W♥M (Archive)

Northern Discomfort

NORTHERN PORTRAIT
northernportrait.blogspot.com

Denmark's Northern Portrait debut in 2008 with two sold-out EPs (The Fallen Aristocracy and Napoleon Sweetheart). However, since then, their album, Criminal Art Lovers, came out in 2010, the band's been pretty quiet for the past two years.

Their new EP, Pretty Decent Swimmers is out now via Matinee Recordings on "transparent swimming pool blue vinyl ". They are only pressing 1,000 copies of this 10" and pricing is cheap ($8 with digital copies of the song). If you just want the MP3s, they're $3 for all four tracks.

Hear "Happy Nice Day" now:

THE CAPSULES
thecapsules.com

A couple of things you should know about The Capsules: (1) they are a trio from Kansas, (2) their song, "Starting Tomorrow" is featured in Borderlands 2 (a game that I gave up playing), and (3) their new record, Northern Lights & Southern Skies, will be coming out next week (January 15th) via Vespera Records.

The album release show will be at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas, on January 18th.

You can hear the Borderlands 2 song on Soundcloud:



Trivia: The band loves My Bloody Valentine, is it a coincidence that their drummer is called Kevin and the couple's name are Shields and their first band was called Shallow?

JONATHAN TYLER & THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
jonathantylermusic.com

Speaking of Dallas, hard rock/blues band Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights (usually shortened to JTNL) are playing some shows in February. That's not a surprise because the band is known for being a great live band, often selling out their shows.

They are probably due for a new album, their last one on F-Stop Music/Atlantic Records, Pardon Me, came out in 2010.

01/26/13 New Braunfels, TX Gruene Hall
02/08/13 Yukon, OK Grady's 66 Pub
02/09/13 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
02/15/13 Fort Worth, TX Live Oak Music Hall
02/16/13 Lubbock, TX Blue Light Live Lubbock
04/12/13 Midland, TX Crude Fest Grounds
06/08/13 Houston, TX Herman Park

PANDA RIOT
pandariot.com

Remember Panda Riot? Emelia mentioned that ex-Parcels bassist was playing in that band. However, that was in Philadelphia.

Since then, Panda Riot moved to Chicago and they are very excited to announce that their new album, Northern Automatic Music, is coming out February 19th via Saint Marie Records (US) and Vinyl Junkie (Japan).

You can check out "Black Pyramids" streaming on Soundcloud.



The label is offering a special pre-order discount price of $12.99, which comes with the album (CD), Serious Radical Girls 7” and a 11x17 Poster. The poster is only available to the first 25 orders - so hurry!

PS, St Marie Records also signed another W♥M favorite, Elika.

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Girls Girls Girls: Sky Ferreira, Amanda Palmer, Laetitia Sadier

This is #12 in the Girls Girls Girls series.

Read More Sky Ferreira That might explained her "Sex Rules" title ? It's actually not what you'd think, it's the rules of nature, not that "it's totally awesome".

SKY FERREIRA
skyferreira.com

Sure, the single, "Red Lips," was released a few months ago (June), but I don't care. I think Sky Ferreira is awesome and we've been following her career since 2010.

"Red Lips" was written by Sky, Greg Kurstin, and … Garbage's Shirley Manson! The song is said to contain a new direction for Sky. Personally, it just sounds more or less in the same attractive pop/dance style, but with more guitars and less lo-fi.

Listening to "Red Lips," you wonder if Sky Ferreira is commenting on some other "little bitch" or on herself. I think you can read it both ways, but if that's the case, then certainly Ferreira know that she's playing that game … and if she's lost, then she'll walk. Then again, two-minute pop songs can't be all that smart, right?

Anyway, Ferreira's been quiet this past month, but expect a new EP from her next month, in September. The debut album, currently with a title of I'm Not Alright (changed from Wild At Heart), is coming out this year.

Check out her sexiest video yet: "Red Lips." The video featured Sky in her undies, lots of red lipsticks, and a lucky Toby the tarantula.

AMANDA PALMER & THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA
amandapalmer.net

You may remember that seeing Amanda Palmer at the Cedar in 2010 was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was hard to describe, but it wasn't just a regular rock n roll show, it was also part theater and part circus act.

I'm hoping to catch her again, this October at First Avenue. Will it live up to her Evelyn Evelyn show? I'll report back when I see her again. But hearing Palmer explain her latest work as "Rocky-Horror-meets-Scavenger-Hunt-meets-Interactive-Art-Happening," it sounds just as fun. Also, I am hoping to spot her hubby Neil Gaiman at the Minneapolis show.

Palmer's last album, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, was geared towards Australian, I still found the album to be fun and creative. The forthcoming album, under the Amanda Palma & The Grand Theft Orchestra banner is called Theater is Evil, and it will be out on September 11th on her own label, 8ft Records. You can preview one the song, "The Killing Type," on NPR.

Her tour dates starts September 10th.

09/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts 09/11: New York, NY @ Webster Hall 09/12: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 09/14: Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle 09/15: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse 09/17: New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina's Uptown 09/18: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's Upstairs 09/19: Austin, TX @ Stubbs (Outside) 09/21: Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre 09/22: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom 09/24: San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues 09/25: Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box 09/26: San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 9/28: Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom 09/29: Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom 09/30: Seattle, WA @ Neptune Ballroom 10/03: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 10/23: London @ Koko

10/24: Manchester @ Cathedral 10/25: Glasgow @ Oran Mor 10/27: Amsterdam @ Melkweg 10/28: Berlin @ Festsaal Kreuzberg 10/29: Prague @ Palac Akropolis 10/30: Zurich @ Abart 11/01: Antwerp @ Trix Club 11/02: Paris @ La Maroquinerie 11/03: Cologne @ Gebaude 9 11/05: Vienna @ Arena 11/09: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre 11/10: Chicago, IL @ Metro 11/11: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall 11/13: Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall 11/15: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club 11/16: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club 11/17: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

LÆTITIA SADIER
myspace.com/laetitiasadier

You might know Lætitia Sadier from Stereolab.

Confession: Before the internet, in the early 90s, I thought this band came out of France. Not a surprise because singer Lætitia Sadier is French, however I thought they were French, up to 2008!

Anyway, Lætitia Sadier just released her second solo album, Silencio!, last month (July 24th) on Drag City.

The album is said to be about "the noise" preventing you from society and commercialism and the marketplace … so, yes, buy the album!

Sadier will be heading out on tour this September, along with Orca Team, a band that Lara likes. If it all works out, Lara is reviewing Sadier's show at the 400 Bar this September 30th.

09/15/12 Chicago, IL @ Schuba's 09/16/12 Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room at Crofoot 09/18/12 Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel 09/19/12 Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal Festival 09/20/12 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Cafe 09/21/12 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge 09/22/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory 09/23/12 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's 09/25/12 Washington, DC @ DC9 09/26/12 Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe 09/27/12 Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Fest 09/28/12 Urbana, IL @ Pygmalion Music Fest 09/29/12 Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin 09/30/12 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar

10/03/12 Seattle, WA @ Barboza 10/04/12 Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar 10/05/12 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill 10/06/12 Los Angeles, CA @ Culture Collide Fest 10/10/12 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 10/11/12 Lincoln, NE @ Lincoln Calling 11/05/12 Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute 11/06/12 Glasgow, UK @ Captains Rest 11/07/12 Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete's 11/09/12 Dublin, IE @ The Workman's Club 11/10/12 Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh 11/12/12 Cardiff, UK @ The Globe 11/13/12 London, UK @ XOYO 11/14/12 Brighton, UK @ Sticky MIkes

Briefly:

BLONDFIRE facebook.com Blondfire is a brother/sister duo (Bruce and Erica Driscoll), they've been around for a while. They recently announced that they've signed with Warner Bros Records and they are in the middle of mixing and recording new songs for a forthcoming album in 2013. To celebrate, they're giving you a sneak peak at their catchy new song, "Waves," at Soundcloud:

THE HERMIT CRABS myspace.com Scottish indiepop band The Hermit Crabs is back with a new EP called Time Relentless. This mark the first new material since their 2009's Correspondence Course EP. Time Relentless is strictly limited to 1,000 custom minijacket sleeve and available exclusively through Matinée Recordings. Download "Stop This Now" at Soundcloud:

CUUSHE cuushe.net Cuushe is a Japanese singer, and she's back with a THREE new EP Girl, You Know That I am Here, and But the Dream. She's offering a remix by Slow Magic of "You Know That I am Here" via, what else?, soundcloud.

BETH JEAN HOUGHTON bjh.tumblr.com Just quickly, but Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny has a new music video for "Dodecahedron." The video was directed by Sasha Rainbow, you can catch it on Vevo.com She'll be in Ireland in September: 09/16/12 Cork, Ireland Cyprus Avenue 09/17/12 Dublin, Ireland Whelans

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