for Christmas (Charles Brown) Picture > If it Makes You Happy Everyday is a Winding Road -- Encore -- Soak Up the Sun Take 6 Setlist We Wish You a Merry Christmas Hark! The Herald Angels Sing You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Sheryl Crow Tour Dates 01/17/14 Detroit, MI Cobo Arena 03/21/14 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena 03/22/14 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena 06/07/14 Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium Read More Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow, well according to this live song, she claimed that she is influenced by Gentry..…

All Aboard!

Single degree temps, sub-zero wind chill, with blowing and drifting snow ...perfect conditions for an outdoor concert?!?

In Minnesota in December, that can be the standard and was the scenario as the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train rolled into the metro over the weekend for a 15th anniversary concert featuring ‘house band’ The Claytones, acapella gospel/r&b group Take 6, and recently-gone-country Sheryl Crow.

The event was held at the CP Rail Yards in suburban Cottage Grove and drew some 15,000 people overall to the festivities, which also included ice carving, a chance to meet Santa at the “North Pole Station”, and viewing of the lit and decorated Holiday Train.

The event also supported a good cause, as food, cash and toiletry donations for St. Paul Park-based Friends in Need Food Shelf, raised approximately $140,000 total. Though this was one of a couple hundred Holiday Train stops, it was one of only three concert events and the only one scheduled for the U.S. (previous concerts happened in Hamilton and Calgary, Canada).

Take 6

Music began just after 5pm, with The Claytones taking the stage for a couple songs, followed by acapella group Take 6 doing a short 20 min. set of holiday standards, most culled from their two holiday releases, the most recent one being 2011’s He Is Christmas (Word Entertainment). The sextet did the best they could to properly harmonize; bundled up in scarves, mittens, and heavy coats, and though the elements were definitely working against them.

Sheryl Crow then took the stage for a 45 min. performance of greatest hits to a shivering crowd, wisely eschewing the mostly unfamiliar newer country songs from her latest, Feels Like Home (Warner Music Nashville) and instead played a couple of Christmas classics, and more than half of 2003’s The Very Best of (A&M Records).

Sheryl Crow: "How in the world do you live in a place this cold?"

“How in the world do you live in a place this cold”, Crow remarked after her opening song, and “Who’s got some brandy?” ‘First Cut is the Deepest’ required guitar finger-picking, which wasn’t a possibility with the extreme cold weather, so the song was aborted and key changed, before proceeding again.

Charles Brown and Chuck Berry covers got the crowd moving to stay warm and in the Christmas spirit, and the encore of ‘Soak Up the Sun’ was maybe only wishful thinking in the sub-zero windy conditions, but appreciated by the remaining crowd.

As much an endurance test as a concert, The Holiday Train tour brought warm feelings and a successful fundraising effort to an evening when most would have otherwise stayed indoors, due to the in climate weather.

Sheryl Crow at CP Holiday Train, Cottage Grove (12/14/13)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ sherylcrow.com ♥ take6.com

Winter Blues

Read more I've Got the Blues or Red White and Blue.

Mark Morriss: This Is The Lie Read More The Bluetones So while going through my CDs, I sort of accidentally re-discovered how wonderful the Bluetones are! I'll always love their early singles (Bluetonic, Cut Some Rug) …

MARK MORRISS
markmorrissmusic.co.uk

Slight Return The Bluetones

"Where did you go, when things went wrong for you. When the knives came out for you? Where did you go?"

We love the Bluetones. Former singer/songwriter of the Bluetones, Mark Morriss has a new single called "This Is The Lie" (which came out December 9, 2013). The single is taken from his forthcoming album A Flash of Darkness, due out February 24th, 2014, via Acid Jazz Records.

Morriss is currently on tour:

12/17/13 Cambridge - Junction
12/18/13 Nottingham - Junction
12/20/13 London - The Forum
12/21/13 Leeds - O2 Academy
12/28/13 Eastney - Cellars
01/10/14 Southampton - Joiners Arms
01/11/14 Brighton - Sticky Mike's
01/16/14 Wakefield - The Hop
01/17/14 Gourock - Cafe Continental
01/18/14 Hereford - The Jailhouse
01/24/14 Pontypridd - Clwb Y Bont
01/25/14 Basingstoke - Sanctuary
01/30/14 Liverpool - Korova
01/31/14 Newcastle - Think Tank
02/01/14 Aberdeen - Cafe Drummonds
02/02/14 Dundee - Buskers
02/22/14 London - The Water Rats
02/28/14 Glasgow - The Admiral

Ocean Blue: Ultramarine Read More The Ocean Blue The Ocean Blue's cover of "There is a Light" originally appeared as a b-side on their EP, Peace and Light. Way back in high school, trendsetter Dan Davis (we all admired this guy in high school) …

THE OCEAN BLUE
theoceanblue.com

The Ocean Blue is an indiepop band from the late 80s, originally signed to Sire Records. Currently, the band released Ultramarine and is signed to Korda records, a record label that is based in Minneapolis.

Korda 2 Komp Korda Compilation

Their song, "No Money In That" was recently used in a Korda compilation album called Korda 2 Komp.

Hear it:



Guitarist Oed Ronne commented about the modern age of music, "It's an interesting time for us to be putting out a new record. So much of the music we see and hear now reminds me of things I loved growing up. My friends in their twenties like The Smiths and New Order. It's a strange thing, but good for us I think. We'd love to reconnect with our old fans, but also make new ones among the ranks of the young."

The Ocean Blue is wrapping up a tour:

12.20.13 - Washington, DC - Jammin Java
12.21.13 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue Read More Miles Davis You would think in a song with “Miles” in the name that Davis would step up to the mic with his muted horn. Instead it’s his sideman on tenor sax, John Coltrane, grabbing the first solo like a quarter-horse out of the gate …

MILES DAVIS
milesdavis.com

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, originally released in 1959, is the best-selling jazz record of all time. It's been long regarded by critics and fans as one of the greatest jazz album of all time, simply a masterpiece.

HDTracks recently launched a newly design website that allows 24-bit high resolution audio quality (24/96 and 24/192 bit/sampling rates).

According to HDTracks, Kind of Blue is now available for the first time in 24-bit, sourced from the original studio tapes.

A Reggae Interpretation of Kind of Blue Jeremy Taylor & Friends/Secret Stash Records

Personally, I already own the album on CD (and oddly A Reggae Interpretation of Kind of Blue via 12" record from Secret Stash Records) and it sounds fine. I don't have golden ears, so I can't actually hear the differences and it sounds great when I ripped my CD to MP3, even at normal (not high) settings.

Anyway, if you go to HDTrack under "About", they have a video documenting on the remastering process with recording engineer, Mark Wilder (Battery Studios), and producer, Steve Berkowitz (Sony Music).

BRIEFLY:

THE HOT TODDIES hottoddiesmusic.com The Hot Toddies are an all-girls band from Oakland. The girls just released "Summertime Blues", which you can grab for free on soundcloud.com. The track is taken from Friends of Tricycle Records Vol. 3, which you can download here. I believe you may have to sign up/sign in to download it. Seems like the animal-named bands are still a thing: Odd Owl, WOOF, Happy Fangs, and Kitten Grenade.

CLARA MOTO facebook.com Clara Moto new album is called Blue Distance, which was named after a line from Sylvia Plath. You can hear "How We Live in Each Other" on Soundcloud. She's currently on tour: 01/03/14 Le Sucre Lyon, France 01/04/14 Iboat Bordeaux, France 01/05/14 La Machine du Moulin Rouge Paris 01/18/14 Palaxa Saint Denis, Reunion

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Bear and Grin It

Bears (Panda Bear, Grizzly Bear) are hot trend band names in 2007... apparently they're still hot in 2013. Read more Lions, Tigers, and Bears (oh my!) or When Animals Attack.

Boy & Bear: Harlequin Dream Read More Boy & Bear This band came to my attention when they announced that they were heading back to the US to play at SXSW. If you missed SXSW like I did, you can actually get a special iTunes Live EP. Hear the song on Nylon Magazine. …

BOY & BEAR
boyandbear.com

Boy & Bear is a band from Sydney, Australia. It started in 2009 as a solo project for singer/songwriter Dave Hosking, but eventually expanded into a full functioning band.

Their recent sophomore album Harlequin Dream, which was released in Australia in August 2013 (was released in the U.S. on October 29, 2013) became #1 on the ARIA album chart and is certified Gold. They are signed to Island Records Australia, internationally with Nettwerk.

Boy & Bear will be touring the U.S. in support of the new album:

03/19/14 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
03/22/14 Philadelphia, PA Milkboy
03/23/14 Vienna, VA Jammin' Java
03/24/14 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
03/26/14 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
03/27/14 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
03/28/14 Toronto, ON The Garrison
03/29/14 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
03/31/14 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
04/01/14 Winnipeg, MB Park Theatre Cafe
04/02/14 Saskatoon, SK Amigos Cantina
04/03/14 Calgary, AB The Gateway @ SAIT
04/04/14 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room
04/06/14 Vancouver, BC Electric Owl
04/08/14 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
04/09/14 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
04/13/14 West Coast Blues & Roots Festival

Iwrestledabearonce: Late for Nothing

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE
iwrestledabearonce.com

Iwrestledabearonce is metalcore band from Los Angeles, but originally from Louisiana. The band is currently on tour in support of their third studio album Late for Nothing (which ironically was late in its release), came out on August 6th, 2013, via Century Media. What's interesting to note is that this is the first album to feature a new vocalist called Courtney LaPlante.

Tour dates:

01/30/14 Worcester, MA Upstairs At The Palladium
01/31/14 Wilmington, DE Mojo 13
02/01/14 Poughkeepsie, NY Chance Ent
02/04/14 Amityville, NY Revolution
02/05/14 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar Bar
02/06/14 Reading, PA Reverb
02/07/14 Jacksonville, NC Hooligans Music Hall
02/08/14 Fayetteville, NC Drunk Horse Pub
02/09/14 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
02/11/14 Knoxville, TN NV Night Club
02/12/14 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
02/14/14 Saint Petersburg, FL State Theatre
02/15/14 Pensacola, FL Vinyl Music Hall
02/17/14 Broussard, LA Station Live
02/18/14 Shreveport, LA Warehouse
02/21/14 Kokomo, IN Centerstage Bar And Grill
02/22/14 Louisville, KY Diamond Pub & Billiards
02/23/14 Newport, KY Thompson House

STRAW BEAR
strawbear.com

Straw Bear is an alt-country folksy band from London, by the way of Cambridgeshire.

Their new single is called "The Land Witch", it comes out on December 23rd, 2013. The song is taken from their 2012 album Black Bank.

Regarding the song, singer Ian Ray confessed that it was all based on a misheard word, "I was in the back of my nan's car as a kid, and I swear she told my dad that a "land witch" lived in the woods near her house... I sincerely believed that some weird old crone would abduct me if I went too close to the trees. Only years later did I realise I misheard her and made the whole thing up."

Straw Bear was recently spotlighted by Clash Magazine for their The Great Escape coverage (which, incidentally, we also covered).

BRIEFLY:

POLAR BEAR CLUB polarbearclubband.com Polar Bear Club is a post-hardcore band from New York, currently signed to Rise Records. The band's latest album Death Chorus came out on November 18, 2013, Absolutepunk.net calling it "one of the best and freshest sounding punk rock records of 2013".

MESSAGE TO BEARS messagetobears.com Message To Bears (aka Jerome Alexander) is somewhere in the UK. His third full length album is called Maps and it came out November 12th. Hear "You are a Memory":

MINUS THE BEAR minusthebear.com Minus the Bear's Acoustic II was originally released in February 2009, but it was limited to 5000 copies and is long out of print. Suicide Squeeze Records decided to go back and reissue the album October 2013 in tri-color vinyl (1000 copies), 180g black vinyl (1000 copies), and splatter vinyl (1000 copies). All purchase will receive a "Acoustics II" 11x17 folded poster.

BEAR PUNS facebook.com 'Barely' any details about this band called Bear Puns online, it would seem to be a trio (Kevin McCue, Samuel Evans and someone called "Toast") from California. Their latest collection of song was released earlier this year, February 15th, and it's called A Blank Portrait.

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Going for Gold XVII

Read more Going for Gold.

Goldfrapp: Tales Of Us Read More Goldfrapp Goldfrapp is back! The UK dance band just announced their new album Tales Of Us will be coming out September 10th, 2013, via Mute Records. .…

GOLDFRAPP
goldfrapp.com

We love Goldfrapp. The discoey band announce a UK tour for March and April 2014.

Get your tickets now, they have previously sold out major European cities, including their show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London (which The Guardian hailing the band’s performance as “majestic”.)

Goldfrapp's latest album is called Tales Of Us. The album came in two flavors: a standard edition and a deluxe edition, which includes a hardcover 40-page book, a bonus CD containing a selection of remixes and live performances of album tracks, plus a DVD with Tales Of Us in 5.1 surround sound, a documentary of the making of Tales Of Us and the breathtaking short films for Drew and Annabel.

Goldfrapp UK Tour dates:

03/26/14 Birmingham Symphony Hall
03/27/14 Manchester The Lowry
03/29/14 Brighton Dome
03/30/14 Portsmouth Guildhall
04/01/14 Bristol Colston Hall
04/02/14 Reading Hexagon
04/04/14 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
04/05/14 York Barbican
04/07/14 Gateshead Sage

Hiss Golden Messenger: Bad Debt Read More Hiss Golden Messenger Elephant Micah and Hiss Golden Messenger have teamed up to record a 7" split. The split is coming out September 4th. For a limited time, the 7" will come bundle with HGM's .…

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER
facebook.com/HissGoldenMessenger‎

Hiss Golden Messenger's reissue of Bad Debt as an Expanded Edition on January 14th by Paradise of Bachelors Records; the album was previously released in 2010. The Expanded Edition restores the album's originally intended full song sequence, plus unreleased tracks.

Hiss Golden Messenger is North Carolina-based songwriter M.C. Taylor and multi-instrumentalist and recordist Scott Hirsch (who currently lives in Brooklyn). The dou has been making music together for twenty years in various incarnations, including six records with the San Francisco's Court and Spark.

Bad Debt Expanded Edition track listing:

1. Balthazar's Song
2. No Lord Is Free
3. Bad Debt
4. O Little Light
5. Straw Man Red Sun River Gold
6. Far Bright Star
7. The Serpent Is Kind (Compared To Man)
8. Call Him Daylight
9. Jesus Shot Me In The Head
10. Super Blue (Two Days Clean)
11. Roll River Roll
12. Drum

Alex Ebert: All Is Lost Read More Edward Sharpe On the evening of June 25th, even the temperamental Minnesota weather smiled upon the outdoor stage at Cabooze, where Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performed their .…

ALEX EBERT
alexanderebert.com

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' frontman Alex Ebert was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Score" for the "All Is Lost" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The album came out October 1st via Community Music and featured ten original compositions and one new song all written, composed, and produced by Ebert.

"All Is Lost" is a film about one man's battle for survival against the elements after his sailboat is destroyed at sea. Starring Robert Redford, written and directed by J.C. Chandor.

The 71st Golden Globe Awards will be broadcasting live from Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 12, 2014, by NBC. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were announced as the co-hosts for the second time in a row.

Other nominees in the "Best Score" category are listed below, although I thought the winner may be the Mandela soundtrack due to his recent passing?

Alex Ebert - Best Score

Alex Heffes – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Steven Price – Gravity

John Williams – The Book Thief

Hans Zimmer – 12 Years a Slave

Champs: Down Like Gold Read More The Jezabels After catching the very end of The Jezabels (who were on unusually early on in the line-up… in my opinion), Darwin Deez was the first act on our list of must-sees.…

CHAMPS
champschampschamps.com

Champs (aka brothers Michael and David Champion from the Isle of Wight) is back with a new single called "Savannah", taken from their debut album Down Like Gold, which will be released on February 24th 2014 on Play It Again Sam (PIAS).

The band will be out on tour with the Jezabels in 2014.

Brink The Jezabels

Speaking of which, Australia's The Jezabels will be back with a new album on February 18, 2014, called The Brink (PIAS).

Singer Hayley Mary of The Jezabels commented on the "pop music" on their album, "To me, pop is the darkest music of all. If you look not at what pop artists are consciously doing but at what they’re reflecting about the world, pop is the most twisted, weird and scary stuff. If you wanted to study the Earth from an alien perspective, listen to pop music."

The Jezabels and Champs tour dates:

02/24/14 Nottingham Rescue Room
02/25/14 Manchester Gorilla
02/26/14 Glasgow Oran Mor
02/28/14 Belfast Limelight 2
03/01/14 Dublin Button Factory
03/02/14 Dublin Button Factory
03/04/14 Bristol The Fleece
03/05/14 London Shepherds Bush Empire
03/06/14 Brighton Concorde 2

Read More Sharon Van Etten Sharon Van Etten is as easy on the eyes as she was on the ears. She started off "All I Can," and the band played on without any issues. Even when tuning her guitar, Van Etten is a pro .…

DOUG KEITH
dougkeith.com

Doug Keith will be releasing Pony album on The Village Label. He premiered his song "Pure Gold In the 70's" on SPIN magazine. The song featured one J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr), thanks to a dare from singer Sharon Van Etten.

To Keith's surprise, J. Mascis agreed to lend his talen. Keith responded, "I know, right? Mindblowing. Mind blown. He played the most amazing solo that captures exactly what that song is about."

Pony will be released February 11th on The Village Label.

Track listing:

1. Harvest Home
2. I Will Burn For You
3. Long Shot
4. Pure Gold In The 70's
5. The Apostles
6. You Can't Stand To Be Alone
7. Black Metal Black
8. The Weather's F*** Awful
9. The Bone In Your Hand

Ian McGlynn: Now We're Golden Read More Ian McGlynn Ian McGlynn has a new album called Now We're Golden, which just came out earlier this month, June 5th via Bailey Park Records. The album was recorded all over the place, including Paris.…

IAN MCGLYNN
ianmcglynn.com

Now We're Golden is the third album from Ian McGlynn. It is said that the entire album was written on a tiny Casiotone MT-220 keyboard (which he kept with him at all times in case inspiration struck or his schedule suddenly aligned with his songwriting partner Chris Newkirk.)

We've briefly mentioned the album earlier in July, but wanted to mention that at the time of release, it was featured on iTunes New and Noteworthy section and spent two months in the CMJ top 30.

North Pole Vault

Also, worth noting, is that Ian McGlynn has a brand new Christmas-inspired EP called North Pole Vault, which came out December 3rd on iTunes. The EP is a six-song collection of holiday songs, "written in a bourbon haze".

Track Listing:

1 Christmas Morning
2 Our Favorite Christmas Movie
3 Christmas Sleep
4 Meet Me Where The Lights Shine Bright
5 North Pole Vault
6 Meet Me Where The Lights Shine Bright (Reprise)

MUTUAL BENEFIT
facebook.com/mutualbenefit‎

Mutual Benefit, the latest Jordan Lee project, has a debut album called Love's Crushing Diamond. The album came out on CD on December 3rd (January 13th in the UK/Europe), and on vinyl on January 7th.

You can listen to his song "Golden Wake" on soundcloud.com.

Mutual Benefit will be heading out on tour in support of Love's Crushing Diamond:

01/13/14 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
01/14/14 - Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
01/15/14 - Toronto, ON @ Drake Underground
01/18/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
01/22/14 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
01/25/14 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
01/28/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Centre for the Arts
01/29/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
02/01/14 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
02/03/14 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
02/04/14 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
02/06/14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
02/07/14 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
02/08/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade

Whales in Cubicles: Golden Metal

WHALES IN CUBICLES
whalesincubicles.com

Whales in Cubicles are a London-based trio with a brand new song called "Golden Metal", taken from their forthcoming debut album (to be released on January 27th 2014) via CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH records. The album was recorded at Monnow Valley Studio with producer Nick Mailing and mixed by Simon Barnicott . You can download "Golden Metal" for free on Bandcamp.

Tour dates:

01/28/14 – Newcastle – Digital
01/29/14 – Edinburgh – Sneaky Pete’s
01/30/14 – Glasgow – Nice N Sleazy
01/31/14 – Leeds – A Nation Of Shopkeepers
02/01/14 – Manchester – Night & Day Café
02/05/14 – Leicester – The Cookie Jar
02/06/14 – Bath – Moles Club
02/07/14 – Brighton – Prince Albert
02/13/14 – London – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
02/14/14 – Bournemouth – 60 Million Postcards
02/15/14 – Bristol – Start The Bus
02/22/14 – Reading – Oakford Social Club

THE DIVIDENDS
wearethedividends.com

The Dividends is singer Sarah Jaffe and producer Symbolyc One (or short, S1), with a forthcoming EP called Far From Away scheduled for release in 2014.

They've released a track from the EP called "Fool's Gold", featuring Raekwon.

The Body Wins Sarah Jaffe

We've previously written about Sarah Jaffe's album The Body Wins, which I previously said that "it's actually very good. Reminds me a bit of Florence + The Machine, but electronica, with Jaffe's beautiful voice."

S1 talked about Jaffe: "Sarah Jaffe is amazing, I truly believe we have something really special when we're working together. The first three songs we ever collaborated on were picked by major artists—including Eminem's 'Bad Guy'—so it was only right that we proceed and present our ideas through what we know now as The Dividends."

Angel Haze: Dirty Gold

ANGEL HAZE
angelhaze.com

Dirty Gold is the new album from Angel Haze (aka Raykeea Wilson), it is coming out March 3rd, 2014, on Island Records (UK)/Universal Republic (US).

Haze is a rapper who released a free EP called Reservation last year, and quickly was noticed by major label Universal Republic. A few months ago, she released her first single "Echelon (It's My Way)", taken from Dirty Gold.

Track Listing:

01 Sing About Me
02 Echelon (It’s My Way)
03 A Tribe Called Red
04 Deep Sea Diver
05 Synagogue
06 Angel + Airwaves
07 April’s Fools
08 White Lillies / White Lies
09 Battle Cry
10 Black Dahlia
11 Planes Fly
12 Dirty Gold

The Slowdown: Digital Gold

THE SLOWDOWN
facebook.com/theslowdownkc

The Slowdown is a 6-piece indie rock band (Brothers Sam Hoskins on lead vocals/guitars/other instruments and Joe Hoskins on keys, Josh Johnson on guitar, Jordan Smith on bass, Austin Turney on guitar, and Drew Little on drums) from Kansas City.

The band have a forthcoming album Digital Gold, pending release in early 2014 via Celebrity Narrators.

The album's first single and title track, "Digital Gold", which DIY Magazine calls "the poppiest and the most electronic", is available now.

You can hear the song now on soundcloud.com.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Turning Japanese 2

Read more Turning Japanese.

Japanther: Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart Read More The Simpsons I saw a few movies this weekend, The Simpsons Movie being one of them. I thought the soundtrack would fall on theme creator Danny Elfman, but it seems that Hans Zimmer is the composer. .…

JAPANTHER
japanther.com

Japanther is the music and art project of Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, who have been working together since 2001.

They are known for their unconventional live performances, for example, appearing alongside synchronized swimmers or with giant puppets and marionettes... Look for them at Los Angeles' Lyric Theatre (02/01/14) and San Diego's Soda Bar (02/02/14)

Japanther is back with Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart, a reference to the Simpsons, which came out earlier this year (May 21st) on Recess Records.

They've recently was featured on The Coup's track "Long Island Iced Tea, Neat," which you can check out the video.

Here's the details for the song:

"Long Island Iced Tea, Neat" is a result of post-show studio session involving The Coup frontman Boots Riley and Japanther's Ian Vanek & Matt Reilly. Featured on The Coup's Sorry To Bother You LP, the track was inspired by Riley's experiences with Occupy Oakland-- and the video celebrates the lives of Oscar Grant & Trayvon Martin, illustrating the social movements ignited by their respective deaths with protest photos, construction paper, skittles and glitter.

JPNSGRLS: The Sharkweek EP

JPNSGRLS
jpnsgrls.com

Vowels haters JPNSGRLS (pronounced "Japanese Girls") is a Vancouver quartet (Singer Charlie Kerr, guitarist Oliver Mann, bassist Chris McClelland, and drummer Graham Serl) with a new limited edition vinyl EP called The Sharkweek coming out on Light Organ Records. The 12-inch is an expanded version of their debut EP released earlier this summer, with one addition bonus track called "Mushrooms".

Sleighed

In the meantime, you can hear JPNSGRLS' holiday track, "Red & Green", on their label's compilation Christmas EP called Sleighed. More details on lightorganrecords.com: "The annual Christmas release from Light Organ Records is here in the shape of the glorious 'Sleighed - EP'. Look out for brand new tracks from Fake Shark Real Zombie, Frederick, Mounties, JPNSGRLS & The Fugitives. Happy Holidays!"

JAPAN SOUL
japansoul.me

"Hey Yah Hey" is a politically charged song from Japan Soul. You can hear it on soundcloud.com.

Plastic Utopia

Japan Soul is a music collective of Jason Paul (vocals, guitars, bass, programming), David Rozner (percussion, arrangements, programming, guitars, trumpet), and DaVe Lipp (saxophones, bass, guitars, eclectic instruments). Their upcoming album, Plastic Utopia, is described by Paul as "mostly a compendium of my thoughts on these troubled times."

Look for Plastic Utopia to come out in early 2014 via Wealth and Taste.

Japanese Gum: High Dreams

JAPANESE GUM
japanesegum.net

Japanese Gum is a duo (Davide Cedolin and Paolo Tortora) is from Italy, which is not not typically associated electronic psychedelia, but the two have slowly carved a niche for themselves as eclectic and unpredictable musicians. Their new album High Dreams came out this month digitally, but look for the vinyl edition in early January 2014.

You can stream the entire album here: Bandcamp.

Track listing:

1. Fine Again
2. Comfy
3. Foam Made Floor
4. Corporeal
5. Homesick
6. Hi Dreams
7. Ignored
8. How To Sleep Well
9. Waterwalls

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Colorful Music

Read More The Colourist You remember how I saw the Colourist and absolutely fell in love with them? There was just something really good about their catchy boy/girl/boy/girl pop songs that I really love hearing. .…

THE COLOURIST
thecolouristmusic.com

The Colourist recently released a new remix of "Fix This" by The Chainsmokers. The Chainsmokers are a production group (mostly Alex and Drew?), from New York. Chainsmokers described the remix process: "in the production it was great to create a composition for this track that ping pong'd between their vocals and our production as we add and subtract instruments to increase the energy and emotion into a joyous wave of synths for the drop that keeps that has our signature style."

Colourist at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (05/06/13)

Earlier this year, I caught The Colourist at Triple Rock, and I absolutely love them. There's just something about girl drummers, I can't explain it.

Also, The Colourist is back on tour this January, this time on tour with Panic at the Disco!

Tour dates:

01/14/14 Seattle, WA Showbox Sodo
01/17/14 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
01/18/14 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
01/19/14 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
01/21/14 Minneapolis, MN Skyway Theatre
01/22/14 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
01/24/14 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
01/25/14 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
01/26/14 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
01/28/14 Silver Springs, MD The Fillmore
01/29/14 Wallingford, CT The Dome
01/30/14 Boston, MA House of Blues
01/31/14 Montreal, MA Metropolis
02/01/14 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
02/04/14 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
02/05/14 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
02/07/14 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
02/08/14 Miami Beach, FL The Fillmore
02/09/14 Orlando, FL House of Blues
02/11/14 Houston, TX House of Blues
02/14/14 Phoenix, AZ The Marquee Theater
02/16/14 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern

Read More Secret Colours Chicago-based brit-pop Secret Colours is coming to Minneapolis to play a very spacey/psychedelic set starring BATHYSPHERE (featuring Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips, both former members of Luna). .…

SECRET COLOURS
secretcolours.com

Psych-rock foursome, Secret Colours has a new single called "It Can't Be Simple." Watch out for two releases next year, Positive Distractions Part I (out February 4th) and Positive Distractions Part II (out April 29th).

Secret Colours at First Ave, Minneapolis (07/05/13)

You may recall that I caught the Chicago band live at First Avenue earlier this Summer. The event was billed as the first annual "Bathysphere: A Psychonautical Voyage", which is a psychedelic rock music festival in Minneapolis, and, of course, we're looking forward to covering more Bathysphere.

Of the eleven bands we saw, we made sure to check out Secret Colours:

Like all the bands on the main stage, a projector displaying graphics or images of the band on the background. This was no different for Chicago's Secret Colours, who played tracks from their recently released album Peach to some psychedelic or images of the sun. Highlight of Secret Colours' set was when singer Tommy Evans busted out the melodica to play "Blackhole".

Expect Secret Colours to go on tour around SXSW 2014 time (like many other bands).

Pretty Lights: A Color Map of the Sun Read More Pretty Lights We've previously covered Pretty Lights (aka Derek Smith) before. I like how he offers most of his music as free downloads (you can always donate as well.) We aren't covering any.…

PRETTY LIGHTS
prettylightsmusic.com

Pretty Lights' A Color Map of the Sun was nominated for the Grammy's "Best Dance/Electronica Album of 2013". The album is available as a free download on his website, where you can grab all of his previous albums for free. Instead, Pretty Lights makes money off his live shows.

A Color Map of the Sun is also available as a remixed collection, which Derek Smith wrote is more like a "re-imagination of A Color Map of the Sun."

Pretty Lights at First Ave, Minneapolis (11/14/10) photo by Oscar

We caught Pretty Lights at First Avenue in 2010, which Oscar wrote: "Pretty Lights is Derek Smith. He hails from the south-western state, Colorado. He incorporates a drummer for his live sets, the current drummer is Adam Deitch. Derek makes funky, electro, hip-hop. With a ton of funk, soul, and hip-hop samples. Most of the crowd that was there for him were also fans of the Minneapolis hip-hop/rap scene, as well as acts such as Ratatat, Lotus, Bassnectar and Rusko."

He's currently on tour:

12.27.13 || Hampton, VA || Basslights
12.28.13 || Hampton, VA || Basslights
12.31.13 || Denver, CO || Decadence NYE

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